The Hardest Ones to Fool
Written by Christina Li
Published by Penguin Workshop
Amelia Wu is great at relationships. So great, in fact, that she’s in three of them. Why choose between the suave debate team captain, the charming indie filmmaker, and the tennis star when she can be with them all?
The catch? None of them know about each other. It works perfectly. They’re in love with her-or the versions of her that they get. Amy. Ellie. Mia. And she’s in love with the lavish dinners, fancy yacht trips, and expensive gifts. Times three.
But schemes always get complicated, don’t they? When Amelia’s best friend ends up dead, her alleged murder shocks their placid beachside city. And soon, Amelia’s carefully planned relationships start to dangerously unravel.
In a fit of desperation, Amelia teams up with her academic nemesis Jackie, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and a self-proclaimed true crime junkie, to get to the bottom of this.
After all, Amelia needs to keep her boyfriends close and her enemies closer if she wants to keep her scam-and herself-afloat.
Primary ISBN:
Publication Date: August 2026
Available As: Paperback, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Chinese/Chinese American, Indian/Indian American, Korean/Korean American
Themes: Cross-Group Dating, Cross-Group Friendship, Family Relationship: Parents, Genre: Thriller, Identity: Exploration, LGBTQIA+, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Trauma & Healing, Trauma & Healing: Death of Family or Friend
Setting: United States (California)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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