The Hardest Ones to Fool

by Christina Li

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.

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.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 19, 2026

Reviews

[Racquel Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

delicious

[Christina Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

rating my book for the first time so that people know this is the correct Goodreads edition 🫶 happy reading

[Chelsea]

Review to come on 8/4

[Jada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Penguin Workshop, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amelia Wu is having a fantastic senior year, that is, until her best friend, Ingrid, turns up dead after a party. Ingrid is the whole reason Amelia has three separate identities dating three hot and rich boys! Determined to get to the bottom of what's going on, she teams up with Jackie, her academic rival, to solve the case. Keeping her identities and lies from separate becomes increasingly difficult the deeper she digs.

I loved reading about an Asian American high schooler taking on such ambitious goals. Not only vying for valedictorian, getting accepted to UC Berkeley, and scamming three rich boys, she is also determined to get to the bottom of her friend's suspicious death. I wish I could have read more stories like this when I was in high school! Getting the opportunity to become the rich, successful, and confident version(s) of yourself while dating the boy(s) that most girls only dream of... who could say no??

I thought it was a little hard to get into the story at first, since we are thrown right into the center of the schemes and tragedy, but as I got to know the boys and Amelia, it was easy to get hooked. There are so many LAYERS that slowly get revealed. I loved peeling them back one by one.

The Hardest Ones to Fool explores heritage, class, identity, and friendship in a thrilling and accessible way for teenagers. Well done!

[lorenzodulac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia’s best friend Ingrid goes missing after a party, she told her parents she was staying over at her house, with Amelia having no idea what was going on. She is found later, dead, presumably having fell off a cliff. But Amelia suspects there’s much more going on. That’s why she teams up with Jackie, a girl with whom she used to share a mutual dislike, to find out what really happened. Oh, and she’s a scammer with three boyfriends. Almost forgot to mention that.
Okay, so this wasn’t the most original, I won’t lie. But I read it so quickly it was honestly insane, and I’m usually a fast reader. And it was just so much fun! It’s not quite a pure murder mystery, there’s a literary fiction element to it. With a side of queer romance between the two amateur detectives! And I’ll never not like that!
The writing is very suitable for a YA mystery. It’s very quick and easy, you can fly through the book in a couple hours give or take, I’m serious. The ending, part 3, almost fooled me into thinking something else was going on, but no, we’re safe. It would’ve been something unexpected but I think I prefer the book as it is.
That one isn’t the only mystery going on too, there are little underlying mysteries all over. Everything will get sorted out in the end. And I just thought Jackie and Amelia were a lovely couple. I loved the scene when they shared their first kiss. And the scene when Amelia finds out Jackie’s a lesbian, I found it funny.
Overall, a solid read. I really enjoyed myself! 4/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This one was a mixed bag for me - I’m still trying to decide what I think about this one and its main character Amelia Wu. Positives: it’s a fast-paced read and kept me engaged throughout the story. Amelia and her best friend Ingrid seemed to have noble reasons for Amelia’s scamming of three wealthy boys, creating personas to entice and ensnare the boys in romantic relationships for her personal gain (and revenge). It’s an intriguing, well-executed premise. The negatives come into play later, and I can’t really reveal them without spoilers. Suffice it to say that Amelia became much less likable (to me, at least) as the story progressed, and that diminished my enjoyment somewhat. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I’d recommend it for lovers of YA suspense and mystery.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story builds with a steady, creeping tension, layering secrets, grief, and complicated relationships in a way that feels both intimate and unsettling. I especially loved how the author explored memory and perception, making you question what is real and what is shaped by emotion or trauma. The atmosphere is sharp and immersive, with just enough unease woven into everyday moments to keep you on edge.

What really stood out to me was the emotional depth behind the mystery. The characters feel flawed and human, and their choices carry real weight, even when they are frustrating. The pacing leans more slow burn than fast thriller, which worked for me but might not for everyone, Still, the payoff is strong and lingers after the final page. This is a thoughtful, character driven suspense novel that delivers both tension and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Wu is so skilled at juggling relationships that she’s managing three at once and each boyfriend knows a different version of her. But secrets have a way of spiraling out of control. When her best friend is found dead, Amelia is forced to team up with her longtime rival, Jackie, to uncover the truth.

Who’s responsible? One of the boyfriends… or someone else entirely?

This was such a fun and fast paced read that is perfect for teen and young adult thriller fans. The twists kept me guessing right up to the final pages. I really enjoyed Christina’s writing style and can’t wait to pick up more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina, and Penguin Young Readers Group for the eARC!


Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Publication Date: Aug 18,2026

#TheHardestOnestoFool #NetGalley

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild and fun ride.

Amelia is dating 3 boys at once while assuming fake identities. A plan she made with her best friend, Ingrid. At first you’re left wondering, why? What does she have to gain from these three boys? When Ingrid’s body is found after a party one of her boyfriend’s three she discovers the world she created is a lot smaller than it appears.

For most of this book I couldn’t stand Amelia. I kept wondering why she was doing what she was doing. As the story unfurled I found myself thinking of her much differently and even rooting for her. Boy oh boy was she something else.


Thank you to net-galley for the e-arc.

[Jackie Welcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book with a very different storyline. Amelia's best friend is found dead after falling off a cliff at a party. Amelia has 3 identities and 3 boyfriends per a plan she made with her late friend, Ingrid. There seems to be a possibility that one of these boys had something to do with the death. Amelia is determined to find out what happened, if it was an accident or murder and who was involved. She becomes close to Jackie who works on the school paper and was also a good friend to Ingrid. There are so many wild twists and surprises in this book. Everything gets nicely explained so we know what really happened but is the story truly over? Maybe not! Good read.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was spooky and vibey and I absolutely sped through it (if I remember correctly, this was only about 200 pages, so it is a rather short book as well)!

This has a murder mystery and complicated relationship dynamics (of all kinds). And those two things are related. Our main character is just trying to figure out how and why and what's going on and why is everyone being so weird about it.

This was a really fun and entertaining read. If you like a mystery that surrounds complicated relationships and the drama that causes, definitely check this out. This was so twisty, I was never bored.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for honest review!

[Jesseca R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read! There were twists on twists and a few things I wasn’t expecting that made the story even better. It was such an interesting concept and I was honestly hooked from the beginning. I loved the concept of a teenage girl running a multi-layered con and being so successful at it. There was a depth to the emotions in this book that ran parallel to the mystery and even in the end, you think you know what’s happening and then the plot twists again. It was just a fabulously enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be looking up more books by this author.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Christina Li for giving me an ARC of this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This book will be such an easy booktalk to encourage readers to give it a try. Even though Amelia was faking different identities to go out with three guys at the same time, she was such a likable character as she tried to solve the mystery of how her best friend was killed. The turns and twists made this so hard to put down!

[Talicia Ajruloski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and Advance Reader Copy of The Hardest Ones To Fool, by Christina Li.

A fun read full of deception and surprise, with twists around every corner. This one kept me guessing, and the ending felt like a gut punch I never saw coming!

[Tamara Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was good. But not my usual genre. I would recommend it to others. Expected release date August 18 2026

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty solid read, but I wish there had been more thrill to it- the reveal just didn't wow me enough. I liked Amelia as our main character. It was so absurd, the things she thought she could get away with, and her internal thoughts were so funny that I couldn’t help rooting for her. I also very much support men getting scammed.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the eARC, to be published on August 18th, 2026.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good read

[Trisha]

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Mae B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Overall, a very well written and engaging story. I related to the themes of identity and grief and appreciated the unique twist to an overused trope (best friend is murdered and has to figureo ut who killed them).

I wish there was more development of the ending as it felt rushed but overall I highly recommend this book.