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

Absolutely could not put it down. Emotionally complex romance, a la Emily Henry and Annabel Monaghan.

Don’t be put off by how cheesy and random the title is??

Content Warnings

sydapel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

I found a lot to relate to with both main characters, and while that made this incredibly enjoyable for the first half, I found that the second half really lost focus and pace. Third act breakups aren't inherently a bad thing, but I found that the execution of this one didn't actually correspond to effective character growth for either Grant or Helen. This does deal with grief, loss, perfectionism and relationships in a really effective way however, so I'm excited for more from the author.

Content Warnings

samoflarsen's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

I love Yulin Kuang’s work but this felt off the whole time and its not just the premise. It sank in the middle and I just didn’t really understand why they loved each other outside of sex ESPECIALLY considering the premise. It felt like two different stories were being told at once and both were the worse off for it.

Content Warnings

pantslint's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny sad tense 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

4.0

Okay. The premise of HTEALS is honestly quite fucking ridiculous (

I mean, falling in actual love with the guy that literally drove the car that killed your sister?

), but I've shut my eyes and ears to everything wrong with this book because I really enjoyed it. Yulin Kuang is so good at building tension and vivid imagery—you can really see her skill as a screenwriter here. Her writing is so cinematic; I felt like I could see and hear everything as I read, like scenes in a movie. Great 🌶️ scenes. I love how Grant is absolutely gone for Helen, his emotional state being in complete shambles over how much he loves her (very much like Ali Hazelwood's MMCs).

This book is funny and emotional. I really enjoyed the little snippets of what it's like to love and resent your immigrant parents. There's a quote from the book where Helen's dad is "sitting on the couch, watching some bootlegged Chinese historical drama series on his iPad" and thinking about that quote makes me laugh every time, because I can only picture my own father doing the same thing.

The sister relationship of this book felt oddly familiar, and I realize that Helen's Sending All My Love is an actual book by Anna Akana (titled So Much I Want to Tell You: Letters to My Little Sister). I've been a long-time fan of Akana and I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that she was the sensitivity reader for this work, mentioned in the acknowledgements. Finding out two of your faves are friends is so fun.

Content Warnings

snazzyspeedy's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

A solid four star romance. There were some storytelling elements that were introduced at the end that I’d have loved to see happen throughout the book (namely,

Grant plotting out his options in screenplay format when deciding to go to the premiere. That was a wonderful element of both creative storytelling and character development that should have been weaved throughout the book!

). I also agree with another user that the

third act breakup

was a little long, but overall I enjoyed the pacing of the book.

Content Warnings

khonake1's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny 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

4.5

Very good book that deals with the complexities of grief and family trauma, as well as identity within a career and relationships. This is still a romance book, but isn’t overly stuffed with tropes or abundantly romantic/cheesy; it felt very raw and emotional at certain points. The only thing that I didn’t love was that it was written in third person (which I don’t often read) but also has dual POV that can switch multiple times in a chapter. I’m glad I listened to the audiobook that had two narrators, otherwise I think that I would have easily lost whose perspective I was supposed to be reading. Definitely look up potential trigger warnings or themes in this book if you may be concerned.

Content Warnings

More...