As an adult, I frequently read YA books, but this one seemed better suited for young teens. The storyline was very cute, and I really enjoyed all of the friendships that the FMC made throughout the book. The feelings that the main character was struggling with though seemed very trivial to an adult (not knowing if her friends liked her just because she was pretty, unsure about what to do after high school, etc.) That is why I think this book would be a better fit for an audience of around 15-19. I thought the struggles the FMC faced about being disconnected from her culture or fetishized for it were very well written and made the reader empathize with the character even though they might not have that experience.

I enjoyed the romance, but also the layers. Even as adults we only see things through our own lives. I loved the discovery, the connecting and awakening of culture and what your life can be.

Leah Zhang is sent off to travel China because her parents want her to reconnect with the Mandarin language. Leah feels punished but her parents really do see a daughter at loose ends with a lot of self-doubt and lack of focus. Also on the trip is the boy that she thinks of as her mortal enemy. Unlike a lot of books I’ve read lately there is actually a REASON for it and he knows it. He does not hate her, in fact, he has a weird obsession with her. There is a lot to like about this book – frank conversation, fun developing friendships, Leah making realizations about herself without overblown drams.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for this DRC.
#NeverThoughtIdEndUpHere #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for an eARC of “Never Thought I’d End Up Here”! This was such a beautiful story with my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, and I am so honored and grateful to have received an ARC!

I loved how well-developed the characters were, and Liang’s descriptive writing made the book a cozy and funny read. Although at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to relate with Leah at all, Liang’s portrayal of her flaws and insecurities really made it easy to connect with her and I loved seeing her overcome her insecurities. I was also concerned that Cyrus wouldn’t be fully redeemed by the end, given his history with Leah, but he was very sweet and including his backstory really helped justify a lot of his previous actions.

I LOVED the friendships with Oliver, Daisy, Cyrus, and Leah. Leah and Daisy were able to get so close to each other during their time together and I loved seeing Leah with someone who truly cared about her as a friend. The relationship between Oliver and Cyrus was so funny too, and I respect Oliver for setting and respecting boundaries with Leah!

Overall, “Never Thought I’d End Up Here” was a solid 4.5 stars for me. The descriptions were beautiful and it was such a cute story. Also, I was very impressed with how well-developed the plot was as the release date is set just 5 months after the release of “I Am Not Jessica Chen”. Liang certainly did a wonderful job with both!

This was my first read from Ann Liang, and it didn't disappoint. Never Thought I'd End up Here explores cultural identity and self-acceptance, while captivating the reader with a sweet enemies to sweetheart love story. At first, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to connect with Leah our narrator. A former model who loves make up and fashion, while striving to maintain her social status, Leah didn't feel relateable. However, Liang quickly gives the reader glimpses of the real Leah, a young woman struggling with the expectations of others.

The romance plot line was obvious from the beginning, but Liang made it feel natural. Although, he's set up as a villain figure in the first couple of chapters, Cyrus is well developed with his own issues that impacted his past with Leah.

Definitely a recommended read for anyone looking for a sweet teen romance.

ann liang's books always manage to completely pull me in, there's something about the way she writes and describes scenes, places and feelings that makes you feel like you're seeing everything unfold right in front of you! never thought i'd end up here was no exception - it felt like a perfect coming-of-age story.
i liked leah and how real she felt, with all of her flaws and insecurities. she feels lost and like she doesn't really know herself or what she likes anymore, like she can't be herself in front of other people, like she doesn't belong anywhere. she was relatable in so many ways and it was nice to see how she starts to overcome all of those feelings, starts to reconnect with herself and her culture and finds hope again!
i was unsure how ann would redeem cyrus given his history with leah, but i really shouldn't have doubted her. he was the sweetest being ever and the things he said to leah healed some part of me too. i loved how leah was set on getting revenge on cyrus but instead found herself falling in love with him.
ann liang chooses such meaningful themes to write about in every one of her books and i can't wait to see what she writes next!
～thank you to scholastic and netgalley for the arc!

oh i loved this so much!! this is by far my favorite out of all ann liang’s works thus far, and i’m so so honored to have been able to receive the arc for this. the background of this book deviates from liang’s typical academia setting, but i found that her writing truly flourished in this novel. asian disapora and asian-american identity are some one of my favorite themes ever to read, and the author weaves this beautifully into her story with the inclusion of cultural elements, making me feel homesick for a place—or maybe a feeling?—that i have never been to nor experienced, yet feel drawn to all the same.

i have to admit, i didn’t have high expectations when starting this. i found cyrus to be an irredeemable character considering his and leah’s history, and leah herself didn’t seem to stand out much among ann liang’s other fmcs. how happy i am to be proven wrong! i came to understand the characters and love them even more for their flaws, and even the side characters carried a depth to them that left me no choice but to adore them as well. i had so much fun navigating china with this cast of characters as they discovered their place in the world, and though the story was pretty predictable, the yearning, banter, and humor had me smiling throughout it all.

4.75 stars! thank you to netgalley and scholastic for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I tell you I was so excited to get an ARC of this book I’m not joking. I adore Ann Liang, and have been waiting for her next Young Adult Romance. This book is just further proof that she is a master of her craft. Leah isn’t the type of main character I would typically enjoy reading about. In fact, I was worried I’d find her unbearable given my initial impression, but it was interesting (and emotional) to follow her on her journey of self-discovery and it was nice to see her growth. This is the perfect depiction of a coming of age story, struggling to find your identity and figure out who you are/where you belong. Most people can probably relate to at least some of the feelings in this book. The way Ann Liam writes just evokes such strong emotions and you really empathize with the characters and their challenges. Bonus points for the friends you make along the way being a big part of this story.

This book was so incredible, it had me crying from how cute it was and also from how heartaching the yearning was.
I loved that Leah as a character was very different from the usual female leads that Ann writes, and I liked that we got to see a different type of personality.
This book also felt heavier, and more mentions of trauma which had me wanting to hug my babies and protect them from the world because gosh, it was painful reading about their experiences.

Aside from that, I adored the friendships between Oliver, Daisy and Cyrus and Leah. They became easily my favourite characters and I loved the friendship Leah develops with them. The romance between Cyrus and Leah was also tooth-achingly sweet and all I'll say is, the book reminds me of Anne of Green Gables (THAT scene, I can't say which one) and Mastermind by Taylor Swift.

Thank you Netgalley and Scholastic for an early copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

This is my second Ann Liang book, but this just makes me want to read the rest of her books. Never Thought I'd End Up Here was pitched as True Beauty (love love love) x imgonnagetyouback (love love love) and I totally get that from this book.

Despite this being YA, I think the characters are grounded and realistic. They were multifaceted, but not stereotypical. The overall plot sort of took a backseat, but the romance was great.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read that you could finish in a few hours.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of the book! All thoughts are my own.

First of all, thank you so much to the publishers and netgalley for granting my wish!!! and wow... this book was so fun(ny) and so sad and heart aching at the same time. there's so much to unpack, I can probably write multiple essays on how perfectly written this book is...
4.5 stars

I post full review near to the release date on all my social media accounts!!!

RATING: 4/5 STARS

I just love how Ann Liang writes. Her style is so descriptive and her characters are incredibly real and relatable. Her novels are comfort books for me. Never Thought I'd End Up Here is a fun travel story with a swoony romance and a touching coming-of-age theme.

‘Never Thought I’d End Up Here’ is an enemies-to-lovers revenge plot in a contemporary story that I didn’t know I needed.

Leah Zhang accidentally curses a bride at a wedding (oops), gets shipped off to China as a cultural reset (honestly I swear this feels like something I would do lol). Upon her arrival she ends up stuck with Cyrus Sui- the human embodiment of her villain origin story…who also happens to be more taller and more attractive;)

Ann Liang comes and hands you a swoony and chaotic contemporary and romance is equally hilarious and heartfelt. Proof that maybe revenge does taste sweet😉😉(with a side of feelings to the last person you thought you’d catch them for).

I absolutely devoured this book and had the time of my life reading this and I need evreyone to add this in their TBR immediately!!

this book was so cutesy and fun! another slay by miss ann liang. this
book felt like the book-ified version of sundial's the american
dream.

full review to come on youtube once the book is published.

the characters:
I adored all the characters! I love that there wasn't really a
villain. maybe the villain was Leah the entire time, or moreso, her
doubting herself?

I thought Leah was the perfectly girly for the immigrant daughters
who've lost touch with their family history and/or can no longer
communicate with their family. this book reminded me of sundial's
song, the american dream. I adored her. she was so cute! and we
love a girly who doesn't have their life figured out (like who does at
17?).

Cyrus was very cute as well. I wasn't a fan of the whole bullying /
childhood enemy story, but it makes sense given him observing his
parents' relationship. I'm glad he was able to come to terms with that
and didn't excuse his behavior. I kind of wish there were less
spoilers around him yearning for Leah with the marketing (despite it
being pretty obvious). also he was SO flirty omg. I think he's the
flirtiest MMC ann liang has written yet ??

I LOVED Daisy and Oliver. I loved Daisy becoming a true bestie to Leah
and how they were able to help each other grow with their 2 weeks
together. I also really liked Oliver, our comedic king. I really
applauded how mature and self-aware he was ?? also pop off king for
dating a prince! but also, good for you for having standards and not
settling.

I don't have strong feelings about Cate or Lydia or the other side
characters. I don't know enough about them to really have a strong
opinion!

I feel like every one of miss ann's books you can do a deep
psychoanalysis of the parents. like leah's mom being truly exceptional
yet being overshadowed by her sister who literally is out here winning
awards for what she does? and then leah's dad always trying to keep
her mom happy. such an interesting dynamic always going on.

the plot:
I will note the reason this book got 4 stars from me was because the
plot wasn't as.. alluring? engrossing? captivating enough? idk. I felt
it was predictable, the only thing I didn't predict was leah quitting
modeling was r/t her experience as an asian in a white-dominated
field. I really appreciated that perspective ESPECIALLY the part where
she tried to make her features appear more white (unfortunately a bit
too relatable).

overall, the plot was cute! a little predictable and it just lacked
that oomph that had me wanting to fly through it. still really
enjoyable, though!

the book cover:
so pretty! big fan.

overall, this was such a fun read! I AM NOT JESSICA CHEN and I Hope
This Doesn't Find You are both my favorites, but I'm excited to
continue to read Liang's work.

leah might honestly be one of my favourite ann liang fmcs. i relate to her on such a deep level. and cyrus my baby HE'S ACTUALLY INSANE😭😭😭 the things he says😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 also loved the fact that this had an epilogue and that the confession wasn't done at the very last moment and that the book didn't END with the confession. loved seeing cute happy silly scenes of them just being in love because ann doesn't usually do that. LOVED THIS BOOK AND LEAHCYRUS DESERVE THE WORLD.

4.25/5
ANN LIANG NEVER FAILS!!! If you love all of her books there is no reason why you wouldn’t enjoy “Never Thought I’d End Up Here”. The dynamic between Leah and Cyrus is so charming and addicting to read. I’m an absolute SUCKER for “i’m hard to love” x “loving you is the easiest thing i’ve done”. I can also relate a lot to Leah and struggle of finding something I’m good at and want to be, and also the struggle of losing and relearning mother tongue. This isn’t my fav Ann Liang but it truly just comes down to tropes.

Ann Liang always knows how to create absolute masterpieces of books. I found this book very relatable, especially Leah, but all the characters in general. There was something I found relatable in each character and it made me feel connected to the book, as if my soul was on display and I was the one reading it. I love how Leah learned about herself and by the end of the book she was a different person, it was amazing to see her character growth. I also enjoyed seeing Leah find the group of people that would stay by her side. I loved this book so much, it is definitely one of my favorite Ann Liang books now. This is such a cute YA romance, wrapped with emotions I think everyone will find very moving.

Ann Liang genuinely never misses. It's incredible how each of her main characters are very different from each other, yet they're all equally relatable. This is an adorable YA romance, perfect to read in one day. But it also has so much depth, because there's so much character growth. Everything Leah learned about herself was so deeply touching.