5 Reasons Why You Should Stan Chloe Gong

I am literally on my knees for the young bestselling author and it girl, Chloe Gong, and here’s why you should too! 

She is an icon; she is a legend; she is the moment. The almost-23-year-old New York writer is on top of her game with her back-to-back releases and another one coming in 2023. Gong’s hit debut novel, These Violent Delights, landed on the New York Times bestseller list in the last three years of her career. This followed its sequel, the emotionally damaging Our Violent Ends, and her newest book, Foul Lady Fortune. 

Giving her all since first hitting the shelves at 21, the girl shows no signs of stopping with her upcoming releases Immortal Longing and novellas bridging her two novels. The Shanghai-born and Auckland-raised young author makes a mark in the industry as the baddest bitch in town. As her duology pushed boundaries breaking gender and Asian stereotypes through political references, imagine what else Gong could do!

These heirs think themselves kings and queens, sitting on a throne of gold and overlooking a glittering, wealthy empire. 

They are not. They are criminals—criminals at the top of an empire of thieves and drug lords and pimps, preparing to inherit a broken, terrible, defeated thing that looks upon them in sadness.

– Chloe Gong, ‘These Violent Delights’

Here are five reasons why you should stan Chloe Gong

Asian Representation

Being raised in Auckland, New Zealand never stopped Gong from diving into her Chinese roots. She even brought it into writing with her debut duology with a mix of historical and political references. What a great way to start her writing career by establishing her cultural identity as of Chinese descent.

Gong’s These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends included a mix of cultures and languages such as Russian, American, French, and many more. All these through the perspective of Shanghai during the 20s. However, with the rise of capitalism and globalization, the protagonist Juliette efforts to put her people above the foreign. Hence, I could see Gong as her main character – a strong woman who returns to fight for the country after immersing herself in Western cultures.

Started Young

Gong started her journey as a writer and author gradually. From a child in a library to a young adult in New York, she found a home between pages of books and stories. At the young age of 13, she devoured the YA section of her local library in Auckland and started writing for the sake of entertainment. She never imagined she would be a bestselling author right after her first year studying English and international relations at the University of Pennsylvania.

She began writing These Violent Delights at 19 years old and published it in 2020 during the pandemic. Gong never stopped writing and producing manuscripts since then. Talk about true passion!

Dedicated Fangirl

From her library ventures, Gong grew to love the works of Cassandra Clare, Laini Taylor, and Maggie Stievfater. You could tell she loves fantasy novels. Growing up through Tumblr fandom spaces added to her admiration for these authors. This eventually inspired her to do her own writing.

Also as expected, Chloe Gong is a swiftie! Since Taylor Swift‘s album came out, the girl has never stopped fawning over her lyrics. She even started linking it to her stories. In fact, she continues to post them on her TikTok account.

@thechloegong this is supposed to be a glitter gel pen song bUT THESE LYRICS HIT #booktok #swifttok ♬ nico loves lwui and karma – Niko

Funny TikToker

Speaking of TikTok, of course, she has one! Aside from her swiftie content, she also posts aesthetic mini vlogs and funny book-related videos as well. For the most part, though, she flexes her own novels and author adventures on TikTok. As she should! She deserves all the hype as the most unproblematic author there is.

@thechloegong

Genius Writer

To be frank, initially getting into her first book, was a struggle. I’m not quite a fan of slow-paced stories, but her work was definitely worth it. Reading the second became smoother for me as I felt the rush of excitement toward the ending. I actually ended up finishing it in a day and a half.

Gong’s writing style is a combination of all the authors she has read, which makes it easier for a lot of readers to submerge themselves into the story. Furthermore, I always appreciate authors who try their best to discuss current societal issues in their books. Her duology included several important topics such as social classes, capitalism, colonialism, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Chloe Gong gained the heart of GenZ readers through her inspiring journey and immaculate stories.

Being a year younger than her makes me seriously question my life right now. Imagine being named one of the youngest bestselling authors while being able to live in New York City. She is truly living the dream of young writers out there.

Are you also fond of Chloe Gong? Share your thoughts in the comments!

More about the author: Lea Briones