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  • Published: 3 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9781761351495
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $19.99

Never Thought I'd End Up Here





Another gorgeous YA rom-com from Chinese Australian author Ann Liang.

Leah Zhang has spent her whole life in LA – it’s all she’s ever known. But after accidentally wishing her cousin ill health and a very depressing marriage at his wedding, her parents stage an intervention. She’s forgotten most of her Mandarin, has zero regard for etiquette, and can’t hold a conversation with her own grandparents for longer than a minute. Their solution? Send her on an intensive two-week 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 from the stress of looming exams and college admissions.

But before Leah can even begin to enjoy the luxurious hotels, stunning scenery and mouth-watering cuisine, she’s partnered up with her former classmate and least favourite person ever: cynical, sarcastic Cyrus, who’s somehow only gotten more annoyingly handsome since they last saw each other.

And while Leah might be tempted to shove him off the peak of the Yellow Mountains when nobody’s looking, she can’t get rid of him just yet. There’s a competition running throughout the program, featuring everything from scavenger hunts in bamboo forests to escape rooms in haunted teahouses. The winning duo will receive a glowing letter of recommendation to the college of their dreams – a prize worth working together with even Cyrus for, however reluctantly.

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.

  • Published: 3 June 2025
  • ISBN: 9781761351495
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $19.99

About the author

Ann Liang

Ann Liang is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun and I Hope This Doesn’t Find You. Her books have been sold in over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. When she isn’t writing, she can be found making over-ambitious to-do lists, binge-watching dramas, and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog. You can find her online at annliang.com.

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Praise for Never Thought I'd End Up Here

“A must-read, this novel is full of charming dialogue, romantic-tension scenes, and heart-melting moments.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED REVIEW ON I HOPE THIS DOESN’T FIND YOU

“Eliza is an enchanting, hilarious, and vulnerable heroine . . . an irresistible tale by Liang.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW

“A sweet and emotional love story.”

BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW

“An angst-y, heartstring-tugging romance between two sympathetic leads . . . Irresistible fun with unexpected sincerity.”

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“A total delight. Laugh out loud funny, sweet, and romantic, this is a sparkling gem of a book.”

MEG CABOT, AUTHOR OF THE PRINCESS DIARIES SERIES AND NO WORDS

“Ann Liang’s This Time It’s Real has it all—a messy but lovable heroine, fake-dating, Beijing! In short, a fun rom-com with loads of heart that is easy to fall for.”

EMIKO JEAN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TOKYO EVER AFTER

“Poignant, charming, and threaded with undeniable tenderness. The fake dating delivers both epic swoons and profoundly heart-melting moments . . . I can’t wait to read more from Ann Liang.”

RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW AND SEE YOU YESTERDAY
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