Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - How to End a Love Story

Liked a lot about this - it didn’t feel entirely successful to me, but I would certainly read more by Yulin Kuang in the future! I really appreciated that the author dived into complex familial relationships (especially with the female MC’s first-generation immigrant parents) and the specific nature of grief after losing someone close to suicide. I loved the chemistry between the two central characters and thought the sex scenes (VERY open door 😂😜) were super hot throughout and really gorgeously written.

I did find the characters’ arcs disappointing and flat - somehow their individual growth in order to find their way back to each other didn’t quite register or land believably. I also guess I struggled (though I am a voracious rom-com and romance reader and actually very rarely say this!) with the believability of the basic premise: there were just a few too many neat/tidy coincidences to the overall romance plot, and though I get the plot device of this very specific enemies-to-lovers bent, it was so on the nose

(like…there’s enemies and there’s “was driving the car when your teenage sister, who had no access to mental health support, jumped in front of it and died by suicide”)

that it felt sort of heavy-handed ultimately. As I said - lots that was interesting, and also not totally satisfying for me ultimately.

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litbrett's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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liz8's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the best romance books I have ever read. It made me feel such a wide range of emotions. The prose is so, so beautiful and portrays grief and trauma with care and in a very realistic way. Like the FMC, I too am an eldest daughter in an immigrant family and this novel made me feel so seen.

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rhamil12's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A gorgeously written and all encompassing contemporary romance, that tugged at my heartstrings just as much as it made me swoon. If you love your romances slow burn, sizzlingly intense and bordering the literary— then you’re in for an absolute treat!

Told through the alternating POVs of Helen and Grant, whose complicated history (Helen’s sister committed suicide via moving car, which happened to be driven by Grant) and growing attraction sees them navigating grief, guilt, the long term effects of trauma, forgiveness and even love in a heartfelt (and surprisingly pragmatic) way that I found incredibly relatable.

Given that gut punch of an opening chapter, I had no idea how Yulin Kuang was going to get our protagonists to actually talk to each other (let alone fall in love.) But the intricate (and nuanced) way in which their chemistry and intense attraction for one another is explored was simply breathtaking.

I don’t think I’ve ever rooted for a couple quite as much as I did Helen and Grant, who have far more in common than either could ever imagine. Both struggling to cope with the after effects of their shared trauma and the loneliness caused by their emotionally guarded, workaholic lifestyles. I loved watching them slowly puzzle each other out, and begin to open up to one another—healing emotional wounds they’ve both carried for thirteen years.

Helen’s complicated bond with her mother and the guilt she feels surrounding her relationship with Grant adds the perfect amount of conflict to keep things interesting without spiralling into anything overly dramatic or unbelievable.

I do think this is the kind of book that needs to be read to be truly appreciated, and I honestly feel Kuang’s background in screenwriting helped soo much with that. Oftentimes with prose dripping with sensory imagery that evoked grand and complex feelings without a single line of dialogue needed (which I absolutely loved.)

Overall, How To End A Love Story was a lush, emotional rollercoaster of a debut that has me eager for more of Kuang’s work. Fans of Emily Henry or Sally Thorne should definitely consider picking this one up. Just check the TWs first.

Also, a huge thank you to Tallulah over very at Hodder Fiction for the fabulous proof.

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pattykcreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad

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

4.0

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hannahmichele5's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful, heartbreaking, angsty, hilarious, steamy, phenomenal, etc. etc. etc.

I might write a more coherent review someday but probably not. Fans of Emily Henry, Elissa Sussman, Tia Williams, and Ashley Poston (so, me) will INHAIL this book!

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