THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO

Old passions—and problems—resurface for Rachel Dang at her 20 year high school reunion.

Rachel has spent the past 11 years of her life focusing solely on her work at Los Angeles–based streaming service FreeStream, to the detriment of her personal life. So, when she’s unceremoniously laid off, she’s sent into a tailspin. Single and childless, she still lives with a roommate—her high school best friend, actress Natalie Huang—and has now been relegated to a temporary gig as Nat’s personal assistant in order to pay rent. Floundering is a new feeling for Rachel; a go-getter in high school, she was voted Most Likely to Succeed, and imagined she’d have her life figured out by now. When she receives an invitation to her class reunion from Danny Phan, a former frenemy and secret crush, she realizes it was in high school that she last felt truly accomplished. She decides to attend the reunion, hoping to relive a little of her glory days—and see Danny again. As Rachel and Danny get reacquainted throughout the night, deal with a series of ridiculous mishaps, and rehash the misunderstandings that led to the dissolution of their friendship, they might have a chance to turn a night of reminiscing into romance. Rachel is a relatable character whose career setbacks, relationship letdowns, and general inability to reach society’s predetermined adult milestones will endear her to many readers. But the romance between Rachel and Danny feels forced, manufactured from interstitial flashbacks consisting largely of online chats and study sessions from their high school days that don’t contain the on-page chemistry necessary to build real investment in their adult reconnection. The present-day plot also leans heavily on misadventure and mayhem, to the detriment of building true tension.

A flimsy take on the second-chance romance trope.