I could not read this book, literally. I am so tired of NetGalley putting out ARCs that look like a copy of a copy of a copy zoomed out. Please stop doing this. It was completely unreadable.

A debut I was very excited to read! It's a character-driven novel, focused on friendship and belonging. I wasn't as connected to the characters as I wanted to be. I did like the writing style though and would read from the author again. I think this one is really going to hit deeply for readers that relate to suffering from comparison to others.

Wanting is one of the best books I have read this year. The novel is told from multiple perspectives and deals with the main themes of self-acceptance, class, and, of course, wanting. Throughout the story I found myself conflicted in who I was rooting for. All characters had excellent story arcs, forcing readers to ask themselves the question of if it is better to want to change the past and present want more from the present or if one should choose to accept decisions you have made, even if they have led to an “average” mundane life. The only aspect that prevented me from rating this 5 starts was that the writing in the first part, especially related to influencer culture, felt a bit unrefined, but I think the author found her stride in Parts 2 and 3. I am very eager to see what Claire Jia does next in her literary career.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Reader Copy.

This book took me a total of 5 hours and 19 minutes. It is a 300-page book that could have been less. I have to admit I didn’t know the point it was going to try to prove; you get such a strong sense of regret, childhood friendships, and growing apart. After the first 60 pages, I understood; the author was great at portraying contradicting feelings towards friends and partners. Where you are in life, if you’re choosing the right path, and the constant overthinking of your decisions. It was incredibly relatable, but we hit a point where the author started telling me and showing me, which made the book feel a bit drawn out. I understand that some areas require detail, but some things could have been omitted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tin House Books publishing, I received an ARC for an honest review!

Wanting tells the story of two high school best friends in Beijing, Lian and Wenyu, who lost touch and recently reconnect as adults. The book had a slow start for me, but once I settled into the story, I was drawn into their world—and into the timeless question of “what if,” and how life so often turns out differently than we expect. The characters are flawed and multidimensional, making for a nuanced and thought-provoking read.

Partway through, we’re introduced to another character, Song Chen, who’s quietly navigating his own regrets and unfulfilled dreams. We also get his very rich backstory, which ultimately connects to the main story. Jia does a wonderful job of offering realistic perspectives from characters at very different stages of life.

I found myself really caught up in their stories and could understand how each of them ended up making the choices they did. While the themes are universal, the cultural nuances between China and the U.S. are thoughtfully woven in, adding depth to the characters and their motivations.

Thank you to Tin House Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 50%. The prologue had me hooked, but as I kept reading it felt like nothing was happening. When the narrative switched over to Wenyu's architect, I finally gave up.

“No matter how well Lian got to know America, Wenyu would always be several years ahead of her.”

This is a novel about the nostalgias of youth, friendships, and the age-old quest of choosing the “right” path in life (and, at times, the all-consuming self-doubt that ensues). And oh, yes—Beijing real estate!

This book evoked a lot of colorful references for me, literally: rose-colored glasses, greener grass, red flags, and morally grey characters.

I will admit I almost DNF after starting Part 2 of the book, since it focused on different characters that I was not as invested in as Lian and Wenyu. But, Jia’s writing is too polished and precise to put down, and I’m glad I stuck it out. In the end, the stories intertwined, and I gained a deeper understanding of the dichotomy of the characters’ perspectives. Wanting cements the theme that none of the characters are “good” or “bad”, “hero or “villain”; but encapsulated all of the complexities that are inevitable to the human experience.

This is a very interesting and bonkers novel. The synopsis is very vague which is a good thing because I was totally caught off guard by the finished product. There’s strong themes of obsession especially when it comes to friendship. I thought the writing style was the only thing that lacked for me. The prose isn’t bad, but I thought there were some clunky lines sprinkled throughout. Solid book from an exciting new author.

This was very promising at the start - the premise of two women meeting again in China after years apart - one in China and the other in California. However, when they reunite in China, the present and the flashbacks to their past don't present a consistent storyline and the book lost my interest in the middle of it. The writing of a plot seemed haphazard. .

I really enjoyed this novel of friendship, betrayals, homelands, love, and, always, wanting. I truly admire the way Jia wove the lives of these complicated characters together to get to the book's well deserved ending.

~ I received a copy of Wanting by Claire Jia from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~~

Wanting is the perfect example of the dangers of believing “the grass is greener on the other side”. Jia’s story follows a set of friends who reconnect when one, a popular influencer returns to China to celebrate her pending nuptials. The friends relationship rebuilds but shows the stresses and realities that created the rift between them in the first place.

The beginning of Wanting makes the book seem more like a mystery than it actually is - but it does ask important questions about adulthood in a modern society and how comparison and societal pressure can lead to decisions that while you may question, others may envy. The story has some hiccups throughout but does tie all plot lines together at the end.

A novel that dives deep into jealousy and high society in China, but with a flair for the dramatics (as expected) and a demonstration on how friendships are often born out of circumstances and people drift away. I found the writing to be quite good in dropping us in the world of these characters, and I could definitely see this people existing in real life. I really wanted to like this book, and even though I stuck it out, I just wasn't the biggest fan of this novel--I think it's because I was disconnected from the characters themselves and couldn't get into the headspace where I was actively absorbed in their story. Others might love this a lot more than I did! I'll give it another try in the future to see if my feelings change.

While I was intrigued by the premise, the dual perspectives didn’t quite work for me. The two narratives felt too disconnected—as if I were reading two separate novellas rather than parts of a cohesive story. I would have much preferred a tighter focus on Lian’s point of view.

There was so much potential in Lian and Wenyu’s dynamic—especially around the themes of desire, envy, and regret. I wanted the novel to dig deeper into the emotional tension within their friendship and how personal ambition and unmet longing shaped their lives. Instead, it felt like we only scratched the surface.

That’s not to say Song Chen’s story wasn’t compelling—it absolutely was. But it felt oddly placed, as if it served more to fill in the emotional gaps in Lian’s arc rather than stand on its own or connect meaningfully with the rest of the book.

One aspect I did really enjoy was the subtle critique of American influence—how proximity to the U.S. (and what it symbolizes) shaped the characters’ choices and ideals. The way American culture was woven into the fabric of their aspirations and identity crises was fascinating and well-executed.

Wanting by Claire Jia catapults readers into a lurid drama that captivates not only with its scandal but its dangerous relatability and probes the depths to which we will go to pursue personal fulfillment.

It’s hard to imagine a more fitting title for this novel than Wanting. Any other synonym—desire, greed, yearning, aspiration—doesn’t quite describe the emotional position of its characters. To want something is to experience the most basic form of desire. We associate the word with young children who imperiously shout “I want!” to demand things ranging from basic needs to an impossible whims. Wanting is basic in that it reflects a certain dearth of introspection but is also deeply human. We all want things we don’t have. And there isn’t anything wrong with wanting things, is there?

To be found wanting, on the other hand, means to disappoint through lack of some essential quality. This book follows three primary characters who, despite their outward success in life, are left fundamentally disappointed with where they’ve ended up. Ye Lian has a good job, a loving and stable boyfriend, and gracious in-laws, but she can’t help but look at her former best friend, Luo Wenyu, and envy her adventurousness and daring that led to unimaginable success. Wenyu moved to the United States for school and became a famous YouTuber, documenting her rise from lonely foreigner to peppy Americanized fiancée of a wealthy American entrepreneur. Wenyu and Lian reignite their friendship when Wenyu returns to Beijing with her fiancé to build a luxury home in the suburbs. Wenyu’s American transformation and enigmatic impulsiveness fascinate Lian, who feels stultified with her own safe life choices.

The book also follows Chen, the middle-aged architect of Wenyu’s new house. Chen has experienced professional success most can only dream of, but what he really wants is to feel secure in the affection of his wife, who cheated on him long ago. The shift from the story of the women’s friendship to Chen’s life is an abrupt one. The story lags a bit as we wait for the stories to converge. When they do, however, the consequences of these characters’ wanting—or more specifically, the actions they take to relieve it—reach an explosive climax the night of Wenyu’s housewarming party.

It would be easy to describe this novel as a critique of material greed in modern-day China. The characters appear obsessed with status and fortune. But none of them is really after material acquisitions or gold stars, per se. They want professional, familial, and romantic fulfillment—it just so happens that, to them, these things are inextricably linked to materialism and social position. What makes this book so slippery is that every character is relatable enough to be sympathetic. We sympathize with Lian’s frustrations with her staid boyfriend and unglamorous life in a country she once hoped to leave for the glittering promise of America. We can sense the deep-rooted insecurity and alienation behind Wenyu’s exuberant online persona. And we can empathize with Chen and his (not unsubstantiated) fear that he will never be good enough for his brilliant and pragmatic wife. Jia turns this sympathy against us when every character makes irredeemably immoral choices in their unhappiness, which is what sets Wanting apart from other “rich people behaving badly” stories. Jia makes these characters sympathetic not to contest the morality of their decisions, but to reveal how frighteningly easy it is to make and justify them in the face of life’s inevitable disappointments.

The author’s propulsive writing style and clever foreshadowing makes for a reading experience akin to riding a car hurdling along at top speed toward a cliff. She provides the characters plenty of opportunities to hit the brakes and make better choices: they never do. We are left with the panicked knowledge that somebody is going to pay the price for all of the secrets and lies, yet we have no idea whether the consequences will be karmic, tragic, or both. It’s a harrowing ride worth taking and one that is sure to spark lively conversation and, potentially, uncomfortable introspection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tin House books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent book the explores envy between friends, the idea of the grass being greener on the other side, and the what-ifs and roads not taken that life throws at you.

Through the lives of three characters, best friends Lian and Wenyu, and a gentleman named Chen, you see how the choices they made, the paths they took, shaped who they are. Their stories are intertwined and they all feel envious of other people’s lives, thinking that the grass is greener on the other side.

This book really captures girlhood and the way we constantly compare our lives with others. When we only see the highlights, we think that we’re not doing enough, we’re not successful enough, we are doing something wrong. Comparison is the thief of joy. We, like the characters in this book, often feel that we aren’t enough. The characters have some much depth to them and you can feel their wanting as you move through the chapters.

Thank you NetGalley and Tin House Books for the eArc. This book hits the shelves on July 1, 2025.

*4.5 stars*

Claire Jia’s "Wanting" completely pulled me in—I honestly wasn’t expecting to feel so deeply about a story that, at first glance, seems like a classic tale of friendship and comparison. But by the end, I felt cracked open in the best way. It made me reflect on my own choices, my own definitions of “success,” and how easy it is to look at someone else’s life and start questioning your own.

Ye Lian, the main character, has a life that seems stable and well-put-together—a good job, a solid relationship, plans for the future. I related to her in that quiet, slightly uncomfortable way, where you recognize yourself in someone who’s done everything “right” but still feels a little off balance. When her childhood best friend Wenyu returns, glittering with American success and Instagram-perfect everything, I could feel Lian’s world shift. It made me think of those moments when someone from your past suddenly reappears, and you can’t help but compare paths—even if you don’t want to.

What really hit me was how Jia writes emotion. There’s this restraint to her prose that makes it feel all the more powerful—like the moments that hurt aren’t shouted, they’re whispered. I found myself pausing often, not just to take in what was happening, but because it stirred something personal. The side story of Song Chen, the architect caught in his own quiet crisis, added this layer of melancholy and reflection that stayed with me long after I finished.

"Wanting" made me sit with uncomfortable truths—how we measure ourselves against others, how we chase dreams we’re not sure we even want, and how easy it is to confuse security with happiness. It doesn’t try to tie everything up neatly, which I appreciated. Life doesn’t always make sense, and Jia captures that beautifully.

This book felt like a conversation I didn’t know I needed to have. It’s tender, sharp, and real. If you’ve ever looked at someone else’s life and wondered “What if?”, this story will speak to you. I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

This is an addictive tale of a complex friendship laced with envy, competitiveness, and deep caring. The two key characters meet as tweens in China, one is academically-oriented and seemingly the "good girl" while the other is brazen and more willing to defy conventions. The tale shifts between the present and their teen years, and gradually the full complexity of their tangled friendship comes into full view. A subsidiary set of chapters also offers the back stories of various people in their orbit. This is ostensibly a fun summer read--in fact, I read it on a plane and it made my long flight fly by (pun intended). What I did not expect was how well the author captured how one can know (and love) others, yet still encounter obstacles rooted in cultural and individual misunderstandings. This came through in the two main characters' relationships with one another and in their relationships with male partners and would-be partners. Recommended as a good summer read.

This debut novel centers around three characters and their desires. We first meet twenty-something Ye Lian, who has a good job, steady boyfriend, and plans to marry him and move into a luxury high rise together. But when she rekindles her friendship with her childhood best friend Luo Wenyu, a successful influencer returning to Beijing from America to celebrate her upcoming wedding, Lian begins to question everything she thought she wanted.

In the second part of the book, the narrative shifts to Song Chen, the middle-aged architect of Wenyu’s dream home, who has his own fading hopes and dreams that he must come to terms with. Their stories all connect in the third part of the story, when they collectively grapple with the consequences of their wanting.

Female friendship is at the heart of the story. Lian and Wenyu’s friendship and deep bond comes alive in the shopping malls, restaurants, and karaoke bars of Beijing. Together they recklessly take their “perfect” lives to the edge of destruction as they search for something more real below the surface.

The title is fitting: at its core, this is a story about wanting. The American dream, in various forms, is core to the characters’ desires. Yet its harsh truth leaves them each facing different realities than what they had dreamed of.

These are people who can’t be content with what they have; there is always someone with a nicer apartment, better husband, more successful career. They are all lost in aspiration and in need of a reset of what truly matters in life.

The novel sets up some interesting character arcs with strong potential for growth, but I don’t think all the characters truly got there. Chen seems to be the most developed and evolved character. The first two parts of the book read like slow paced literary character explorations, while the final section delivers more action and momentum.

I love the cover and enjoyed the Beijing setting and strength of Lian and Wenyu’s friendship. Ultimately I would have been more satisfied with the book if the characters had evolved further and come to accept that, as Chen’s wife says, greatness is elusive and ordinary is the stuff of life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

fun novel about envy, longing, and how people often think that the grass is always greener on the other side. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

2.5 stars - i am a big fan of reading books about rich people drama and complex friendships surrounding money. while this book does a good job exploring the theme of everyone always wanting what they don't have, this book was a little tough for me to get through. all of the characters were very flawed (which i don't mind), but none were very likeable, since they all made such poor decisions - a lot of cheating ew - that i did not understand. the ending also felt pretty underwhelming as there were little consequences on any of the characters EXCEPT for the one character i felt some sympathy for (justice for chen!).

the plot structure was also so strange. when we get to part 2, we suddenly switch from exploring lian and wenyu's friendship to exploring wenyu's architect... it caught me completely off guard since there was barely any mention of him earlier and it left me very uninterested in his plotline and skimming for a while. i was surprised at how the plotlines did end up connecting to each other, but i wasn't really a big fan of it.