ARC Review
3.5/5 Stars

Book is about Rachel Dang who was voted Mostly Like to Succeed in high school. She meets a boy in an AOL (that takes me back!) chat room and when they decide to meet in person she finds out its Danny Phan, one of the most popular boys in school. However, Rachel left Danny and her high school behind after she graduated. And 20 years later, she's back for her 20th High School Reunion. Rachel has just lost her job when she finds out from her roommate and best friend that her school is throwing the reunion. Danny and Rachel are reunited for the first time in 20 years and they start to reminisce about a time long ago.

The book started out slow. Feels like it got overly descriptive in areas where it could have used left and still have given enough information for the reader to handle. When it started to pick up I was invested in Rachel and Danny's story more and where they are at now in their lives. I felt like as the reader though I was missing Danny's perspective in some situations. Like I could have done with a Dual POV between Rachel and Danny's perspectives. This is enjoyable and a very cute book. But felt it was slow in some moments.

I am enjoying this book so much! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author. All opinions are my own.

This was a good book, I do love all of her books. Its a bit slow getting into the story but once you do its a fun story to read

As someone coming up on their own high school class reunion, this was timely and fun for me!! As far as romance books go, this one lost my interest at times and I think the momentum could have been stronger. Overall would still recommend!

⭐️ 3.5, this was a really cute and quick read for me. I enjoyed the back and forth between the present and their high school memories. The time line seemed very condensed but overall a good book!

I wanted to care about the FMC but the plot and story were just boring? Like, nothing was grabbing my interest even though it was well into the plot, I found myself struggling hard to connect to the story in a way that was meaningful. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, and I was unable to finish it past 27%.


Thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for the ARC.

The Girl Most Likely To was a great contemporary romance. If you are a fan of frenemies to lovers reads, this book is for you!

This twenty-years-later high school reunion love story leans more towards second chances in love than enemies or frenemies to lovers. It centers on two young people whose paths diverged during high school due to family problems and a series of misunderstandings. It's truly frustrating, but what can be said? When you're young, impulsive, and a little insecure, you easily perceive things differently and are often too proud to correct them by being the bigger person.

In this novel, Rachel Lang, 38, who was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in school, feels like a total embarrassment after getting laid off from her longtime job into which she poured sweat, blood, and overwhelming effort without any gain. She also parted ways with her fiancé three years ago. As a long-time planner, her life is nothing as it seems; she still lives with her high school friend Nat, who is a TV star. After losing her job, she becomes Nat's personal assistant until she finds her own path. In the meantime, she decides to take risks and do things she never would have if she had stayed at her old job, such as RSVP’ing for her 20th high school reunion. Of course, a Facebook DM from her ex-friend Danny Phan also influenced her decision. Danny and Rachel have a long and complicated past. They had their own “You’ve Got Mail” moments when they anonymously wrote to each other in a chat room until they decided to meet and realized Danny was the same boy she tried so hard to tutor in her spare time to earn the school administrators’ good graces. They became close friends and confidantes, sharing their secrets and fears, and attracted to each other until one kiss and a series of misunderstandings and poorly chosen words ruined things between them.

Now Rachel returns to her high school, where she left her hopes, passions, ambitions, and old self, to meet her old friend for closure. But a series of unexpected events push them together to team up for searching backstage tickets promised by Nat to the school committee. This results in hilarious and slightly dramatic incidents throughout the night—starting with Danny hitting a cactus while running away from a TV show set with Rachel. After these adrenaline-filled moments, they realize they have many unsaid words and confessions to make, exploring their twenty-years-older selves. Their chemistry is still palpable. Could they make it work a second time, two decades later?

I'm giving this sweet read 3.5 stars. I think it lacked angst. There were not many obstacles or drama that might hold Rachel and Danny back from each other. When we explore their pasts, they seem to have acted extra immature and insecure, and it shouldn't have taken two decades for them to see those mistakes. There are some dramatic parts about Danny’s family issues that needed more layers.

Rachel’s character was still impulsive after two decades, claiming she had changed, but some of her dialogues and stubborn attitudes made me roll my eyes.

I also found the ending a little abrupt. It was an interesting choice for concluding the story.

Despite these issues, I enjoyed the fast pacing, the one-night adventure, and the high chemistry between the characters, which made me round up my rating to 4 stars.

It's a sweet, easy-to-read, enjoyable second chance love story, ideal for romance lovers who enjoy quick reads!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this high-chemistry romance's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really enjoyed reading this story. I felt like I was I the the story. The author pulls in a way that allows to experience everything from start to finish. The relationships and emotions were portrayed in a way that allowed to see the growth from start to finish.

Another sweet second chance romance! Danny and Rachel messed up their relationship back in high school through a combination of awkwardness and inability to communicate. But a high school reunion suddenly brings back old feelings, and both characters wonder what might have been. They embark together on a series of misadventures throughout one evening, and end up at a high School esque house party. Something about the way the book is written reminded me of Can’t Hardly Wait, though Rachel was far less classically cool than Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character. There’s a bit of an instalove vibe but I didn’t hate it. I definitely recommend it to readers looking for a fun, quick beach read.