YOU CAN’T STAY HERE FOREVER on Steven Soderbergh’s Seen, Read 2023

You Can’t Stay Here Forever makes Steven Soderbergh’s Seen, Read 2023

Moms Don’t Have time to Read Books Podcast Episode with Katherine Lin

Zibby Owens interviews Katherine Lin on her debut novel You Can’t Stay Here Forever. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Katherine Lin delves into her newest novel, which explores young widow Ellie Huang's journey through loss, and her escape to the French Riviera with her best friend Mable. The narrative sheds light on complex female friendships and mother-daughter dynamics, influenced by Katherine's own experiences. The setting, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, adds a touch of escapism while revealing the characters' inner demons. Katherine also touches on handling rejection in the literary world, highlighting the grit required for aspiring authors. Through humor and insightful discussions, Katherine and Zibby explore the book's nuanced portrayals of relationships and self-discovery.

“[Lin] has complicated things to say about privilege and its intersection with race, ambition, and identity.”

“Lin's treatment of the glamorous, decadent setting, with its stream of gourmet meals and artisanal cocktails, is far from escapist wealth porn—she has complicated things to say about privilege and its intersection with race, ambition, and identity.” – NPR’s The Weekly Reader

Late Night with Seth Meyers Podcast Presents Late Night Lit with Katherine Lin

Late Night supervising producer Sarah Jenks-Daly interviews Katherine Lin, author of the new novel You Can't Stay Here Forever. Listen on NBC, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

People Magazine’s MUST-READS FOR SUMMER

“After her husband dies in a car wreck, Ellie Huang learns he’d been two-timing her for years. Luckily, a huge insurance payout allows her to nurse her wounds at a French resort. Don’t miss this trip.” – People Magazine, June 5 issue

“Katherine Lin enters the canon with her debut novel…a subtle, character-driven story...”

"The Shady Husband Mystery is its own literary subgenre....Katherine Lin enters the canon with her debut novel....a subtle, character-driven story about interracial marriage...[and] opposites-attract friendship....Through memories, Lin skillfully reveals Ellie and Ian’s marriage of contrasts....Lin is deft and never overbearing in her handling of race..." – The New York Times Book Review

Good Morning America’s 15 June Books that everyone will be soon reading

“Feel like taking a trip to Hotel du Cap in the south of France? Just open up Katherine Lin's new novel about female friendship, identity, ambition and love. Asian American protagonist Ellie uses her late husband's insurance policy to cope with the news that he had been betraying her with a law firm colleague in this beautiful, atmospheric read.”– Good Morning America’s 15 June Books That Everyone Will Be Soon Reading

She finds out her dead husband cheated on her. So she heads to France.

“Katherine Lin's novel 'You Can’t Stay Here Forever' follows a strait-laced San Francisco lawyer who eschews therapy and heads to a ultra-rich hotel.” – Michael Schaub’s interview with Katherine Lin

Philadelphia Inquirer’s Best New Books to Read in June

“After losing her husband (and finding out he was cheating), a young widow takes the life insurance money and runs to the French Riviera to drink wine and get lost in luxury for a while. There will be twists.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

Boston Globe’s Best New Books for Summer 2023

“In the wake of losing her husband and discovering his infidelity, newlywed Ellie Huang escapes the Bay Area with her unmoored best friend to a luxury hotel in the South of France. Entangled with a mysterious couple, Ellie reevaluates her formerly picture-perfect life in this transportive debut.” – Boston Globe

Los Angeles times’ 10 books to add to your reading list this june

“Ellie Huang, newly widowed, flees to the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, with her best friend Mabel Chou after Ellie discovers her late husband had long been cheating on her. At first, hanging out in the luxurious digs suits her perfectly. But as she and Mabel discover that their attitudes toward privilege — not to mention their fellow guests — differ wildly, Ellie will have to make some painful choices about how, and with whom, she’ll move into the future.” – Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Chronicle’s 17 Books we can’t wait to read this summer

“Also making her debut is Bay Area author and attorney Katherine Lin. Escaping San Francisco becomes an immediate priority when Lin’s protagonist, a lawyer named Ellie, tragically becomes a young widow. Relief comes in the form of a luxurious getaway to the French Riviera, where Ellie begins to unravel uncomfortable truths about her marriage and the life she’s put on pause back in the Bay Area.” - San Francisco Chronicle

DEBUTIFUL’S BEST DEBUT BOOKS OF 2023

“Lin’s pitch-perfect characters coupled with thoughtful reflections on love and privilege make this an unforgettable read. This book will grab you and not let you go from the very first page to the last period.” – Debutiful’s Best Debut Books of 2023 (so far)

Katherine Lin on NPR’s Gulf Coast Life Book Club with Cary Barbor

“In Katherine Lin’s new novel You Can’t Stay Here Forever, twenty-eight-year-old San Francisco attorney Ellie Huang loses her husband Ian in a car accident. Just as that shock is setting in, she gets another one: that Ian was cheating on her with one of her colleagues at her law firm. Ellie—never an impulsive person—takes Ian’s life insurance settlement to fund a long trip to Hotel-du-Cap Eden Roc in the south of France. She brings her best friend Mable Chou and there, in luxurious surroundings, they befriend an American couple. Despite the gorgeous surroundings and plentiful flowing wine, everyone’s underlying problems start to crop up.” – Listen to Katherine Lin talk about her book with Cary Barbor

Book Pages Q&A With Katherine Lin

“Lin told interviewer Michael Schaub that she was inspired in part by Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels quartet. Here, she answers the Book Pages Q&A about books, reading and a secret about her book.” – The Book Pages with Michael Schaub

Katherine Lin Recommends 7 Books About Friendships In Your 20s on Electric Lit

“….While writing, my North Stars were books that recognized the power, significance, and influence of friendships in your 20s. The below books have friendships that, even if begun in childhood, remained significant in the early years of adulthood. The books remind me of my own friendships in my 20s, the ways we did right by each other, and the ways we let each other down. They remind me of racing to happy hour, finding your friend already waiting for you at the bar, and then spending the rest of the night talking about the person you hope to be. They remind me of growing up…”–7 Books about Friendships In Your 20s

Katherine Lin’s Playlist for Her Novel on Largehearted boy

“I write best when listening to music. Perfect conditions would be listening to music on noise-cancelling headphones, ideally at dawn, and most ideally looking out onto an empty white-sands beach in a vacation house all to myself (this last scenario has never happened). I find that writing comes easier to me when I am feeling the same emotion as the characters in the scene I am working on–and nothing is more efficient and effective in transporting me to specific moods than music...” – Largehearted Boy

Bay City Books’ new Books From Bay Area Authors

“Days after her husband dies in a car accident, Ellie Huang finds out he had been cheating on her with one of her colleagues at a San Francisco law firm. Distraught, she escapes with her best friend to the French Riveria, convinced that immersing herself in the sun, sand, gourmet food, and wine at a luxurious resort will help her come to grips with her loss and betrayal. But Ellie’s escape turns into a reckoning as she is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.”– Bay City Books’ ‘The Brightest State’ and Other New Books from Bay Area Authors, June 2023

“a heartwarming novel…the Asian American perspective of living in a dominantly wealthy and privileged white society”

“Lin’s debut is a heartwarming novel about self-discovery after loss, as she explores grief, deep disappointment, female relationships, and the Asian American perspective of living in a dominantly wealthy and privileged white society.”– Booklist

“Pitch perfect characters coupled with thoughtful reflections . . . an unforgettable read”

“A young widow flees her reality for the French Riviera to grieve, reflect, and discover her new place in the world. This is the literary version of The White Lotus. Lin’s pitch-perfect characters coupled with thoughtful reflections on love and privilege make this an unforgettable read. This book will grab you and not let you go from the very first page to the last period.” – Debutiful’s Can’t Miss Debut Books You Should Read in June