I really wish I could rate this higher because I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading it because you might love it! There were some aspects I really liked: the representation of Asian-American protagonists and the early 2000s nostalgia were two highlights. All the family moments felt really grounded and enigmatic. But the parts I didn’t like outweighed that. The pacing was way off — about 80% of the book takes places over the course of the same evening and so much happens that is just rushed past and then a lot of time is spent on less eventful moments. The banter between the two main characters fell flat and the inner-dialogue of the FMC detracted from any tension building between them. The flashback scenes didn’t add anything by way of character development or plot progress. Overall, I found this one a bit of a slog to get through.

Rachel, both the adult and teenage version, will remind many readers of themselves. As a teenager, Rachel feels unseen unless she is the perfect student and daughter. As an adult, she finds herself laid off after giving ten years to an entertainment production company--just in time for her 20 year high school reunion where she will be recognized as the classes Most Likely to Succeed and come face to face with the boy that she ghosted her senior year.

I liked lots of parts of this story, but I feel like I missed the big reason why Rachel and Danny drifted apart and stayed apart. I read this in multiple sittings over a week, so maybe I've forgotten something.

I thought this book was okay, however it felt like things just kept happening to the MC for like no reason. There was no build up for anything, stuff just started happening. The whole conflict could have been resolved by a sit down chat for like 30 mins.

I also do wish that Rachel had a bigger breakdown/breakthrough. I loved the premise of this and I think that if there had been more build up or more direct consequences of actions that took place, this book could've been great.

I do wish we had gotten to see more of Danny, more when they were kids and more of the romance when they were adults.

Overall I think this book was just okay, but I did still like it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Wow, this book just brought me back so hard to my childhood in LA, in a good way. As someone who no longer lives in California, this book created all the nostalgia for me to live in - from DMing boys all night to that second chance romance anxiety over a high school reunion. The way our FMC is driven and college focused? Yep, realistic, if a bit cheesy. I think of all the amazing Asian representation I've read, this one feels the most authentically SoCal Asian girl just growing up in Monterey Park. I appreciated, too, the representation of lesser-known Asian culture here. It just made me so happy to feel that nostalgia and pull in a novel - thank you to the author and publishers for making this book happen, and I'm excited to read more of Julie Tieu's books in the future!

3.5 stars rounded up! I liked this book and resonated with Rachel’s character. I’m typically not a huge fan of books where a large amount of the plot happens in a single day, but Tieu executed it well. I liked the interludes of memories from the two main characters’ high school friendship as they’re reconnecting. The ending was a little quick, I could’ve spent much more time with the characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Girl Most Likely To was a great romance, just nostalgic enough for me with a great plot. Rachel and Danny were friends on AIM and then in person in high school before Rachel’s cutthroat ambition put distance between them. Now at their high school reunion (with Rachel at a disadvantage in her work life compared to Danny) they have a crazy night that brings them back together, with some realizations for Rachel about life to boot.

Incredibly sweet, this one went just beyond the surface enough to keep engaging but was easy to follow. If you lived in the height of AIM you’ll especially appreciate some of the references.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance romance, friends to lovers read by Julie Tieu! The Girl Most Likely To has elements of a 90’s movie romcom starring two Asian American leads. It is so rare to have full Asian character representations in media and I appreciated the author’s choice of identity and setting the location in the 626! This story felt nostalgic for those who grew up in the 90’s and depended on AIM before cellphone culture. I felt like the dissolution of their friendship during adolescence could have been more developed. But what I loved the most is the direct communication between Danny and Rachel when they find themselves in each other’s orbit once again. There were no games or dilly dallying, which I think accurately reflects where they are at in their stage of life. Their conversations felt vulnerable, honest, and mature. The banter and escapades had me both giggling and swooning. And the spice was so satisfying!

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars.

I'm not sure how to rate this book because some things were four stars for me (the cultural representation), but some things, were ehhhhhhhh.... (pacing, story building).

warning: ramble-y review ahead.

-Plot-
The Girl Most Likely To centers around Rachel Dang, a girl who was voted the superlative of "Most Likely To Succeed" in high school; however, the story starts with her getting laid off from her job despite how hard she worked to build her career. She had her whole life planned out since high school: get good grades, get into an Ivy League, get her dream job, get married, have children... and yet, her life is quite the opposite.

She is then reunited with her high school crush, Danny Pham, at her 20th high school reunion. Danny, who was really her opposite in high school, is now a successful life coach. At the reunion they reconnect and then begins a night of CRAZY (seriously...) adventures and an old flame is reignited...

-What I loved-
Honestly, this book was so, so relatable! I loved the Asian representation in this book - from actual Chinese phrases (I believe the author is Chinese-Cambodian American) to the expectations we create for ourselves from being second generation from immigrant parents. I could see parts of myself in Rachel, for sure. The book was also amusing and comedic at points.

-What I didn't like-
The pacing was weird - when I felt there was romantic tension building between Rachel and Danny, it would just, stop. And then jump to the next scene :\ The cut scenes from present day to their old convo's via AIM weren't confusing but I think they could have been leveraged in a better way? Like the banter & chemistry between the two wasn't quite.. there.

Overall, it was a really fun story but I do think I liked it more since I could relate as an Asian-American; however, as a rom-com novel, I thought it was ok. If you like second chance romance with light steam, as a quick read this may be for you!

Huge thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I tried to get through this book completely but I did end up DNFing it. I failed to grab my attention. If it was to grab my attention i would have liked the book a lot. But it failed to do so.

This was a cute read though honestly I had high expectations. It was missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC of The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu. I really enjoyed this book. I think the beginning was a bit slow, and needed a little bit more attention grabbing factors. But overall I really enjoyed it. I do wish it was dual perspectives because it would’ve made the reader more aware of the conflicts. But I thought the whole story was great. I liked the reassurance of communication and the real depiction of anxiety. I related to Rachel a lot, we have very similar inner voices. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

I wanted to like this, I really did. High school reunion, second chances, old-school AIM messaging--none of it came together right, despite the classic tropes/elements.

The characters were very bland, with no real personality. The entire side plot with her TV star friend was unnecessary. The 'spice' isn't worth mentioning. And overall, it was just boring, which was the worst part. Even bland characters can sometimes make it through a plot, but not when it's this boring.

This book is about Rachel who is an obsessive perfectionist and who hasn’t seemed to grow since high school which is concerning since she’s nearly 40. I connected with how Rachel acted in high school but I couldn’t deal with how her character didn’t seem to mature twenty years later. I just found her incredibly unlikable and immature. The issues between the FMC and MMC could have been resolved in minutes if they just had an honest conversation. In the end, I DNF at 50%.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

i read this at the recommendation of instagram reviews, and i was not let down! the most perfectly perfect queer love story to ever and i already can’t wait to read what julie ties releases next! i highly recommend everyone checking this one out.

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY Review

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
GENRE: Romance, Second Chances

New book from Julie Tieu!

This book is such a throwback for all the Asian millennials that grew up in the early 2000’s - references to our AzNbbGurl AIM screen names and references to Kai. It felt like I was transported back into my teens again and fun to reminiscence about the past.

On to the book, Rachel our FML is a type-A perfectionist, who has planned and dedicated her life to the path she believes she needs to take - good grades in high school, go to an Ivy League university, get a great job, meet, marry, and have a family all by 32. Instead, the book opens with Rachel getting thrown for a loop after a massive round of layoffs at her jobs, where’s dedicated 10 years of her life to!

She decides to attend her 20 year high school reunion and this is where she reconnects with her own high school crush, Danny. The bulk of the book takes place during the night of the reunion and involves a lot of hijinks and laughs along the way as Rachel learns to let go a bit and decide who she is outside of these expectations.

I enjoyed reading the book, however, there were moments where Rachel felt unbearable and downright mean to Danny. I tried to sympathize with her as someone who came from a similar background, but I couldn’t take her attitude or wrecklessness at times. Also, I felt like Danny tried to explain many things that happened in the past to Rachel but she didn’t give him a fair chance.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC and thanks Julie for the walk down memory lane - it brought back some fun (and also cringey) memories of high school.

This author nailed high school life in the late 90s. AIM, messenger, and the lingo were superb. It felt as though I had been transported back 20 years with the events. Rachel and Danny's love was a testament of time. Neither characters were perfect but somehow they finally figured out that each other was perfect for them.

I cannot give this book enough praise. I felt so connected with Rachel and could sympathize with her feelings when dealing with impostor syndrome and basing her worth on academic and career achievements. I also felt that the conflict between Rachel and Danny were handled gave them more depth and was realistic for characters their age. This book made me laugh, cry, and cringe (in the best way possible). I'm so glad that I read this and can't wait for more people to be able to experience it.

This book was such a fun throwback read. I loved the dual timeline and the way it made me nostalgic for my youth. The second chance romance was a great plot line.

Rachel was so relatable and I couldn’t help but root for her when everything was going wrong in her life. I loved seeing her grow as a person and finally stop worrying about how she looked. Danny was such a sweetheart and I wish we had a little bit more back story with him. The Asian American rep was amazing and I love being able to see myself and childhood represented. Overall, this was a fun read and I really enjoyed the ending!

I really wanted to love this — the story line screams rom com and while the idea of the plot is good, I felt like I was craving a dual POV. However, I did like the sprinkled in AOL chats from the past intertwined in the present story line between chapters.

This book was such a fun, beautifully written read that gave me classic romcom vibes in all the best ways! The way the writer describes our main characters lived experience I feel like is so honest and relatable for people who I'm from similar backgrounds or childhoods to our main character. The progression of the main characters relationship has a beautiful depth to it and I feel like we truly get to see it grow in so many different aspects. Overall will be highly recommending this book to friends!