By all accounts, Helen Zhang's life has been a success story. She's the bestselling author of one of the most popular young adult fantasy series in recent years that is now under development as a television show, for which she has been included on the writing team. But almost no one knows that Helen is lonely in New York or that she’s looking forward to a brief respite from writing --- not because of the chance to rub elbows with stars but because she's been unable to produce a new novel. Nor do most people know that Helen is still recovering from the tragic death of her younger sister, Michelle, when they were in high school.

"Readers and TV fans alike will find themselves hoping that HOW TO END A LOVE STORY will have a screen adaptation of its own."

But all of those things get tied up together when Helen discovers that the assistant showrunner is none other than her former high school classmate, Grant Shepard, who also has been haunted by Michelle's death for the past 13 years. The last time Helen saw Grant, she was screaming at him to leave Michelle's memorial service. Now she's going to have to sit next to him every day for weeks, whether she likes it or not.

At first, Helen’s forced proximity to Grant is painful and awkward. But as the weeks go by, she has to acknowledge that she is attracted to him and that, ironically, he may be the one person she can talk to about the unresolved pain of Michelle's death. Grant seems to feel the same, and they soon discover that they complement each other perfectly, whether in the writers' room or in the bedroom. Still, the idea of a future together is unimaginable, even for two talented writers. How can Helen and Grant's happiness be so entangled in the grief of their shared past?

Debut novelist Yulin Kuang is an experienced screenwriter, including writing film adaptations for two of Emily Henry's mega-popular rom-coms. HOW TO END A LOVE STORY carries much of the same emotional depth as Henry's work does, though the tragic elements at the heart of Kuang's novel mean that Helen and Grant's journey to love takes them through some truly dark territory both together and separately.

Beyond the personal dramas at its center, the book is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes at everything that goes into building a television series, written by someone who knows this world intimately. The relationships between the show's writing team are crisply and at times hilariously drawn. In addition to gaining perspective (and maybe love), Helen eventually discovers the rewards and friendship that grow out of a new kind of collaboration. Readers and TV fans alike will find themselves hoping that HOW TO END A LOVE STORY will have a screen adaptation of its own.