Loved the basic plot of this book (a frenemies to lovers second chance romance, where two previous high school best friends reconnect at their twenty year high school reunion), but found myself disappointed by the story itself. The Girl Most Likely To is very heavy on all the typical rom-com tropes (which is fine, because that’s usually what makes a rom-com), but is also very heavy on stereotypes. I can look past the tropes, but the stereotyping felt very overdone and borderline inappropriate at times.

While the plot was fun and the book had some highly enjoyable moments, I found it hard to enjoy because of the main character’s immaturity.

Fun plot, but I found a lot to be lacking in this one.

Thank you to Julie Tieu, HarperAudio, & NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love LOVE "The Girl Most Likely To" <3 Julie Tieu perfectly captures the mix of nostalgia, awkwardness, and unexpected emotions that come with a high school reunion.

Rachel Dang—once voted Most Likely to Succeed—is at a crossroads, while Danny Phan, her former frenemy (and AIM chat buddy 👀), has taken an unexpected path. Their reunion forces them to confront old wounds, unspoken feelings, and the question of whether people really change.

What makes this book so special is how it unfolds almost entirely over one night—through reunion antics and late-night misadventures, Julie Tieu explores growth, second chances, and the weight of expectations. Rachel’s fears about not living up to her potential hit home, and Danny’s surprising success makes their dynamic even more compelling.

This is such a heartwarming, witty rom-com with characters who feel real—I laughed, I swooned, I cringed at the perfect amount of secondhand embarrassment. If you love a good high school reunion romance with all the feels, this one’s a must-read!

The Girl Most Likely To by Julie Tieu is a friends/enemies to lovers, second chance romance. This book takes place over the course of one evening, their 20th high school reunion.

Rachel was the girl voted “most likely to succeed” in high school. Danny was smart but unfocused. They were friends, shared a kiss, had a falling out, then never talked again….until the reunion. Now, she has been fired from her job and he is incredibly successful. There were definitely some fun and heartwarming moments in this novel, but overall I was not really impressed and struggled to stay interested.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio, and the author for the audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute and quick listen. I look forward to reading more from Julie Tieu. For fans of second chance romance and frenemies to lovers tropes.

3.5 stars rounded up
The narrator redeemed this book. The book itself is okay. I enjoyed the characters and the two timelines of 2003 and 2023. Danny and Rachel meet in an online chatroom and the story of their friendship. Then fast forward to 2023, Rachel works at a streaming company and gets laid off. Then goes to her twenty year reunion and sees Danny again. The characters are messy and loveable. I loved Danny's sense of humor. Overall, a fun romance.

I wasn’t a fan of the miscommunication trope, but this is a cute second chance romance. I did think it was a unique premise, and the nostalgia of the book. And you do want to root for Rachel.

This was my second Julie Tieu book, and I definitely picked it up at just the right time in my life. I really needed something lighthearted and easy to read, and this one fit the bill.

What I enjoyed:
- The overall premise: I really enjoyed the general plot--two former classmates/friends are brought back together by a high school reunion (and end up getting waylaid by a series of distractions).
- The tone: Julie Tieu has a great sense of humor, and I definitely laughed out loud a handful of times.
- The ease of the read: This book was just so easy to fall into and soak up. It felt like watching a short 90s rom-com.

What didn't quite work for me:
- I had to really suspend my disbelief when it came to the relationship between the FMC and MMC. They presumably haven't seen or talked to each other in 20 years, but the dynamics between the two characters didn't really reflect this.
- I kept being told that there was a ton of chemistry between the two characters, but I wanted to see that built up a bit more. I didn't *feel* the chemistry.
- The one spicy scene felt a little abrupt and out of place. I felt like it wasn't really necessary.
- I wish this had been written as a dual-POV book because I think a lot of my issues above may have been solved by reading the MMC's perspective.

I'm still so grateful to have received both an ARC and an ALC of this one from NetGalley, and I definitely recommend listening to the audio if you're looking for a cute rom-com!

There are AIM chats.. need I say more?! But in all seriousness, this book is amazing 🧡 Julie captured 2000s rom-com magic into it. This is my official petition to turn this into a movie!! This was a sweet romance that also centers around self-discovery. Rachel was just laid off before going to her 20 year high school reunion. In wondering what is next for her, she runs into her old best friend/crush. The nostalgia 🥹 I loved it!

The banter between Rachel and Danny was great. The way they still knew each other so well after so many years was really sweet. There were so many funny scenes! And I really enjoyed the ending. Truly a great second chance romance. I listened to this on audio and I loved the narration. Natalie was really good and exchanging between characters and dialogue.

Overall, the story was okay not terrible but not the best for me what upped the star rating was the performance of the narrator I enjoyed her. The girl most likely to is dual timeline so you see Rachel and Danny in high school and both of them 20 years later at the reunion. Rachel was named most likely to succeed in high school however after college the company she works for get bought after 10 years of dedication she gets laid off. With no job prospects She gets told about the 20-year reunion, so she hatches a plan to get her friendship back with Danny after he personally invited her to the reunion. Throughout the story it jumps between past and present with Rachel and Danny and a ton of miscommunication you get to the end, they finally reunite their friendship and start a relationship.

Ahhh, I don't even know where to start with this one. Saying I loved it is an understatement. It could be that it spoke to my millennial heart since I graduated a year before Rachel and Danny, the references made me cackle. The tension, spanning so many years, was off the charts. Natalie Naudus has been a go-to narrator for me for a long time. She's absolutely amazing and brought this book to life. Can not recommend this one enough, it's perfection.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Mai recommended this book and I was able to get the ARC prior to publication. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

This book is the perfect example of the miscommunication romance trope done right. I loved how each character grew in their introspection and ability to communicate with each other and be vulnerable. And I also love how this second chance romance spans 20 years and includes MC’s who are both in their late 30’s.

The book begins with Rachel, the main character, losing her job. She is devastated because she places her self-worth in her success and ability to work hard at anything she puts her mind to. She finds out that her high school is putting on a 20 year reunion in her hometown and she decides to attend because her crush/friend/situationship from high school, Danny, sent her a personal invite on Facebook.

Danny and Rachel met in a similar way to the movie “you’ve got mail”. They found each other online in an instant messaging chat and after connecting on an emotional level they meetup in person and realize they already know each other and go to the same high school. In fact, Rachel is currently Danny’s tutor.

Flash forward to 20 years later and Rachel is 38 years old and single, but reuniting with her crush from high school proves to be a difficult task for someone who has an avoidant attachment style.

I’m not a huge romance reader and it’s because I’m very picky about how the characters are portrayed and what the focus is in the book. What I loved about this romance book is it focuses on two people essentially becoming a better version of themselves and forgiving each other for past mistakes. Danny is a great man and Rachel has a lot of internal struggles to work through in order to come to the realization that she is safe to be vulnerable with Danny, and vice versa for Danny.

An added bonus was that most of the characters featured in this book were Asian American and the portrayal was really well done. I highly recommend this romance book! I enjoyed every minute of it. The audiobook narration was perfect.

The Girl Most Likely To..? More like The Book Most Likely To! Honestly, I enjoyed every moment of this-especially as a woman questioning what I've done wrong to reach this part of my life and kind of not be where society expects me to be. As a character, Rachel feels very real and Danny feels like the ultimate dream. I've never been privy to any part of Hollywood, especially the behind-the-scenes, but I can understand how cutthroat it can be and how ultimately devastating it would be to work so hard just to be laid off from your dream job. It is a very real and comparable feeling to be the overachieving girl whom happens to now be struggling to find themselves and a place in the dating world in the mid-to-late 30's.

"You know you're reaching middle age when you can break down your life into different eras."

This was my first experience with a Julie Tieu book, and I will most definitely be returning at my earliest convenience. The storytelling doesn't skip a beat, the content isn't too heavy or hard to follow, and her love stories definitely feel cozy and simply done. It is giving big "If you love something, let it go - and if it comes back to you, it is yours" energy and I am absolutely here for it. Many of us have wondered if we have encountered the love of our lives in the past and if that is true, that we find our way back to each other (Okay, maybe not everyone, but I definitely have!) and its a delight to think there could be such a success similar to Rachel & Danny. Moral of the story: Give yourself and those around you a little grace. We're all doing our best in this world.

"Life's too short, we're not meant to spend our life clocking in and out at our jobs. What's the purpose of that?"

Thank you, Netgalley and Avon Publishing for this Advanced Listener's Copy. There were no misses here, and between the narrators and the plot, I was completely sat and at the ready. Great job to Julie Tieu-I will be seeing you again very soon!

"There was a smile in his voice that I wished I could see, but I didn't want to leave this Danny bubble. It was safe and cozy in his arms, like being wrapped in linen that had dried in the summer sun."

This book follows Rachel and her high school best friend as they reunite at their 20-year high school reunion, flashing back to their teenage years while spending a whirlwind day together in the present. It hit close to home for me—not just because I also happen to be at my 20-year reunion mark, but because I saw so much of myself in Rachel. In high school, she was hyper-focused on achievements, grades, and setting herself up for the future, which deeply resonated with me. Even in adulthood, she stayed goal-oriented until suddenly getting fired from a job she had dedicated her entire life to. That specific life shift, of having to redefine yourself after a major career change, felt so relatable, and I loved that this book allowed its characters to still be figuring things out well into their late 30s.

This is definitely a light, rom-com-style read, and while I typically prefer a bit more angst or tension, I still had a great time. The story unfolds mostly over the course of one day, with flashbacks to their high school years, and while I did feel like Rachel and her love interest rekindled things a little too quickly after 20 years apart, the nostalgic details really carried the story for me. Mentions of AIM, chat rooms, and early 2000s internet culture felt like a direct hit of nostalgia. That said, while Rachel’s emotional journey was well done, there wasn’t much tension or angst between the main characters. But because I connected with so many aspects of Rachel’s story, I still really enjoyed it.

I also listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narration was great. The narrator really brought Rachel’s personality to life, and her delivery made the story even more engaging. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, nostalgic romance with an older heroine who’s still figuring things out, this one is worth picking up!

I did not care for this book because it didn’t seem like a genuine romance. The characters did not have much chemistry and I couldn’t feel the romance develop between them. Even the scene with the cactus spikes being stuck in Danny’s butt was an example where there should have been more chemistry.

I loved the references to the early 2000s. I graduated right around the same time as the main character so I found the references to AIM, dial-up, Napster, etc. to be quite amusing. The book started out on such a strong note with the flashbacks that I had high hopes for the book.

This book was weird but also good. I liked the plot and the narrator but I will admit that the beginning was messy. I did like the high school reunion part because it reminds me of going to mine.

It was cute but felt very dull to me. The plot was not exciting and was dragged out. I liked the second chance trope but overall not my fave.

Such a great mix of nostalgia in contemporary romance.

This book truly was a breath of fresh air. The romantic comedy theme is perfect for more light hearted reading. All the mentions of high school rituals us millennials went through back in the day was a treasure.
I also love the second chance for these two.

I think there was more space for more emotion and yearning to enhance the distance, but still such an enjoyable read that I will be recommending.

I had such a good time reading this book! It's got the vibes of a late 90s/early 2000s teen rom-com but through the more jaded, no longer rose-tinted lens of being in your late 30s. Like Can't Hardly Wait with a side of Booksmart, but now everyone's an adult.

I'm the exact age of the characters in this book and found so much of what Rachel is dealing with relatable. Not to mention how spot on every description is of being on AIM waiting to talk to your crush in the early aughts. I was instantly transported back to those days during my high school years.

The audiobook was great. I really appreciated that Natalie Naudus had distinct voices for every character.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ARC audiobook of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time following this book. I think most of it was because I didn’t like the characters or really relate to them as I felt I should have. As someone similar in age to Rachel and Danny, I can’t imagine acting as they did the day of the reunion. Their, more so Rachel,actions were quite immature. As a whole, the book reminded me of a person with attention issues. Not quite polished and overly active, bouncing around.

I did enjoy the flashbacks to the turn of the millennium. That was my favorite part of the book.


This book was provided to me by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

📖 + 🎧: The Girl Most Likely To-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Julie Tieu-new to me author

📅Publication date: 2-18-25 | Read 2-17-25

📃: eBook 320 pgs.

🗣️Narrator: Natalie Naudus voices all the characters with standouts from Rachel and Danny. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 8:00

Genre:
*Multicultural
*Adult Fic
*Contemporary Romance

Tropes:
*2nd chance romance
*high school reunion
*frenemies to lovers
*family drama
*female/male friendship

👆🏾POV: 1st person -2 timelines 2003 and present

⚠️TW: troubled sibling-H

🌎 Setting: CA

Summary: Rachel has just been laid off and is looking for new career opportunities. She becomes a personal assistant to childhood friend and now roommate Natalie Huang-a famous TV actress. When they receive their 20th Commonwealth high school reunion invitations, Rachel agrees to go even though she will see her frenemy, Danny Phan. They have to confront past hurts and rekindled feelings for each other.

👩🏾 Heroine: Rachel Dang-38, Chinese American. Worked 11 years @ Free Stream Studio but laid off after a merger.

👨🏾 Hero: Danny Phan-38, Chinese American. Now an executive coach, was tutored by Rachel and they became anonymous chat buddies.

🤔 My Thoughts: This was just okay for me. Even the "grown" versions of Rachel and Danny seemed stuck in high school. They had some hijinks and laughs with former classmates, a nice walk down memory lane. There wasn't OW/OM drama, just a misunderstanding from their high school days.

Rating: 3/5⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 2/5 🔥🔥fade to black

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Avon & Harper Voyager| Avon, Harper Audio Adult| Harper Audio, and Julie Tieu for this ARC and ALC 💚! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.