This book is an emotional read, yet it manages to be heartwarming and hot.
I can relate on a lot of aspects as an asian firstborn (though not an immigrant's).

As a romance book, it won't be as light and may not make some readers comfortable as the story digs deep into mental health issue & cultural discussion. But for me and I think other lot of readers, this is a solid 5 stars (and beyond).

Ticks all the boxes for my perfect reading:
✅️ witty banter
✅️ slow-fast romance (idk how to say it haha the romance is just the right amount and intensity for me)
✅️ discussion about culture (I'm all for it)
✅️ gender equality
✅️ there's a project involved
✅️ mental health topic manifested in the "real life" inside the story
✅️ good logic and pretty believable, no other-wordly reason for the problems
✅️ good pace
✅️ compelling writing style. Just the right amount of inner voices and dialogues
✅️ leave a longing feeling and the urge to discuss the book after I finish reading 🫶

I was super invested not only to the characters but also the story, it makes me frustated at some point before I realize this is just a fiction 😂
And then I got very impatient, like, "Come on, finish it!" but when it really ends I was like "WHATTT I WANT MORE" 🥲

#HowtoEndaLoveStory #NetGalley

How to End a Love Story is a complex, unique and fun story that gripped me immediately. Although this is a slower pace that I usually enjoy I still really loved reading this and didn't want to put it down. Overall I really recommend, especially to any fans of Emily Henry!

final rating: ★★★★★

thanks to netgalley and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc!

uhh wow i don't even know how to go about talking about this book. i need a moment. i requested this book solely because of the author's bio saying she's a screenwriter for Emily Henry's adaptations, and this was a neat title. everything, especially the characters, the plotline and setting and both the subtle and not-so-subtle representation of asian families hooked me.

(spoilers ahead)

Helen Zhang is basically me if i'm in my 30s living my ideal career. having a successful young adult (what looks to be) academia book series and a tv adaptation for it. exactly what i wanted to do before i singlehandedly possibly walked our of the industry this week (irrelevant but still). both of us come from a chinese family where love can be suffocating, not because one is being abused or anything, but simply because sometimes parents worry too much, need to know too much and will somehow get that information, and wish the best for you without realising it might not be. this STILL being portrayed in a sympathetic and not villianous light but with all the subtle nuances that comes with it, our inability to even bend the rules but only because we are voluntarily doing it while not wholeheartedly wanting to, is an absolute stroke of brilliance by Yulin Kuang. i saw a lot of broad strokes of myself in this character and i liked it for once. someone who doesn't believe in a happily ever after for herself and seizing one anyway.

surprisingly, the romance in this one was not the big highlight for me. sure it was angsty, messy and everything i like in contemporary romance with the slowburn past trauma to friends with benefits to lovers. but the whole thing about a deadline, while in character, felt a little convoluted especially if they broke it off before then. it might have been better if they broke it off through a bigger argument or something on that day. still, the build up to the situationship (?) of Helen being a d!ck (another trait i share with her) slowly having her defences torn down by Grant was nice, not totally ripping each other's clothes off at the beginning. but i felt the post break up yearning was what convinced me. both of them trying to move on, Helen realising she messed up big time and Grant not really making progress. it reminded me a bit of how the second half of Sad Girls by Lang Leav made me feel (it was my early teen era) in all the best ways.

also, grief representation! i have not experienced grief in the form of a passed loved one, but this book made me believe in what i thought was a shallowly written sister relationship and gave it depth, layers. neither Michelle nor Helen were always perfectly loving sisters, and Michelle kept secrets from her, but at the end of the day, Helen can only hope they both knew their love is always there. (her letters to Michelle at the end broke me. i love how, in a way, Michelle did play a part in bringing Helen her happy love story with Grant, even if theirs ended in tragedy)

How to End a Love Story is a love letter to love letters, one i won't hesitate to pick up again.

I loved this love story and can’t wait to read more by Yulin Kuang! The characters are brilliant and complex, and the storyline gripped me, it was a slower pace than I expected but it really worked.

How to End a Love Story is a contemporary romance from the highly acclaimed and accomplished Yulin Kuang and as such, sets the bar very high for the quality of work and my goodness, it did not disappoint

Helen Zhang is a bestselling author and now a screenwriter, but there was an event 13 years prior that still haunts her.

A reunion 13 years in the making is in the offing. Grant Shepherd has not seen Helen Zhang since that event but now he has accepted a screenwriting post on her new programme and he is wondering if this really was the right choice

The attraction is still there, but the past cannot be tucked away and forgotten, especially when parents and panic attacks are still a key issue. Will they be able to reconcile their past and with each other? Or will the past haunt them forever and foil their project

Stunning and electrifying. Beautifully written and utterly compelling. The primary storyline is elegantly juxtaposed with the origin stories and the dynamics between individuals and their diferent relationships. A fantastic novel and highly recommended

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodder Paperbacks and the author Yulin Kuang for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

4.5

This is a beautiful romance with witty banter, which somehow survives in a rather dark and sad backstory.

I really enjoyed the environment of a writers room. It was both interesting and an excellent catalyst for building the relationship and adding a seek of element..

I see why people compare her writing to Emily Henry. It is very witty and enchanting.

This is very spicy at times, and I enjoyed it a lot actually!!

This book was not for me. I ended up DNF-ing this like 20% in. The plot sounded so good but the execution fell flat for me and I couldn't bring myself to root for either of the main characters. Also, the arc was not formatted properly and that made issues worse. I just didn't want to spend so much time trying to figure out what words were cause so many alphabets were missing for a book that I didn't even like much.

How to End A Love Story had my hooked from the very first chapter! Not only is this a romance, but it's also a story of healing, grief, and follows two characters who are connected through a tragedy. I really enjoyed this one, because I felt like there was much more going on than just a typical romance novel - this definitely pulls on the heart strings!!

I would highly recommend this one if you're looking for an angsty, raw, tension filled romance!! I loved how flawed the characters were, and the growth they both go through during the story - they just felt so real.

Definitely a must read!

(4,5 ⭐️) This book somehow it’s the perfect mix between Emily Henry and Sally Rooney with Phoebe Bridgers song vibes. Not sure how that’s even possible but it’s definitely how it feels and I’ve loved it for it 🖤

HOW TO END A LOVE STORY has complex characters, deals with grief and loss, and portrays mental health issues with honesty and care (sometimes being even hurtful to read) but it’s also funny and heartwarming and it’s written in a very beautiful way. Yulin Kuang’s voice is very unique and while straightforward, also has a very lyrical quality to it. I loved both Helen and Grant and their messy yet beautiful relationship and they’re now one of my favorite writers couples.

so if you love…

✨ books about writers
✨ Hollywood settings
✨ broken and flawed characters
✨ good banter
✨ pining and yearning
✨ forced proximity and workplace romance
✨ this is me trying and mirrorball characters
✨ complicated and messy relationships

mark your calendar for 9 April because HOW TO END A LOVE STORY is the perfect book for you 🫶

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

5 stars ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc of this book. I loved it so much! Helen and Grant had amazing chemistry and the romance in this was written so lovely!

It took me a while to get into this one, it then hit a sweet spot, and then it kind of lost me. Ultimately it was too angsty and tortured for me, and the main characters and their relationship felt kind of generic – I didn't really feel there was anything special about them as people to keep me invested. I did really like the LA setting and the insight into writing a TV series though – both felt very authentic!

A very big thank you to the amazing Hodder and Stoughton for letting me review this wonderful read .

OH MY GOSH !!! my emotions are everywhere this book gave me everything i love in a romance , i also think this is a relatable story ..

I have not read anything Yulin before i will say i was really happy with this outcome .
i can also say i did not see what happened in the story coming at all she knew how to pull the carpet from under my feet for sure it was like my heart was tron apart then put back together neatly .

i loved everything about this story The plot was wonderful, the characters very relatable ,and the writing was perfect .

this story is going to be hard to forget what a journey I loved every moment of it .

i'm giving this book a heart pulling 5 stars

I found the book's premise very raw and unique. I was hooked from the beginning and could not put it down, and I particularly enjoyed exploration of themes of family and healing alongside romance. Beautifully moving, heartbreaking and healing in equal measure - one to add to your reading list this spring.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for proving an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

It was very clear reading this that the author is also a skilled screenwriter, Very easy to visualise the scenes which added to the enjoyment of reading this, some heavy subjects dealt with, the suicide of Helens sister of course and the resulting trauma for all connected. My heart truly ached for both Grant and Helen. Just an awful situation with long reaching consequences. The romance itself could perhaps have been developed more. The attraction was there (very steamy!) but I wanted a deeper connection, not just their shared trauma and lust. A really enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read her next book. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher.

I was extremely curious to read a book by a screenwriter set to adapt Emily Henry’s books. Not only because I’m a huge Henry fan, but also to gain some insight into any visible differences between screenwriting and prose. And in many ways this book reads more like a detailed script rather than a book - which isn’t a bad thing, it’s a 3rd person, fast paced story that keeps you thoroughly invested in the characters journey.

At its core it’s a rather emotional story as both Helen and Grant try to overcome the traumatic event that will forever bond them. I loved Helen as a character, she was resilient and pragmatic making it easy to both identify with and root for her. What I found a bit underwhelming was the romance between the main characters, which felt more based on physical attraction and shared trauma rather than any genuine connection between them. Still, it was an interesting read that makes me both hopeful and excited for future movie adaptations.

3.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC.

I picked this one on a complete whim. Did the classic and judged a book on its cover and you know what, it paid off. This book captures grief and love so beautifully that I felt like I was in the thick of it with the MCs.

We meet Grant and Helen who are bonded by a horrific incident involving Helen’s sister 13 years ago and how they are forced back together all these years later. We get to see a love story blossom between them that is so exquisitely written I couldn’t put my kindle down. This book completely captured my heart.

We also get to see them react and heal from the past trauma, more so in Helen’s case. The fact that she denies herself happiness to come to the realisation that she is allowed to be loved and to love in return.

I will be keeping an eye out for any work by this author in the future and can’t wait to see how they work on Emily Henry’s screenplay.

Well well! This is definitely a ‘marmite’ book, I actually loved it. Not quite the story you would expect from the cover and title, but nonetheless it’s worth reading for sure.
Unfortunately, my copy had a technical glitch, meaning that a few words at the beginning of each chapter were missing and also the letters fi and fl at the beginning of the word- had to concentrate more than usual!

This was a confusing read for me. I appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel but I feel the blurb did not match the extent of the hard-hitting topics that are explored in the book. It was a bit like being splashed with cold water to read the first chapter as the blurb and happy book cover did not seem to match the content.

I enjoyed the writer's room and following the different aspects of making a TV show was fun. I liked the side characters and felt I almost looked forward to their scenes more so than Helen and Grant, as the side characters were funny and authentic. Grant and Helen felt very forced and stilted and it a lot of the scenes felt repetitive. The repetitiveness of certain words in intimate scenes (growl came up many times) made me feel quite disconnected.

Overall, this was a bit too heavy for me, and I feel some of the relationships were too conveniently wrapped up at the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holder & Stoughton for the ARC.

Yulin Kuang's "How to End a Love Story" captivates readers with its honest portrayal of love, growth, and family dynamics. Set against the backdrop of a blossoming romance, Kuang weaves a tale that is both emotionally resonant and refreshingly realistic.

At the heart of the novel is Helen, a deeply nuanced protagonist whose journey of self-discovery unfolds with raw authenticity. From the very start, I was already captivated by her voice, and I could understand her actions and feelings, and watching her grow out of her own shell and find her group of friends was incredibly heart-warming.

Central to Helen's journey is her relationship with Grant, the charming love interest whose depth and complexity mirror her own. Kuang skilfully develops their dynamic, crafting a romance that feels genuine and true to life. Their journey from enemies (?) to lovers is both poignant and satisfying. I was hooked and invested throughout their ups and downs until the end.

One aspect of the novel that particularly resonates with me is Helen's tumultuous relationship with her Chinese parents. It allowed me to think about my relationship with my Chinese parents as well, and I feel represented in the dynamic Helen has with hers.

"How to End a Love Story" is a testament to the power of love and resilience. Through Helen's journey, Kuang explores themes of identity, forgiveness, and growth. The story was much more than a typical love story, and I will gladly read it over and over again. I am looking forward to reading more of Kuang's works.

I found this book to be well written, however it did contain a lot of heavy topic areas such as suicide, grief, guilt, trauma and healing. I certainly didn’t get this vibe from the front cover before reading. So if you like a deeper more emotional read this one is for you.