The Girl Most Likely To

Tieu (Fancy Meeting You Here) sets this lackluster rom-com at a high-stakes high school reunion. In 2003, Rachel Dang was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her high school classmates, and she planned to live up to expectations. An extremely hardworking teen, her only pleasure was talking to her AIM crush, SuperxSaiyan8, later revealed to be her classmate Danny Phan. Danny’s just as smart but lacks Rachel’s work ethic, and when he scores higher than her on an AP exam, their text-based relationship sours. Twenty years later, Rachel gets an invitation from Danny to attend their reunion and receive an award for her career success. What Danny doesn’t know, however, is that Rachel’s recently been let go. Rather than being upset by the layoff, she feels unburdened and ready to explore other options for her once carefully planned life. Danny, meanwhile, has become a successful businessman. The night of their reunion, a quick errand turns into an unexpected misadventure, over the course of which they come to realize that their feelings have not diminished in 20 years. Tieu’s characters feel tragically trapped in high school, and their relationship issues could be easily resolved through one honest conversation that the plot repeatedly contrives to delay. Readers won’t be convinced that these two will work. (Feb.)