What We’re Reading in May 2024
CURRENTLY READING
How to End a Love Story
by Yulin Kuang
In celebration of AAPI month, we’re celebrating Asian authors, their characters and stories. Yulin Kuang’s debut novel will wrench your heart out over and over and over. And then piece it back together into something more durable, so it can beat stronger and love harder.
Get your copy of How to End a Love Story (Amazon) and read with us!
What Victoria Loved
VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5
Yulin Kuang is a genius. If you’re unfamilar with her background, she’s a screenwriter / director and she’s adapting Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. This is important context for when you read this book, which is her debut novel, in which she taps into her experience with both writing worlds and channels that into her characters — a screenwriter and a novelist.
I held my breath through the first act, eager to see how the story unfolded with the looming feeling that I was going to miss these characters and their story before I even reached the last page. I was right. When I finished the final sentence, I sat speechless with tears in my eyes and a weight in my chest, staring at the book that took me on an emotional rollercoaster and taking it all in — the numbness from grief, the tightening darkness of panic, the incredulity in second chances, and the unbearable dread of an end.
The story itself is beautifully paced and features characters so real I wish I knew them IRL. Yulin highlights the societal nuances of life in L.A. and a NJ suburb, while delicately presenting the intimate and wildly complex dynamics and cultural practices of a Chinese-American family (or more broadly, the experience of an American child raised by immigrant parents).
But what struck me the most is how brilliantly this novel is written. Yulin marries the plot and character development with her stylistic choices. I found myself revisiting pages at a time, pondering sections that read like scenes from a script and others that read like a well-worn novel. I was drawn into a staccato rhythm of quick observations, matter-of-fact settings, simple notations of characters’ marks and movements, formulaic ruminations into potential arcs, and rapid fire dialogue. And then the scene switches, focusing on the “perspective” of another character. And I was drowning in a river of prose with a careful perusal of the character’s surroundings and heightened consideration for others’ thoughts and feelings, and then being guided along winding introspections and internal monologues. And I won’t even get started on the flashbacks… chills.
The further into the book I got, the more dots I connected. And when I finally reached the end, I realized I’m going to need to read this book again. This instantly made the list of my all-time favorite books.
Experience How to End a Love Story with a new beginnings playlist from Spotify.
What the Book Club Loved
FIREWORKS & STEAM: 4.25/5
We loved the blue-marker scene — it was hot in a possessive way. But there were points in the story when it felt like the physical intimacy outpaced the characters’ emotional development. Which was a bit of a shame as we were such fans of their connection.
WRITING STYLE: 4.5/5
The third-person dual POV threw us for a loop and took a hot sec for us to figure out what was happening. Ooops! But we got there eventually, and we’re so glad we did because this was SO. WELL. WRITTEN. Yulin’s writing style demonstrated who her characters are without telling us. More so, her writing felt authentic, human. And by the end of the book, we wish we had more… like a good screenwriter, we felt like we’d just been left hanging off a cliff.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4.25/5
Yulin was so intention in how she wrote the book. And while we understand her artistic choices and why she omitted certain details throughout the story, we were left wanting because we were so invested in the story and the characters.
We were so happy to meet Helen and Grant. Helen’s growth from superficial relationships to finding comfort and open vulnerability in the writer’s room painted a very realistic picture of workplace intimacy. We will say, Helen and her alter-ego horny Helen felt just a tad too distinct…
Beyond the romance, Yulin’s inclusion and focus on Helen and Grant’s relationships with their parents built our investment in the secondary characters. While it felt chaotic at times, those relationship dynamics felt “spot-on” and were the finishing touches in demonstrating the different stages of Helen’s life.
THE LOVE STORY: 4/5
We just finished it and we’re already ready for a second read… And we’re anticipating we’re going to like it a lot! The love story was different, but it was entertaining and easy to read. We loved the complicated emotions, the relationship dynamics, and the genuine characters. We didn’t want it to end.
“XX”
- READER
If You Loved How to End a Love Story, You’ll Love These
ASIAN ROMANCE NOVELIST MEETS FILMMAKER: True Love Experiment (DNADuo #2) by Christina Lauren (Amazon)
Romance queens Christina and Lauren introduce us to a relationship with so much chemistry, it sizzles off the page (and out of the screen).
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
LOVE FOR A SCREENWRITER: Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey (Amazon)
Unsurprisingly, when I’m not reading romance novels, I’m binging classic rom-coms and have Hallmark movies on an endless cycle. Kerry Winfrey has written the sweetest story that brings to life the most magical rom-com moments for her main characters.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5
HOLLYWOOD ROMANCE: To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise (Amazon)
This is a cute one! An author falls for the star of the movie adaptation… who just happens to be her brother’s childhood friend. Every time I come across this book on my shelf, I’m tempted to reread it.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
LOVE AND GRIEF: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (Amazon)
An HoH Book Club Pick! This is a magical romance that feels like you’re being wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket on a cold, rainy day or a great big hug from your favorite person. You’ll be rooting for the main characters from their meet-cute and eagerly turning the next page to see how it all comes together.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5
HOLLYWOOD ROMANCE: Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder (Amazon)
Off-the-charts chemistry at an audition sparked an on-screen tv romance that sizzled out. But when Lilah and Shane get a second-chance for a happily ever after on the final season of their show, all I wanted was for them to make it work behind-the-scenes. This might be one of my favorite endings.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
Until the next chapter!
xo, Victoria
P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.
