Reviews tagging 'Death'

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

148 reviews

garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a great listen that I sped through! Kinda wish I had listened at a slower rate 😆 

The narrators did a really good job with the material. And the material was solid. There was drama, there was spice, there was angst. Really hitting my sweet spots.

A note on the spice: it was all vanilla, nothing dark or kinky, but this author knows how to write a đŸ”„đŸ”„đŸ”„ vanilla scene! So it's still  đŸŒ¶ïžđŸŒ¶ïžđŸŒ¶ïžđŸŒ¶ïž (out of 5) for me.
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itsemilystories's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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m_a_j's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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rchulin1's review against another edition

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sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Ehhh nothing special 
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tlaynejones's review against another edition

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3.5

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shuggy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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grazeea's review against another edition

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It feels slow and Helen is confusing. She hates Grant at the start of the book and then forgot it when they got cozied during Christmas break. 
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mads_ione's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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samara_surface's review against another edition

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4.5

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lindsaymck's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an impressive debut novel and one that I really enjoyed, but interestingly enough it is one that I don’t find easy to write a reflection about. 

It is a story about how the past can shape the future until we do the work to process it and shape it for ourselves. Sometimes romances have silly reasons for characters not being able to be together, but this one was
 legit. Helen Zhang’s younger sister, Michelle, commits suicide via Grant Shepherd’s car, only for Grant to later be a screenwriter on the tv show adaptation of Helen’s book series. The situation is obviously complicated, as Grant doesn’t want to make Helen uncomfortable but won’t quit the job, while Helen first feels pressured by her parents’ expectations to not connect with Grant and then feels selfish and guilty for doing just that. Grant was so lovable in a he-falls-first and he-falls-harder way, while Helen was definitely a harder sell, for Grant and for me. 

Forced proximity catalyzes a reluctant acquaintance between them that grows into much more in an understandably complex way. I loved the way both Grant and Helen have thought about one another over the years in relation to Michelle’s death and that Helen does not blame him for it. The trauma-bonding that happens years after this horrible event makes both characters question how their fates are entangled, but it becomes so much more than connection through a mutual loss. Their relationship becomes the spark Helen needs so she is able to finally reflect on and recognize the ways she wants to heal and how she wants to love in a brave, bold way. 

To me, this couple had a bit more angst than tenderness, but Grant says it best when he tells Helen: “You don’t have to be completely healed to be everything I want. To be mine. I love every part of you, you silly, infuriating woman. I love the parts of you. I haven’t even met yet.” 

The discussed expiration date on the situation-ship due to the tv show’s schedule adds another layer to the drama, as does Helen thinking Grant is better off without her. By establishing some much-needed boundaries with her parents and communicating (in writing) all the things she wishes she could say to Michelle, Helen can process her past and move forward into the future she wants. I could be wrong, but the title makes me wonder whether the love story she is writing the ending for is her own with Grant or her writing to Michelle when she ends their story with love. 

P.S. I can’t forget to mention Grant writing his address on Helen’s thigh after they fooled around in his office. đŸ”„
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