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

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’m not fine. I haven’t been for a while, and I blamed you for so long because the last thing you ever did was teach me how much loving can hurt. I loved you and you left anyway…If I heal and move on, I’m worried I’ll finally lose you for good. But I want to be healthy. And I want to be happy, though I’ve never trusted happiness. To me, happiness is a fleeting, heartbeat-to-heartbeat experience that comes and goes and hopefully comes back. I worry happily-ever-afters don’t exist for people like us.

I’m actually hurting. This book was so incredibly raw I don’t even think I have all the words yet. I find it hard that so many reviewers and readers haven’t loved this book. It’s so vivid in its honesty about regret and love. And maybe it’s because I’ve experienced the richness of pain that Helen endured in losing a sister she shared shattering last words with. Or I understand all too well the weight of mother wounds and how disjointing they are. Or I carry the overwhelming fear that I’m unlovable and so I keep those words and those feelings and those dreams of vibrant and wild living locked because of a scarcity mindset. 

I just get it. I get Grant’s connection to all people while simultaneously having no people. I get Helen’s need to produce something that  people need so that they’ll keep you around longer. I get the fear of losing people who you so desperately hope will stay. I just get it. And their story was convoluted and filled with real loss and pain and I get we didn’t get to see them work through it all on the pages of a book but I also think that’s what makes this story so beautiful and true. That healing on your on and healing with someone are two avenues that you can take and in this case. Them healing to together makes so much  sense because they’ve experienced the same trauma and yet it has manifested so differently. They trust each other to grow and heal and love each other in their wounded-ness and their health. Both matter. Both will resurface as life goes on. It’s important to know that side of your partner and to learn how to love them in it not just through it. 


It is a masterpiece. Dare I say. Love that Yulin is screenwriting “People We Meet on Vacation” - Em knows there’s rich talent here and I’m excited to see more of her works come alive on paper and on the screen.  
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