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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
“Descartes was wrong, you know, when he said, 'To live well, you must live unseen.' To live well, you must learn to see yourself first. Do you understand what I'm saying?”
➽ If You Could See the Sun follows Alice, a student at a prestigious Beijing elite school who discovers she can turn invisible. I loved the premise, as I always appreciate a magical twist and the idea of an invisibility power was interesting to me. Alice's family is struggling financially and even with her scholarship she is close to having to drop out. She has never felt like she belonged there, which nicely ties in with feeling invisible with her emerging powers. At first, Alice has no idea how to control them, as they seem to be tied to her emotions. However, she quickly utilizes her invisibility to uncover her classmates' secrets in order to make money so that she can stay at the school. I liked the moral dilemma about her new business and how far she would invade other's privacy in order to stay afloat. Her co-conspirator is Henry, her arrogant rival and the only person who knows about her powers. I liked their romance, though I felt like Henry remained a bit shallow. The ending was a bit wild, but definitely had the suspense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Classism, Racism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse
drraytay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Kidnapping, and Child abuse
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
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
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