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hannahmichele5's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use
belreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wonderfully paced and sprinkled with just the right amount of spice and tension - How To End A Love Story is an easy recommendation from me, especially for fans of Emily Henry (the fact that Kuang is set to direct the film adaption for Beach Read and is the screenwriter for the film adaption of People We Meet On Vacation should make you want to pick this up!).
How To End A Love Story is an endearing romance with a focus on acceptance, grieving, and personal growth. Kuang writes the leads in a way that makes them feel real, which is showcased through their complex past, shared trauma, and the evident tension between the two.
This debut was exceptional, kept me thoroughly engaged, and I truely cannot wait to see what Kuang brings out next!
I’m speechless and consumed by heartache. Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, and Alcohol
michbrito's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Car accident
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How to End a Love Story is an original emotional love tale of two star crossed lovers connected and separated by their history.
If you are someone who has any triggers, it might be helpful to know that in the first chapter it is revealed thatHelen (our female main character) lost her sister as a teenager when she intentionally stepped out in front of a car that Grant (our love interest) was driving.
Helen and Grant are complicated characters. Their trauma is handled well in the writing but they regularly get in their own way, which some might find frustrating to read. Not me, I loved the complexity involved in their dynamic and in the relationships they have with their families.
It was also fascinating to learn about adapting books from an author who has written the screenplays to two Emily Henry books.
I do feel at times like jumps between different aspects of the plot was jarring, and the pacing could have been smoothed out a little more. The spice was inserted directly next to trauma, which was a bit of a leap emotionally as a reader, but perhaps that was intentional to match the minds of the characters.
Overall, I am really excited to read anything else Kuang writes and this book was a triumph of a debut.
If you are someone who has any triggers, it might be helpful to know that in the first chapter it is revealed that
Helen and Grant are complicated characters. Their trauma is handled well in the writing but they regularly get in their own way, which some might find frustrating to read. Not me, I loved the complexity involved in their dynamic and in the relationships they have with their families.
It was also fascinating to learn about adapting books from an author who has written the screenplays to two Emily Henry books.
I do feel at times like jumps between different aspects of the plot was jarring, and the pacing could have been smoothed out a little more. The spice was inserted directly next to trauma, which was a bit of a leap emotionally as a reader, but perhaps that was intentional to match the minds of the characters.
Overall, I am really excited to read anything else Kuang writes and this book was a triumph of a debut.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Car accident
Moderate: Toxic relationship
chellesofbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
2.0
2 stars
TW; sibling death through suicide, two car accidents (one talked about a lot, the other on page), long-term grief and trauma, hateful treatment of main character from the other, toxic relationship with parents, panic attacks, general mental health struggles, use of drugs (minor)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
I dislike writing reviews that are too personal and purely negative, but this is one I cannot avoid writing because this book affected me in a way I wasn't expecting. If any of the trigger warnings above are things you feel uncomfortable with, please do not endure this book. I felt the obligation from applying for this arc via NetGalley to read it through despite becoming uncomfortable within the first portion of the book, and in hindsight, wish I had just DNF'd it instead of trying to find any positives to review about.
How to End a Love Story follows Helen and Grant. As teens, they went to the same high school but weren't in each other's circles, and after Grant plays a significant - albeit without choice - role in Helen's sister Michelle's suicide, Helen and her family treat him as the murderer, not the victim of Michelle's choices. Immediately, because this involved a car accident, in which I lost my beloved father in one thanks to the careless choice of another person, I felt uncomfortable. This continued to echo for me as Helen in the present time - now 13 years later - finds herself in Grant's company during the process of screenwriting her book series into a show. Helen is initially downright cruel and unwavering in her reaction to Grant, and whilst I tried to understand how the grief and loss of her sister was behind her actions, she isn't likeable at all. Grant, to his credit, does try to make amends, and the author chose to write him as someone who tries too hard to make others feel comfortable whilst he himself suffers.
Trying to remove my personal loss from the situation, I attempted to like the plot even though it felt very far-fetched from what the synopsis vaguely entailed, but I just couldn't get behind the romance. Helen goes from hating Grant's very presence to taking an edible and admitting he's not half bad whilst under the influence. They then become somewhat friendlier with each other, and at this point, I thought it might build slowly and healthily. Instead, it falls right into the romance, with too many sexual scenes with frequent sides of "this is so bad, I shouldn't be sleeping with the man who ruined my family" and this toxic minefield of playing with feelings and passion is built. I didn't feel like either character was truly in love despite it being shared on page, and quite often they were very dramatic towards one another. Helen's issues with her parents (there is a side story of Helen being the child of Chinese immigrants, and the level of struggle she has faced in a country with different traditions than those her family uphold) get interjected whenever things seem to be running smoothly for her and Grant, and of course, because he is the cause of Michelle's death in their eyes, the last thing they'll accept is their remaining daughter being with him. The whole plot around these two unlikely people falling for the other after the trauma both inflicted from various sources, as well as each other, just never became right or worked out for me. By the time the third act breakup happened, the accident that occurred afterwards, and then the subsequent getting back together, I was beyond exasperated with this story.
Writing style-wise: you can tell Kuang is a screenwriter. The story is told in present tense, yet it reads very pretentious in how the author expresses the emotions or thoughts of Helen especially. I found it frustrating that there were so many time jumps, the gaps were filled in poorly, and the overwritten structure of feelings made them feel unrealistic and robotic at times. I could see this level of drama working in a soap opera television show, where the shock factor is constantly used to engage viewers, but as a reader, I didn't relate to the style of writing choice at all. The romance felt weak and sex was overused to show intimacy between the couple.
Overall, I can't decide if this story was simply not good, or that from my personal experience with loss via a car accident, I was too sensitive to adapt to the way it was showcased. The author does put a content warning in at the start of the book but leaves out some elements that I would think are worthy of being listed. Equally, there is no content warning on the author's website if you want to check it out before purchasing, and none added to the listing on NetGalley, in which had there been one, I wouldn't have applied at all. This isn't entirely the author's fault, but down to the marketing of the book. I despise this vague way of presenting the story through a synopsis that doesn't truly give you a sense of what is to come.
TW; sibling death through suicide, two car accidents (one talked about a lot, the other on page), long-term grief and trauma, hateful treatment of main character from the other, toxic relationship with parents, panic attacks, general mental health struggles, use of drugs (minor)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
I dislike writing reviews that are too personal and purely negative, but this is one I cannot avoid writing because this book affected me in a way I wasn't expecting. If any of the trigger warnings above are things you feel uncomfortable with, please do not endure this book. I felt the obligation from applying for this arc via NetGalley to read it through despite becoming uncomfortable within the first portion of the book, and in hindsight, wish I had just DNF'd it instead of trying to find any positives to review about.
Trying to remove my personal loss from the situation, I attempted to like the plot even though it felt very far-fetched from what the synopsis vaguely entailed, but I just couldn't get behind the romance. Helen goes from hating Grant's very presence to taking an edible and admitting he's not half bad whilst under the influence. They then become somewhat friendlier with each other, and at this point, I thought it might build slowly and healthily. Instead, it falls right into the romance, with too many sexual scenes with frequent sides of "this is so bad, I shouldn't be sleeping with the man who ruined my family" and this toxic minefield of playing with feelings and passion is built. I didn't feel like either character was truly in love despite it being shared on page, and quite often they were very dramatic towards one another. Helen's issues with her parents (there is a side story of Helen being the child of Chinese immigrants, and the level of struggle she has faced in a country with different traditions than those her family uphold) get interjected whenever things seem to be running smoothly for her and Grant, and of course, because he is the cause of Michelle's death in their eyes, the last thing they'll accept is their remaining daughter being with him. The whole plot around these two unlikely people falling for the other after the trauma both inflicted from various sources, as well as each other, just never became right or worked out for me. By the time the third act breakup happened, the accident that occurred afterwards, and then the subsequent getting back together, I was beyond exasperated with this story.
Writing style-wise: you can tell Kuang is a screenwriter. The story is told in present tense, yet it reads very pretentious in how the author expresses the emotions or thoughts of Helen especially. I found it frustrating that there were so many time jumps, the gaps were filled in poorly, and the overwritten structure of feelings made them feel unrealistic and robotic at times. I could see this level of drama working in a soap opera television show, where the shock factor is constantly used to engage viewers, but as a reader, I didn't relate to the style of writing choice at all. The romance felt weak and sex was overused to show intimacy between the couple.
Overall, I can't decide if this story was simply not good, or that from my personal experience with loss via a car accident, I was too sensitive to adapt to the way it was showcased. The author does put a content warning in at the start of the book but leaves out some elements that I would think are worthy of being listed. Equally, there is no content warning on the author's website if you want to check it out before purchasing, and none added to the listing on NetGalley, in which had there been one, I wouldn't have applied at all. This isn't entirely the author's fault, but down to the marketing of the book. I despise this vague way of presenting the story through a synopsis that doesn't truly give you a sense of what is to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Car accident
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
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