Never Thought I'd End Up Here

De: 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.

©2025 Ann Liang (P)2025 Penguin Random House Australia Audio