Melissa de la Cruz (born September 7, 1971) is a Filipina-American writer known for young adult fiction.

[1] She immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 13, in 1985,[2] and they settled in San Francisco, where she graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart High School.

[8][9] De La Cruz wrote her first full-length novel at 22 while living in New York City and working at Bankers Trust.

[1][5] De la Cruz has published articles in periodicals including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Harper's Magazine.

[5] Work as a fashion writer for Marie Claire was the inspiration for How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less (2003) by de la Cruz and Karen Robinovitz.