How to End a Love Story: A Brilliant New Voice Delivers a Heartstrings-Pulling Love Story

So thoughtfully and carefully written, with characters you want to root for. The premise was not one I was interested in but saw it came highly recommended so gave it a chance, and so glad I did!

Once I realized who the author was I was interested in reading this book. This book deals with loss of a family member at a young age and how it impacts all those left behind. Its multi generational and multi cultural and filled with so many feelings. It deals with family, accusations, forgiveness and healing.

"You don't have to be completely healed to be everything I want. To be mine. I want every part of you, you silly infuriating woman. I love the parts of you I haven't even met yet."Hmm. I was excited about this book. The author is writing the screen plays for Emily Henry’s books so I had high expectations. Maybe that was my fault. Also there was a CW “mentions suicide” which is a massive understatement. If that is a trigger for you, please be careful when approaching this book. It is not just a mere mention but a massive plot point.Speaking of plot for a romance book I am not sure where the chemistry was. I am not even talking insta love. It was a weird mix of enemies to lovers -second chance/ childhood classmates to lovers -but also insta love. There was not enough sexual tension to make it work. The trauma tension was there but not the actual sexual tension. I would love to be wrong about this book and hope that it was just my shock by the opening plot.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book from the moment I heard about it. I couldn’t fathom rooting for a romance under these circumstances. I was hooked from the first chapter and didn’t want to put it down. The story that unfolded was raw and painful and pushed me emotionally. It opened discussions within my own family and I’m still thinking about these characters (who are 100% fictional my husband likes to remind me LOL).The angst was almost too much for me at times, but there were sweet and tender moments too. I don’t agree with all the choices Helen and Grant made, but I think the beauty of their love is in the mess. These two are forever tied by tragedy and share a pain so similar, but from two different sides. It’s incredibly messy and complex, but I don’t think love is ever neat and tidy. Yes, the progression of feelings felt a bit fast, but given the atmosphere and vacuum of the writer's room, I can see how things could unfold that way. I also felt that sometimes Helen was too cold or that the relationship was one sided, but I think (hope) that that was all part of their character arcs. The spice was a great surprise and I truly didn’t think the book would be as steamy as it was. I’m still a bit stunned that the author got me invested in this romance at all.How to End a Love Story is a romance, but it’s also a story of family, forgiveness, acceptance, and healing. I think that part of the story is what will really stick with me. Helen’s relationship and struggles with her family, especially her mother, resonated with me so much. I saw many of my own life experiences on the page and I don’t think I can fully articulate what a chokehold those scenes with Helen’s family had on me. I could feel the weight of familial respect, responsibility, guilt, and disappointment so profoundly. Normally the third act conflict frustrates me, but this time, Helen’s decisions felt very in line with her upbringing and character.The ending felt a bit rushed after all that angst, but I appreciated that both characters acknowledged that they weren’t 100% healed and that was OK. There isn’t a pretty bow for every plot point, but I think that was more realistic. I'm still not sure I could have made the same decisions as Helen and Grant, but I really enjoyed the final chapter (the montage/highlight reel all our hearts needed LOL) and I can’t wait to see what Yulin Kuang writes next.CW (from the author): This story contains on-the-page discussions of complicated grief, suicide loss, and the death of a sibling.Other CW's encountered: panic attacks (on page), strained relationship with parents, car accident and hospitalization/injury (on page)OW/OM notes: FMC goes on a date with an OM after things have started with the MMC. MMC has an old hometown hookup/friend and is also friendly with an ex. No OW/OM during the separation.*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

The characters slide into your heart, which made it impossible to put down. Suicide is hard to read about, but it's the people left behind Kuang focuses on. How to move forward after such a loss was presented with heart and compassion. How can you allow yourself to find happiness, to accept love and not feel guilty? Kuang keeps the title's promise. Highly recommend.

This one HURT, in all of the most tenderly brutal ways. Several times, I caught myself unconsciously rubbing my chest while reading, trying to make the ACHE dissipate. That's how invested I was in this couple finding their way together, even when the path there was treacherous. Their every interaction was charged and full of tension - of all kinds. I loved how raw and emotional it got, which paired perfectly with the vibrant, banter-filled moments when they gave into the attraction that sparked between them. It's got some serious sexual tension and the kind of spice where the intimacy bleeds from the page. I adored the sweetheart of a hero. And as much as I'd typically be driven a little crazy by the reluctant heroine, I truly could see where she was coming from. The forbidden element plays a major role in the story, so I was glued to the edge of my seat, aching to see them find a way through. It's a little stunning that it's a debut, and easily one of the most memorable books I've read this year.This romance won't be for everyone, there is definitely some heavy, potentially triggering content. The story follows Helen, a woman who has never fully healed from the death of her sister 13 years ago. When Helen's sister was 16, she intentionally walked in front of a car and ended her life. Her death has shaped Helen into the woman she is today, and the emotional wounds still feel raw whenever they're exposed. Helen has thrown herself into her career, and she's reached a new level of success - her YA book series is being turned into a TV show, and Helen will be included in the writing process. Things seem to be heading in the right direction until Helen enters the writer's room that first day and sees Grant... the man who was driving the car that struck her sister. He's not a man Helen wants to get to know better, but their work situation means they'll be spending every day together for the foreseeable future - and there's no avoiding the way their lives are forever tied together.I knew next to nothing about the story before diving in, I just loved the blurb. So I was shocked when I read the acknowledgments and discovered that this debut author is the screenwriter of Emily Henry's upcoming film. That's quite the pedigree, and this story lives up to the promise. It's so layered and nuanced, with moments that had me tearing up, laughing, smiling, and even fanning myself. It truly put me through my paces emotionally, and it is a romance through and through. Since Helen and Grant work together, there's tons of forced proximity and so many tense interactions. I loved watching them slowly shift from adversaries to reluctant co-workers to something more, and I really did empathize with both characters. The accident has changed Grant just as much as it did Helen, and my heart hurt for the ways he was broken. It's not a particularly tropey read, but you could call this a "he falls first, black cat/golden retriever, forbidden romance." Grant is such a compelling character (loved him!), and he makes the perfect complement to the more reluctant Helen. There's a definite push/pull situation that cranked up the angst and tension, but I loved the way these two kept finding their way together. My love for the story grew and grew, and it's the kind of book that I will remember for a long time. I loved it! I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this powerful romance.

At the age of eighteen, Helen and Grant were on opposite sides of a tragedy. Thirteen years later, they encounter each other again, unexpectedly, in the writers' room of the show being made out of Helen's YA novels.This book had a slow start for me, and I wondered if it was going to drag, but it gradually drew me in until I was completely invested and finding any excuse to pick it up and read a few more pages. Grant and Helen are such different characters on the outside - one relentlessly affable, the other the definition of awkward - and initially it seems impossible that they can ever find common ground, but the story develops beautifully and also with a mounting sense of doom, because it's clear that somewhere there has to be a breaking point. I'm not a fan of the phrase 'all the feels', but it's actually an apt description for this book, because not only are the main characters' feelings delicately depicted in detail, but it evokes plenty of varied emotion in the reader as well. An incredibly satisfying reading experience.

Loved this book start to finish.Such a warm cozy hug of a book to read. I haven’t read a book I didn’t want to put down in so long.

I love Emily Henry and knowing Yulin Kuang has been trusted to adapt her books to film was enough for me to pre-order this book. I also really liked Dollface.The author has a compelling writing style and I'm not afraid of some angst and sadness. It's a heavier subject matter than some may like in their CR novels, but I live for a little bit of heartache as long as things are OK in the end. This book delivered on that, but I do feel like there was something missing. I might read it again and change my mind, but I think maybe I am a little dissapointed we didn't get as much time with both Helen and Grant post-aftermath of what happened when they were teenagers. I think more of their POVs at that time vs just hearing about it later might have endeared us to them more.I didn't feel especially connected to Helen at the first part of the book. I didn't dislike her, but it wasn't til a bit later that I felt like I understood her character. I liked Grant right away, and I also enjoyed the secondary characters a lot.The plot was refreshing, I enjoyed the writers room perspective and how it didn't go off and focus too heavily on the glitzy side of it all. I didn't need that, I like that it was all rooted in reality. Oh, and the yearbook bit was probably my favourite (won't say more to spoil much).