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A review by chellesofbooks
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2 stars
TW; sibling death through suicide, two car accidents (one talked about a lot, the other on page), long-term grief and trauma, hateful treatment of main character from the other, toxic relationship with parents, panic attacks, general mental health struggles, use of drugs (minor)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
I dislike writing reviews that are too personal and purely negative, but this is one I cannot avoid writing because this book affected me in a way I wasn't expecting. If any of the trigger warnings above are things you feel uncomfortable with, please do not endure this book. I felt the obligation from applying for this arc via NetGalley to read it through despite becoming uncomfortable within the first portion of the book, and in hindsight, wish I had just DNF'd it instead of trying to find any positives to review about.
How to End a Love Story follows Helen and Grant. As teens, they went to the same high school but weren't in each other's circles, and after Grant plays a significant - albeit without choice - role in Helen's sister Michelle's suicide, Helen and her family treat him as the murderer, not the victim of Michelle's choices. Immediately, because this involved a car accident, in which I lost my beloved father in one thanks to the careless choice of another person, I felt uncomfortable. This continued to echo for me as Helen in the present time - now 13 years later - finds herself in Grant's company during the process of screenwriting her book series into a show. Helen is initially downright cruel and unwavering in her reaction to Grant, and whilst I tried to understand how the grief and loss of her sister was behind her actions, she isn't likeable at all. Grant, to his credit, does try to make amends, and the author chose to write him as someone who tries too hard to make others feel comfortable whilst he himself suffers.
Trying to remove my personal loss from the situation, I attempted to like the plot even though it felt very far-fetched from what the synopsis vaguely entailed, but I just couldn't get behind the romance. Helen goes from hating Grant's very presence to taking an edible and admitting he's not half bad whilst under the influence. They then become somewhat friendlier with each other, and at this point, I thought it might build slowly and healthily. Instead, it falls right into the romance, with too many sexual scenes with frequent sides of "this is so bad, I shouldn't be sleeping with the man who ruined my family" and this toxic minefield of playing with feelings and passion is built. I didn't feel like either character was truly in love despite it being shared on page, and quite often they were very dramatic towards one another. Helen's issues with her parents (there is a side story of Helen being the child of Chinese immigrants, and the level of struggle she has faced in a country with different traditions than those her family uphold) get interjected whenever things seem to be running smoothly for her and Grant, and of course, because he is the cause of Michelle's death in their eyes, the last thing they'll accept is their remaining daughter being with him. The whole plot around these two unlikely people falling for the other after the trauma both inflicted from various sources, as well as each other, just never became right or worked out for me. By the time the third act breakup happened, the accident that occurred afterwards, and then the subsequent getting back together, I was beyond exasperated with this story.
Writing style-wise: you can tell Kuang is a screenwriter. The story is told in present tense, yet it reads very pretentious in how the author expresses the emotions or thoughts of Helen especially. I found it frustrating that there were so many time jumps, the gaps were filled in poorly, and the overwritten structure of feelings made them feel unrealistic and robotic at times. I could see this level of drama working in a soap opera television show, where the shock factor is constantly used to engage viewers, but as a reader, I didn't relate to the style of writing choice at all. The romance felt weak and sex was overused to show intimacy between the couple.
Overall, I can't decide if this story was simply not good, or that from my personal experience with loss via a car accident, I was too sensitive to adapt to the way it was showcased. The author does put a content warning in at the start of the book but leaves out some elements that I would think are worthy of being listed. Equally, there is no content warning on the author's website if you want to check it out before purchasing, and none added to the listing on NetGalley, in which had there been one, I wouldn't have applied at all. This isn't entirely the author's fault, but down to the marketing of the book. I despise this vague way of presenting the story through a synopsis that doesn't truly give you a sense of what is to come.
TW; sibling death through suicide, two car accidents (one talked about a lot, the other on page), long-term grief and trauma, hateful treatment of main character from the other, toxic relationship with parents, panic attacks, general mental health struggles, use of drugs (minor)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
I dislike writing reviews that are too personal and purely negative, but this is one I cannot avoid writing because this book affected me in a way I wasn't expecting. If any of the trigger warnings above are things you feel uncomfortable with, please do not endure this book. I felt the obligation from applying for this arc via NetGalley to read it through despite becoming uncomfortable within the first portion of the book, and in hindsight, wish I had just DNF'd it instead of trying to find any positives to review about.
Trying to remove my personal loss from the situation, I attempted to like the plot even though it felt very far-fetched from what the synopsis vaguely entailed, but I just couldn't get behind the romance. Helen goes from hating Grant's very presence to taking an edible and admitting he's not half bad whilst under the influence. They then become somewhat friendlier with each other, and at this point, I thought it might build slowly and healthily. Instead, it falls right into the romance, with too many sexual scenes with frequent sides of "this is so bad, I shouldn't be sleeping with the man who ruined my family" and this toxic minefield of playing with feelings and passion is built. I didn't feel like either character was truly in love despite it being shared on page, and quite often they were very dramatic towards one another. Helen's issues with her parents (there is a side story of Helen being the child of Chinese immigrants, and the level of struggle she has faced in a country with different traditions than those her family uphold) get interjected whenever things seem to be running smoothly for her and Grant, and of course, because he is the cause of Michelle's death in their eyes, the last thing they'll accept is their remaining daughter being with him. The whole plot around these two unlikely people falling for the other after the trauma both inflicted from various sources, as well as each other, just never became right or worked out for me. By the time the third act breakup happened, the accident that occurred afterwards, and then the subsequent getting back together, I was beyond exasperated with this story.
Writing style-wise: you can tell Kuang is a screenwriter. The story is told in present tense, yet it reads very pretentious in how the author expresses the emotions or thoughts of Helen especially. I found it frustrating that there were so many time jumps, the gaps were filled in poorly, and the overwritten structure of feelings made them feel unrealistic and robotic at times. I could see this level of drama working in a soap opera television show, where the shock factor is constantly used to engage viewers, but as a reader, I didn't relate to the style of writing choice at all. The romance felt weak and sex was overused to show intimacy between the couple.
Overall, I can't decide if this story was simply not good, or that from my personal experience with loss via a car accident, I was too sensitive to adapt to the way it was showcased. The author does put a content warning in at the start of the book but leaves out some elements that I would think are worthy of being listed. Equally, there is no content warning on the author's website if you want to check it out before purchasing, and none added to the listing on NetGalley, in which had there been one, I wouldn't have applied at all. This isn't entirely the author's fault, but down to the marketing of the book. I despise this vague way of presenting the story through a synopsis that doesn't truly give you a sense of what is to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Car accident
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders