Asking for a Friend

Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up

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, that her future could only be paved with immaculate report cards and Ivy League degrees. 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.

About the Author

Kara H.L. Chen is a Taiwanese American writer who received her MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. She grew up in Ohio but now lives with her husband and two daughters in Northern California. She can be found online at karahlchen.com.