Five books in, and Ann Liang only gets better and better at making me feel a million different feelings in the span of several hours. Leah is quite different from many of her other YA protagonists, the first one who’s not so obviously focused on academic success, and I love her so very much. What a touching story with such an adorable romance. I love to see a boy/man who’s been pining for years.

ANN LIANG MY BELOVED!!! I love Ann Liang's work so much—if she has no fans, I am no longer in this world, truly. I loved this travel romcom and the True Beauty vibes with Leah's relationship with herself and her modeling. Cyrus took a while to grow on me, but by the time the ending rolled around, I was in the palm of Ann Liang's hand. I do have to say that this romance ranks lower for me in Ann Liang's universe, but that's not to say it's bad in any way! I think I just connected more to Sadie/Julius and Alice/Henry, and found their interactions more humorous. However, Ann still made me laugh out loud with Leah and Cyrus' banter; I read a lot of this during breaks at my job and found myself trying to hide a smile at all times!

In my ranking for romances, this falls below IYCSTS and IHTDFY, but above JESSICA CHEN and TTIR
In terms of books, I'd put Jessica Chen above this just because I related to it more, but I know a lot of people will relate to Leah and Cyrus, especially Leah's relationship with herself and her wanting to be other people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I read A Song To Drown Rivers a few months ago, and it destroyed me. I wanted to read more works by Ann Liang, so I requested this e-arc.

I loved this story. Teens are often struggling with figuring out who they are and trying to meet other people’s expectations so they can be accepted. In Leah’s case, this is quite complicated because of a past event that made people hate her. We don’t know what, exactly, happened, but we do know it had something to do with Cyrus, and that she’s never forgiven him.

When the two end up on the same group trip to China, Leah plots her revenge. But as events unfold, she’ll have to decide if she wants to get even with the person she blamed for ruining her life, or if it’s time for everyone to get a second chance.

This is an excellent exploration of the complexities of exploring and preserving your cultural heritage while figuring out who you are. It’s also a great story about forgiveness and second chances. And it’s also a great story about friendship. I found it really inspiring, and I loved the chance to explore China through this story.

While the story focuses on Leah’s perspective, I felt there was a great cast of supporting characters who added to the story. Sibling dynamics are also explored through Leah’s mom and aunt, and the rivalry felt real to me.

This is a fast-paced story. I flew through it, and I will definitely read more by this author.

I received an e-arc of Never Thought I’d End Up Here from the publisher.