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

), 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.

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flyinglark's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

It was nice getting to know the world of screenplays and dynamics in a writer's room, but this book is about how loving someone can be complex. (Spoiler for ending)

Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if Grant and Helen hadn't reconciled after their breakup in the third act.

They were brought together years after a tragedy, and the relationship could have been a stepping stone to closure and processing the grief left behind. Their highs of relationship interspaced with emotional parts sometimes gave a whiplash, That said, Helen and Grant's relationship had me in a chokehold, especially in the non-sexual interactions.

🌶 Chapters (not all): 14,15,16,17,18,20,21,24,26,35

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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 🔥🔥🔥 vanilla scene! So it's still 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (out of 5) for me.

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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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