Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

"The Girl Most Likely To" follows Rachel Dang, who got "The Girl Most Likely To Succeed" in high school. A few days before her high school's 20th reunion, she is laid off and is forced to become an assistant to her friend Nat, who is on the rise in Hollywood. Rachel wants to go since she feels stuck and is wondering about the guy she used to have a crush on, Danny Phan.

Be forewarned, this took a while to get going. I ended up liking it in the end, but there were so many weird stop/starts in this one that I kept thinking okay, this must be the end, and nope, here's more pages to get through. I do think the chapters ending and shifting over to IMs that Rachel and Danny sent each other in high school was a bit annoying after a while though. I just wanted the book to get going. We already know they had not talked in 20 years, I really didn't want to keep reading old IMs to each other. It also didn't give me a sense of their connection to each other. When the story shifted to the present, it was much better IMHO.

I think that Rachel and Danny were interesting characters. I think there was too much information tossed out there about Danny's backstory at one point I was just confused and went with it. Other characters such as Rachel's family and her best friend Nat were developed really well. Heck, even the kids they grew up with you can see what made them the smart one, the geeks, etc. I have only gone to one reunion, I think it was my 15th, and a lot of people were still hyper focused on high school for my taste. I haven't gone to one since. This book though was a fun little look at what happens to those we think are going to succeed.

The ending was really good and I liked it. Tieu may sure it did end on a HEA.

Rachel Dang was voted Most Likely To Succeed in high school. She went to a good school and has been working hard ever since. She's devoted the last 11 years of her life to a streaming service, so it was quite a surprise when she is quickly let go with no warning.

When she finds out about her upcoming 20 year high school reunion, she decides she wants to go, after all, she's being put in the 'hall of fame'. They don't know that she's jobless. She also sees this reunion as an opportunity to reconnect to her long-lost friend Danny.
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High school reunions are always a good idea...in theory. In reality, it's a handful of people drunk around a casino pool....or maybe that was just mine.

Julie Tieu has written a quick little romance/enemies to lovers/2nd chance novel and I'm sure people will enjoy this. It's an opportunity to think about ones own missed opportunities. To me, someone who is 2 years away from her 30th reunion, it read a little young. I think young adults will enjoy it, but as usual, it's not my taste.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was at times laugh out loud funny, very cute, and completely relatable! I really enjoyed this one A LOT! Everything worked. Loved the froends, family, and romance...it was all *chef's kiss*.

The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: February 18, 2025

Here’s the thing: I enjoyed The Girl Most Likely To, but I feel like it just missed the mark. It was good, but it wasn’t great. Something was missing, but I can’t quite figure out what it is.

That being said, I really liked how fast paced it was and how it took place over one night. The pacing and timeline structure allowed for an easy, quick read. Reading Rachel’s anxiety about going to her 20 year reunion is kind of how I feel about going to my 10 year reunion. What if I spill punch on myself? Will I remember every cringy thing I did? The answer is likely yes.

Not to mention the early 2000s references! AOL chat rooms? Internet cafes? Give me some hit clips, a Von Dutch hat, and take me back to the early aughts. I LOVED reading about Danny and Rachel’s time as teenagers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for a digital copy of The Girl Most Likely To!

This is a book for millennial dreams. I know most of us have our 20 year reunion coming up and have considered whether or not to go. Rachel also gets fired the same week of the reunion and becomes her best friend's assistant which becomes serendipitous.

This is also a second chance love story, trope which is one of my faves. Majority of the book takes place the night of the reunion where Rachel and Danny go on this wild hunt for the reunion and while there they disclose a lot of their unspoken feelings and trauma from high school. Then Rachel has more of a breakthrough moment because she realizes all she did because of her parents and being a child of immigrants weighed so heavily on her than what she really wanted to do.

I really loved this story more than Julie's first. It was such a love story to my millennial heart. It was really the breath of fresh air I needed right now.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

This was an interesting read. I don’t think I’m the target audience. I don’t usually like one night romances. And this was not an exception. The pacing was a good except for the car accident. I can’t imagine continuing your night like she did after filming wrecking her car.

I loved this book - love everything by Julie Tieu. The vibes are slightly older 30s female lead, usually too responsible and too ambitious and work-obsessed, mixed in with the high school nostalgia we all get at this age. I loved the Asian American in So Cal setting - a bit like the Netflix series Beef.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve had mixed experiences with Julie Tieu’s books in the past, with her previous book being an outright DNF because I just couldn’t get into it. But I had high hopes for The Girl Most Likely To, which were mostly met, although some of my recurring issues with Tieu’s work do appear again here.
I love a book that can effectively capture the nostalgia of the early 2000s and the earlier days of the Internet, where AIM was the primary form of online communication. This absolutely captured the novelty of that, even if that element was primarily relegated to flashbacks. But this, combined with the concept of revisiting the past via a high school reunion, was quite fun.
I liked Rachel for the most part, and she’s in a very interesting place, having been laid off at her job and now trying to open herself up to new opportunities. I love the idea that she had originally been this super-smart, “Most Likely to Succeed” type, with very detailed plans for how her life was meant to go, but now she’s reassessing. As someone who barely had a plan then, and whose life is in shambles now, I think it’s great to see that even those who seem “together” can end up feeling lost when their plans fall apart.
The romance with Danny is really cute, and I liked the juxtaposition of their dynamic back then, with her being meant to rub off on him as his “smart friend,” vs, now, when he’s successful and she’s “funemployed.” They have cute romantic chemistry, and while I can’t say I was super-blown away, I do like them together.
I like the concept of the story largely covering one night, encompassing their high school reunion activities. But given those parameters, I expected a little more structure and purpose. And while I wasn’t expecting something super-high stakes, this approach where neither had much to lose in the grand scheme of things impacted the pacing of the story and my investment in the book overall.
However, while I found this book rather underbaked, I can see the appeal. In the event you’re in the mood for something fairly low-stakes that happens to be by an Asian author/include Asian representation, this is the perfect read for you…especially if you also happen to enjoy books that tap into the nostalgia of the 2000s!

This book is so cute and fun! Rachel and Danny’s reunion is full of funny moments, sweet vibes, and just the right amount of drama. It’s perfect for anyone who loves a good rom-com with a second-chance twist. Loved it! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really liked this sweet little romance by Julie Tieu. I loved the representation of Asian-Americans. So often the concept where most of the plot happens in one day misses its mark but Julie did a great job. I did find Rachel to be a little annoying sometimes with how self absorbed she was and I did think the plot dragged a little, but overall a good read.

This was an enjoyable romcom read that really hit all the nostalgic buttons for me. As someone who had a pretty similar upbringing (Asian-American growing up in California in the 2000's), I am the target audience. I loved the nods to AIM, Dashboard Confessional, Better Luck Tomorrow etc. I would categorize this as a low-stakes second-chance romance, meaning there wasn't any unnecessary drama. While there was a hint of miscommunication (a trope I normally dislike), it wasn't overdone. And thank you for not including a third-act breakup (something else I dislike)! I wish there was a little bit more development with the side characters as I think it would have been fun but overall, a great quick read.

Thoughts

I honestly loved everything about this book. I hate the miscommunication trope but in this book it absolutely makes sense. When you are teenagers and you are shy and not sure if someone is really into you, it is easy to read into things and not communicate properly.

I loved the flashbacks to when they were teenagers because we get the pop culture references and I always love those.

I honesly related to the FMC so much, I was wondering if there was going to be a revelation that she was neurodivergent and that was part of her finding herself.

This was my second book by this author and I have enjoyed both so much!

dnf 34% I am so bored. I have read and rated the past three Julie Tieu books 3 stars and I really should not have picked up this one. Once again the cultural representation is the absolute highlight of the book. Not only are the depictions of Chinese Americans accurate, it includes Chinese idioms and some text in Chinese characters. The rest of it is just plain old boring. I didn't connect at all with Rachel and where she is the only POV there isn't another side of the story to make me want to keep going. I hav been "reading" this book for about a week and every time I pick I up I instantly want to put it back down. I can't take it anymore. It may work for you, but it isn't doing anything for me.

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO is a swoony frenemies to lovers romance that had me kicking my feet and giggling the entire time!! Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy!

This was a fast paced book and I had a good time. I liked how the scenes from their childhood were interwoven. They took twenty years to come back together but better late than never.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Any book that brings AIM into the plot is going to have my elder millennial heart. I loved that this was part of the plot. Rachel is headed back to her high school for her 20 year reunion. She's set to receive an award for her accomplishments which means she's living up to her Most Likely to Succeed title. Only thing is she was recently fired. Also at the reunion is Danny, who was in a different crowd, but she had a connection with. Going between present day and the early 2000s, the story of Rachel and Danny unfolds. I really liked the flashbacks in this one given it's my literal generation, as well as Rachel figuring out life in the present day. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this February 2025 release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/HarperCollins for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
The Girl Most Likely To follows main character Rachel Dang who was voted “Most Likely To Succeed” when she was in high school. When she’s invited to her twentieth high school reunion by none other than Danny Phan, an old friend/flame, she decides to make an appearance.
Rachel was the type of student to get the best grades and try her hardest to avoid any problems with her parents. Rachel and Danny meet in a chat room and find that they can confide in each other, and with the combination of their communication through IM and when teachers put them together, an unlikely friendship (sorta) ensues.
The book follows mostly a present timeline with occasional chapters that follow Rachel and Danny when they were in high school.
There were several aspects of the story that I enjoyed. Overall I felt like Rachel was a relatable character, she feels as if so many people had set expectations for her and she feels as though she’s fallen short. Especially as she’s thrust back into an environment where she can compare herself to everyone she went to high school with, she begins to grapple with what it is she truly wants out of life.
I loved the concept of the high school reunion, I thought it was the perfect setting to explore past relationships and confront past expectations and behaviors. There’s a quote I really liked:
“It was too embarrassing to admit that I wanted to relive a time when I knew what I was doing.”
I think that quote resonated with me and will resonate with so many others. Now, I don’t think I actually knew what I was doing when I was in high school but it certainly felt that way, and missing that feeling I think is a shared experience.
That being said, although there were aspects of this book that I enjoyed, I felt as though I couldn’t fully invest myself in the characters. Characters are everything to me and if I’m not rooting for them, cheering them on, then it feels as though something is off. The chemistry between Rachel and Danny felt more palpable and real in the flashbacks than in the current timeline. However, I do think people will enjoy this book as I think not connecting with the characters might be more of a me thing.
Read if you like:
- frenemies (friends) to lovers
- dual timelines
- second-chance romance

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu really drew my attention because it follows our fmc Rachel, who has just lost her job, going back for her 20th High School Reunion. The story gives second chance romance and 90’s rom com vibes. We also have two Asian main characters Rachel and Danny, which I personally think I don’t see enough of in the romance book space. I liked seeing the relationship between our main characters develop and redevelop throughout the book. There was good banter, and I felt at points that I was invested the relationship. There were just some areas where it was quite slow in my opinion and that took me away from the story a bit, but I would still recommend people give this book a chance!

3.5/5 stars

This was okay. Unique structure in Romance (and books, in general): the majority of the present-day storyline takes place over one night. The backstory and much of the relationship development is told through flashbacks (half of which are presented in IM format).

Main problem for me was that it didn't make me feeeeeel anything. No tension (sexual or otherwise), no stakes, no real conflict.

Which is all very realistic. Sometimes two people just like each other ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But I'm not here for realism...

I did appreciate that the author stayed away from clichés. For instance, the FMC's best friend (the only supporting character with any substance) is an actress. She's on a well-regarded show, but not super famous. She's a little bossy (/is FMC's actual boss), but not a diva. At the same time, all these nuances left me confused as to how I was supposed to feel about that character and their friendship.

All in all, I finished this book and didn't feel like it was a waste of time at the end. But I also don't think I'm going to remember what it was about if asked this time next year.

A second chance romance that comes full circle at their 20 year high school reunion all in one day. Rachel makes the decision to attend after receiving a personal note from Danny, high school crush. Rachel is an over achiever in high school and tends to carry that into her adult life and when it all falls apart she works to figure out of to gain control again. There are some laugh out loud moments in the books but overall it was a 2.5 rating for me. I liked the story but it was a lot in the course of one day and it was slow at times. I wish we had Danny's POV instead of just Rachel's.