Julie Tieu writes very sweet, fluffy, and intense romance! The Girl Most Likely To is a great example of dual timelines done right! The jumps from their high-school instant message days to the current day reunion wasn't confusing, and the writing kept me engaged. The narrator also did a great job at differentiating the voice between these two timelines. I would highly recommend for anyone wanting to read some Y2k Nostalgia in this Second Chance romance.

You cannot go wrong with any Julie Tieu book in my opinion, and this one was no exception. Such a cute second-chance romance that had a full backstory that made sense (unlike other writers I’ve read). Really likable characters that had you rooting for them and hoping for that HEA. So glad I got the opportunity to listen to this audiobook and review it on Net Galley. Such a fun lighter read for the summer! Highly recommend!

This was a good book as per usual with Julie Tieu's writing, the characters were well development and side characters also well developed

Book 16 of 2025 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult & Julie Tieu for an ALC of The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu, narrated by Natalie Naudus in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu, like many other audiobooks, pulled me in by its cover.

The Girl Most Likely To is a fun, dual-timeline, second-chance romance set in both 2003 & modern-day Altadena/Los Angeles, CA. Our protagonist Rachel Dang, and MMC, Danny Phan, meet in high school, where Rachel is Danny’s tutor. Rachel is thriving in high school, while Danny’s future doesn’t seem as promising. In person - the 2 can’t seem to connect, but online (AIM), they form a bond they don’t have with anyone else. Cut to 20 years later - Rachel’s been laid off of a job where she felt secure, and Danny’s work is fruitful and fulfilling. When the class reunion comes along, they reconnect, are in sync just as they were online in the early 2000s, and realize what they’d been missing for so many years.

I graduated from high school in the mid-00’s, so the characters of class of 2003 felt very relatable to me, and I appreciated the authenticity of what after school deep AIM conversations brought back from the depths of my mind.

I’m generally a bit wary of books that take place within the entertainment industry or are industry adjacent. While I’ve never experienced a wrap party that would have had a “backstage” area to require passes, I found the majority of Tieu’s writing about someone with an industry job to be to be well-researched.

3/5 ⭐️, and a 2/5 🌶️ rating. I thought the narration was very fitting for the book, and would absolutely read more of Tieu’s work and listen to more of Naudus’ narration. #NetGalley #TheGirlMostLikelyTo 🎥 🖥️ 🎟️

I love Tieu’s lively and descriptive down-to-earth narrative style flowing with colorful and natural-sounding dialogue, snarky banter, pop culture references, and her skill with humor and characterization, that draw you into the novel from the opening scene and make it a page-turner. Before I knew it, the novel had flown by. The Girl Most Likely To is filled with quirky, nerdy, complex, and goofy characters whose animated, funny, sexy, sweet, emotional, steamy, and intimate interactions make them easy to like and relate to and draw you into them into their lives.

Natalie Naudus narrates Julie Tieu’s The Girl Most Likely To in the first-person POV of her protagonist Rachel Dang. High school best friends turned enemies, Rachel Dang and Danny Phan, reunite as adults at their 20-year high school reunion and experience a night of mishaps and misadventures around her hometown and encounters with colorful characters from their youth while on a simple errand. Unlike in high school, Rachel’s uncertain, dissatisfied, and lost in her life and career, while Danny’s grounded and successful in his. Danny and Rachel discover their shared feelings and connection still run deep, along with a fiery, adult attraction burning between them, too. Is this night just a fun trip down memory lane or a second chance at happily ever after?

Just after being laid off, Rachel receives Danny’s invitation to the reunion and attends, hoping to see him again. They haven’t spoken in years and never resolved things after a fight. Rachel focused all her energy and time in high school on studying and excelling to get into a top college to have a brilliant career that would lead to a successful life. Because Danny was smart, but didn’t focus on his schoolwork, he and Rachel were partnered so he could hopefully learn or take on her work ethic. However, they didn’t become friends until they met each other online under pseudonyms and began chatting on AIM—late night chats, where they learned different sides of one another and became close friends with the possibility of more.

I love Naudus’ voice. One of my favorite narrators, she excels at providing narration for a variety of characters of different ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds. Her narration/voice is vivacious, emotional, and perfectly matches Tieu’s characters, bringing Danny, and Rachel and Tieu’s humorous, nostalgic romcom to life by portraying the characters emotions and physical reactions. Naudus uses accents, dialects, intonation, inflection, pacing, tone, and emotion to give the characters distinct voices that differentiate between them and reveal their personalities, feelings, quirks, and state of mind. Her Chinese accents for the characters are perfect. She uses her full vocal range to express/portray the intimacy between Rachel and Danny and their chemistry, sensations, and moods during the novel’s intimate scenes.

Rachel and Danny’s love scenes are steamy, funny, sexy, and sweet, and contribute to developing their character’s connection, evolution, and the Tieu’s multilayered story.

Losing her job throws Rachel into self-doubt about her future and whether she had wasted her time in high school, college, and work—life—trying so hard to be the best. After all, she had been voted “Most Likely To Succeed” in high school. She catered to her boss’s every need and whim, working non-stop without vacations, and ended up laid off without advancing in her career. Returning to her hometown and being with Danny again gives her perspective on their friendship, the past, her dreams, and her future. It also gives them the opportunity to talk to each other and deal with the miscommunication issues that tore them apart before and decide whether they want to fight for a future together.

Sweet, sexy, funny, steamy, and melancholy, The Girl Most Likely To is a fast-paced read perfect for friends-to-lovers, high school reunion, second chance romance, night around town with mishaps/misadventure, coming home, two-sided triangle, and frenemies-to-lovers romance fans.

HarperAudio provided an advanced listening copy via Netgalley for review.

I'm a big fan of Julie Tieu's previous work, but this one just fell a little flat for me. I'm a millennial/Gen Z cusper, and I feel like maybe if I was more firmly a millennial I may have related more to this story. There were just lots of moments that felt unrelatable to me and I wasn't a huge fan of the FMC, the MMC, or the love story. Well written, just not a story I connected with.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy!

The audiobook felt halting and staccato.
I had a tough time following with the time jumps
The narrator didn't differentiate between characters, so I was always confused as to who was talking.
I cant really comment on the book itself because the audiobook experience kept me confused.
I DNF'd at the 3 hrs mark

Thank you NetGalley for a copy to review!

2.5 ⭐️ stars rounded up

I love the premise of this book, but it just didn't quite scratch the romcom itch for me.

Told in present time and flashbacks, the story follows two friends from high school- (that sort of had a thing for each other) reconnect at their reunion.

Second chance is one of my favorite tropes, but unfortunately I found this one rather forgettable. There was lots of fun banter, but I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out. I will definitely give the author another try in the future.

This book explores the question, “What happened to the person I thought I’d be?” It's quiet, a little tender, and full of that reflective energy I didn’t realize I needed.

Rachel Dang was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” back in high school but fast forward twenty years and she’s unemployed, living with her mom, and questioning just about everything. When her old debate rival-slash-frenemy Danny Phan invites her to their 20-year reunion, she shows up…mostly to prove to herself that she still can. What follows is a night of reconnection, reflection, and slow-burning romantic tension between two people who never quite figured each other out.

I resonated with Rachel so much. That feeling of not being where you thought you’d be, of measuring your life against old expectations, whew. I’ve been there. Her uncertainty, her quiet frustration, her longing to still be seen as someone with potential-it all hit. And I appreciated that the book didn’t try to tie everything up neatly. It let her exist in that in-between space, and that felt honest.

Rachel and Danny’s dynamic is full of sparks and tension, but also real vulnerability. Their banter made me smile, and their awkward honesty gave me hope. The entire story takes place over one night, which worked in some ways, giving the story a dreamy, what-if quality, but also made me wish we had just a little more room for things to breathe. Some of the miscommunication felt a little drawn out, and I would’ve loved more time with them outside the high school setting.

Still, this is a thoughtful, introspective second-chance story. Not a big, sweeping romance but a soft, quiet reminder that it’s okay to start over, even if the timeline looks nothing like you planned.

The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu is a delightful contemporary rom-com. Rachel Dang was laid off from her big-time Hollywood career a week before her 20-year high school reunion. As a high achiever voted most likely to succeed in high school, she was planning on skipping the event… until her high school best friend and almost-boyfriend, Danny Phan reached out to see if she was coming. Switching back and forth between their teenage friendship and their rekindled adult relationship at their disastrous reunion, the book has the kind of nostalgia you want from a second-chance romance. As Danny and Rachel rehash their past, they begin to discover what a new future together could really look like.
This book is funny. It has all the high jinks required of a successful rom-com with enough romantic tension to make you swoon. Danny and Rachel’s relationship is all about communication and they are both finally mature enough to work through the problems they kept running into as teens on AIM chats. As an aside, the audio perfectly narrates chats and texts as they appear in the novel. Overall, I highly recommend The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu if you are looking for a fun reunion second-chance rom-com to sink your teeth into.

Even though I'd consider this a light read, Julie Tieu took me on an emotional rollercoaster with The Girl Most Likely To—and I loved every loop and drop. Rachel and Danny’s journey from enemies to tutor/student, to friends, to flirting, to enemies again, to strangers, and finally to lovers? Wild. But also: so, so satisfying.

I usually struggle with books that play with timelines (hello, ADHD brain), but the way Tieu structured it—paired with Natalie Naudus’ narration—made the transitions seamless. I never once felt lost in time.

While the plot itself isn’t wildly complex, it’s beautifully written. It transforms what could’ve been a typical second-chance romance into a quietly powerful story about growth, missed chances, and finding love in the middle of your career falling apart. Rachel and Danny might not have become high school sweethearts, but their reconnection is a real love story.

This was a light read that still delivered all the feels—humor, heartache, nostalgia, and hope.

My Ratings:
🧍🏽‍♀️ 3/5 Characters
🌶️ 3/5 Spice
🎬 4/5 Ending (I'm an HEA connoisseur, and this one hit nicely)
🧩 2/5 Plot
💫 3/5 Overall

If you’re into nostalgic rom-coms with a touch of emotional depth, this one’s worth your time—especially in audio format.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

The Girl Most Likely To is an entertaining contemporary romance with a compelling cast of characters and sweet romance.

I had a lot of fun with this one. The characters and character development were well-written, although the development sometimes felt sudden. Rachel was an excellent main character, and I enjoyed her romance with Danny. The flashbacks into their past were delightful, and I enjoyed Julie Tieu’s engaging prose. The plot was fun, and the pacing overall fit the story nicely. It was a sweet, funny, romantic story that was a wonderful treat.

Natalie Naudus narrated this one beautifully. She captured Rachel’s character and the other characters’ personalities well, and she brought her signature energy and emotion to the story. I would certainly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

I really enjoyed The Girl Most Likely To! It felt very relatable and I'm in awe of how Julie Tieu made this story feel so timeless despite the fact that it mostly took place over the course of one night. It's so sweet and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by the author!
I also really liked Natalie Naudus's narration.

🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧
📚The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu
🎤Natalie Naudus

GREAT Solo Narration

Rachel is your typical Type-A personality. She's been let go from a job she's had for years & just in time to attend her 20 year HS reunion. She hates being unemployed but wants to see if she can reconnect with Danny Phan, a close friend.

At 14, these two find themselves in a group chat. They connect immediately but it's totally anonymous. Once they've hit their senior year in HS, they meet in real life. Not realizing they've been going to the same HS this whole time. They had become quite close 4 years ago in their chat.

Their paths diverge due to family circumstances & a series of misunderstandings. Now with Rachel's 20 year reunion approaching, she's wondering about Danny. They were young & stupid when they parted ways but she's hoping they can reconnect. Rachel was voted, "Most Likely to Succeed." in HS but she's not feeling too successful.

Deciding to go to her reunion, she & Danny are pushed together & a series of hilarious & slightly dramatic events unfold. There's still chemistry there & they both realize that there are things that need to be said after their unfortunate parting years ago. Can they make it work a second time, 20 years later? It's worth a shot!

🎧Let's talk narration: Natalie Naudus is extremely talented. I enjoyed this performance a lot. Rachel's character is impulsive & stubborn and Natalie voices this Type A FMC perfectly. Solo Narration is so hard to pull off but Natalie's talents made it easy to listen to.

I did LOVE the 2000's nostalgia, NGL! This is a slow burn but a tender & funny romance. It's a great look at characters in HS and how they hopefully become better as they grow into adulthood. I always love a good second chance story and add in a HS reunion??? This was a fun listen!

💚Second chance
💚HS reunion
💚2000 nostalgia
💚Slow burn
💚Friends to lovers
💚Set in L.A.

Thank you Julie Tieu, NetGalley, & Harper Audio for a copy to listen and review. All thoughts are my own.

The audiobook was well done, I liked the reader a lot. I don't really relate to caring so much about a high school reunion, or generally being this anxious about people's opinions 20 years after high school (which I'm pretty close in age to actually) though I get that her life has really been upended recently. I think as the book goes on, though some of the plot points are pretty over the top, the characters and their anxieties get more nuanced and realistic. They're fun. The rediscovering of the friendship between the two main characters was enjoyable. It was perhaps a little longer than necessary. I didn't need all the details in the past POV. Overall I liked it, though. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC.

The Girl Most Likely To is a romcom about two people who are getting a second chance at their high school love. This is a fun story that takes place mostly over one reunion night. There is a past timeline woven through that enhances the story.

Told from the female POV, this story shows growth that is genuine and multifaceted. As a reader, I wanted to go on this journey both for the romance and for the MC’s individual story.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was well done by a single narrator, Natalie Naudus. I listened at 1.75x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75).

Thank you NatGalley and Harper Audio Adult for this advanced audiobook copy.

After a couple of weeks after reading this book I kind of still feel the same way about it. Like overall a good premise, a fun book just not something very memorable for me. I was kind of bored in some parts and I just maybe wanted a tiny bit more. Overall just a lovely time.

I liked the narrators of this, and it It had been others I might've DNFed.

ALC Review
The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Okay, I think what I liked the most about this book was that they graduated the same year as me. The nostalgia references were my references. It was my high school experiences, music, and technology.

I have a hard time when a book is done in solo point of view - I find it difficult to connect with the other main character when I don't get their point of view. Although the AOL communication was definitely interesting. I do think that Rachel was a bit too quick to dismiss Danny and his explanations. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable and easy read.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* 2000s nostalgia
* High school reunion
* Second chance romance
* Slow burn

This book took a really long time for me to start enjoying. It spent a lot of time on unnecessary characters and details and I was wondering when the romance would begin (I'm sorry to say but the beginning was very boring). I enjoyed the millennial things as well as the AOL chat (haha on the usernames). Overall this one was a miss for me.

I usually love a good romance where we shift time between present day and past. I also love a second chance romance. But I will admit both elements fell flat in this book for me. It was a very slow listen. I also don’t know if it was due to narration or writing, but it was hard at times to pick up on when in time we were.