A review by meredith_williams_
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

emotional reflective 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

3.0

I have incredibly mixed feelings about this book. I was really excited to read this author’s debut because she’s the screenwriter on Dollface, one of my favorite shows (that was unjustly canceled after two short but perfect seasons!) I  know she has also garnered a lot of attention for her upcoming work with Emily Henry as the screenwriter for her book to film adaptations. I think my expectations were too contingent upon my own preconceived notions, because the story was much less whimsical, lighthearted, romantic comedy, and much more dramatic, emotionally heavy exploration of the concept of love in all its forms. While I’m normally a fan of both of those things, this one just felt a little too melodramatic and messy in places. 

While I really loved FMC, Helen’s, journey to finding peace after the trauma of losing her sister, the fact that MMC, Grant, was the one driving the car that accidentally caused her death was simply too much for me. I liked that it allowed them to both related to one another in a meaningful way, but the trauma bond of it all took me out every time. Especially when it came to Helen’s relationship with her parents. I related in a lot of ways with her compartmentalization and the way she tried to preserve peace in their relationship, but the way they reacted to her dating Grant was so hard to read. The character of Grant was a well rounded romantic hero and I liked that he had his own emotional journey. (My only complaint about him is they way he rudely asked his mom to make him coffee and bring it to his room that one time he brought Helen to his childhood home!) There were a lot of romantic moments between him and Helen that were well written and very sweet (the flea market coat rack date, the train scene, the library proposal) but, unfortunately, a lot of the writing in the spicer scenes made me cringe. Also, the nickname Cracker Jack was weird and unnecessary. 


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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings