-
Access our Top 20
Books of 2024!
Dear Wendy's Sophie and Jo, two aromantic and asexual college students, engage in an online feud while unknowingly becoming friends in real life, in this dual POV Young Adult contemporary debut from Ann Zhao.
Sophie Chi is in her first year of college (though her parents wish she'd attend a "real" university rather than a liberal arts school) and has long accepted her aroace (aromantic and asexual) identity. She knows she'll never fall in love, but she enjoys running an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at her school. No one except her roommate can know that she's behind the incredibly popular "Dear Wendy" account.
When Joanna "Jo" Ephron (also a first-year aroace college student) created their "Sincerely Wanda" account, it wasn't at all meant to take off or be taken seriously—not like Wendy's. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts with Wendy's account? Oops. As if Jo's not busy enough having existential crises over gender identity, whether she'll ever truly be loved, and the possibility of her few friends finding The One then forgetting her!
While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo grow closer in real life, especially once they realize their shared aroace identity and start a campus organization for other a-spec students. Will their friendship survive if they learn just who's behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?
Exploring a-spec identities, college life, and more, while perfect for fans of Alice Oseman's Loveless, this is ultimately a love story about two people who are not—and will not—be in love!
"Zhao curates a realistic setting at a women's college full of angsty queer students caught in the throes of romance, self-doubt, and self-discovery, culminating in a gently sweet aro-ace rom-com and a raw and emotionally resonant debut." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Jo, Sophie, their friends, and their family members all have nuanced identities and strong relationships that enrich the narrative and worldbuilding. The no romo love story aroaces have been waiting for." ―Kirkus Reviews
"The platonic love story of my dreams! Dear Wendy fluently speaks the language of contemporary aroace spaces and celebrates the healing power of community and understanding for those of us who can feel deeply alone in our life experience. Added to an entertaining Instagram feud and the relationship dramas of a liberal arts college, this book was so delightful, affirming, and heartwarming. " ―Alice Oseman, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Heartstopper
"The sort of love that modern storytelling needs. Dear Wendy is a warm embrace in book form―for a-spec identity, for coming-of-age, and for friendship that ties the very soul." ―Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
"Reading Dear Wendy felt like sitting down with a friend you've known your whole life. Ann Zhao's voice is so witty, warm, and effortlessly charming in this pitch-perfect coming-of-age story and love letter to friendship―I'm an instant fan." ―Ann Liang, author of If You Could See the Sun
This information about Dear Wendy was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ann Zhao (she/her) is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she studied linguistics with a minor in women's and gender studies. She enjoys cooking, baking, and knitting, and she does not enjoy cleaning up after herself when she's done with these activities. Dear Wendy is her debut novel.
.png)
Polite conversation is rarely either.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
