Asking for a Friend

This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.

Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:

1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.

2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.

When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior.

Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview.

With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.

One high-stakes competition. Two academic rivals who can’t stand each other. And a dating advice column that’s about to get very personal.

• Frenemies to Lovers: She’s an ambitious perfectionist. He’s an annoying cynic. They have to work together to win, but their arguments are starting to feel a lot like flirting.
• Academic Rivals: Juliana is determined to win the business competition to restore her family’s honor. Garrett is the last person she’d choose as a partner, but he might be the only one who truly sees her.
• Witty Banter: Their dating advice column becomes a battlefield of snark and sparks. But as they solve everyone else’s love problems, they might just be figuring out their own.
• Taiwanese American Voices: A heartfelt and hilarious story set in a vibrant Taiwanese American community, exploring family pressure, identity, and the courage to define your own version of success.

A swoon-worthy, heart-wrenching view into the trials of growing up second generation in an immigrant community.  - Kirkus Reviews

Hard to put down. Teen readers will root for Juliana to figure out what she wants—and who she wants to be—in time to have a shot at the happiness she’s spent so long denying herself. - Booklist