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penguins_save_lives's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Death, and Alcohol
thehannahclaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
emmy_likes_2_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
- 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
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 š„š„š„ vanilla scene! So it's still š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø (out of 5) for me.
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I think, if youāre looking for a modern book that has the vibes of Jane Austen when it comes to YEARNING and dramatic romance, this one has to be it??? That may sound crazy to say. But I couldnāt help feeling that familiar great tug and ache of Georgian-era stories. Okay, maybe this one has more of the tragedy synonymous with the Brontes. In any case, Kuangās writing swept me away. The desperation on the pages gripped me to the bone. The way Grant wanted and needed Helen was so TANGIBLE.
āHow To End A Love Storyā was much more romantic and sexual than I thought it would be, especially considering the cold beginning and introduction to these two characters with the worst kind of shared tragedy. It worked so well obviously because one second Iām like okay and then Iām obsessed with the way they sink deeper into each otherās orbits and forgive themselves for being who they once were. I love that Grant falls first and isnāt afraid to tell Helen what he wants. Itās so genuine and so soft. Helen is more the stand-offish unsure one and their pairing doesnāt feel forced at all, even with the circumstances of their past and present. Kuangās writing is harsh in a whimsical way, somehow an oxymoron of sweet subtle sentences and hard honest dialogue. There are heavy overall themes of suicide, grief, panic attacks. The story is very demanding of all of your emotions. It is definitely not a romcom. Itās a romantic drama for sure, with lots of deep trauma and healing.
THIS is how you do the grumpy x sunshine trope. Itās not too much of either, one character being a little ball of rainbow and glitter, the other the grim reaper who hates children and animals. Itās just the right amount of give and take, of one falling first and the other afraid to admit it. Thatās that on tortured slow burns, baby. Lololololol the head of The Tortured Poets Department will see you now.
āLoving can hurt, and I want to do it anyway.ā
READ THIS BOOK!!!!! Sorry if you cry but actually not really because crying is HEALTHY!!!!
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood
juanat77's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
datskira's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Car accident
michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
meredith_williams_'s review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Overall, I feel like this book would have been better edited for and marketed as contemporary fiction instead of romance. I will definitely pick up whatever Yulin Kuang puts out next, but this one was not an all time favorite for me.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Cursing and Drug use
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The very icky premise is laid out in the first chapter: the pair is a woman whose sister committed suicide and the man who was driving the car when she ran into traffic. Um why??? Why did that need to be a couple?!?! so anyway, i go on reading because it's so highly hyped, waiting for the ickiness to smooth itself out and for all these characters to like work through their collective, shared trauma and like let that emotional work bring them closer lol no none of that happens. For some reason, the main character is not turned off enough by her own grief and her partner's role in that grief - or at least his connection to it - to not have sex with him. And it's very weird like all around like have any of the people on the production side of this book ever lost a family member and/or experienced grief?? Like I know they must have, but I'm just wondering how this book ends up the book that it is. Idk call me crazy but grief is not a huge turn on for me. Much less grief by suicide! Were there sensitivity readers? I'm dying to know because some of the language used in this book seems very yeah I'm just gonna say it again icky.
If this was real like and the girl you ran over's sister asked you to fuck off their show's adaptation writing team, why would you say No!? Obviously he's not hurting for opportunities. And why would you EVER forgive him for saying no???? Can I not just suffer once, you want me to suffer every day I show up to work? Again I return to the idea that none of these editors, agents, writer, have ever actually lost anyone close to them.
Anyways. Ultimately the biggest issue here is that there is no character development. The pair has sexual chemistry as I mentioned before, but we have no idea why they do the things they do. Like it's clear, given their shared trauma, why they would *not* want to get together but what is making them ignore all of that self preservation? We'll never know because these characters are like an inch deep.
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol