How to End a Love Story: hilarious and heart breaking, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick!

At the age of eighteen, Helen and Grant were on opposite sides of a tragedy. Thirteen years later, they encounter each other again, unexpectedly, in the writers' room of the show being made out of Helen's YA novels.This book had a slow start for me, and I wondered if it was going to drag, but it gradually drew me in until I was completely invested and finding any excuse to pick it up and read a few more pages. Grant and Helen are such different characters on the outside - one relentlessly affable, the other the definition of awkward - and initially it seems impossible that they can ever find common ground, but the story develops beautifully and also with a mounting sense of doom, because it's clear that somewhere there has to be a breaking point. I'm not a fan of the phrase 'all the feels', but it's actually an apt description for this book, because not only are the main characters' feelings delicately depicted in detail, but it evokes plenty of varied emotion in the reader as well. An incredibly satisfying reading experience.

It took a couple of days for this one to settle with me but I came out feeling really positively about it. An emotional love story, it follows Helen and Grant who have a tragic past together. Today they find themselves working in the same writer's room and gradually warming up to one another. The characterisation was great, I properly got to know these two.I wasn't convinced about the backstory but thought it was handled pretty well. Some elements of the getting together felt a little rushed, there wasn't much tension here. But that's ok, it's not always needed. It was joyful to watch these two people be there for one another and help each other heal.There was also plenty of wit and humour. It's not actually as heavy as it sounds! Overall a super enjoyable romance with depth.

This was such a tragic love story that I wasn’t expecting at all from the cover and I know without a doubt it’s going to be one of my favourite reads this year. I was lucky enough to receive an early ARC copy of this to review and I still can’t wrap my head around this incredible romcom being a debut, Yulin Kuang has created a beautiful yet gutwrenching storyline with such endearing characters.This book follows Helen Zhang, a highly acclaimed YA author of a series being adapted for TV, and Grant Shephard, a successful screenwriter on the same project. Helen and Grant share a tragic past, involving the death of Helen’s younger sister Michelle, with the story picking up 13 years later when they meet again in the writer’s room.I found Helen so relatable, particularly her struggles with social anxiety, often observing those around her and not knowing what her place was in a room of people. She had complex relationships with her family and as a result, struggled with giving and accepting love. And Grant was such an incredible MMC, there was so much more to his character than meets the eye. He came across so confident in the writer’s room, but was so unsure of himself anywhere else.The romance between Helen and Grant was full of angst, tension and so much chemistry. I genuinely didn’t know whilst reading this whether it was going to have a happy ending for them or not. How to End a Love Story is witty, spicy and full of so much emotional depth, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I’ve already got my physical copy on pre-order for release day! I’m SO excited to see what Yulin does with screenwriting/directing Emily Henry’s upcoming projects, having read this I know it’s in the best hands 💕

This for me was one of those books that doesn't live up to the hype. It was a decent enjoyed story but for a rom-com I think I got one chuckle and didn't feel any chemistry between Helen and Grant. So lacking both the rom and the com.

Well well! This is definitely a ‘marmite’ book, I actually loved it. Not quite the story you would expect from the cover and title, but nonetheless it’s worth reading for sure.

A love story with a difference! An amazing debut that had my heart hurting one minute and skipping a beat the next! A wonderful exploration of relationships and all their messy and beautiful moments which had me completely hooked – it’s such an addictive read!A shared past tragedy connects Helen and Grant – when fate throws them together this complicates things but to their surprise sparks start to fly, will they ignite or burn out? Helen is a successful writer moving to LA for her book’s tv adaptation. She feels anxious and awkward and a bit of an outsider. Enter Grant, a talented screenwriter recruited on the project. He’s charismatic, charming and liked by all although he’s fighting his own personal demons. It was a witty, moving, and raw read as they try to reconcile their past and move forward. It was amazing to see their personal growth throughout and I had no idea how everything was going to play out!I enjoyed the inside look at screenwriting, it immerses us in the process and the atmosphere of the writing room. I loved the bonding that takes place as they share stories and become a close-knit team. The meaningful way friendship is explored shows the complications that arise and confidence that can be drawn from these.I adored the main characters, their sparring, chemistry and connection. The meaningful glances, flirtatious tone, and the yearning! Only they understand what the other has been through and their broken pieces. The brilliant writing makes us feel everything! Helen’s complicated relationship with her parents adds another dimension, she will do all in her power to prevent them feeling any further hurt. Does that include destroying her own happy ending?How To End A Love Story deals with tough themes head-on and in a real-life way. It captures the unexpected things life throws at us and how out of control everything can become, and asks the question is what we want worth fighting for? A swoony, evocative, bighearted read to add to your TBR asap!With thanks to @TallulahLyons and @HodderBooks for the proof copy.

I love all the complex characters and growth! Grief is one of my favorite book topics and Yulin wrote it so perfectly. I even liked the separation - especially with the pretense rules of the relationship. Probably my favorite book of the year. I’d love to see it on film!

Loved this book start to finish.Such a warm cozy hug of a book to read. I haven’t read a book I didn’t want to put down in so long.

I love Emily Henry and knowing Yulin Kuang has been trusted to adapt her books to film was enough for me to pre-order this book. I also really liked Dollface.The author has a compelling writing style and I'm not afraid of some angst and sadness. It's a heavier subject matter than some may like in their CR novels, but I live for a little bit of heartache as long as things are OK in the end. This book delivered on that, but I do feel like there was something missing. I might read it again and change my mind, but I think maybe I am a little dissapointed we didn't get as much time with both Helen and Grant post-aftermath of what happened when they were teenagers. I think more of their POVs at that time vs just hearing about it later might have endeared us to them more.I didn't feel especially connected to Helen at the first part of the book. I didn't dislike her, but it wasn't til a bit later that I felt like I understood her character. I liked Grant right away, and I also enjoyed the secondary characters a lot.The plot was refreshing, I enjoyed the writers room perspective and how it didn't go off and focus too heavily on the glitzy side of it all. I didn't need that, I like that it was all rooted in reality. Oh, and the yearbook bit was probably my favourite (won't say more to spoil much).

The characters slide into your heart, which made it impossible to put down. Suicide is hard to read about, but it's the people left behind Kuang focuses on. How to move forward after such a loss was presented with heart and compassion. How can you allow yourself to find happiness, to accept love and not feel guilty? Kuang keeps the title's promise. Highly recommend.

So thoughtfully and carefully written, with characters you want to root for. The premise was not one I was interested in but saw it came highly recommended so gave it a chance, and so glad I did!