Lauren Kung Jessen is a mixed-race Chinese-American writer with a fondness for witty, flirtatious dialogue and making meals with too many steps but lots of flavor. She is fascinated by myths and superstitions and how ideas, beliefs, traditions, and stories evolve over time.

This charming fated-love rom-com about two star-crossed lovers will appeal to readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Sarah Adams.

Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?

a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in Neurobiology and Behavior and minored in English, and currently resides as a first-year medical student at the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, New York. Like many of her characters, Ananya is a second-generation Indian American young adult.

In this charming YA debut, a girl who’s determined to prove her star chart wrong ropes her longtime best friend into an experimental relationship—not knowing that he has been in love with her for years.

LAUREN KUNG JESSEN and ANANYA DEVARAJAN in conversation with Karis McPherson, THE WORLD NEXT DOOR PANEL 3