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!

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.

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.