A resonant knockout.--T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
Win Me Something is an observant, contemplative story about the complex reality of growing up with a mixed identity in two starkly different mixed families. Kyle Lucia Wu deftly weaves back and forth between Willa's teenaged years and her adult life to explore loneliness, uncertainty, and a singular, persistent question--where do I truly belong?--Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me
Kyle Lucia Wu's Win Me Something is groundbreaking in its exploration of blended families and a biracial Asian American consciousness. In subtle but strikingly observed scenes that depict race, class, and lives of having and not having, she explores the secret want that we all have: to belong to something, somewhere. Here we find Willa, a biracial Chinese American narrator seeking to understand where she belongs in the family of things. Here is a prose writer who relishes in the poetry of language. Under Wu's deft hand, each sentence unfolds like a miracle.--Cathy Linh Che, author of Split
Like a latter-day Willa Cather, after whom her protagonist is named, Kyle Lucia Wu has written a beautiful novel about a fiercely American young woman whose Americanness is constantly questioned by those around her. This is a sad, funny, and tender coming-of-age story about what family and belonging means for someone who is realizing that she is constantly watched but not truly seen.--David Burr Gerrard, author of The Epiphany Machine
Masterfully reveals the fury, hope, and longing that come with trying to be seen in a world that never looks for you.--Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk
Taut, engrossing, and masterfully observed, Win Me Something announces a powerful and luminescent new literary voice in Kyle Lucia Wu.--Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine
Impressive. . . . expect subtle surprises as Willa's relationships evolve in a satisfying accumulation of carefully drawn small moments that build toward her understanding, even acceptance, of both an imperfect world and herself.-- "Kirkus, Starred Review"
Wu's compassionate debut traces one woman's search for belonging. . . . Wu brilliantly lays out the complicated dynamics of love, belonging, and care that exist within all relationships.-- "Publishers Weekly"
A poignant, impressive debut that should herald the rise of a literary force to be reckoned with.-- "Shondaland"
I've never read a novel quite like Win Me Something, which is to say that I've never seen the nuances of navigating a biracial identity put, so beautifully, in fiction. . . . Readers will recognize themselves in Willa's loneliness, and they will feel that they are, finally, in good company.-- "LitHub"
Willa's story--and figuring out her sense of self--truly leaps off the page.-- "Alma"
A lovely coming-of-age story that will resonate with anyone who's felt separate, or questioned where they belong.-- "The Washington Post"
A wistful novel about how much effort it can take to find and settle into your place in the world.-- "Foreword Reviews"
Impressive, insightful.-- "Booklist"
A story about growing up and finding your place in the world--or creating one of your own.-- "Good Housekeeping"
A subtle, wise debut. . . . Win Me Something is a nuanced story of longing, of the paired desires to belong and to strike one's own path. Willa is a quiet heroine, but unforgettable.-- "Shelf Awareness"
Winsome and tender.-- "Harper's Bazaar"
This poignant debut is about identity, acceptance and complicated family dynamics.-- "PureWow"
Wu understands the human heart keenly, and her novel is a subtle but powerful triumph.-- "NPR Books"
Carefully observed and subtly devastating.-- "VOGUE"
Come to read about a live-in nanny deal with the antics of a rich family in Tribeca, stay for the nuanced exploration of identity.-- "NYLON"
A deeply moving coming-of-age novel.-- "Ploughshares"
Tender, melancholic, self-reflexive, and quietly poignant. In other words, it feels like growing up.-- "Necessary Fiction"
Readers looking for a taste of the millennial psyche but perhaps intimidated by the hype around Sally Rooney will want to check out Win Me Something by debut novelist Kyle Lucia Wu. . . . this tale of Willa, a young biracial woman, will resonate with a lot of younger people.-- "Napa Valley Register"
Finely crafted.-- "The New York Times Book Review"
[A] poignantly executed. . . . exploration of kinship of all stripes.-- "Departures"
A powerhouse debut, this nuanced coming-of-age story is for anyone who has felt hypervisible and invisible, inside and outside, seen and unseen.-- "Ms. Magazine"
A soul-searching journey to be heard, and to belong.-- "West Trade Review"
Wu's writing is pitch perfect from start to finish. The introspective and subtle plot floats off the page.-- "Debutiful"
Tender and devastating.-- "The Atlantic"
A quietly affecting tale of family dynamics.-- "Library Journal"
A great book that will spark lots of discussions about family, identity, and how we see ourselves.-- "Book Riot"
A beautiful debut. . . . A powerful, introspective journey that explores race, class, and family dynamics.-- "Cleveland Review of Books"
Feels like listening to a friend tell you about her life straightforward and true. . . . thoughtful and moving.-- "ZYZZYVA"
A subtly rendered and satisfying story of someone on the verge of beginning to know herself.-- "BookBrowse"
Superb. . . . This gorgeously written quiet and evocative character study subtly looks at family, belonging, race, and class.-- "School Library Journal"
A stunning coming of age tale of a young woman searching for belonging and finding power in defining herself.-- "Electric Lit"
Intelligently crafted.-- "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"
Enthralling. . . . Deeply affecting.-- "The Atlantic"