E. L. Shen is an author and editor whose family immigrated to Flushing, Queens, many years ago. She attended Barnard College of Columbia University and received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in creative writing. Her debut novel, The Comeback (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2021), was a Junior Library Guild Selection, received two starred reviews, and was praised in The New York Times for its “fast-paced prose, authentic dialogue, and high-spirited [protagonist].” The Queens of New York is her first book for teens. E. L. Shen lives in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more at elshenwrites.com.

From acclaimed author E. L. Shen comes a sun-drenched, cinematic YA novel about three Asian American girls, their unbreakable bond, and one life-changing summer, perfect for fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable. But this summer, they won’t be together.

Everett, aspiring Broadway star, hopes to nab the lead role in an Ohio theater production, but soon realizes that talent and drive can only get her so far. Brainy Ariel is flying to San Francisco for a prestigious STEM scholarship, even though her heart is in South Korea, where her sister died last year. And stable, solid Jia will be home in Flushing, juggling her parents’ Chinatown restaurant, a cute new neighbor, and dreams for an uncertain future.

As the girls navigate heartbreaking surprises and shocking self-discoveries, they find that even though they’re physically apart, they are still mighty together.

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