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

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense 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

3.25

this book pissed me off. It was hard for me to get into the storyline because of the outrageous premise and misplaced, seemingly immature anger that the FMC radiates. The romance felt melodramatic and corny at times and not even in a rewarding way. I will give it points for addressing topics I don’t typically see in these types of stories — immigrant family dynamics, mommy issues, grief, trauma, sister relationships, and others i might be forgetting rn. 

the last quarter of the book saved this from being a straight 3-star rating for the growth the FMC demonstrated and thoughtful reflections laid out in pretty prose. Wish there was more of this earlier in the book instead of squished at the end. It felt like the author put the draft away for a while and came back inspired and refreshed and I wish the rest of the book was given that same treatment. 

another redeeming quality was getting to see the inner workings of a tv writers room and life in LA. That kept me engaged and interested. 

Ultimately I think the story had some promise but could have been executed better TO ME.  
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