Ann Zhao Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Ann Zhao

Ann Zhao is a young adult novelist with a real knack for writing characters that stick with you. She does not rely on heavy description or loud twists to make an impression. Instead, her protagonists feel like people you might know, with clear wants and quiet doubts. That grounded quality makes her stories easy to step into and hard to forget.

When it comes to keeping a reader entertained, Zhao has a light touch. Her plots move along at a good clip, but she never rushes past the small moments that make a scene matter. A conversation between friends or a moment of realization for a main character can carry as much weight as any big action set piece. This balance between pace and feeling is one of her clear strengths as a writer.

Her gift for crafting compelling narratives also shows up in how she handles story structure. Zhao does not need flashy gimmicks to hold attention. She trusts her characters to lead the way, and that trust pays off. The result is fiction that feels honest, fresh, and genuinely engaging from start to finish.

Zhao’s characters tend to stick with readers long after the last page. They are written with small, real details that make them easy to care about. A character might worry about school, friends, or what comes next in life. Those familiar feelings help readers feel seen, which makes the story hit closer to home.

At the same time, Zhao gives her readers a clean path out of their own daily worries. Her worlds are not magical or far fetched. But they are just different enough from real life to offer a break. A reader can step into one of her books and forget their own to do list for a while.

That mix of real feeling and gentle escape is rare in young adult fiction. Zhao does not need dragons or secret kingdoms to pull it off. She simply builds people and situations that feel true, then lets those stories carry the reader away. The result is a kind of escape that feels both welcome and earned.

She entertains readers from different countries without chasing trends or trying to please everyone at once. She stays true to her own voice and the kinds of stories she wants to tell. That honesty comes through on the page. Readers around the world often notice when a writer is being real, and that is part of why her books travel well.

Her characters face problems that are specific but still easy to understand. A young adult in one culture might not share every detail of Zhao’s main character’s life. But feelings like wanting to be heard or struggling to fit in are pretty universal. That shared ground helps her stories reach people far from where they were written.

Zhao does not water down her ideas or change her style to match what is popular. She writes what matters to her, and that focus makes the work stronger. Her readers get something that feels fresh and honest, not like a copy of something else. In the end, being true to herself is also what keeps her audience coming back for more.

Ann Zhao is not finished yet. She has more young adult stories on the way. Her skills with character and narrative will likely keep growing. Readers can look forward to what she does next.

Early and Personal Life

Ann Zhao grew up in the same state where she now lives, Illinois, with her family nearby. Her path toward writing likely began in a familiar way: hours spent reading for pleasure as a young person. That love of stories later took her to Wellesley College, where she majored in linguistics, added a minor in women’s and gender studies, and worked on both the student newspaper and a campus radio station.

While in college, she also helped process interlibrary loans at the school library and assisted with research in two different linguistics labs. One of those labs was based at another college entirely, which kept her moving between campuses. All those activities were interesting, but they did not leave much open time for her own creative writing.

These days, Ann works at a public library helping young readers at the youth desk. She writes in the evenings and, more honestly, sometimes during the day too. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, and knitting, though she does not enjoy tidying up afterward. She prefers cassette tapes over vinyl records, believes strongly in getting enough sleep, and cares deeply about seeing diverse faces and voices in the books she reads and writes.

Writing Career

Ann Zhao made her novel debut with Dear Wendy, which came out in 2024. She also wrote a short story titled “Kimberly Ma Meets Her Match” for an anthology called Being Aro, released on May 26, 2026. That story follows a high school matchmaking fundraiser that does not go the way anyone expected.

Her anthology piece features characters and a plot that fit her usual style of grounded, entertaining young adult fiction. She continues to write, so readers can expect more from her in the future.

Dear Wendy

Ann Zhao authored the contemporary romance Dear Wendy. Feiwel & Friends released the novel on April 16, 2024. The book was her debut work of young adult fiction.

Sophie Chi is a first year student at Wellesley College, though her parents wanted her to attend a different kind of school. She identifies as aromantic and asexual and runs a popular Instagram account called “Dear Wendy” that gives relationship advice to other students. Another first year, Joanna “Jo” Ephron, started a second account called “Sincerely Wanda” without much planning, and now a friendly rivalry may exist between the two. Sophie and Jo grow closer in real life, bonding over their shared aroace identities, but a question remains: what happens if they each learn who is really behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?

Readers can enjoy this book without knowing much about it ahead of time. The characters feel real and easy to root for from the first page. The story moves along at a nice pace and stays interesting throughout. Anyone looking for a fun, thoughtful read will likely be pleased.