READ & REVIEWED: Never Thought I'd End Up Here + Giveaway

In Ann Liang's Never Thought I'd End Up, Leah Zhang embarks on an immersion trip to China, only to unexpectedly fall in love with a childhood enemy and finally accept her true self.

After a cringey incident at her cousin’s wedding - where Leah Zhang manages to offend her aunt and mortify her mum thanks to her shaky Chinese - she goes on an immersion trip to China to reconnect with her roots and brush up on the language. What she doesn’t expect is to be stuck with Cyrus Sui, a childhood friend she’s been holding a grudge against. She starts plotting revenge, but things don’t exactly go as planned when love blossoms and she starts finding her true self.

What I love most about Ann Liang’s books is her gorgeous prose and how spot-on she is when it comes to capturing the insecurities that teens - and even grown women - struggle with. Leah, fresh off quitting her modelling career, worries that without the glitz and glamour, she’s just bland and boring, and that no one could possibly like her once they really get to know her. She’s haunted by parts of her past she’s not proud of and afraid they’ll catch up with her. It’s through her journey that she learns true love and real friends will accept you for who you are.

While the romance didn’t offer many surprises, I still enjoyed the witty banter between Leah and Cyrus, and some of Leah’s attempts at speaking and writing Chinese were genuinely hilarious. The story also reads like a beautiful travelogue where the setting - mostly in China - takes readers from flashy Shanghai to dreamy Guilin to the majestic Yellow Mountain. I really do wish for more contemporary young adult reads that's set in Asia like this.

Thank you, Pick A Book Asia (formerly Experal Bookstore), for this lovely YA read. Never Thought I'd End Up Here can be purchased from its Shopee store at https://s.shopee.sg/5AkK8sTDQE . We also have a copy to give away. Do hop over to my Instagram post for a chance to win!

Disclaimer: The book was provided by Pick A Book Asia for our review. As always, all opinions are ours.

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