Boring Asian Female

“Canwen Xu’s Boring Asian Female is a compulsively readable debut, propelled by sharp writing and pitch-perfect pacing. Smart, engaging, and thought-provoking, it offers a fresh take on ambition, envy, and the price of success.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

“Topical and hilarious, Boring Asian Female features a main character who is both relatable and completely unhinged. I literally gasped as Elizabeth makes a series of increasingly outrageous choices in order to try to get into Harvard Law and the twist at the end made me cackle out loud. A perfect book for our contemporary moment.”—Tasha Coryell, bestselling author of Matchmaking for Psychopaths

“In Boring Asian Female, Canwen Xu masterfully examines ambition and self-delusion as her narrator’s obsession with Harvard Law School, and the student who seems to have taken ‘her’ spot, grows more and more extreme…and dangerous. This sly, propulsive thriller mesmerized me, then moved me with its surprisingly tender final pages. Xu’s cautionary tale will resonate with anyone who has found themselves caught in the trap of expectations, whether cultural or self-imposed. A riveting, heartbreaking debut.”—Cynthia Weiner, author of A Gorgeous Excitement

“A magnificent and deeply entertaining debut, Boring Asian Female is an incisive and thrilling story that so many will relate to. Canwen Xu pulls no punches in writing a hilariously unhinged protagonist where actions spiral beyond control and stereotypes are subverted in the most refreshing and unapologetic way. A must read!”—Liann Zhang, author of Julie Chan is Dead

“A perfectly calibrated combination of obsession, jealousy, and ambition, Boring Asian Female is a captivating debut. The narrator, Elizabeth Zhang, is ruthless, reckless, and yet somehow impossible not to root for—a truly unforgettable protagonist. Chilling and delightful to the very last page.”—Emma White, author of Venom Lake

“Canwen Xu’s sharp-edged debut will have you on the edge of your seat, wondering just how far the protagonist will go. Unputdownable, addictive, and relentlessly clever, it is surely, as the protagonist Elizabeth would say, in the 99th percentile for riveting novels. Xu is a writer to watch.”—Isabel Banta, author of Honey