Jennifer Young

Jennifer Young is a writer and storyteller with over a decade of experience crafting unforgettable characters, swoon-worthy romances, and twisty, high-stakes plots. Her debut novel, Alice Chen’s Reality Check, co-authored with Kara Loo, hits shelves on June 3, 2025 from Quirk Books. In this sizzling romantic comedy set on a tropical island, a reality show contestant must fake-date her high school rival—while solving a murder! Pre-order now!

Before transitioning to fiction full-time, Jennifer spent over a decade leading creative teams in the mobile games industry. She began her writing career at Electronic Arts, contributing to hit titles like Surviving High School, Cause of Death, and Claire Hart: Soul Searcher. She later joined Pixelberry Studios, where she worked on fan-favorite games like High School Story and Hollywood U, and helped shape the interactive story app Choices: Stories You Play. Over her 11 years at Pixelberry, Jennifer rose from Studio Manager to Studio Director, eventually serving as Senior Director, Creative and a member of the studio’s management team.

She holds a B.A. in Public Health and Education from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Urban Education and Social Justice from the University of San Francisco.

​When she’s not writing, Jennifer is balancing the magic and mayhem of neurodivergent family life in the Bay Area. Her perfect evening involves a cozy mystery, a crossword puzzle (love Puzzmo!), a D&D session with friends, and a baking video playing softly in the background.

About Kara and Jennifer:

Kara Loo and Jennifer Young became friends in high school when they discovered a shared love of the same books and a passion for writing. After graduating from Stanford and UC Berkeley respectively, Kara and Jennifer both worked in the mobile gaming industry on the hit interactive fiction games Surviving High School from Electronic Arts and then High School Story, Hollywood U, and Choices: Stories You Play from Pixelberry Studios. They're excited to bring Kara's reality TV expertise and Jennifer's love of romance together for their debut novel, Alice Chen's Reality Check, available June 3, 2025.