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A review by sarahrahrah
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
I picked this up after hearing Yulin Kuang's interview on the CMBC podcast patreon episode. I enjoyed their discussion on romance movies and tropes, and was eager to check this out. And I'm even more excited to see her screen writing, and directorial skills in the adaptations of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read!
In the interview, they talked about the importance of building a believable tension, and I think Kuang did a phenomenal job of that with Grant and Helen in this story.
That said, I had a hard time with how quickly Helen transitioned from hating Grant because of their HS connection with the death of her sister, to so quickly having such a strong attraction and friendliness. It didn't make sense how close and relaxed she was when the flew back to their hometown (even with the hijinks and little blips of attraction before). It was easy enough to ignore this sticky point though, and then the development of their relationship was fun to read.
Overall, I really liked Kuang's story development, real fleshed-out characters, and fun romance scenes. I appreciated the depth of knowledge she included about screen writing and the process of a writer's room. I also loved how seamlessly she explored the family dynamics and talked about the conflicts and tension between immigrant parents and their children.
In the interview, they talked about the importance of building a believable tension, and I think Kuang did a phenomenal job of that with Grant and Helen in this story.
That said, I had a hard time with how quickly Helen transitioned from hating Grant because of their HS connection with the death of her sister, to so quickly having such a strong attraction and friendliness. It didn't make sense how close and relaxed she was when the flew back to their hometown (even with the hijinks and little blips of attraction before). It was easy enough to ignore this sticky point though, and then the development of their relationship was fun to read.
Overall, I really liked Kuang's story development, real fleshed-out characters, and fun romance scenes. I appreciated the depth of knowledge she included about screen writing and the process of a writer's room. I also loved how seamlessly she explored the family dynamics and talked about the conflicts and tension between immigrant parents and their children.
But I didn't choose this, she thinks. You decided to move to another country and start a family. You should have known that not fully understanding your own kids would come with that territory.
The small details really made the difference - the dishwasher drying rack, fighting for a check, food to express the unsaid I love you, etc.
Helen feels like she wants to cry just then, thibking suddenly of all the fruit and cake and sugar they've exchanged over the years instead of I'm sorry and I love you...
I really appreciate the universality of Helen's grappling with the concept of love at the end. This quote from her
Loving can hurt, and I want to do it anyway.