The Hardest Ones to Fool: A GMA Book Club YA Pick

I've finally learned that YA thrillers can surprise me in just about every way. The Hardest Ones to Fool is packed with all the twists, drama, complications, and outrageous scenarios that only a YA thriller can deliver, and honestly, I had so much fun reading it. I don't go into books like this expecting realistic situations. Instead, I enjoy all the unexpected and unbelievable things that can happen along the way.I really liked the premise of The Hardest Ones to Fool, especially having a protagonist who plays so many different roles and all the drama that unfolds when things start to go wrong. But this story has a lot of layers, and there are plenty of mysteries to unravel, along with even more twists and plot turns.It's an engaging, fast-paced, and easy-to-read thriller that I think a lot of young adult readers will love 📚

Reading this book kept mind whirling as much as Amelia’s must have, trying to keep all of her stories straight. Plenty of reality to suspend, and I do wish some bits were more fleshed out (how successful is she at returning designer clothes? Why, exactly, does she find Jackie so annoying?), BUT I still enjoyed this fast-paced read with a mysteriously satisfying ending.I received a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions my own.

I received an ARC of The Hardest Ones to Fool thanks to the publisher through NetGalley and leave this review voluntarily.The twists in this book are fantastic. They keep coming up until the last sentence. Most of them were also not expected, which was a wonderful surprise. I hate the characters, but in the best way. The morally grey-ness of all of the characters hooked me from the start. I was rooting for the relationships, both to work out and to fail. The book was such a trip I cannot recommend it enough.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. This is more of a YA read but I found it to be entertaining.Amelia is an person that thrives on opportunities, she has three different boyfriends, from three different schools, and she is different people to each of them, she makes each of them fall for her, and she benefits from what she gets out of all of them. The problem is, at some point all those schemes are going to come with a downfall, you know its coming. Trying to juggle three boyfriends without them finding out about each other would be extremely messy and chaotic, at any moment she could be exposed. Amelia and her friend Ingrid were in this catfish scheme together and when Ingrid dies from a fall from a cliff, is it an accident or is it murder? Amelia doesn't believe its an accident and she teams up with Jackie to see if they can find out what really happened to Ingrid. It did have some twists and turns and some of the ending was a little disappointing, but don't want to say as to not spoil the ending for someone else, but overall I still thought it was pretty entertaining and a solid read.Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the complimentary copy of the story. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Hardest Ones to Fool was a solid read. It’s a fast-paced and intriguing YA mystery thriller with a really fun concept that immediately pulled me in.I liked Amelia and the multiple lives she was juggling — somehow, despite all her schemes, I still found myself rooting for her. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Amelia and her academic rival Jackie as they worked together to uncover the truth behind her best friend’s death.That said, while there were definitely moments I enjoyed, some parts felt a little underdeveloped and didn’t fully land for me emotionally.Overall, though, this was an entertaining thriller with plenty of drama, secrets, and twists. I’d still recommend it to readers who enjoy messy characters, scandal-filled YA thrillers, and fast-paced mysteries. I can definitely see this working really well for a lot of YA thriller readers.Looking forward to reading more from Christina Li.

Thank you PenguinTeen and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Just finished this one and what a thrill! Amelia Wu had three boyfriends, only none of them know who she really is. She created a different name and persona for each one of them, a girl tailored to be the perfect match for them. It’s perfect she gets fancy dinners, lavish parties, and expensive gifts, all while scamming them out of money. She came up with the idea with her best friend Ingrid. But it’s not like they’ll keep all the money some will be donated to charities and some of it is going to a fund to help send Amelia’s mom back to school. Everything should be perfect she just had to keep careful track of all the lies and not let the boys interact. Then comes a Spring Break party, things with her and Ingrid have been off and all three boys end up at the party. Can she keep them from interacting? Things get worse when Ingrid ends up dead. It’s ruled an accident but Amelia doesn’t believe that, neither does Jackie, her rival and a friend of Ingrid’s. The two will put their differences aside to try and figure out what happened the night of the party. But Amelia still has three guys to juggle and lies to keep straight. Can she do it when the loss of her friend is overwhelming? Can she get justice for Ingrid? Or will all of Amelia’s lies be her downfall? I enjoyed the secrets and lies in this one! The mystery was intriguing and had me hooked! Twists and turns that keep going right until the very end! I love a good queer mystery and Christina Li delivered with this one!

The Hardest Ones to Fool is a fast-paced YA suspense thriller with a great premise. Morally gray main character Amelie is a teenage scammer who is dating three rich guys simultaneously. But her plans unravel when her best friend is murdered and Amelie is left wondering who killed her. Amelie is a complex, flawed character and her decisions throughout the story make it very hard to predict what might happen next. I loved how the mystery unravels at the same time that her web of deception does. I also loved the dynamics between her and Jackie the tenacious high school journalist who has always been Amelie's academic rival. The two are reluctantly forced to rely on one another in order to get justice for their mutual friend, Ingrid.The twists and turns in this novel left me guessing throughout. Just when I thought I understood what was going on, another revelation would occur that left me questioning whether I was on the right track or not. Everyone in this story has something to hide and nothing is what it seems. This was truly a memorable and highly entertaining read. If you like thrillers that keep you guessing right up to the last page then you need to check out The Hardest Ones to Fool by Christina Li.

I was stunned by lead character Amelia Wu when I first started this book. Is this over achieving high school senior out of her mind? Under three different names and identities, she got three different boys from three different schools to fall in love with her? And while she's carrying on these triple romances with three sons of wealthy families, she runs the risk of encountering somebody who either knows her as Amelia or the other two fake personas she's performing.........which, we all know is bound to happen.....maybe more than once.These monumental deceptions, co-conspired by Amelia and her best friend Ingrid, also involve Amelia scamming the boys' families out of thousands of dollars which leads us to ask that burning question. If there some deeper motive involved here than just a lower middle class girl fleecing the rich, powerful and entitled one-percenters?Indeed there is, and Ingrid's mysterious "accidental" death after an all night party sets Amelia to investigating a host of suspects including her three so-called boyfriends. This throws her into an unlikely alliance with Jackie, her equally overachieving senior class frenemy and rival for Valedictorian. Together, they're a formidable duo.......and maybe something more that neither of them counted on.Author Christina LI keeps this incredible plot at a constant boil with more and more layers of duplicity and fraud to peel off as the story barrels on to its apparent conclusion. And I do mean apparent ,before the book finally detonates its massive Third Act reveal with a stinger on top.........guaranteed to leave you staggered by its sheer audacity. .Great twisty fun to had here. All dedicated fans of YA mysteries shouldn't let his one escape their 'read right away' list.