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A review by beanith
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I had (have?) a love-hate relationship with How to End a Love Story. The premise has many elements that appeal to me; two writers with a complicated history are forced to work together, set in Los Angeles. Ripe for tension building, messy feelings, and even the exploration of grief and healing.
I found the writing to be solid, and it’s abundantly clear to me that Kuang is a skilled storyteller. I would pick up another book from her in the future, and I look forward to her film adaptations of Emily Henry’s Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. I see so much potential, but my reading experience with this was quite bumpy (at its lowest a 3.5 and at its highest a 4.25) and the issues I have are hard to ignore.
The build up to the relationship worked the best for me, unfortunately the follow through was convoluted.
My problems mostly revolve around Helen and how she treats Grant (and how the narrative handles his PTSD). This book is dual POV, and during the third act I found myself actively rooting for Grant to break up with Helen. She’s coming from a hurt place but there’s no excuse for how she behaves
-Helen never really apologizes to him for treating him cruelly, even when she finally acknowledges that her sister’s death wasn’t his fault
-Grant’s PTSD is not given the gravity it deserves, and he is forced to bottle his emotions for most of the book except for some key Big Scenes
-Although they both agree to this ‘situationship with an end date’ thing (which seems like a disaster) Helen strings him along emotionally even when it seems obvious that he wants a genuine relationship
-Grant literally and explicitly begs for her to love him and she still doesn’t cut him loose until the last possible second
-When Helen does break up with him she’s really unsparing
I think this book had a hard time balancing its emotional core with ‘steamy romance’. It felt like once sex entered the picture the emotional growth of the characters paused. And the side characters weren’t really integrated enough in their lives to call them out on it.
Characters
Helen: I’m so sorry to this woman but I kind of hate her. I want her to heal and grow and find joy, but I also felt like she was really so bad for Grant.
Grant: I slow-burn fell for him lmao. He’s an oak tree, he’s the prom king, he’s an East Coast transplant, he’s got PTSD. I love him and want him to be happy and loved and taken care of.
Helen’s Mom and Dad: I loved the individual scenes they had with Grant, and I understand why they are the way they are, but it sure is a doozy (much love to all of you people pleasers with parents who love you but your not sure if they like you)
Michelle:I wish there would have been more closure. Maybe if Helen had met one of her friends so we could understand Michelle better. But I understand that might not have been the goal of the story. Sometimes you never get closure.
How to End a Love Story (Taylor’s Version)
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
- Out of the Woods
- Gold Rush
- Guilty as Sin?
- Down Bad
I found the writing to be solid, and it’s abundantly clear to me that Kuang is a skilled storyteller. I would pick up another book from her in the future, and I look forward to her film adaptations of Emily Henry’s Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. I see so much potential, but my reading experience with this was quite bumpy (at its lowest a 3.5 and at its highest a 4.25) and the issues I have are hard to ignore.
The build up to the relationship worked the best for me, unfortunately the follow through was convoluted.
My problems mostly revolve around Helen and how she treats Grant (and how the narrative handles his PTSD). This book is dual POV, and during the third act I found myself actively rooting for Grant to break up with Helen. She’s coming from a hurt place but there’s no excuse for how she behaves
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I think this book had a hard time balancing its emotional core with ‘steamy romance’. It felt like once sex entered the picture the emotional growth of the characters paused. And the side characters weren’t really integrated enough in their lives to call them out on it.
Characters
Helen: I’m so sorry to this woman but I kind of hate her. I want her to heal and grow and find joy, but I also felt like she was really so bad for Grant.
Grant: I slow-burn fell for him lmao. He’s an oak tree, he’s the prom king, he’s an East Coast transplant, he’s got PTSD. I love him and want him to be happy and loved and taken care of.
Helen’s Mom and Dad: I loved the individual scenes they had with Grant, and I understand why they are the way they are, but it sure is a doozy (much love to all of you people pleasers with parents who love you but your not sure if they like you)
Michelle:
How to End a Love Story (Taylor’s Version)
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
- Out of the Woods
- Gold Rush
- Guilty as Sin?
- Down Bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident