Susan Lee writes romantic comedies across two clear lanes: young adult rom-coms and adult rom-coms. At the moment, the most important thing to know is that her books are standalones, not one interconnected series, so there is no spoiler-heavy master sequence to worry about.

That means a Susan Lee page is less about strict continuity and more about choosing the right first book. You can read by publication order if you want to watch her catalog grow naturally, or you can jump in with the premise that suits you best. The official site currently lists three YA novels, one adult novel already released, and one adult novel coming next.
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Where to Start
- Start here for Korean drama energy and a YA first love story: Seoulmates.
- A strong opening choice for readers who like mistaken-identity setups and summer internship romance is: The Name Drop.
- Choose this first if you want a bookish, trope-aware college rom-com: The Romance Rivalry.
- New readers who would rather skip YA entirely can begin with: Julia Song Is Undateable.
- For a newer adult summer romance with Palm Springs energy, save a spot for: See You at the Sunset.
The simplest answer
Susan Lee does not currently need a complicated books-in-order chart.
You can read her books in straight publication order like this:
- Seoulmates (2022): A YA childhood-friends-to-lovers romance with K-drama and identity threads, and the book that launched Susan Lee’s published fiction career.
- The Name Drop (2023): A YA mistaken-identity rom-com set around swapped internship lives in New York, expanding her contemporary romance style without requiring the first book.
- The Romance Rivalry (2025): A YA college-set enemies-to-lovers and fake-dating story built around rival online book reviewers, and one of her most overtly trope-aware novels.
- Julia Song Is Undateable (2025): Susan Lee’s adult-romance debut, centered on family pressure, dating help, and a childhood-crush dynamic.
- See You at the Sunset (2026): An adult enemies-to-lovers summer romance set around a Palm Springs senior living community, and the newest currently announced Susan Lee novel.
Read by lane, not by continuity
Because these are standalones, the more useful way to think about Susan Lee is by reading lane rather than by universe order.
If you want the YA books first
- Seoulmates (2022): Hannah and Jacob’s story brings together childhood history, K-drama flavor, and Korean American identity in the earliest Susan Lee novel.
- The Name Drop (2023): Jessica and Elijah’s accidental name-swap setup gives this one a sharper high-concept hook and a summer-in-the-city feel.
- The Romance Rivalry (2025): Irene and Aiden’s rivalry pushes further into trope-play, fake dating, and romance-reader self-awareness than the earlier books.
If you want the adult romances first
- Julia Song Is Undateable (2025): A family-expectation romance in which a successful but stuck heroine turns to her childhood crush for help navigating a string of dates.
- See You at the Sunset (2026): A summer-set adult romance about Jia and Henry, whose earlier one-night stand and workplace connection reignite inside a Palm Springs retirement-community backdrop.
Best first book for different readers
- Readers who want the original Susan Lee experience should begin with Seoulmates.
- Anyone looking for the most accessible high-concept YA premise will probably click fastest with The Name Drop.
- People who love romance novels about romance readers should go straight to The Romance Rivalry.
- Adult-romance readers who want to avoid YA entirely can open with Julia Song Is Undateable.
- Those who prefer a sunny, newer, vacation-feeling setup may want to wait for See You at the Sunset.
Does Susan Lee have any series?
Not in the usual sense, based on the current official catalog.
Her site separates the books into Young Adult and Romance (Adult) rather than grouping them into numbered series, and the book pages themselves do not present them as volumes in one continuing sequence. That makes this an author where “books in order” mostly means publication order or best starting point, not continuity management.
The best reading order for most people
A practical Susan Lee path looks like this:
- Read Seoulmates first if you want to start at the beginning.
- Follow with The Name Drop and The Romance Rivalry if you want to stay in YA.
- Move to Julia Song Is Undateable when you want to see her shift into adult romance.
- Finish with See You at the Sunset once it releases if you want the newest adult book last.
Latest release status
The most recent released Susan Lee novel I could verify is Julia Song Is Undateable, which went on sale on October 28, 2025. The next announced book is See You at the Sunset, scheduled for August 11, 2026.
FAQs
What is the best Susan Lee book to start with?
For most readers, Seoulmates is the safest start because it is the debut and still a clean introduction to her voice. For adult-romance readers, Julia Song Is Undateable is the better first pick.
Do Susan Lee’s books need to be read in order?
No. Her currently listed books are standalones, so you can read them in any order. Publication order is simply the neatest way to do it.
Which Susan Lee books are YA?
Seoulmates, The Name Drop, and The Romance Rivalry are the YA novels currently listed on her site.
Which Susan Lee books are adult romance?
Julia Song Is Undateable is the released adult romance, and See You at the Sunset is the next adult novel currently listed.
Final recommendation
If you want one decisive answer, start with Seoulmates.
If you already know you want adult romance rather than YA, start with Julia Song Is Undateable. And if your goal is simply to read everything cleanly, Susan Lee is refreshingly easy: just read the five books in publication order and you will not run into continuity trouble.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

