How To End a Love Story - A Slow Burn With Baggage
First Impression | Synopsis | Book Review | Characters | Favorite Quotes | Detailed Recap | Discussion Questions | Book Details
First Impression
Items beyond the synopsis contain spoilers.
Wow, what a book! It took me forever to pick this up, and honestly, I don’t know why. Based on the cover, I expected something more whimsical, but I was completely wrong. Instead, I got an emotionally charged, slow-burn romance filled with heartbreak, healing, and some seriously angsty tension.
Synopsis
Helen Zhang has spent the last thirteen years avoiding Grant Shepard—the boy responsible for the accident that shattered her family. Now a bestselling author, she’s thrown herself into her career, and landing a spot in the writers’ room for the TV adaptation of her hit novel should be the fresh start she needs. But when she walks into the room, she finds the one person she never wanted to see again: Grant.
Grant has spent years trying to move forward, but the past still lingers in the form of panic attacks and unfinished business. Taking the job on Helen’s show was a calculated risk—one that could open doors for his career. What he didn’t calculate was how much seeing Helen again would throw him off balance.
Thrust into late-night script meetings, shared hotel rooms, and more unresolved tension than either of them knows what to do with, Helen and Grant quickly realize that working together is messy, complicated, and dangerously intoxicating. The chemistry that once simmered between them is still there, no matter how much Helen resents it—or how guilty Grant feels.
But Helen’s parents have never forgiven Grant. And as old wounds resurface and long-buried feelings refuse to stay that way, Helen and Grant are forced to confront the truth: they were never supposed to be a love story. And yet… maybe some stories don’t follow a script.
Book Review
Characters & Relationships
Helen and Grant are both deeply flawed and beautifully human. Their shared trauma—rooted in the tragic accident that changed both their lives—makes their relationship complicated, messy, and painfully real. I 100% related to Helen’s high school experience—never quite fitting in, always lost in a book. And her relationship with her parents? It hit hard. This book is for all the insecure girls who grew up with tough immigrant parents and overachieved in spite of it.
Then there’s Grant—the broody, broken, ex-popular boy who is basically the dream scenario of “what if your high school crush saw you 15 years later and went damn?” He’s the perfect mix of alpha energy with a hidden softness, and I loved how his character unraveled throughout the book.
Themes & Writing Style
One of my favorite things about this book is how it tackles grief, guilt, and redemption in a way that feels authentic. The author doesn’t shy away from showing the characters’ faults, which makes their journey all the more compelling. Unlike many romances where you suspend disbelief and just go with it, this one felt plausible. No insta-love, no overly dramatic grand gestures—just a slow-burn connection built on years of unresolved emotions.
And can we talk about the quotes? There are so many gems in this book. The writing is sharp, emotional, and at times, absolutely gut-wrenching. If you loved Emily Henry’s Beach Read, you’ll probably love this one too—which makes total sense, given that Yulin Kuang (the screenwriter for Beach Read) is behind this book.
TLDR
If you love slow-burn, messy-but-beautiful romances with emotional depth, this is your next read. Think Beach Read but with even more angst, emotional baggage, and second chances.
Characters
- Helen Zhang - Our FMC. Popular novelist.
- Grant Shepard - Our MC. Screenplay writer. Responsible for Helen’s sister’s death in high school.
- Michelle Zhang - Helen’s sister who passed in high school.
- Chelsea Pierce - Helen’s literary agent.
- Pallavi - Helen’s author friend. Met at bookstore event.
- Louise - Helen’s author friend. Met at bookstore event.
- Suraya - Show runner for Helen’s TV adaptation.
- Tom - Married to Eve, writer.
- Eve - Married to Tom, writer.
- Owen - Youngest male writer
- Saskia - Small asian write, looks up to Helen.
- Fern - Grant’s agent.
- Oliver - Helen’s ex-boyfriend she dated for 2 years before breaking up.
- Ian Rhymer - Helen’s old high school friend. Now married with one kid running the pizza shop.
- Lauren DiSantos - Grant’s old high school sweetheart.
- Desiree Evans - Grant’s old high school friend.
- Theo - Helen’s family friend. Now studying medicine
- Kevin Palmero - Grant’s old high school friend.
- Greg - Casting director, Helen’s date for a night.
- Karma - Grant’s ex girlfriend.
- Andy Reese - Worked on the last show with Grant.
Quotes
My favorite quotes from the book that made me fall in love with Grant and Helen.
“I'd rather have a fraction of you than all of someone else.” - Page 307, How to End a Love Story
“It's my birthday. Lie to me. Treat me like you love me back."- Page 269, How to End a Love Story
Summary
Spicy Chapters: 15-18,20-22, 24, 35
Helen’s novel is being adapted for TV, and Grant, a screenwriter, is assigned to the project. The catch? Grant was behind the wheel the night Helen’s sister, Michelle, died in high school. Neither of them has ever fully recovered from that night, and Helen resents Grant for both his role in the tragedy and his golden-boy popularity back then.
From the start, Helen wants nothing to do with him, even asking him to quit the pilot. But they’re stuck together, and their producer, Suraya, arranges a camping trip to smooth things over. A bonding exercise with a Ouija board, some hiking, and a couple of edibles later, Helen—high as a kite—finds herself softening toward Grant. She helps him back to the cabin after he takes a tumble and patches him up, the tension between them shifting.
Once back in LA, their working relationship improves. They even start getting into a writing rhythm. Then, the holidays hit, and the coincidences pile up. They run into each other at the airport, get stuck on the same flight, and Helen winds up asleep on Grant’s shoulder. Back home, they keep running into each other—at the local pizza shop, at their old high school (which they break into, earning a nostalgic lecture from their former principal). Helen finally invites Grant to visit Michelle’s grave with her, marking a turning point in their fragile truce.
After a wine-fueled dinner at Grant’s place, Helen bolts mid-moment, overwhelmed by her attraction to him. She then ghosts him for days, only to show up at a New Year’s Eve party, where things heat up fast—maybe too fast for what we’ve come to expect from her. Back in LA, Helen tries dating Greg, a casting director, but Grant is not having it. He corners her at work, spices things up (involving chili peppers, of all things), and writes his address on her thigh, telling her to come to him after the date. She does. They kiss, she stays the night, but no sex—yet.
As they continue their secret “whatever this is,” Helen insists on setting ground rules. They go back to the office to formally agree that this can’t be anything serious. Naturally, that declaration is followed immediately by them sleeping together— at work of all places.
When Grant has a panic attack over a traffic pile-up, Helen is there to help him through it. They share their versions of the night Michelle died, an emotional reckoning that deepens their connection. Later, for Grant’s birthday, Helen throws him a party—but the real gift is letting him subtly stake his claim on her all night. In a heart-throbbing moment, he admits he loves her and asks her to lie and say she loves him back just for the night. Oof.
Then, everything crashes. Helen’s parents visit the TV set, find out Grant is involved, and are devastated. Helen, heartbroken and guilt-ridden, breaks things off with Grant, sobbing about how she could do this to her family. Grant is equally devastated but knows he can’t argue with her.
As if fate isn’t done playing with them, Helen gets into a car accident. At the hospital, her parents and Grant are forced to wait together. Her parents, still reeling from Michelle’s death, demand to know how she could date Grant. They found out by snooping through her iPad, which Helen rightfully calls them out for. Things only get worse when they realize Grant saw her before they did.
Four months pass. They barely cross paths. Helen pours herself into her next novel—letters to her sister. Grant works on his screenplay.
When Helen returns to LA for her show’s premiere, she sends Grant the final draft of her book, signing it: Yours, Helen. In true romance fashion, Grant shows up at her apartment, demanding, “What did you mean by this?” She confesses. She’s all in. If he’ll have her.
And, of course, he does. They date. They get engaged. They get married. Full circle.
Discussion Questions
- Helen and Grant’s relationship is shaped by a tragic accident in their past. How do you think grief and guilt impact their dynamic throughout the novel?
- Helen struggles with imposter syndrome in the writer’s room. How does this influence her character development, and have you ever experienced something similar in your own career or creative pursuits?
- Were you rooting for Helen and Grant to end up together? Why or why not?
- If this book were adapted into a movie or TV series, who would you cast as Helen and Grant (what is your character fancast?)?
- Helen’s parents react strongly to her relationship with Grant. Do you think their reaction was justified, or were they unfair to Helen?
- The book balances darker themes like grief and trauma with lighthearted moments and romance. Did you feel this balance worked, or did one aspect overshadow the other?
Book Details
- Genre: Romance, Contemporary
- Publishing Date/ Release Date: April 9, 2024
- Format: Book
- Length: 372 pages
- Setting: LA
- Tropes: Second Chance, Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity, Office Romance
- Age Rating: Adult (Adult Theme, Suicide, Explicit Scenes)
- Spice Level: 2 / 5
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