The Hardest Ones to Fool
Will be published approx. on 4. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
979-8-217-05314-8 (ISBN)
Description
For fans of the hit Netflix series Inventing Anna and The Girls I've Been comes a bold young adult thriller about a teen scammer who won't let boys, friends, or even murder get in her way.
The first edition will feature blood red sprayed edges!
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.
The first edition will feature blood red sprayed edges!
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.
Reviews / Votes
"This fast-paced thriller is packed with shocking surprises, shifting loyalties, and blurred motives... readers will be left guessing until the final page."-Kirkus Reviews"Li (The Manor of Dreams, for adults) weaves a labyrinthine mystery... Amelia is a morally ambiguous protagonist who remains magnetic despite her dishonesty and opportunism. The novel's pacing hinges on delayed revelations, and the resulting twists feel both surprising and earned."-Publishers Weekly
"Christina Li has given us a sharply funny, deliciously competent protagonist to root for in Amelia Wu, whose story is so addicting, I felt like I was binge-watching the newest must-watch teen crime thriller. Chock-full of characters that are easy to love and fun to hate, I'd have been happy reading about this cast doing laundry together. As it is, with the whip-smart plot twists and turns and surprisingly tender romance, my sleep schedule stood absolutely no chance. Be warned: From the moment you read its first sentence, you will not be able to put down The Hardest Ones to Fool. Christina Li has written a book that, to quote Jackie Anh, Amelia's academic nemesis, makes me feel like I'm 'actually sort of a cool person.'"-Sloan Harlow, New York Times bestselling author of Everything We Never Said
"A bold, fast-paced mystery with a searing, precise narrator who you can't help but want to succeed . . . even if (and maybe because!) she's a scammer on a mission. A total thrill!"-Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Counselors
"There is nothing that I love more than a story about wicked girls using the patriarchy for personal gain. The Hardest Ones to Fool is a tense, perfectly paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end."-Faridah Abike-Iyimide, New York Times bestselling author of Ace of Spades
"Li's first foray into thriller pulls out all the stops to great success. Ambitious, smart, and wickedly fun, this is the fast-paced story of a teenage girl willing to do whatever it takes to not just survive but thrive under pressure. Whatever it takes."-Joelle Wellington, author of Their Vicious Games
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Penguin Putnam Inc
Target group
Young adult
US School Grade: Seventh Grade and over, Interest Age: From 12 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
358 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-217-05314-8 (9798217053148)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Christina Li (she/her) is the award-winning author of children's books Clues to the Universe, which was a Washington Post summer book club pick, and Ruby Lost and Found, which was an NPR and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and recipient of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature. She is also the author of the young adult novel True Love and Other Impossible Odds as well as her adult fiction debut, The Manor of Dreams, which has been listed as one of TIME magazine's most anticipated novels of the year. Learn more at christinaliwrites.com.