Never Thought I’d End Up Here

In this quintessential rom-com by Liang (I Hope This Doesn’t Find You), a former model turns a cultural excursion into an opportunity for revenge on her childhood nemesis. Chinese American 17-year-old Leah Zhang isn’t the strongest Mandarin speaker in her family. So when the language barrier leads to a mortifying faux pas at her cousin’s wedding, her parents enroll her in a travel program voyaging across China, hoping the experience will help their daughter reconnect with her roots. For Leah, though, the trip offers a chance to escape from L.A. and the remnants of her past modeling career. That is, until she learns that cynical, sarcastic, and handsome former classmate Cyrus Sui is also attending the program. Leah still hasn’t forgiven him for a past incident that forced her to transfer schools, and while she’s tempted to shove him off the Yellow Mountain range, she instead hatches other revenge schemes. But as she learns more about Cyrus, she’s torn between vengeance and romance. Hilarious and heartfelt, this story of budding young love simultaneously emphasizes the connections between romantic partners, between the characters and their culture, and with themselves. A comedic supporting cast adds further layers to this fast-paced trip of inward and outward discovery. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)