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

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

This is a fluffy romance but I feel like it’s the best of the genre right now. This is the bar, and I feel like over the last decade contemporary romance has fallen further and further Into wattpad level fanfic so to read a book this well written came off as a surprise.

This novel is about two characters who share a traumatic event together trying to decide if their passion is circumstance or “real.” I really enjoyed the chemistry, the smut was well written and actually erotic, and the characters themselves were well rounded and dynamic. I generally find that enemies to lovers trope is a watered down cesspool of romance with guy that is mean but this was very much the opposite of that, where their circumstance created the environment that made them enemies but that both characters were sympathetic. This was a really good example of a writer using a trope to further engage with a reader rather than allowing the trope to dictate the novel. My only hesitance in giving it a perfect best stars was that, in spite of the name of the novel, I found the ending rather tepid.

I’ve read a lot of books this year about writers using the industry of writing as a trope/ setting but found it was done pretty well here.