Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jodieryu 's review for:
The Girl Most Likely To
by Julie Tieu
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'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!