“Meet AnnMarie. She’s 13, pregnant and living in a gang-ridden housing project. Not a promising scenario. But the heroine of Weyer’s luminous debut turns out to be a survivor with rare spirit. She gets herself cast in an indie movie, attends its Sundance premiere and then, back in the ‘hood, struggles to build a life for herself and her baby. AnneMarie is based on a real person, which makes it all the sweeter to cheer her on.” —People, four stars

“I couldn’t put this book down. This world, this voice, this young woman are all so vividly raw and honest, that my heart was broken open, and I was hooked until the very last page.” —Kerry Washington, actress, Scandal and Django Unchained

“[Weyer] writes with confidence and agility, and readers will quickly sink into the groove of her storytelling … AnnMarie’s interior monologues feel hypnotic and impromptu, silkily cadenced with what freestyle rappers call flow … On the Come Up isn’t a cloying rags-to-celebrity tale … ‘Having gone out into the world and come back again’ gives AnnMarie a glimpse of a future beyond Far Rockaway. Ms. Weyer convincingly charts the brave steps she takes to get there.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Hannah Weyer proves to be a formidable ventriloquist … [C]onvincing and colorful … [A] moving account of AnnMarie’s struggle to free herself of her baby’s poisonous father and leverage her experiences into a better life.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“On the Come Up is the kind of novel I am always looking for but so rarely find. Hannah Weyer captures the voices of her characters and describes their world with clarity and humanity. An auspicious start for a talented writer.” —George Pelecanos

“I fell in love with AnnMarie Walker, a hopeful and headstrong heroine who invents her own chances, turning the smallest opportunities into rare achievements. Here’s a book for anyone who’s ever seen the way the sun shines in a classroom they cannot enter and still wanted that light to shine on them. First you have to want it and this is how it’s done, from victim to victor. A remarkable gift to readers.” —Tupelo Hassman, author of Girlchild

“Pitch-perfect. It’s impossible not to root for AnnMarie, a heroine as resilient as she is vulnerable. Weyer is a deeply humane writer who pulls the reader into an inner-city world that’s utterly distinct, yet profoundly relatable.” —Jonathan Odell, author of The Healing

“A vibrant debut novel … Weyer’s compassionate storytelling lends her compelling novel an inspiring pathos without losing its sharp, realistic edge.” —Publishers Weekly

“AnnMarie is a tenacious and lovable character. It is easy to root for her as she gropes and stumbles her way through the lessons of life without the benefit of role models or money, and the conclusions she comes to are surprisingly pertinent for all. Fans of Sapphire’s Push will especially appreciate the honesty and realism of filmmaker and first-novelist Weyer’s writing.” —Booklist