NEVER THOUGHT I’D END UP HERE, by Ann Liang, Scholastic Press, June 3, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
A former model sets out to get revenge on the boy who ruined her life in Never Thought I’d End Up Here, a YA rom-com by Ann Liang.
Leah Zhang has just ruined her cousin’s wedding. She didn’t mean to wish the bride a depressing marriage and poor health, but she’s forgotten most of her Mandarin. Her parents stage an intervention: Leah will be sent on a travel program across China’s most beautiful cities. To them, it’s the perfect opportunity for Leah to get back to her roots. To Leah, it’s simply a much-needed escape.
But before Leah can even begin to enjoy the luxurious hotels, stunning scenery, and mouth-watering cuisine, she finds that also on the trip is cynical, sarcastic Cyrus Sui, who’s somehow only gotten more annoyingly handsome since the day he told a lie that ruined her life.
While Leah might be tempted to shove him off the peak of the Yellow Mountain when nobody’s looking, she can’t get rid of him just yet. After all, she might never get another chance to get revenge.
Yet the deeper they wander into China’s provinces, the deeper Leah finds herself falling in love ― with the boy she once thought she despised, the home she never thought she’d call her own, and the parts of herself she thought were already lost. —Synopsis provided by Scholastic Press
Never Thought I’d End Up Here is a slow-burn rom-com that follows a girl who has changed her whole persona into someone people admire. But even being the prettiest girl in the room isn’t enough. Leah is disconnected from her heritage and has no real path/plan forward.
Sending Leah to China is her parent’s solution, and though Leah doesn’t want to go, she’s willing to make the best of it. That is until Cyrus ends up on the same trip, and Leah decides to get him back for all the harm he’s caused.
But Never Thought I’d End Up Here wouldn’t be a rom-com without at twist. It’s a fun enemies-to-lovers trope that works well.
However, the best part of Never Thought I’d End Up Here is discovering China through Leah’s eyes. Author Ann Liang introduces the history and beauty of the land through different activities, transporting readers alongside Leah.
Never Thought I’d End Up Here is an easy, comfortable read that’s perfect for a summer weekend.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
