"You will never lose me. I will always love you. Always.”

I was very wary of this book when I found out that it was a duet and that we don’t get HEA until the second book. I was not expecting to enjoy it so much reading about the characters in Shanghai. The author did a great job with the writing and made me feel like I was there with them. One of my favorite parts in this book was all the food descriptions! It made me so hungry! I really did not like the last 30% of this book. I am really angry at Blake and I don’t see myself liking him and book 2, but we’ll see if he can redeem him. I will for anyone who’s not into duet romances, to focus more on the adventure that the characters go on and all the aspects of living abroad and living in China. I wouldn’t focus so much on Farrah and Blake’s romance as you are going to have your heartstrings pulled. I’m not into alcohol so it was hard reading how Blake ruins his whole relationship based on drinking and his decisions afterwards. I feel like someone who was in a relationship, wouldn’t put himself in those situations. I am really excited to see you two leads! I need my happy ending! 🙏

Read if you like:
3rd person Dual POVs
Shanghai setting
Schooling abroad
Amazing side characters
Delicious food descriptions
Virgin heroine
Cocky hero
Open door romance
First in a duet
No HEA (it’s in book two)

This book is filled with great characters. This story has friendships, back-and-forth banter, angst, romance, love, jealousy, doubt, and regret. However, the thing I enjoyed the most about the romance in this story was that the romance between Farrah and Blake had a slow-burn feel to it. I enjoyed Farrah and Blake characters, and I enjoyed how the author gave their relationship time to develop and grow making their romance believable. The author wrote the story in a way that sucked me in from the very beginning and left me wanting more in the end.

2.5 stars
Read this one for the drama and angst more than plot and character development.
Made me want to read part 2 because I was shocked by the betrayal and needed closure!
E-ARC received for review.

I occasionally indulge in contemporary romance, and ‘If We Ever Meet Again’ turned out to be a delightful surprise. The story is sweet and engaging, with well-crafted characters that draw you in. The author has a knack for capturing the nuances of romance, dumping a lot of the lovable tropes making it a truly enjoyable read from start to finish. If you're someone who appreciates a heartfelt love story, with A LOT of spicy scenes, this book won’t disappoint.


Thank you author, NetGalley,
SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC

"If We Ever Meet Again" by Ana Huang had me interested right from the start, not least because I am a huge fan of her later "Twisted" series. This book, though, read very different in style and execution. The writing here reflects her earlier work, and though it's decent, doesn't have quite the polish of her later books. The third-person POV and the writing style give this series an almost Young Adult feel at times, while being a New Adult romance.

This is the story of Blake and Farrah, who meet in Shanghai, studying abroad. Their relationship buds quickly by way of their shared friend group. At moments, it can get cute, steamy even, but really keeps hard leaning into some tropes that didn't sit with me.

For me, the pregnancy and cheating tropes were a bit too much, and they definitely took away from my enjoyment of the story. I found this frustrating and unrequired, especially since they weren't handled in a manner that added depth to either characters or plot. I also had problems connecting to the characters, and I wasn't wholly convinced by the resolution. "If We Ever Meet Again" does have those moments and was an okay read, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Upper New Adult romance fans will probably like it, but it's way different from Ana Huang's later works in style and quality.

I loved the character development and that we get to watch Blake and Farrah meet, become friends, and fall in love. However, I hate the way their story ended (in this book) and the ending of the book felt like it lasted forever. I’ll definitely read the second book to see how things progress and where they end up, but so far this isn’t in my top favorites of Ana Huang’s series I’ve read.

If We Ever Meet Again is the first book in a duology, so you are getting half the story and it does not have a happy ending (although the author assures there is one in book 2). This book focuses on the first half of a second chance love story between Blake and Farrah, two American students in a study abroad program in Shanghai. There was a lot to keep track of here between the two mains and a large group of other students and friends that kept hooking up and breaking up and had their own stories. It was a good book and it does make me want to read how it all ends and to see if the characters grow up and learn from their mistakes.

This book frustrated me due to all the well trodden tropes, but it was well written and was entertaining. I had high expectations due to it being Ana Huang, but I feel like this just was not her cup of tea. But I will also say, reading her newer books that she has written? She has certainly come a long way in being an author.

I mean, can Ana ever do wrong with a romance novel? I really loved these tropes and felt just as enamored by the characters and romance as I usually do when reading one of her stories.

What if life has bigger plans than yours? That's the crux of this new series from Ana Huang, and it is vastly different from other books that readers have come to love from her.

The descriptions are rich, and anyone that loves drama will love the relationship between Farrah and Blake.

✨ Publication date: June 25, 2024✨

If We Ever Meet Again is a refresh and republish of a romance two book series from Ana Huang. This is the first book in the series.

Farrah Lin is 19 and studying abroad in Shanghai for one year. She is among a small group of Americans living in the dorms and experiencing the culture and education.

Blake Ryan is a college football star from Texas. After winning multiple championships he realized football wasn’t his dream and quit. Blake heads to Shanghai for their one year program breaking up with his longtime hometown girlfriend and leaving angry parents behind.

At first Blake and Farrah are just friends, thrown together by their small group of friends but eventually they realize there is chemistry there.

Blake and Farrah become inseparable until the break between semesters when everyone goes home. When Blake returns, he’s quiet and not quite himself.

As the group prepares for the end of the school year and what happens when they all return home, Blake breaks Farrah’s heart.

The next book takes place 5 years after Shanghai. I liked the writing and the story. I wasn’t convinced on the relationship between Farrah and Blake. Blake proved to be the typical jock and Farrah seemed to be a bit meek. I’m invested though and am looking forward to seeing how their relationship plays out!

This was a 3.5+ stars for me (rounded to 4). It sounds like this is one of the authors earlier works and she has matured in her writing since then!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #anahuang #ifweevermeetagain

I found the romantic tale of Blake and Farrah quite engaging. Nonetheless, the explicit sexual content might not resonate with every reader. While there is a dedicated audience for such literature, personally, I felt it detracted from the overall narrative. This is the same review for book 1 and 2. I read them back-to-back which helped me become invested in the characters. Nevertheless, the graphic language is too much for me.

This was kind of a wattpad story. The cheesy pickup lines, the bad banter between characters, the cliches, etc. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not that. I still read it all though. I guess I enjoy cheesy books and I’m not over my wattpad era.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

"You won. Blake Ryan, the champion. Your father was right. You shouldn't have quit. No one plays the game better than you."

-Strangers to lovers, college abroad setting, part one of a duet
-Farrah and Blake had good banter and flow in their relationship
-the break up was predictable and I’m intrigued to see how their story will wrap up
-thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this ARC

3.5⭐️

First Blake Ryan Jake Ryan, love the Sixteen Candles nod. I grabbed this one because I am loving everything by Ana Huang and this did not disappoint. I was pulled into Farrah and Blake's story immediately. I have theories but will read book two to see if I am correct. I of course need the next book right away. That ending just got me. I really loved our side characters. I cannot wait to read more with everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Ana Huang for the arc of If We Ever Meet Again!! It was a really good book, fast and easy to read, it did take about half way through to pick up but when it did it flewwww!!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to get myself to pick it up again whenever I would stop. Although I will say, it has a lot of tropes that I thoroughly despise, so that could have played a part in it. I have been cheated on in every previous relationship, so reading cheating tropes (especially with pregnancy) is not very enjoyable for me.

This was a quick read and was fun for about 50% before one of my least favorite tropes came to haunt the pages. While the characters were in college, their behavior was sometimes too immature for it to be enjoyable. I wanted to like it more because I enjoyed the Twisted series so much. I’ll still check out the second book in the series and hope it picks up going forward. Thank you to Bloom Books and Net Galley for an advance copy of this novel!

This was a fun quick read.

Some of the content felt fairly simple, and some of the characters were immature and frustrating to read, but it’s understandable as they’re all in college.

The Shanghai setting was beautiful, and it was so fun to explore the city through a romance book. There’s lots of food descriptions as well, which I really enjoyed - it made me really want to visit Shanghai!

I definitely wouldn’t pick up this book without planning on reading at least the second in the series, to finish the MC’s love story. I’m really excited to see them as adults, and get a glimpse of the rest of the characters as well!

I truly enjoy Ana Huang's Kings of Sin series, so I was really surprised when I wasn't getting into this one. I didn't realize this book was a rerelease, originally published in 2020. I'm impressed by how much her writing has improved. I decided to DNF at 70% when the cheating trope started, as it's just really not for me. Current fans of Ana Huang's current work, just be wary---this didn't hit the same notes, and I ended up feeling somewhat lackluster.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC.