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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this was such an enjoyable and lovely read <3 even though it's a debut novel, the writing and the idea overall were wonderful!
i think the story is mainly focused on alice's struggles, and i can assure the author portrayed most of them really well. back in high school, i also used to be a nerd craving for academic validation, lmao, but i'm currently in my burnt out phase. so, if the book had been published a few years ago, i am pretty sure i would have related even more to the main character. however, i can still see myself in most of her personal conflicts. being an overachiever and always pushing herself to be the best is a mood, yes. but the not having enough money part also hit me. i turned out to become one of those people who can't really ask for anything. i grew up in a lower-middle class family, so i couldn't always get what other kids had. nowadays, if somebody spends money on me, i feel super guilty. even if there are things i really need, i think i would rather die than asking for them. so yeah. i can understand why alice decided to start making some morally questionable decisions. she would rather monetize her invisibility than having to leave her dream school or having to admit she really needed some money to stay in. of course, things worsened as the story progressed but, once again, i can't really blame alice because i kinda know what it feels like to be in that position of not being able to ask for something you crave. on the other hand, there was also a super relatable part in the beginning, in which she realizes she's friendly with everyone but she's not friends with everyone. is it wrong if i almost cried to that one quote because of how much i could see myself in it? lmao. and, hell, her fear of failure is so immense... she's so me!
so yeah, alice is a morally gray character, an antihero or whatever you want to call her, but i could definitely understand why she made some of her decisions, even if my moral compass would never allow me to make them i get where she's coming from.
and let's talk about henry li, my beloved <3 i really could not care less if some people think he's flat, he got me smiling, blushing and kicking my feet almost everytime he talked. when he pretended to be in love with jake? he had me laughing like an idiot. when he realizes alice thinks they hate each other and he quickly tries to make clear that he does not? i couldn't stop smiling. him being super devoted to the whole beijing ghost app just because he gets to spend time with alice? malewife energy that i absolutely love to see. him supporting her in front of her disappointed parents? i died. he's just one of my fav book boyfriends ever and i can't wait to read his pov <3
as to some other small details, i'd like to highlight some, such as alice's parents having a "broken" english. i mean, maybe it is not a big deal but i just felt like it was relevant. also, i thought it was funny that chanel's mom was named coco, idk, when i realized i was just like "oh, lol"
even though i loved the ending and i enjoyed seeing alice grow up and starting to appreciate the little things in her life, im upset bc we never really got a proper explanation to alice's powers. i am guessing she just turned invisible every time she felt that way and couldn't handle her feelings but that's just a self-made theory. also, there were little details like her lack of sleep not being properly showed which were a bit disappointing to notice.
however, as i stated in the beginning, it is a really nice story and i am so happy i got to read it!
i think the story is mainly focused on alice's struggles, and i can assure the author portrayed most of them really well. back in high school, i also used to be a nerd craving for academic validation, lmao, but i'm currently in my burnt out phase. so, if the book had been published a few years ago, i am pretty sure i would have related even more to the main character. however, i can still see myself in most of her personal conflicts. being an overachiever and always pushing herself to be the best is a mood, yes. but the not having enough money part also hit me. i turned out to become one of those people who can't really ask for anything. i grew up in a lower-middle class family, so i couldn't always get what other kids had. nowadays, if somebody spends money on me, i feel super guilty. even if there are things i really need, i think i would rather die than asking for them. so yeah. i can understand why alice decided to start making some morally questionable decisions. she would rather monetize her invisibility than having to leave her dream school or having to admit she really needed some money to stay in. of course, things worsened as the story progressed but, once again, i can't really blame alice because i kinda know what it feels like to be in that position of not being able to ask for something you crave. on the other hand, there was also a super relatable part in the beginning, in which she realizes she's friendly with everyone but she's not friends with everyone. is it wrong if i almost cried to that one quote because of how much i could see myself in it? lmao. and, hell, her fear of failure is so immense... she's so me!
so yeah, alice is a morally gray character, an antihero or whatever you want to call her, but i could definitely understand why she made some of her decisions, even if my moral compass would never allow me to make them i get where she's coming from.
and let's talk about henry li, my beloved <3 i really could not care less if some people think he's flat, he got me smiling, blushing and kicking my feet almost everytime he talked. when he pretended to be in love with jake? he had me laughing like an idiot. when he realizes alice thinks they hate each other and he quickly tries to make clear that he does not? i couldn't stop smiling. him being super devoted to the whole beijing ghost app just because he gets to spend time with alice? malewife energy that i absolutely love to see. him supporting her in front of her disappointed parents? i died. he's just one of my fav book boyfriends ever and i can't wait to read his pov <3
as to some other small details, i'd like to highlight some, such as alice's parents having a "broken" english. i mean, maybe it is not a big deal but i just felt like it was relevant. also, i thought it was funny that chanel's mom was named coco, idk, when i realized i was just like "oh, lol"
even though i loved the ending and i enjoyed seeing alice grow up and starting to appreciate the little things in her life, im upset bc we never really got a proper explanation to alice's powers. i am guessing she just turned invisible every time she felt that way and couldn't handle her feelings but that's just a self-made theory. also, there were little details like her lack of sleep not being properly showed which were a bit disappointing to notice.
however, as i stated in the beginning, it is a really nice story and i am so happy i got to read it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Classism, and Hate crime
Moderate: Confinement and Child abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Fatphobia
kari_f's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sometimes a book hits you at just the right time, and this was one of those for me! After having read several horror and suspense novels, If You Could See the Sun was a fun story that kept me engaged the entire way through.
Some things I enjoyed:
🖊️ Academic rivals! This one of my favorite tropes of all time, and I loved how the author put this one down on the page. The rivalry and trash talk and banter were so much fun!
✏️ The deeper look into socioeconomic discrepancies when it comes to quality of education and connections that go a long way in determining financial success.
🖊️ Magical realism. I love magical realism as a genre! I don’t want to give anything away about the end, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed how the author handled the magical ability from beginning to end. I can see why some may not like the conclusion, but I was very pleased that the author went the way she did.
✏️ The social life of the protagonist. I enjoyed her social journey as she calls out others for their privileged behaviors but also realizes that many of the assumptions she has had about some of her peers were not completely accurate.
Things I wished:
🖊️ I did wish there was a bit more in the wrap-up. It felt very quick compared to the rest of the book, and I would have loved a bit more to the ending.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It was light and fun for the most part, with some great depth I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I’ve been feeling a bit “over” YA lately, but I had a fun time with this debut and would gladly read the author’s next book!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the advanced readers copy!
Some things I enjoyed:
🖊️ Academic rivals! This one of my favorite tropes of all time, and I loved how the author put this one down on the page. The rivalry and trash talk and banter were so much fun!
✏️ The deeper look into socioeconomic discrepancies when it comes to quality of education and connections that go a long way in determining financial success.
🖊️ Magical realism. I love magical realism as a genre! I don’t want to give anything away about the end, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed how the author handled the magical ability from beginning to end. I can see why some may not like the conclusion, but I was very pleased that the author went the way she did.
✏️ The social life of the protagonist. I enjoyed her social journey as she calls out others for their privileged behaviors but also realizes that many of the assumptions she has had about some of her peers were not completely accurate.
Things I wished:
🖊️ I did wish there was a bit more in the wrap-up. It felt very quick compared to the rest of the book, and I would have loved a bit more to the ending.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It was light and fun for the most part, with some great depth I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I’ve been feeling a bit “over” YA lately, but I had a fun time with this debut and would gladly read the author’s next book!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the advanced readers copy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Kidnapping
mysterymom40's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Confinement, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy and Infidelity
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Attending an elite boarding school in China means that Alice always kind of feels left out. As the only scholarship student, she dosen't really fit in with her rich, high society classmates. So when Alice actually gets the ability to turn invisible, it doesn't feel much different from normal.
When Alice's parents can no longer find the money to help pay for her tuition, she comes up with a scheme to raise the money, using her newfound invisibility. She'll sell the darkest secrets of her classmates and get information no one else can. But when the scheme starts to turn towards the more criminal side, Alice has to decide if it's worth it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced copy of this to review! What immediately drew me in was the cover; it might make the light for one of the best covers that I've seen all year. How can you not want to read that book just by looking at the cover? It's so intriguing!
But I digress. Luckily, the story inside the book was just as enticing at the cover. We get a bit of academic rivals to enemies, and trust me. You can feel that tension almost from the beginning. You're going to be rooting for them throughout the entire book, even as they get deeper into a possible criminal enterprise. Liang did a great job creating these three dimensional characters who are doing some shady things, but you still fall in love with them anyway. Give me a good morally grey character any day.
And the premise! Alice is kind of exposing the underbelling of the Beijing elite, willing to do whatever it takes to get the money she needs. You know she's going to get trapped in some kind of morally questionable situation, and it's what really drives teh story. I was hooked into this intrigued, and enjoyed the way Liang wove the supernatural into it. I think a lot of teens will really loved this story!
All in all, if you like genre-blended kind of stories with a tense plot and good characters, I'd highly recommend picking this one up!
------
Rivals to lovers set in China, with a bit of a supernatural angle. Such a great read! Stay tuned for a full review to come!
When Alice's parents can no longer find the money to help pay for her tuition, she comes up with a scheme to raise the money, using her newfound invisibility. She'll sell the darkest secrets of her classmates and get information no one else can. But when the scheme starts to turn towards the more criminal side, Alice has to decide if it's worth it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced copy of this to review! What immediately drew me in was the cover; it might make the light for one of the best covers that I've seen all year. How can you not want to read that book just by looking at the cover? It's so intriguing!
But I digress. Luckily, the story inside the book was just as enticing at the cover. We get a bit of academic rivals to enemies, and trust me. You can feel that tension almost from the beginning. You're going to be rooting for them throughout the entire book, even as they get deeper into a possible criminal enterprise. Liang did a great job creating these three dimensional characters who are doing some shady things, but you still fall in love with them anyway. Give me a good morally grey character any day.
And the premise! Alice is kind of exposing the underbelling of the Beijing elite, willing to do whatever it takes to get the money she needs. You know she's going to get trapped in some kind of morally questionable situation, and it's what really drives teh story. I was hooked into this intrigued, and enjoyed the way Liang wove the supernatural into it. I think a lot of teens will really loved this story!
All in all, if you like genre-blended kind of stories with a tense plot and good characters, I'd highly recommend picking this one up!
------
Rivals to lovers set in China, with a bit of a supernatural angle. Such a great read! Stay tuned for a full review to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, and Cursing
Minor: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I absolutely could not put this book down.
This is the best combination of so many types of genres and stories; it's got supernatural abilities, and romance, and class struggles, and heists, and so much heart. It's such a page turner that I read almost the entire thing today--I just needed to find out what happened.
This is such an amazing YA debut and I can't wait to read Ann Liang's future work. Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.
This is the best combination of so many types of genres and stories; it's got supernatural abilities, and romance, and class struggles, and heists, and so much heart. It's such a page turner that I read almost the entire thing today--I just needed to find out what happened.
This is such an amazing YA debut and I can't wait to read Ann Liang's future work. Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Infidelity, Confinement, and Child abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, and Racism
bookwormbullet's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Racism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
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