Just Another Meet Cute
Jenn P. Nguyen
Publication date: May 20th 2025
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Boy saves girl stuck on a disastrous hike. What could go wrong? So. Much.
Just Another Meet Cute is the joyful and funny story about what happens when you realize you’re dating the wrong twin.
When seventeen-year-old Nina Riley gets saved by a super cute Knight-in-Faded-Khakis just as she lands in an embarrassingly ‘ahem’ sticky situation during the most disastrous hike known to man, she wasn’t exactly looking for a meet cute. She really just needed some peace and quiet from her complicated family. Unfortunately, he disappears before she can properly thank him or get his number. All she has is his name (Ian Nguyen) and a navy jacket with a dog keychain, a gym card, and laundromat receipt. But a meet cute is a meet cute. And armed with years of watching Veronica Mars and a techy cousin, it should be simple enough for Nina to find the boy of her dreams, right? But when she finally tracks him down, he’s different than she thought ―right down to his name. Ryan is just as cute as she remembers, but the chemistry isn’t there like it was before. After a few dates, she meets Ryan’s family: his sweet grandma, his enthusiastic sisters, and his twin brother ――Ian.
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JPN: I’m Jenn P. Nguyen, author of THE WAY TO GAME THE WALK OF SHAME, FAKE IT TILL YOU BREAK IT, and JUST ANOTHER MEET CUTE. I was born in Mississippi, raised in New Orleans, LA (Go Saints!), where I currently live with my husband and high school sweetheart along with our two wonderful although slightly crazy kids. I’m the youngest of four girls and consider my sisters my best friends.
What genre do you read? Who's an author you read?
JPN: While I do read different genres from time to time, my absolute favorite is romance. I know, surprise, surprise. I suppose I’m just a romantic at heart, but there’s just something so satisfying about reading about people falling in love. The banter and the anticipation. The first kiss and the swoony feelings.
One of my all-time favorite YA authors is Stephanie Perkins. Her first book, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, was what made me want to write YA romances. For adult, I have a soft spot for historical romances because that’s what I read growing up. My favorite author for that is hands down Lisa Kleypas.
What book are you reading right now, and what do you like about it?
JPN: I actually just finished SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins and oh, my gosh! I’m a huge fan of the Hunger Games trilogy and I have to say that this book exceeded my expectations. The hardest thing about sequels is to write a story about a world that a reader already knows about and still make it feel new and fresh. Especially when you know that it doesn’t have a very good ending. (Hopefully that isn’t a spoiler for anyone out there!)
But Suzanne Collins was able to make the book not only familiar, but completely new at the same time. I’m gearing up to reread the Hunger Games series now that I have more insight into Haymitch’s life.
Favorite sports.
JPN: I’m not exactly a sporty person. In fact, I’m not even a fan of going outside much. Although if you’ve ever survived a summer in Nola heat, you’d understand. I do love to watch gymnastics though! My family had been watching it since I was a kid.
Favorite thing about your state you live in.
JPN: Definitely the food. I may be bias, but I think the food here is amazing! Crawfish, king cake, gumbo, and beignets. There’s just something so warm, yet delicious about them. If you’ve never been here, you definitely need to make a trip.
How long have you been writing?
JPN: I’ve been writing for about eighteen years now. It started out with some fanfiction and roleplaying that evolved into writing my very first book. It was a young adult time travel romance that ended up being over 150k words. Mostly filled with overused cliches! I’m still very proud though since it was my first. It’s actually printed out and on my shelf at this moment.
What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
JPN: Unfortunately, I’ve never been a go with a flow kind of person so I’m a huge plotter all the way. Always have been. I find it hard to move forward when I don’t have a plan.
Generally, I start with an idea for a story and work on character bios. This can include history, personality traits, and character photos. This helps me visualize the story better as I write my outline. My favorite part of plotting is looking up photos. Then I flesh out the ideas and scenes into a chapter outline. I also make a note of fun dialogue and character motivation for each chapter. Sometimes this can change as I write and learn more about my story and characters. For example, the first outline didn’t have twins in the story. It was mainly Nina looking for her Prince Charming and reinventing their meet cute. But as I was writing, I realized I wanted another obstacle for her and the movie WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING popped into my head. Especially the twist with the brothers. Having them be twins just made sense!
How did you come up with the ideas for your series?
JPN: Sometimes I get inspiration from shows I watch or something I’ve read. For example, the idea for JUST ANOTHER MEET CUTE was from a twitter post I read about a girl who had an embarrassing incident on a hike and her friend helped her. That got me wondering, what happened if she was alone? And got saved by a hot stranger in the process?
Other times, I like to skim a list of common tropes and see if any ideas pop into my head. Some people hate tropes, but I love them! Especially if they’re done right.
How do you celebrate finishing a book?
JPN: This is going to sound very boring, but I usually just take a nice break from writing. Sometimes I get to read a book I had been putting off, but oftentimes I just end up bingeing a kdrama or show for days.
What would you tell a writer who is just starting out? What program do you use for writing? What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book? What’s your writing software of choice?
JPN: I think the number one thing I would tell a new writer is that there is no wrong way to start. Everyone has their own technique to their writing process and it’s great to research and figure out what works for you. Some writers figure it out with their first book and others are still trying to figure it out. I prefer to just do my drafting and editing on Microsoft Word because I’m not tech savvy at all, and it’s easier to have it in one place. However, I do have author friends who swear by Scrivener and another who also likes to write her scenes on index cards and pin them to a giant board.
But when it comes down to it, the most important thing is to just start writing. You learn more with each word, each page that you write. You will most likely make mistakes along the way, but you’ll also grow from it.
How do you organize everything and finding the time to sit down and write?
JPN: I used to be a night owl and write late at night when I’m by myself. Sometimes until three in the morning. However, since I had kids, I can barely stay up past eleven most nights. So, I try to write during the day now that they’re in school. (Thank goodness!) That’s not to say that I don’t procrastinate. There are days where I don’t have enough time to write, but somehow, I’m still able to binge complete dramas or finish books within days. This is when having writing friends really comes in handy. They understand your struggles, but also have no problem pushing you to get back to work. Or at least my friends do. ☺
As an author, what would you choose as your spirit animal?
JPN: This is a very good question and one I’ve never thought of! I actually had to take a spirit animal quiz to find out and got a turtle which I find very accurate. Turtles stick to their path (plotter) and can be extremely slow on land yet fast in water. I think this definitely relates to my slow writing and faster editing style.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
JPN: My biggest supporters are definitely my parents. They always took me to libraries and bookstores whenever I wanted when I was young and encouraged me with my writing as I got older. My dad was a writer himself and he used to post little stories or poems on Facebook. And my mom took care of kids so I could have time to write. Unfortunately, they both passed away, but I’m extremely grateful I’m able to create books and dedicate them to my parents.
How do you name your characters?
JPN: I tend to go for very simple names because that’s just what I like. One syllable is best, but two’s okay, too! I usually just skim a list of baby names until something jumps out at me.
Can you describe a typical day in your writing life?
JPN: After I drop my kids off at school, I try to get all my errands, emails, etc done in the morning so I can start writing before lunch. The first half an hour to an hour is mainly rereading previous chapters or making notes about the new chapter. This helps me get back into the story and the main character’s voice. Then I’ll usually try to write. Sometimes it’ll take minutes to dive in, other times I feel like I’m dipping my toe in for ages. One thing I have to do before I start writing is to have a printout of my chapter outline next to me. I’ve been doing this since I wrote my first book. There’s something so simple yet satisfying about getting to put that big check mark next to a finished chapter.
Author Bio:
Jenn Nguyen fell in love with books in third grade and spent the rest of her school years reading through lunchtime and giving up recess to organize the school library. She has a degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans and still lives in the city with her husband. Jenn spends her days reading, dreaming up YA romances, and binge watching Korean dramas all in the name of 'research'.
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