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lololovesthings's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars!
I loved "How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang! What a fabulous debut novel. Talk about a beautiful, romantic gut punch. This is a simply beautiful, tragic, terrific story that I will be thinking about for months and possibly years to come. It really affected me on a deep level. I was taken through the gamut of emotions while reading this one. My HEART! It's not the typical kind of love story readers have come to expect. It's layered, full of big emotions like grief and reckoning, full of second chances (not in the way you'd assume). It is bitingly funny, shockingly relatable. Helen and Grant are fully fleshed-out characters with terrific backstories. I was immediately overcome with emotions by their stories. I wanted so badly for things to work out for them! I loved them both for different reasons. They are each trying to work through their traumas and discover who they are apart from them. I felt for them and understood their journeys. I understand why Helen is the way she is. I did not find her unrelatable or unkind at all. She's just trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life and move on the best she can. And Grant... ugh, what a guy. Loved them so much! The pull to one another is divine. The spicy scenes are soooooo good, and well-earned, too! My one tiny complaint is that it feels like the book ends too quickly. It's almost as if Kuang ran out of steam a little towards the end. I found everything up until the last 10-ish% to be well-paced, but it's a teensy bit rushed. Apart from this, this is a tremendous novel full of excellent dialogue and fantastic chemistry. I urge you to read it as soon as possible!
Thank you to NetGalley, Yulin Kuang, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
I loved "How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang! What a fabulous debut novel. Talk about a beautiful, romantic gut punch. This is a simply beautiful, tragic, terrific story that I will be thinking about for months and possibly years to come. It really affected me on a deep level. I was taken through the gamut of emotions while reading this one. My HEART! It's not the typical kind of love story readers have come to expect. It's layered, full of big emotions like grief and reckoning, full of second chances (not in the way you'd assume). It is bitingly funny, shockingly relatable. Helen and Grant are fully fleshed-out characters with terrific backstories. I was immediately overcome with emotions by their stories. I wanted so badly for things to work out for them! I loved them both for different reasons. They are each trying to work through their traumas and discover who they are apart from them. I felt for them and understood their journeys. I understand why Helen is the way she is. I did not find her unrelatable or unkind at all. She's just trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life and move on the best she can. And Grant... ugh, what a guy. Loved them so much! The pull to one another is divine. The spicy scenes are soooooo good, and well-earned, too! My one tiny complaint is that it feels like the book ends too quickly. It's almost as if Kuang ran out of steam a little towards the end. I found everything up until the last 10-ish% to be well-paced, but it's a teensy bit rushed. Apart from this, this is a tremendous novel full of excellent dialogue and fantastic chemistry. I urge you to read it as soon as possible!
Thank you to NetGalley, Yulin Kuang, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
yeagleyreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
alenert's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wish there was a tiiiiiiny bit more development before they acted on their burgeoning feelings and a bit more exploration of their grief, but emotionally I was IN IT
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
vcmnsn's review
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sholtie's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so fucked up and i mean that as a compliment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide
djf15's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received this book as a Giveaway from Goodreads - Thank you Avon & Yulin Kuang!
When I got this book in the mail, I wasn't expecting it to blow up on social media like it did, so I honestly didn't immediately add it to my next-to-read pile. I am so disappointed that I didn't! As the publication date approached, not only was this book everywhere on social media (I was getting FOMO), I also wanted to read it so I could provide a review prior to release.
Anyways, this book wasn't really at all what I was expecting. It tells the story of a woman named Helen, whose little sister committed suicide (as a teenager) by jumping in front of a moving vehicle driven by a boy named Grant. Helen and her family learn to dislike Grant deeply, and put a lot of the blame for Michelle's untimely death on him. Fast forward several years, Helen's popular book series is being adapted into a show and Grant is a writer on the show. Their new adult relationship starts off fraught. Of course, like any good enemies to lovers, they fall deeply in love fairly quickly. Their relationship was emotional and tense, and an interesting aspect to their love story was Helen's parents. Kuang beautifully wove a side plot of the relationship complexities between children and their immigrant parents.
One aspect of the book that was also really well done (albeit very unexpected) was the spice! There is a lot of spice in this book, and it definitely is not closed door. Kuang does a wonderful job crafting these scenes in the book, and I was really impressed by her ability to make these scenes filled with tension, romance, heat, all without making them corny or awkward. I'm thinking that part of this is because of Kuang's experience as a screenwriter.
Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to watching Kuang on the book scene for years to come! I took away one star because some of the pacing of the book was a little "off." Some parts seemed to last quite a chunk of the book while other parts of the book would be glossed over and time would be flying by. Not a huge deal, but it was strange to read at times.
When I got this book in the mail, I wasn't expecting it to blow up on social media like it did, so I honestly didn't immediately add it to my next-to-read pile. I am so disappointed that I didn't! As the publication date approached, not only was this book everywhere on social media (I was getting FOMO), I also wanted to read it so I could provide a review prior to release.
Anyways, this book wasn't really at all what I was expecting. It tells the story of a woman named Helen, whose little sister committed suicide (as a teenager) by jumping in front of a moving vehicle driven by a boy named Grant. Helen and her family learn to dislike Grant deeply, and put a lot of the blame for Michelle's untimely death on him. Fast forward several years, Helen's popular book series is being adapted into a show and Grant is a writer on the show. Their new adult relationship starts off fraught. Of course, like any good enemies to lovers, they fall deeply in love fairly quickly. Their relationship was emotional and tense, and an interesting aspect to their love story was Helen's parents. Kuang beautifully wove a side plot of the relationship complexities between children and their immigrant parents.
One aspect of the book that was also really well done (albeit very unexpected) was the spice! There is a lot of spice in this book, and it definitely is not closed door. Kuang does a wonderful job crafting these scenes in the book, and I was really impressed by her ability to make these scenes filled with tension, romance, heat, all without making them corny or awkward. I'm thinking that part of this is because of Kuang's experience as a screenwriter.
Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to watching Kuang on the book scene for years to come! I took away one star because some of the pacing of the book was a little "off." Some parts seemed to last quite a chunk of the book while other parts of the book would be glossed over and time would be flying by. Not a huge deal, but it was strange to read at times.
mxgvi's review
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emilytrnr's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
All in all, I enjoyed the book. The romance was really good, but kind of flagged early - it felt like after about 3/4 of the book, the romantic aspect and tension was in the backseat. I enjoyed the characters for the most part, and I liked the back and forth POV. I also liked the nuance of relationship differences between the two leads. Very much liked (probably the wrong word for it) the baggage between the two.
Aside from the romance aspect ending somewhat early, I did find the miscommunication/lack of communication frustrating. I wish the supporting cast had been fleshed out a bit more. The ending felt a bit disjointed from the arc of the book.
All said, I couldn’t really put it down, and that’s a win for me!
Aside from the romance aspect ending somewhat early, I did find the miscommunication/lack of communication frustrating. I wish the supporting cast had been fleshed out a bit more. The ending felt a bit disjointed from the arc of the book.
All said, I couldn’t really put it down, and that’s a win for me!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide