The Cuffing Game coming November 18th, 2025 from HarperCollins; 368 pages
Content Warning: Depiction of a panic attack, allusions to child abuse, some foul language
About the Author: “Lyla Lee is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Inspired by her Korean heritage and love of pop culture, she writes cute and sometimes swoony stories that have been translated into multiple languages around the world. Originally from South Korea, she’s lived in various cities throughout the United States, worked in Hollywood, and studied Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She now lives in Dallas, Texas” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Lyla Lee on the following platforms:
In this YA K-drama romance inspired by Pride and Prejudice, Mia Yoon has a secret crush on campus celebrity Noah Jang. Mia is living her dream at a film school in LA, but when the reality show she pitched to campus production gets cancelled because of low interest, she has to do something big. Unfortunately, that means enlisting her crush, Noah, to help. Noah has never been in a relationship and prefers to stay away from real feelings. However, when Mia asks Noah to join her dating show, he just can’t say no to her. As the show begins filming and Noah goes on romantic dates with other girls, his attention keeps straying to Mia. Is real love found on camera, or will Mia and Noah find it behind the scenes?
The Cuffing Game had me hooked from start to finish. Much like a real reality TV show, I binged the whole thing in a matter of hours. It was very fast paced, moving from the exposition to the filming of the show quickly. I really enjoyed how the chapters were structured to include the contestants’ interviews, the filming of the show, and the “In-Between” that showed what happened when they weren’t filming. Not only did it keep the story fun and interesting, but it also provided moments where Noah and Mia could interact without the contestants and the cameras. I actually would have liked to see some more of those moments because I enjoyed when they were emotionally vulnerable with each other. Since Mia was the showrunner, I also got a lot of insight into the hard work it takes to create a TV show. It’s so important, especially in rom-coms, for the female characters to have their own lives beyond romance, and Mia did. She was so dedicated to the creation of the show and truly put her blood, sweat, and tears into it. While I feel like she didn’t grow much as a character throughout the story, Lee made up for it with her development of Noah. He had a lot of personal growth, and I appreciated how he acknowledged that he had made mistakes to Mia. The side characters were also very strong and I was just as invested in their stories, which is how you know a book is good! Overall, The Cuffing Game was the perfect YA winter rom-com.
The Cuffing Game releases on November 18th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank SparkPoint Studio and HarperCollins for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer