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If You Could See the Sun
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2022)Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.
But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.
In this genre-bending YA debut, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.
But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.
In this genre-bending YA debut, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.
345 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2022
About the author
Ann Liang
8 books6,968 followersAnn Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,643 reviews
February 25, 2022
This book does the academic rivals dynamic so perfectly that within 50 pages I was yelling "PLEASE KISS!!!" at the two main characters and it just gets better and better from there onward. Between the gorgeous writing and the incredible class commentary and Henry Li, if I wasn't squealing into my pillow, I was near tears at feeling seen by the Chinese culture and diaspora experience woven throughout.
An all-time top favorite.
Bonus—my fave quote out-of-context: “I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
An all-time top favorite.
Bonus—my fave quote out-of-context: “I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
Read
April 26, 2024i support women’s rights and women’s wrongs. blackmail is no exception.
March 22, 2023
get you a partner who immediately senses your presence even though you're physically invisible 🤩
April 25, 2024
5 stars ☆
⤿ spoiler-free review
tropes: academic rivals to lovers
this book is the first one i had read that was written by ann liang, and if you couldn't tell already, that decision to pick up the pretty blue book lying on a forgotten dusty shelf might've been the best i’ve ever made! if you could see the sun is more than a simple romcom: it's a book that seamlessly weaves the analysis of privilege, a need to pursue dreams no matter what the cost, and the desperation to make something of yourself. i love how ann makes you re-examine what you thought about the characters you've previously been introduced to. it's like she writes intricate ideas for each person in her books, pushing aside any preconceived notions and letting readers adore all of her protagonists whole-heartedly. i promise that the writing in this will make you feel seen like no other book has before, leaving you wanting more even after flipping the last page!
⤿ the plot. haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you were invisible? what would you do? what could you accomplish or find out if nobody knew you were there? alice sun has felt unknown all her life, and as she continues attending an international boarding school in beijing, this feeling of invisibility has only grown. but it was just a feeling, until one day, her emotional turmoil became a different physical problem. when alice's parents let her know that they can no longer afford to pay for her education, she comes up with a somewhat ingenious idea, which utilizes her newfound power: to create an app called beijing ghost. with the help of henry li, my favorite character, (shocking, i know, try to contain your gasps for now) maybe, if she can carry out simple tasks for others, alice can take the stress off of her hard-working parents. however, as these escalate from mild to borderline criminal, alice has to make a choice: will her perfectionism ultimately be her downfall? and will she have to sacrifice education in order to stand by her morals?
i think this concept was executed brilliantly, full of fitting metaphors for feeling unseen. many people feel invisible because they are invisible to themselves. by this, i mean ignoring your own feelings, putting others' needs before your own, or even having facets of your personality for each situation. it's just the magic of if you could see the sun! there are many hidden life lessons and characters that you can fall in love with so easily.
꒰ 🦢𖥻 alice sun. i believe that the author dedicated her to all the people who have tried so hard and nothing comes out of it. the people that have a desire to always reach for perfection, a want to be perceived as someone with no cracks in the armor, and to be loved and treated with the utmost respect. her growth was portrayed so realistically, and i loved reading about the beautiful transition where alice slowly becomes one of the most endearing, fierce, and determined girls i’ve ever read about. now, i can see how she comes off as snobby to many other readers, and who’s to say that this perspective is wrong? however, i just look at her through the lens of someone who has felt like a constant critic of herself, an intrinsic motivation to be the best at all costs. she’s a love letter written to the people who feel invisible.
꒰🎧𖥻 henry li. the best three words to describe him would be “an oblivious gentleman.” his little outburst of “wait. we hate each other?” was so pure, he’s genuinely such a funny partner in crime. henry projects a facade of utter self-confidence, but i love how as i progressed through the book, i began to learn about his depth. the blessing of having everything you could ever want comes with the struggles of thinking that failure isn’t an option. henry battles this feeling of injustice and unfairness which is the end result of a realization that not everyone is as well-off like he is. he was also just so mature, showing alice that growing up in a comfortable setting doesn’t mean that you are always immune to life’s hardships.
links.
my playlist
where you can buy the book
⤿ bottom line. if you have to read any rom-com this year, read this one. or read any one of ann liang's books for that matter! (for me please, i swear you won't regret it. now go read one of her books and thank me later)
p.s. if you don't, just act as if you love it for my sake <3
⤿ spoiler-free review
tropes: academic rivals to lovers
✧.➛ “and everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that i’m almost afraid to hold it. afraid that the spell will break.”
this book is the first one i had read that was written by ann liang, and if you couldn't tell already, that decision to pick up the pretty blue book lying on a forgotten dusty shelf might've been the best i’ve ever made! if you could see the sun is more than a simple romcom: it's a book that seamlessly weaves the analysis of privilege, a need to pursue dreams no matter what the cost, and the desperation to make something of yourself. i love how ann makes you re-examine what you thought about the characters you've previously been introduced to. it's like she writes intricate ideas for each person in her books, pushing aside any preconceived notions and letting readers adore all of her protagonists whole-heartedly. i promise that the writing in this will make you feel seen like no other book has before, leaving you wanting more even after flipping the last page!
⤿ the plot. haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you were invisible? what would you do? what could you accomplish or find out if nobody knew you were there? alice sun has felt unknown all her life, and as she continues attending an international boarding school in beijing, this feeling of invisibility has only grown. but it was just a feeling, until one day, her emotional turmoil became a different physical problem. when alice's parents let her know that they can no longer afford to pay for her education, she comes up with a somewhat ingenious idea, which utilizes her newfound power: to create an app called beijing ghost. with the help of henry li, my favorite character, (shocking, i know, try to contain your gasps for now) maybe, if she can carry out simple tasks for others, alice can take the stress off of her hard-working parents. however, as these escalate from mild to borderline criminal, alice has to make a choice: will her perfectionism ultimately be her downfall? and will she have to sacrifice education in order to stand by her morals?
i think this concept was executed brilliantly, full of fitting metaphors for feeling unseen. many people feel invisible because they are invisible to themselves. by this, i mean ignoring your own feelings, putting others' needs before your own, or even having facets of your personality for each situation. it's just the magic of if you could see the sun! there are many hidden life lessons and characters that you can fall in love with so easily.
✧.➛ “i’ve spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i’ve also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too, like how the tiny cracks on a polished vase only become visible under scrutiny.”
꒰ 🦢𖥻 alice sun. i believe that the author dedicated her to all the people who have tried so hard and nothing comes out of it. the people that have a desire to always reach for perfection, a want to be perceived as someone with no cracks in the armor, and to be loved and treated with the utmost respect. her growth was portrayed so realistically, and i loved reading about the beautiful transition where alice slowly becomes one of the most endearing, fierce, and determined girls i’ve ever read about. now, i can see how she comes off as snobby to many other readers, and who’s to say that this perspective is wrong? however, i just look at her through the lens of someone who has felt like a constant critic of herself, an intrinsic motivation to be the best at all costs. she’s a love letter written to the people who feel invisible.
✧.➛“yes, is the obvious answer. i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i’m around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.”
✧.➛“the neglected ones, the unlucky ones, the ones who want more than they've been give. the ones who have to crawl and scrape and fight their way up from the very bottom, who have to game a system designed for them to lose. always the first to be punished and blamed when things go wrong. always the last to be seen, to be saved.”
꒰🎧𖥻 henry li. the best three words to describe him would be “an oblivious gentleman.” his little outburst of “wait. we hate each other?” was so pure, he’s genuinely such a funny partner in crime. henry projects a facade of utter self-confidence, but i love how as i progressed through the book, i began to learn about his depth. the blessing of having everything you could ever want comes with the struggles of thinking that failure isn’t an option. henry battles this feeling of injustice and unfairness which is the end result of a realization that not everyone is as well-off like he is. he was also just so mature, showing alice that growing up in a comfortable setting doesn’t mean that you are always immune to life’s hardships.
links.
my playlist
where you can buy the book
⤿ bottom line. if you have to read any rom-com this year, read this one. or read any one of ann liang's books for that matter! (for me please, i swear you won't regret it. now go read one of her books and thank me later)
p.s. if you don't, just act as if you love it for my sake <3
August 10, 2022
a cute, lighthearted book that delivers exactly what it promises.
its the kind of fun story that is easy to get caught up in. between a girl who suddenly can become invisible, the shenanigans she gets up to, as well as the looming crush on her academic rival, this has a great set-up for an entertaining time.
an amusing debut that definitely has AL on my author watchlist.
thank you, inkyard press, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
its the kind of fun story that is easy to get caught up in. between a girl who suddenly can become invisible, the shenanigans she gets up to, as well as the looming crush on her academic rival, this has a great set-up for an entertaining time.
an amusing debut that definitely has AL on my author watchlist.
thank you, inkyard press, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
July 29, 2023
Wow! This was more entertaining, action packed and engaging than I expected!
When I saw the cover and read the blurb that mentions a Chinese American girl who is aspiring, brilliant scholarship student monetizes her power to pay her school fees, I expected to read something more dramatic, depressing and sad. I didn’t mean this book is not enough thought provoking with strong messages like criticizing class differences, racism, inequality, poverty but the way of giving those messages was brilliant! And I have to admit I truly sympathize with Alice from the first chapter where she eats a lunch with her family at a restaurant and feels something ominous about to come ( family eats lunch rarely: for birthdays, for deaths and for dramatic news)
As a successful student/ study machine of Airington College, Alice can only get partial scholarship and she finds out her family cannot afford the rest of her tuition. She has two options : going back to the states for attending a school located in Maine or even worse going to the public school in Beijing.
Deeply frustrated Alice has time to decide till the end of the semester. Clock is ticking!
When she thinks nothing can be worse than this situation, after an award ceremony and ugly banters with her nemesis Henry, she feels like something is truly wrong. She starts shivering, and a few seconds later she gets hyperventilating as if she’s suffering from fever and then BAM: She cannot see her own image in the mirror! She’s freaking invisible!
She needs to consult someone as genius as her: that means she needs her nemesis’ help! Maybe they can work on a special app called Beijing Ghost which can help the other students by reaching everywhere without being notice.
Alice thinks her secret power helps her get enough money to pay her tuition and help out her family’s financial problems. And her partner in crime Henry seems like not as annoying as she’s imagined. But knowledge is power and also too much uncontrollable power may ruin people’s lives. Alice is about to experience it from the first hand!
Fantasy meets enemies to lovers romance with powerful messages made me enjoy my reading a lot more than I expected.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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When I saw the cover and read the blurb that mentions a Chinese American girl who is aspiring, brilliant scholarship student monetizes her power to pay her school fees, I expected to read something more dramatic, depressing and sad. I didn’t mean this book is not enough thought provoking with strong messages like criticizing class differences, racism, inequality, poverty but the way of giving those messages was brilliant! And I have to admit I truly sympathize with Alice from the first chapter where she eats a lunch with her family at a restaurant and feels something ominous about to come ( family eats lunch rarely: for birthdays, for deaths and for dramatic news)
As a successful student/ study machine of Airington College, Alice can only get partial scholarship and she finds out her family cannot afford the rest of her tuition. She has two options : going back to the states for attending a school located in Maine or even worse going to the public school in Beijing.
Deeply frustrated Alice has time to decide till the end of the semester. Clock is ticking!
When she thinks nothing can be worse than this situation, after an award ceremony and ugly banters with her nemesis Henry, she feels like something is truly wrong. She starts shivering, and a few seconds later she gets hyperventilating as if she’s suffering from fever and then BAM: She cannot see her own image in the mirror! She’s freaking invisible!
She needs to consult someone as genius as her: that means she needs her nemesis’ help! Maybe they can work on a special app called Beijing Ghost which can help the other students by reaching everywhere without being notice.
Alice thinks her secret power helps her get enough money to pay her tuition and help out her family’s financial problems. And her partner in crime Henry seems like not as annoying as she’s imagined. But knowledge is power and also too much uncontrollable power may ruin people’s lives. Alice is about to experience it from the first hand!
Fantasy meets enemies to lovers romance with powerful messages made me enjoy my reading a lot more than I expected.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
December 30, 2023
academic rivals to lovers >>>
i feel like i’m in my ya era rn and i love ann liang’s writing style so much 😭 it’s pure comfort material tbh and i just wanna giggle and kick my legs up every time jsjdljdsfashkjfhkejrhegk henry li and alice sun are so cute !!
seriously though, alice is me. i am her. i could see myself in her so much, by the way she strove to gain academic excellence, the way she was so brave and determined and strong and would do anything to just please people, not figuring out what she wanted.
henry li with the praise kink. *gasp* but i loved him sm fr, he was so sweet and studious and cute and I WOULD DIE FOR HIM did i mention?? i love smart guys. gimme a soft, sweet, cute guy anytime and i’ll eat him up.
i adored the slow-burn in this!! it was barely even a kiss they had in the end lmao but the way everything came together was chef’s kiss. the writing, the characters, the plot, the fluffy cuteness gets me every single time. i do wish the enemies to lovers part had been played up to a little more, and the magic realism part too, because it wasn’t fully explained in the end what happened ⸺ but oh well. i enjoyed every bit, so i’m not gonna reduce the rating just because of that.
ANN LIANG NEVER FAILS TO DELIVER PERIOD
“i’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
i feel like i’m in my ya era rn and i love ann liang’s writing style so much 😭 it’s pure comfort material tbh and i just wanna giggle and kick my legs up every time jsjdljdsfashkjfhkejrhegk henry li and alice sun are so cute !!
“i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i’m around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.”
seriously though, alice is me. i am her. i could see myself in her so much, by the way she strove to gain academic excellence, the way she was so brave and determined and strong and would do anything to just please people, not figuring out what she wanted.
“i didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
henry li with the praise kink. *gasp* but i loved him sm fr, he was so sweet and studious and cute and I WOULD DIE FOR HIM did i mention?? i love smart guys. gimme a soft, sweet, cute guy anytime and i’ll eat him up.
i adored the slow-burn in this!! it was barely even a kiss they had in the end lmao but the way everything came together was chef’s kiss. the writing, the characters, the plot, the fluffy cuteness gets me every single time. i do wish the enemies to lovers part had been played up to a little more, and the magic realism part too, because it wasn’t fully explained in the end what happened ⸺ but oh well. i enjoyed every bit, so i’m not gonna reduce the rating just because of that.
ANN LIANG NEVER FAILS TO DELIVER PERIOD
June 24, 2023
Edit #2- I would just like to announce that my grandma now has a crush on Henry too😭👍
❣️I don’t need to BeReal, I need Henry Li to BeMyBoyfriend❣️
“Whatever happens, she’s more than smart enough to get through it, and I’ll be there to support her.”
Since this is a newer book, I’ll dive into the plot first before I write my wedding vows to Henry. I genuinely want people to read this book and not just watch me profess my love for him. We are blessed with Never Have I Ever type academic rivals to lovers (one sided hate >>>) and Rory Gilmore academic validation. Set at an elite boarding school in Beijing, asian drama meets Gossip Girl vibes. And to top it all off, magical realism (which surprised me lol)!! Alice is the perfect YA female main character. She is super relatable, I kept saying “me too sis”. She had some really great character growth, it was enjoyable watching her find her place. Of course, even as the “study machine” perfect child, she made some questionable decisions that almost landed herself in PRISON🤑💅✨✨. Alice is Anti-Hero and You’re On Your Own Kid by Taylor Swift <3. Henry had a crush on her the entire time and she was dead set on thinking he hated her😭. He was always there to help her but he also let her shine. Their teamwork was so freaking cute, especially with their banter. It felt so wholesome to me. My baby was just happy to spend time with Alice🥲. This was more action packed than expected and we live for the scandal😮💨. The characters, setting, plot and writing style were a dream. THE BEST YA BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!! ANN LIANG (who knew I was reading her book😭😭💕💕) IS MY NEW INSTANT BUY AUTHOR. This was her debut and it changed my life. I mean it.
“I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
“I can’t believe I ever wanted to push this boy off a stage.”
“Henry... Did you just admit that I’m smarter than you?”
“I bet the members of BTS could just call each other to help out with that kind of stuff.”
“Alice. You just bit me.”
OK CUE THE CAPS, IT’S TIME TO SCREAM ABOUT HENRY LI🥵🙌!! This was a buddy read with Maggie😋 and we both agree that HENRY IS LITERALLY MASTERMIND BY T-SWIZZLE👏!! Isn’t that ironic, since I would literally Mastermind and BRAIN WASH HIM INTO LOVING ME FOREVER. Did I mention that Henry is also a SWIFTIE?! GOD IT’S ME AGAIN. HE IS MY YA AARON BLACKFORD (y’all know I never shut up about him - we’re talking ELITE, LOML, FELT IN MY SOUL, THIS IS RARE obsessions). PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME!!! HENRY IS THE EXACT GUY I WOULD HAVE A CRUSH ON IRL. THIS MAKES ME SAD MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE WAS NOTHING LIKE THIS. IT’S LIKE ANN LIANG LOOKED IN MY MIND, AT THE BOY I’VE ALWAYS WANTED AND THEN ✨BAM✨ THE UNIVERSE SENDS ME THIS BOOK AS AN APOLOGY FOR THE TRASH GUYS MY AGE AND MY LAME UNROMANTIC HIGH SCHOOL YEARS. AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, HENRY LI ISN’T REAL. HE’S JUST WORDS ON PAPER. WELL GUESS WHAT!! I HAVE VERY REAL FEELINGS FOR SAID WORDS ON PAPER!!!!!! I see that “why do you like him so much” trend all over insta-
“It’s the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you make me feel inside”… YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO COMMENT @HENRYLI UNDER ALL THOSE VIDEOS🫡. TELL ME WHY EVERY SINGLE CUTESY LOVE SONG REMINDS ME OF HIM NOW😠. MENTALLY HE IS MY HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART. IT’S THE FIRST LOVE FOR ME, HE’S SO LOYAL. OF COURSE HE HAS AN ENGLISH ACCENT, LOOKS LIKE LITERAL ART AND HE’S SMART- SMART ENOUGH TO WIN JEOPARDY SMART😩!! OH TO BE THAT ONE PERSON HENRY ISN’T DISTANT WITH. THE ONE HE TEASES AND LAUGHS WITH. THE ONE HE’D WAIT FOR TO START OFFICIALLY DATING😭😭😭. ALICE IS A MUCH STRONGER SOLDIER THAN ME BECAUSE AFTER 0.2 SECONDS OF HENRY LI EYE CONTACT, WITH HIS CUTE PINK EARS WHEN HE BLUSHES, I WOULD LITERALLY DIE DEAD, COULDN’T BREATHE ANYMORE SO I DIED REST IN PEACE ME #RIP. AND IT TOOK THESE TWO 299792458 YEARS TO KISS I-
I think God is toying with me because I keep seeing,
🙏"manifesting a hot tall nerdy guy who has no play and only wants me”🙏 everywhere and it’s becoming a PERSONAL ATTACK!!! I’M STILL FLABBERGASTED THAT HENRY IS LITERALLY MY DREAM BOYFRIEND. I had to write this rant in mostly caps so you could see the URGENCY. As much as I want to gatekeep Henry🥹🥹, READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE THAT CUTE, LIGHTHEARTED HIGH SCHOOL MAGIC. I CANNOT WAIT TO WATCH HENRYALICE IN THE SERIES AND OBSESS EVEN MORE (tbh I think I’ve already hit max obsession😂)
“Sometimes the universe grants us the things we don’t know we need, which turn out to be a gift.”
I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED THIS BOOK AND NOW I LEGIT HAVE NO CLUE HOW I SURVIVED BEFORE I READ IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN. ♾️3.141592653589793238 BILLION STARS♾️ thank you for coming to my TED talk😘
Edit-
💙“Alice ... I miss you,” “I miss you now.”
💗“But I’m here.”
💙“I know. That’s when it’s worse, almost,” “Your presence ... it’s so overwhelming, I cannot imagine the absence of it. I don’t want to. Does that make sense?”
💗“It does. But I won’t give you the chance to miss me too much,” “I’ll always be with you. You know that, don’t you?”
💙“I know everything.”
Henry Li😠✋ sobbing meanwhile he's wine drunk😭. The romance bonus chapters are everything!!!
❣️I don’t need to BeReal, I need Henry Li to BeMyBoyfriend❣️
“Whatever happens, she’s more than smart enough to get through it, and I’ll be there to support her.”
Since this is a newer book, I’ll dive into the plot first before I write my wedding vows to Henry. I genuinely want people to read this book and not just watch me profess my love for him. We are blessed with Never Have I Ever type academic rivals to lovers (one sided hate >>>) and Rory Gilmore academic validation. Set at an elite boarding school in Beijing, asian drama meets Gossip Girl vibes. And to top it all off, magical realism (which surprised me lol)!! Alice is the perfect YA female main character. She is super relatable, I kept saying “me too sis”. She had some really great character growth, it was enjoyable watching her find her place. Of course, even as the “study machine” perfect child, she made some questionable decisions that almost landed herself in PRISON🤑💅✨✨. Alice is Anti-Hero and You’re On Your Own Kid by Taylor Swift <3. Henry had a crush on her the entire time and she was dead set on thinking he hated her😭. He was always there to help her but he also let her shine. Their teamwork was so freaking cute, especially with their banter. It felt so wholesome to me. My baby was just happy to spend time with Alice🥲. This was more action packed than expected and we live for the scandal😮💨. The characters, setting, plot and writing style were a dream. THE BEST YA BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!! ANN LIANG (who knew I was reading her book😭😭💕💕) IS MY NEW INSTANT BUY AUTHOR. This was her debut and it changed my life. I mean it.
“I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
“I can’t believe I ever wanted to push this boy off a stage.”
“Henry... Did you just admit that I’m smarter than you?”
“I bet the members of BTS could just call each other to help out with that kind of stuff.”
“Alice. You just bit me.”
OK CUE THE CAPS, IT’S TIME TO SCREAM ABOUT HENRY LI🥵🙌!! This was a buddy read with Maggie😋 and we both agree that HENRY IS LITERALLY MASTERMIND BY T-SWIZZLE👏!! Isn’t that ironic, since I would literally Mastermind and BRAIN WASH HIM INTO LOVING ME FOREVER. Did I mention that Henry is also a SWIFTIE?! GOD IT’S ME AGAIN. HE IS MY YA AARON BLACKFORD (y’all know I never shut up about him - we’re talking ELITE, LOML, FELT IN MY SOUL, THIS IS RARE obsessions). PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME!!! HENRY IS THE EXACT GUY I WOULD HAVE A CRUSH ON IRL. THIS MAKES ME SAD MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE WAS NOTHING LIKE THIS. IT’S LIKE ANN LIANG LOOKED IN MY MIND, AT THE BOY I’VE ALWAYS WANTED AND THEN ✨BAM✨ THE UNIVERSE SENDS ME THIS BOOK AS AN APOLOGY FOR THE TRASH GUYS MY AGE AND MY LAME UNROMANTIC HIGH SCHOOL YEARS. AND YOU MIGHT BE THINKING, HENRY LI ISN’T REAL. HE’S JUST WORDS ON PAPER. WELL GUESS WHAT!! I HAVE VERY REAL FEELINGS FOR SAID WORDS ON PAPER!!!!!! I see that “why do you like him so much” trend all over insta-
“It’s the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you make me feel inside”… YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO COMMENT @HENRYLI UNDER ALL THOSE VIDEOS🫡. TELL ME WHY EVERY SINGLE CUTESY LOVE SONG REMINDS ME OF HIM NOW😠. MENTALLY HE IS MY HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART. IT’S THE FIRST LOVE FOR ME, HE’S SO LOYAL. OF COURSE HE HAS AN ENGLISH ACCENT, LOOKS LIKE LITERAL ART AND HE’S SMART- SMART ENOUGH TO WIN JEOPARDY SMART😩!! OH TO BE THAT ONE PERSON HENRY ISN’T DISTANT WITH. THE ONE HE TEASES AND LAUGHS WITH. THE ONE HE’D WAIT FOR TO START OFFICIALLY DATING😭😭😭. ALICE IS A MUCH STRONGER SOLDIER THAN ME BECAUSE AFTER 0.2 SECONDS OF HENRY LI EYE CONTACT, WITH HIS CUTE PINK EARS WHEN HE BLUSHES, I WOULD LITERALLY DIE DEAD, COULDN’T BREATHE ANYMORE SO I DIED REST IN PEACE ME #RIP. AND IT TOOK THESE TWO 299792458 YEARS TO KISS I-
I think God is toying with me because I keep seeing,
🙏"manifesting a hot tall nerdy guy who has no play and only wants me”🙏 everywhere and it’s becoming a PERSONAL ATTACK!!! I’M STILL FLABBERGASTED THAT HENRY IS LITERALLY MY DREAM BOYFRIEND. I had to write this rant in mostly caps so you could see the URGENCY. As much as I want to gatekeep Henry🥹🥹, READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE THAT CUTE, LIGHTHEARTED HIGH SCHOOL MAGIC. I CANNOT WAIT TO WATCH HENRYALICE IN THE SERIES AND OBSESS EVEN MORE (tbh I think I’ve already hit max obsession😂)
“Sometimes the universe grants us the things we don’t know we need, which turn out to be a gift.”
I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED THIS BOOK AND NOW I LEGIT HAVE NO CLUE HOW I SURVIVED BEFORE I READ IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN. ♾️3.141592653589793238 BILLION STARS♾️ thank you for coming to my TED talk😘
Edit-
💙“Alice ... I miss you,” “I miss you now.”
💗“But I’m here.”
💙“I know. That’s when it’s worse, almost,” “Your presence ... it’s so overwhelming, I cannot imagine the absence of it. I don’t want to. Does that make sense?”
💗“It does. But I won’t give you the chance to miss me too much,” “I’ll always be with you. You know that, don’t you?”
💙“I know everything.”
Henry Li😠✋ sobbing meanwhile he's wine drunk😭. The romance bonus chapters are everything!!!
January 20, 2023
“Yes, is the obvious answer. I do hate you. I hate everything about you. I hate you so much that whenever I’m around you, I can barely think straight. I can barely even breathe.”
academic enemies to lovers is my OXYGEN.
I've been on a roll lately, I finished three books and wrote three reviews in the span of two days (not counting when I started the books, just when I finished them) and I'm so proud of myself because I am FINALLY out of my horrid reading slump. It wasn't that long of a slump but it wasn't a good one overall.
I had pretty high expectations for this book and they were luckily met!!
The Plot
😴😲❓🤩😢
The plot was decently straightforward, and while it was slightly slow in the beginning, which is one of the reasons I'm not giving this a full five stars, it picked up once everything had been sorted out.
I loved the academics and culture mixed into this and also the small twists and turns the book took. It was a little bland and slow at different points throughout the book, but it was overall good.
Though, I don't think we actually get any closure of why Alice turns invisible. Was it just a random thing or something, or did we actually get an explanation and I missed it?
Some parts in this were also really unexpectedly action packed, like I was just chugging along and then BAM stuff was happening left and right.
It also got really sad at times where I felt so upset for the characters, like it's not fair what they had to go through 😢😭
“I’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
The Characters
🥰🤪💕💞🤩
Ah, this was my favorite part, as usual!
Alice is a really realistic main character, and I relate to her with all of the worrying about your academics and all of that, and I love that she wasn't perfect, which makes her incredibly relatable. She makes certain decisions that had me questioning her, but I can understand why she made them, because she was just trying to help her family, and speaking of which, I also loved her dedication to family.
Henry is my adorable little baby who I would protect with my LIFE. He was so sweet and sincere and cute and amazing and GAH why can't I meet anyone like him? 😭😭 He was so cute towards Alice and he's so smart and I always fall for the smart soft guys in books 😭
Chanel was also a great character, she was so nice and friendly and seems like she would make a great friend, but none of these characters are real which pains me to type out.
“I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
this cracked me up lmao
The Relationships
😍🥰😘🤩🥺
Henry and Alice are adorable and perfect and amazing and I would die for them.
that's all.
(but I will add, the slowburn in this was TORTURE. it took so long for them to kiss 😭)
I would say more but these two are too perfect for any words to describe.
Anywho, I'm very happy I'm out of my slump and I'm very happy I read this because I loved it so so much and I'm so glad I'm having a good luck with books lately (not counting a CERTAIN book)
4.8 stars (don't question me)
“And everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that I’m almost afraid to hold it. Afraid that the spell will break.”
<><><><><><><>
this was so cute and everything i needed ahh
rtc
academic enemies to lovers is my OXYGEN.
I've been on a roll lately, I finished three books and wrote three reviews in the span of two days (not counting when I started the books, just when I finished them) and I'm so proud of myself because I am FINALLY out of my horrid reading slump. It wasn't that long of a slump but it wasn't a good one overall.
I had pretty high expectations for this book and they were luckily met!!
The Plot
😴😲❓🤩😢
The plot was decently straightforward, and while it was slightly slow in the beginning, which is one of the reasons I'm not giving this a full five stars, it picked up once everything had been sorted out.
I loved the academics and culture mixed into this and also the small twists and turns the book took. It was a little bland and slow at different points throughout the book, but it was overall good.
Though, I don't think we actually get any closure of why Alice turns invisible. Was it just a random thing or something, or did we actually get an explanation and I missed it?
Some parts in this were also really unexpectedly action packed, like I was just chugging along and then BAM stuff was happening left and right.
It also got really sad at times where I felt so upset for the characters, like it's not fair what they had to go through 😢😭
“I’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
The Characters
🥰🤪💕💞🤩
Ah, this was my favorite part, as usual!
Alice is a really realistic main character, and I relate to her with all of the worrying about your academics and all of that, and I love that she wasn't perfect, which makes her incredibly relatable. She makes certain decisions that had me questioning her, but I can understand why she made them, because she was just trying to help her family, and speaking of which, I also loved her dedication to family.
Henry is my adorable little baby who I would protect with my LIFE. He was so sweet and sincere and cute and amazing and GAH why can't I meet anyone like him? 😭😭 He was so cute towards Alice and he's so smart and I always fall for the smart soft guys in books 😭
Chanel was also a great character, she was so nice and friendly and seems like she would make a great friend, but none of these characters are real which pains me to type out.
“I didn’t know you had such a praise kink.”
this cracked me up lmao
The Relationships
😍🥰😘🤩🥺
Henry and Alice are adorable and perfect and amazing and I would die for them.
that's all.
(but I will add, the slowburn in this was TORTURE. it took so long for them to kiss 😭)
I would say more but these two are too perfect for any words to describe.
Anywho, I'm very happy I'm out of my slump and I'm very happy I read this because I loved it so so much and I'm so glad I'm having a good luck with books lately (not counting a CERTAIN book)
4.8 stars (don't question me)
“And everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that I’m almost afraid to hold it. Afraid that the spell will break.”
<><><><><><><>
this was so cute and everything i needed ahh
rtc
April 9, 2024
˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓷 . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄
·˚ ◌༘͙ 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔! ⋆｡🕯. -ʚɞ
{𝟒.𝟓 ☆’𝒔}
{𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 𝟑𝟏𝟒}
{𝟏𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍!}
{𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆; 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒕}
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~ 🐇 all of Ann Liang’s paperbacks need to be this floppy 😌
~ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Ann Liang’s books feel like a hug 🤧 she truly has a way with words. all of her books are comfort reads for me. i can’t believe this is the last one I’ll read for a while 😔 every time without fail she makes me tear up in her books. i adore her writing style sm <3 however, plot wise one thing doesn’t get answered ☹️ i wish it would’ve been.
~ 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ Alice is one of those characters that you are frustrated at and then in the next chapter you can’t help but love her. she can be relatable but also very judgmental. i do see why she did the things she did i just wish she didn’t have to 𝗹𝗶𝗲 so much 😭 i loved her and Henry together 🤭
~ 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒚 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ my white rabbit candy lover and Taylor Swift loving man- i love you. 🤧 he’s perceived as an arrogant rich guy but he’s not that at all 🥹 my heart was breaking for him knowing what he went through at such a young age. he did not deserve that 🤧 alicehenry moments were the highlight of my life. WHEN THEY WERE SITTING ON THE PARK BENCH OH MY LORD THAT WOULD’VE BEEN THE PERFECT PICTURE. cannot convince me otherwise, like that was so picture perfect 😭 his pov definitely delivered 😌 i do wish we got more moments with him tho 😔🫶🏼
~ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ MY GIRL CHANEL. she’s the best friend we all want. i’m jealous that she has that bond with Alice and not me quite frankly. she was there by her side for whatever she needed. she would drop everything and help Alice. that’s loyalty right there. i absolutely cannot wait for her book to release 🤭
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔! 🐇 ⚠️ (some of these quotes might spoil something! read at your own risk if u haven’t read this book yet!!) ⚠️
・❥・”𝑰 𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕’𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒃𝒖𝒎 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”
-my man is a swiftie 🤭
・❥・“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘,” 𝒊 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅, “𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒕𝒔, 𝒘𝒆’𝒅 𝒑��𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒐.”
𝑰 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆.
“𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓?”
-ALICE GIRLIE IT WAS ONE SIDED THE WHOLE TIME 😭😭
・❥・“𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆.”
-girlie this sounds like attraction to me 👀
・❥・“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕,” 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔.
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏.” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏.”
-Chanel knows what’s up 😌
・❥・“𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆?”
𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆?” 𝑰 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆.
“𝑵𝒐. 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.”
-THIS MAN CAN SENSE HER PRESENCE ✋🏼
・❥・“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
-this is when my heart started to break 🤧
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ Ann Liang is the queen of academic rivals 🤭 so if you like that trope you’ll probably like all of her books! they are so fun to read and i always learn more about each character’s culture! like i said i will be anticipating Chanel’s book bc my queen deserves her own story 😌
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
➳ 𝒓𝒕𝒄!-༉‧₊˚✧ 4.5 ☆’s (bc Jae guessed right🧍♀️)
ೃ⁀➷ 𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭: my last Ann Liang book for a while
😔 i’m so sad ☹️ it’s okay tho this book will cheer me up! i heard that Henry is a swiftie 🤭 that’s all i need to know! also i thought it was kinda funny that i read her books backwards like i started with “i hope this doesn’t find you” and now I’m ending with this one 😭
·˚ ◌༘͙ 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔! ⋆｡🕯. -ʚɞ
{𝟒.𝟓 ☆’𝒔}
{𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 𝟑𝟏𝟒}
{𝟏𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒍!}
{𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆; 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒕}
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~ 🐇 all of Ann Liang’s paperbacks need to be this floppy 😌
~ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Ann Liang’s books feel like a hug 🤧 she truly has a way with words. all of her books are comfort reads for me. i can’t believe this is the last one I’ll read for a while 😔 every time without fail she makes me tear up in her books. i adore her writing style sm <3 however, plot wise one thing doesn’t get answered ☹️ i wish it would’ve been.
~ 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ Alice is one of those characters that you are frustrated at and then in the next chapter you can’t help but love her. she can be relatable but also very judgmental. i do see why she did the things she did i just wish she didn’t have to 𝗹𝗶𝗲 so much 😭 i loved her and Henry together 🤭
~ 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒚 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ my white rabbit candy lover and Taylor Swift loving man- i love you. 🤧 he’s perceived as an arrogant rich guy but he’s not that at all 🥹 my heart was breaking for him knowing what he went through at such a young age. he did not deserve that 🤧 alicehenry moments were the highlight of my life. WHEN THEY WERE SITTING ON THE PARK BENCH OH MY LORD THAT WOULD’VE BEEN THE PERFECT PICTURE. cannot convince me otherwise, like that was so picture perfect 😭 his pov definitely delivered 😌 i do wish we got more moments with him tho 😔🫶🏼
~ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ MY GIRL CHANEL. she’s the best friend we all want. i’m jealous that she has that bond with Alice and not me quite frankly. she was there by her side for whatever she needed. she would drop everything and help Alice. that’s loyalty right there. i absolutely cannot wait for her book to release 🤭
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔! 🐇 ⚠️ (some of these quotes might spoil something! read at your own risk if u haven’t read this book yet!!) ⚠️
・❥・”𝑰 𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕’𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒃𝒖𝒎 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”
-my man is a swiftie 🤭
・❥・“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘,” 𝒊 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅, “𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒕𝒔, 𝒘𝒆’𝒅 𝒑��𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒐.”
𝑰 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒆.
“𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓?”
-ALICE GIRLIE IT WAS ONE SIDED THE WHOLE TIME 😭😭
・❥・“𝑰 𝒅𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆.”
-girlie this sounds like attraction to me 👀
・❥・“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕,” 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔.
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏.” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏.”
-Chanel knows what’s up 😌
・❥・“𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆?”
𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆?” 𝑰 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆.
“𝑵𝒐. 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.”
-THIS MAN CAN SENSE HER PRESENCE ✋🏼
・❥・“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
-this is when my heart started to break 🤧
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
~ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ~ 🐇
╰┈➤ Ann Liang is the queen of academic rivals 🤭 so if you like that trope you’ll probably like all of her books! they are so fun to read and i always learn more about each character’s culture! like i said i will be anticipating Chanel’s book bc my queen deserves her own story 😌
୨୧・┈┈・┈┈・୨୧
➳ 𝒓𝒕𝒄!-༉‧₊˚✧ 4.5 ☆’s (bc Jae guessed right🧍♀️)
ೃ⁀➷ 𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭: my last Ann Liang book for a while
😔 i’m so sad ☹️ it’s okay tho this book will cheer me up! i heard that Henry is a swiftie 🤭 that’s all i need to know! also i thought it was kinda funny that i read her books backwards like i started with “i hope this doesn’t find you” and now I’m ending with this one 😭
July 16, 2024
second read
: july 2024
→5✰
tehe. alicehenry.
rtc maybe?
⋆.˚ʚɞ pre read. ࣪ ִֶָ ⋆
rereading + annotating my ann liang collection part 1 .ᐟ
this was my first ann liang book and the one that started my obsession 🤭 i can't wait to reunite with alicehenry
first read : december 2023
→𝟓✰
"𝐢𝐟 𝐢'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐢'𝐦 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐦��� 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 🌊
this book has definitely set the standards for romcoms. i genuinely don't think i'll ever read another one without comparing it to this. i was giggling like a little girl at least once every chapter. i technically went into this book blind. i didn't read the synopsis, and all i knew was that i had to read this book bc it seemed like everyone loves it. let me just tell you that i was so thrown when i noticed that there's magical realism (i ended up loving it tho). i also went in thinking this was going to be focused solely on the romance, but the slow burn is the longest slow burn i have ever readi might be exaggerating. i'm so impatient. every time alice and henry were about to kiss and then didn't, i almost threw my kindle across the room
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 💐
alice has become one of my favorite fmcs, and i will defend her with my life. i could really relate to her in more ways than one. i loved reading her and henry's banter, it was so cute 🤭 i do feel like not everything came full circle in alice's story. i would've loved to know why she turned invisible, and why the whole thing suddenly stopped. maybe ann liang could come out with a sequel..? (please i'm begging 🙏)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢 🏆
guys. he's a swiftie. idk how it gets better than this 😍you take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless (stop i rlly thought i did something there). uhm anyways, he's literally perfect. and that accent?? that hair?? i'm in love. please lmk where i can find a guy like henry
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 🎀 (minor spoilers)
"you think that just because you're all smart and wealthy and attractive you can just do whatever the hell you want-" "wait." something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. "you think i'm attractive?"
"we're sitting close, i realize. too close. not close enough."
"Alice," he says, and his accent-God, his accent. His voice. Him."
"I would rather spend the rest of this train ride fighting with him than let him be trapped alone with his thoughts and fears again."
"God, I've missed him. I somehow still do, even though he's standing right in front of me."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
pre-review
WHATT THAT WAS SO CUTE
RTC!! 🫶🫶
(also ignore the fact that i read this at snails pace 😭)
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
pre-read review:
AFEWGFERGDFWEDASAXV YAYYY U HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM TO READ THIS 😍
→5✰
tehe. alicehenry.
rtc maybe?
⋆.˚ʚɞ pre read. ࣪ ִֶָ ⋆
rereading + annotating my ann liang collection part 1 .ᐟ
this was my first ann liang book and the one that started my obsession 🤭 i can't wait to reunite with alicehenry
first read : december 2023
→𝟓✰
"𝐢𝐟 𝐢'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐢'𝐦 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠."
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐦��� 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 🌊
this book has definitely set the standards for romcoms. i genuinely don't think i'll ever read another one without comparing it to this. i was giggling like a little girl at least once every chapter. i technically went into this book blind. i didn't read the synopsis, and all i knew was that i had to read this book bc it seemed like everyone loves it. let me just tell you that i was so thrown when i noticed that there's magical realism (i ended up loving it tho). i also went in thinking this was going to be focused solely on the romance, but the slow burn is the longest slow burn i have ever read
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 💐
alice has become one of my favorite fmcs, and i will defend her with my life. i could really relate to her in more ways than one. i loved reading her and henry's banter, it was so cute 🤭 i do feel like not everything came full circle in alice's story. i would've loved to know why she turned invisible, and why the whole thing suddenly stopped. maybe ann liang could come out with a sequel..? (please i'm begging 🙏)
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢 🏆
guys. he's a swiftie. idk how it gets better than this 😍
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 🎀 (minor spoilers)
"you think that just because you're all smart and wealthy and attractive you can just do whatever the hell you want-" "wait." something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. "you think i'm attractive?"
"we're sitting close, i realize. too close. not close enough."
"Alice," he says, and his accent-God, his accent. His voice. Him."
"I would rather spend the rest of this train ride fighting with him than let him be trapped alone with his thoughts and fears again."
"God, I've missed him. I somehow still do, even though he's standing right in front of me."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
pre-review
WHATT THAT WAS SO CUTE
RTC!! 🫶🫶
(also ignore the fact that i read this at snails pace 😭)
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
pre-read review:
AFEWGFERGDFWEDASAXV YAYYY U HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM TO READ THIS 😍
February 17, 2024
“Everything is temporary, Yan Yan. And all the more reason to seize whatever’s in front of you while it’s still there.”
This is my third book by Ann Liang and to say that I'm obsessed with her storytelling and her characters would be an understatement of the year. I would read anything this woman writes even her grocery list.
I was expecting another perfect acdemic rivals to lovers by Ann Liang but honestly there wasn't much rivalry going between Henry and Alice like expected which was fine by me because the plot of invisibility and the Beijing ghost had me hooked. I didn't even knew that there was a supernatural twist in the story but I really enjoyed it and how it was used in the storyline and for the development of Alice's character and how she's always felt responsible for everyone and everything in her life but later on did everything just for herself.
I liked how Ann portrayed the academic pressure and how class and status affects a person at such an integral level. The part where Alice felt like she wasn't enough because she came from different background unlike her rich classmates was so relatable and the reason why she needed to do her best even if meant losing herself in the way.
This is Ann Liang's debut novel and I am actually surprised by her writing and the pacing of the story. It was just perfect. I just wish there was more rivalry moments between Alice and Henry because I really really loved “I hope this doesn't find you” by her which is also a rivals to lovers done at its perfection.
➸ 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙣
The perfect student and the invisible ghost of Airington. She's brave and smart. She never accepted her real self or what exactly she wanted wanted from her life because all she ever knew was how to be a perfect student with perfect grades. She never wanted anything more than what others wanted from her and she would do anything to not fail at anything even if it means doing some criminal activities to stay at Airington. It was bit hard to like her in the start but as the story goes on I started understanding her better and her willingness to do anything and everything. It was also a bit relatable and honestly she did the smartest thing to monetize her invisibility thing.
➸ 𝙃𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙞
I loved him and his praise kink lol. Henry is the softest and sweetest MMC written by Ann and he's such a cinnamon roll for Alice. The things he did and was always ready to do for her no matter what the consequences are. I wanted his pov so bad in this book. He felt like a side character in his own book because the majority of the plot was focused on Alice and her ability to go invisible and complete the tasks. I just wish we got more of his story.
The romance was cute and wholsome however, it was not the main plot of the story. Yes, Henry and Alice were rivals and even liked some of their moments when they were actually competing and it was cute. The way he would sense her presence even when she's invisible because he just knows her well made me swooning everytime. I liked how Henry was ready to help her with her missions and Alice was such a delulu this whole time believing Henry hated her when all this time he was madly in love with her. Also, I loved how desperate Henry was to spend time with Alice and how he wanted to accompany her to her Beijing ghost tasks 🤭 He just wanted her attention and love and the way he blushed everytime he was in forced proximity of her or when Alice gave him a snarky or flirty remarks. He's so cute and Alice and Henry are the cutest.
The ending was good and I liked how there was no extra drama and no third act breakup. I would've loved it more if there was more romance in it which is fine but I actually started reading this book believing that it's a young adult romance book. The mystery about Alice and her invisibility was never explained but I think it was because how she felt like nobody will ever see her for how perfect she was if she left Airington. Overall, it was an amazing book and definitely recommend to all the girls who only ever wanted academic validation and to be seen and loved by the people.
————————
Want to read academic rivals to lovers (specifically by ann liang) so here we go 🤸🏽♀️
This is my third book by Ann Liang and to say that I'm obsessed with her storytelling and her characters would be an understatement of the year. I would read anything this woman writes even her grocery list.
“Do you seriously hate me?”
Yes, is the obvious answer. I do hate you. I hate everything about you. I hate you so much that whenever I’m around you, I can barely think straight. I can barely even breathe.
I was expecting another perfect acdemic rivals to lovers by Ann Liang but honestly there wasn't much rivalry going between Henry and Alice like expected which was fine by me because the plot of invisibility and the Beijing ghost had me hooked. I didn't even knew that there was a supernatural twist in the story but I really enjoyed it and how it was used in the storyline and for the development of Alice's character and how she's always felt responsible for everyone and everything in her life but later on did everything just for herself.
“But here’s the thing about living in a place full of people who don’t look like you—whenever shit like this happens, you can’t help but wonder if you’ve been singled out for a reason.”
I liked how Ann portrayed the academic pressure and how class and status affects a person at such an integral level. The part where Alice felt like she wasn't enough because she came from different background unlike her rich classmates was so relatable and the reason why she needed to do her best even if meant losing herself in the way.
“I’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
This is Ann Liang's debut novel and I am actually surprised by her writing and the pacing of the story. It was just perfect. I just wish there was more rivalry moments between Alice and Henry because I really really loved “I hope this doesn't find you” by her which is also a rivals to lovers done at its perfection.
➸ 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙣
The perfect student and the invisible ghost of Airington. She's brave and smart. She never accepted her real self or what exactly she wanted wanted from her life because all she ever knew was how to be a perfect student with perfect grades. She never wanted anything more than what others wanted from her and she would do anything to not fail at anything even if it means doing some criminal activities to stay at Airington. It was bit hard to like her in the start but as the story goes on I started understanding her better and her willingness to do anything and everything. It was also a bit relatable and honestly she did the smartest thing to monetize her invisibility thing.
“I’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
➸ 𝙃𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙞
I loved him and his praise kink lol. Henry is the softest and sweetest MMC written by Ann and he's such a cinnamon roll for Alice. The things he did and was always ready to do for her no matter what the consequences are. I wanted his pov so bad in this book. He felt like a side character in his own book because the majority of the plot was focused on Alice and her ability to go invisible and complete the tasks. I just wish we got more of his story.
“You think that just because you’re all smart and wealthy and attractive you can just do whatever the hell you want—”
“Wait.” Something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. “You think I’m attractive?”
The romance was cute and wholsome however, it was not the main plot of the story. Yes, Henry and Alice were rivals and even liked some of their moments when they were actually competing and it was cute. The way he would sense her presence even when she's invisible because he just knows her well made me swooning everytime. I liked how Henry was ready to help her with her missions and Alice was such a delulu this whole time believing Henry hated her when all this time he was madly in love with her. Also, I loved how desperate Henry was to spend time with Alice and how he wanted to accompany her to her Beijing ghost tasks 🤭 He just wanted her attention and love and the way he blushed everytime he was in forced proximity of her or when Alice gave him a snarky or flirty remarks. He's so cute and Alice and Henry are the cutest.
“You’ll become the head of the number one tech start-up in all of China, and I’ll be a renowned, award-winning journalist or English professor. Together, we’ll—”
“Be the nation’s greatest power couple?” he offers.
“I was going to say conquer the world,” I admit. “But sure. I guess we can start small.”
The ending was good and I liked how there was no extra drama and no third act breakup. I would've loved it more if there was more romance in it which is fine but I actually started reading this book believing that it's a young adult romance book. The mystery about Alice and her invisibility was never explained but I think it was because how she felt like nobody will ever see her for how perfect she was if she left Airington. Overall, it was an amazing book and definitely recommend to all the girls who only ever wanted academic validation and to be seen and loved by the people.
“And while it’s important to know how to fight your way to the top... It’s always nice when there are others to help lift us up, don’t you think?”
————————
Want to read academic rivals to lovers (specifically by ann liang) so here we go 🤸🏽♀️
August 3, 2024
ALICEHENRY BONUS CHAPTERS FROM HENRY'S POV HERE!! https://vk.com/doc514282023_654742472... After reading those I decided to give this book 5 stars
🎧✩˖°🌷✨ PRE-REVIEW ♡
ALICEHENRY ARE THE CUTEST EVER 🥹🥹 Deciding between 4 or 5 stars I think I'm going to sit on this one a little bit more
🐋🐚☾⋆⁺₊ PRE-READ ♡
It's finally my turn to read a book by the legendary Ann Liang 💖💖 Everyone has been hyping her books up so much I'm praying this one isn't a disappointment!
🎧✩˖°🌷✨ PRE-REVIEW ♡
ALICEHENRY ARE THE CUTEST EVER 🥹🥹 Deciding between 4 or 5 stars I think I'm going to sit on this one a little bit more
🐋🐚☾⋆⁺₊ PRE-READ ♡
It's finally my turn to read a book by the legendary Ann Liang 💖💖 Everyone has been hyping her books up so much I'm praying this one isn't a disappointment!
March 31, 2024
gasp!!! do you think I can find a henry li on amazon? *cries* that was P E R F E C T I O N <3 and reading the bonus chapters of henry's pov made everything better!! Ann liang is on her way to be my new personality!! 💐
rtc in the near future 🫶🏼
---------------------------
I've been getting serious fomo because ann liang seems to be the talk of gr!! so im finally starting my first book with none other than my gorgeous bestie westie wifey fadhee 🥹💗, im so excitedd to read my first ann liang book with you babe!! this br has been long duee 🤭🫶🏼
rtc in the near future 🫶🏼
---------------------------
I've been getting serious fomo because ann liang seems to be the talk of gr!! so im finally starting my first book with none other than my gorgeous bestie westie wifey fadhee 🥹💗, im so excitedd to read my first ann liang book with you babe!! this br has been long duee 🤭🫶🏼
March 25, 2024
ೃ⁀➷・❥・𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ೃ⁀➷
💌03/24/24
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK. AND TO TOP EVERYTHING OFF, READING HENRY'S POV FROM BONUS CHAPTERS WAS CHERRY ON TOP😭😭💗 RTC soon, going off to find an academic rival for me, specifically a boy named Henry Li🥰💘
💌03/22/24
Y'all it's finally happening!!! the buddy read of the century with none other than my bestie westie wifey Akshuu🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻 I'm honoured that Aksh decided to share her first read of ann liang book with me🥰 Into the ann liang rabbit hole we goooo🕳🏃🏻♀️
💌03/24/24
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK. AND TO TOP EVERYTHING OFF, READING HENRY'S POV FROM BONUS CHAPTERS WAS CHERRY ON TOP😭😭💗 RTC soon, going off to find an academic rival for me, specifically a boy named Henry Li🥰💘
💌03/22/24
Y'all it's finally happening!!! the buddy read of the century with none other than my bestie westie wifey Akshuu🥹🥹🫶🏻🫶🏻 I'm honoured that Aksh decided to share her first read of ann liang book with me🥰 Into the ann liang rabbit hole we goooo🕳🏃🏻♀️
December 28, 2022
one of the best ya fantasy to come out in years, it has plot while being character driven, it has a good romance and it knows how to get to the fucking point!
February 22, 2024
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 4 stars ✰
➳ this marks the beginning of my obsession with ann liang books 💌
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "to live well, you must see yourself first." ₊⊹
this was the first book i read by ann liang and wow, what a great introduction. this is the perfect academic rivals to lovers, making it even better with the added supernatural twist. it was entertaining, thought-provoking, and beautifully written. the best part was that this was more than just a rom-com. ann liang did a wonderful job at tying in the topics of privilege, class, and the longing to be something more. i loved the focus on the idea that not everything is as it seems. ahh it was just beautifully executed and the perfect mix of fun and inspiring. 💕
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i guess that's the thing: i've spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i've also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too, like how the tiny cracks on a polished vase only become visible under scrutiny." ₊⊹
˚₊ · »-🩷→ plot
alice sun has felt invisible all her life. at an elite boarding school, among which alice is the only scholarship student, this feeling has only increased, turning into something else entirely when she actually starts becoming invisible. when alice's parents break the news that they can no longer afford her education, alice comes up with an idea to utilize her new power. with the help of her rival, henry li 🤭, the two create an app and take on requests from their classmates for a price. she uses her invisibility to find out their secrets and complete these requests, ranging from petty scandals to serious crimes. alice then must decide if this is all worth going against her morals or if it's time to draw the line and risk losing her education.
this was such an interesting concept and unlike anything i've read before. it was so fun to see the secrets and scandals of the richest, most influential teens and how alice was going to pull off these missions. plus her growing relationship with henry was the highlight of it all. my only complaint was that i felt like it all ended so abruptly. i wanted to know what happened with her invisibility and of course, i just wanted to see more alice and henry. 🫶
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "and everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that i'm almost afraid to hold it. afraid that the spell will break." ₊⊹
˚₊ · »-🩷→ characters
⋆���𓍢ִ໋ alice sun 🌸‧₊˚.
i don't think i have ever related to a character more. alice sun is me and i am her. with how much effort she put into striving for academic excellence and how she determined a lot of her self-worth based on those achievements, her fear of failure and disappointing those around her, being her own biggest critic, and not feeling like she belongs, i found myself relating to this girl more and more as i turned the page. she was one of the realest fmcs ever and so determined, smart, funny, and willing to do anything for the ones she loves. ugh i love her. 🫶
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "more than anything else - more, even, than the idea of failure - i hate letting people down." ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "my presence might count for something, but it doesn't really make that much of a difference." ₊⊹
⋆⋅𓍢ִ໋ henry li 💘‧₊˚.
first of all, i love him. second, HE LISTENS TO TAYLOR SWIFT. i don't know how it gets better than this. 👀🤭 the first quote i saw from this book and the one that actually convinced me to read it was this:
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i sneak a peek at his spotify playlist, half certain it'll be all just white noise or classic orchestral music, only to find taylor swift's latest album instead." ₊⊹
that was the moment i fell in love with henry and i didn't even know what book he was from at the time. anyways, he is the dream. i was giggling and kicking my feet and squealing into my pillow at everything he said and did. the accent, the teasing, the flirting, the intelligence (i love a smart guy), EVERYTHING. look i know this is a safe place, but i'm still a little embarrassed to admit that he actually made me blush 😭 um anyways, i loved how he had so much depth and how we eventually got to see him open up and reveal more about his past. ☹❤🩹 his relationship with alice was so so cute and i just really love him.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "henry at his very worst still looks better than every other guy at their most polished." ₊⊹
⤿ this says it all.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "wait. we hate each other?" ₊⊹
⤿ THIS QUOTE CHANGED LIVES (mine)
⋆⋅𓍢ִ໋ alicehenry 💐‧₊˚.
their relationship was everything. the way henry was the first person alice went to find, how henry could sense her presence when she was literally invisible, henry visiting her at home, the train scene, them on the bench, THEIR FIRST KISS, henry going above and beyond for alice: the fainting, him staying up to create the app, him telling a guy he was secretly in love with him to give her more time 😭 all of it was absolute gold.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "yes, is the obvious answer. i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i'm around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe." ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "and how could he be aware of something about me that i wasn't even aware of myself?" ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i would rather spend the rest of this train ride fighting with him then let him be trapped alone with his thoughts and fears again." ₊⊹
➳ final thoughts: i just loved this book and ann liang's writing. it was all so entertaining and fast paced and if you take anything from this review, it's this: please read this book.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "it feels like a thousand banished and buried moments have been building up to this - to us alone and untethered and weak with wanting - and maybe they have." ₊⊹
happy reading! 💌
➳ this marks the beginning of my obsession with ann liang books 💌
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "to live well, you must see yourself first." ₊⊹
this was the first book i read by ann liang and wow, what a great introduction. this is the perfect academic rivals to lovers, making it even better with the added supernatural twist. it was entertaining, thought-provoking, and beautifully written. the best part was that this was more than just a rom-com. ann liang did a wonderful job at tying in the topics of privilege, class, and the longing to be something more. i loved the focus on the idea that not everything is as it seems. ahh it was just beautifully executed and the perfect mix of fun and inspiring. 💕
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i guess that's the thing: i've spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i've also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too, like how the tiny cracks on a polished vase only become visible under scrutiny." ₊⊹
˚₊ · »-🩷→ plot
alice sun has felt invisible all her life. at an elite boarding school, among which alice is the only scholarship student, this feeling has only increased, turning into something else entirely when she actually starts becoming invisible. when alice's parents break the news that they can no longer afford her education, alice comes up with an idea to utilize her new power. with the help of her rival, henry li 🤭, the two create an app and take on requests from their classmates for a price. she uses her invisibility to find out their secrets and complete these requests, ranging from petty scandals to serious crimes. alice then must decide if this is all worth going against her morals or if it's time to draw the line and risk losing her education.
this was such an interesting concept and unlike anything i've read before. it was so fun to see the secrets and scandals of the richest, most influential teens and how alice was going to pull off these missions. plus her growing relationship with henry was the highlight of it all. my only complaint was that i felt like it all ended so abruptly. i wanted to know what happened with her invisibility and of course, i just wanted to see more alice and henry. 🫶
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "and everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that i'm almost afraid to hold it. afraid that the spell will break." ₊⊹
˚₊ · »-🩷→ characters
⋆���𓍢ִ໋ alice sun 🌸‧₊˚.
i don't think i have ever related to a character more. alice sun is me and i am her. with how much effort she put into striving for academic excellence and how she determined a lot of her self-worth based on those achievements, her fear of failure and disappointing those around her, being her own biggest critic, and not feeling like she belongs, i found myself relating to this girl more and more as i turned the page. she was one of the realest fmcs ever and so determined, smart, funny, and willing to do anything for the ones she loves. ugh i love her. 🫶
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "more than anything else - more, even, than the idea of failure - i hate letting people down." ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "my presence might count for something, but it doesn't really make that much of a difference." ₊⊹
⋆⋅𓍢ִ໋ henry li 💘‧₊˚.
first of all, i love him. second, HE LISTENS TO TAYLOR SWIFT. i don't know how it gets better than this. 👀🤭 the first quote i saw from this book and the one that actually convinced me to read it was this:
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i sneak a peek at his spotify playlist, half certain it'll be all just white noise or classic orchestral music, only to find taylor swift's latest album instead." ₊⊹
that was the moment i fell in love with henry and i didn't even know what book he was from at the time. anyways, he is the dream. i was giggling and kicking my feet and squealing into my pillow at everything he said and did. the accent, the teasing, the flirting, the intelligence (i love a smart guy), EVERYTHING. look i know this is a safe place, but i'm still a little embarrassed to admit that he actually made me blush 😭 um anyways, i loved how he had so much depth and how we eventually got to see him open up and reveal more about his past. ☹❤🩹 his relationship with alice was so so cute and i just really love him.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "henry at his very worst still looks better than every other guy at their most polished." ₊⊹
⤿ this says it all.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "wait. we hate each other?" ₊⊹
⤿ THIS QUOTE CHANGED LIVES (mine)
⋆⋅𓍢ִ໋ alicehenry 💐‧₊˚.
their relationship was everything. the way henry was the first person alice went to find, how henry could sense her presence when she was literally invisible, henry visiting her at home, the train scene, them on the bench, THEIR FIRST KISS, henry going above and beyond for alice: the fainting, him staying up to create the app, him telling a guy he was secretly in love with him to give her more time 😭 all of it was absolute gold.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "yes, is the obvious answer. i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i'm around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe." ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "and how could he be aware of something about me that i wasn't even aware of myself?" ₊⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "i would rather spend the rest of this train ride fighting with him then let him be trapped alone with his thoughts and fears again." ₊⊹
➳ final thoughts: i just loved this book and ann liang's writing. it was all so entertaining and fast paced and if you take anything from this review, it's this: please read this book.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ "it feels like a thousand banished and buried moments have been building up to this - to us alone and untethered and weak with wanting - and maybe they have." ₊⊹
happy reading! 💌
April 9, 2023
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DNF @ 28%
The way this jumped my to-read list because of lila's review. (Seriously, if you're torn on whether or not to buy this book still, read hers for comparison; she outlines all the reasons why this book is good.)
I was really excited to read IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN. I love me some magical realism and it's always awesome to see YA that isn't set in the United States. This book is set in a very exclusive school in Beijing, and Alice, the heroine, isn't going to be able to attend much longer even with her scholarship due to her family's dwindling funds.
There is a lot about this book that is pretty cool. I liked the setting, the morally grey heroine (blackmailing your fellow students for fun and profit?), the academic enemies-to-rivals, the FOOD PORN. But I didn't really like the execution and I felt like the characterization and story-telling felt a little... lackluster. Especially with the romance. I really didn't feel a connection b/w Alice and Henry. Maybe this is a me thing-- it's probably a me thing-- but this book didn't click for me.
I hope it clicks for you!
2 to 2.5 stars
April 3, 2023
2.5*
I went in with really high expectations and I’m upset that it didn’t fit the bill 😪
Tbh I was a little meh about the beginning but then it got a lot better. After the 65% mark I lost interest again. And sadly the romance wasn’t that great. maybe it’s bc it’s a YA but idk I still needed… *smacks lips*… something more.
Henry was so adorable and cute and everything amazing. Ugh he did everything for her it was so precious 😭💗🤌
Alice was cute I mean she was funny and everything but idk she kept blaming Henry for being born in a rich family like?? Did he choose who his parents were??! That annoyed me sm.
I skimmed so much because a lot of it was so unnecessary. The main characters didn’t have enough page time together which was such a shame.
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
Why were the descriptions for Alice so vague?? I couldn’t place her properly in my head.
I went in with really high expectations and I’m upset that it didn’t fit the bill 😪
Tbh I was a little meh about the beginning but then it got a lot better. After the 65% mark I lost interest again. And sadly the romance wasn’t that great. maybe it’s bc it’s a YA but idk I still needed… *smacks lips*… something more.
Henry was so adorable and cute and everything amazing. Ugh he did everything for her it was so precious 😭💗🤌
Alice was cute I mean she was funny and everything but idk she kept blaming Henry for being born in a rich family like?? Did he choose who his parents were??! That annoyed me sm.
I skimmed so much because a lot of it was so unnecessary. The main characters didn’t have enough page time together which was such a shame.
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
Why were the descriptions for Alice so vague?? I couldn’t place her properly in my head.
July 25, 2024
𖦹 ׂ 𓈒 🎐 ／ ⋆ ∞ stars – no spoilers
tropes:
⤷ academic rivals to lovers
⤷ fast-paced
⤷ forced proximity
⋆.˚ ʚ thoughts before i read the book: ɞ ˚ ⋆
before reading this book i was so excited, i cannot tell you!! plus, this book totally met the expectations. i had already heard about alicehenry's greatness and was soo excited for the academic rivals to lovers trope in this too! ilovethem <3
⋆.˚ ʚ overall thoughts: ɞ ˚ ⋆
this book made me truly feel amazing and made me loveee ms. ann liang <3 her writing style is absolutely queennn! she is my new favourite author by the way — words cannot express how good her writing is and this is only my first book by hers (can't wait to read the others!!). i'm also so in love with my annotations in this book, they're actually so cute but i can't believe that there were so many annotations like ann liang please put your foot on the damn BRAKEEE
˚. 🌊 ⋆ alice: this girl is boss, you love her, i love her, we all love her <33 and OH MY GOD the amount of unhinged confessions of hers in this book — literally wowww
˚. 🌊 ⋆ henry: oh my goddd, he's such a cutie and where. can. i. find. a real life henry li? WHERE?!?!
the best kisser ever actually and is so my type
˚. 🌊 ⋆ chanel: THIS DELULU GIRLIE UGH I LOVE HER AND YES I KNOW WE STAN ALICEHENRY AND OH MY GOD I'M ATTACHING THE QUOTE BELOW GUYS SHE'S SUCH AN ADORABLE QUEENNN 🤭🤭
˚. 🌊 ⋆ alice + henry: THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THESE TWO ALMOST KISSED IS SO UNFAIR BECAUSE ONE SECOND I WAS SQUEALING AND KICKING MY LEGS AND THEN THE NEXT HENRY FREAKING LI GOES "YOU BIT ME," THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE TO ME UPON READING THIS BOOKANN LIANG I WILL FIND YOU just kidding, girlie is my everything NO ACTUALLY ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS WHOOO??! THESE TWO ATE LEFT NO CRUMBS AND RUINED ME INSIDE OUT AND THEY ARE SO "my love is mine all mine" BY MITSKI CODED IT IS APPALLING
⋆.˚ ʚ favourite quotes: ɞ ˚ ⋆
— ׁ�� henry li is standing in our living room. (...) 'i've missed fighting with you at school.' my heart stutters. 'same'
— ׁ݂ 'are you ... dating my daughter?' oh. god. 'no, no, of course not.' i hurry to tell baba, the same time henry says, 'yes.' i whip my head around so fast i hear my neck crack, my heart flying in a frenzy. no way. henry meets my disbelieving gaze with a grin, and i don't know if i want to strangle him or throw my arms around him.
— ׁ݂ he reaches out, his fingers forming a warm circle around my wrist, and i stop walking. stop everything. (...) this might be the most nervous i've seen him.
— ׁ݂ 'well, what else are we supposed to do?' i snap. 'netflix and chill?' his brows rise higher. and suddenly my face is burning too.
— ׁ݂ henry, whose head is resting against my shoulder, the soft curls of his hair brushing my cheek, his features smooth and unguarded in sleep. and everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that i'm almost afraid to hold it. afraid that the spell will break.
— ׁ݂ chanel asks, 'how was the train ride henry? did you sleep well?' 'i did, thank you.' henry replies. 'mmm, that's what i figured.' chanel says. 'since alice never returned to our compartment.' i almost choke on my tea.
— ׁ݂ we're sitting close, i realise. too close. not close enough. (...) god, his accent. his voice.
— ׁ݂ he looks really, infuriatingly good.
— ׁ݂ all i feel is ... warm. whole. flushed from my proximity to henry, from the way he's looking at me, his lips red in the places i pressed my fingers to.
— ׁ݂ the rest of the words die on my tongue as henry straightens, laughter still dancing in his eyes, cups my face in one hand, and presses his lips against mine. this time, i do register the kiss, everything from the warmth of his skin to the blush of his lashes when he closes his eyes and— wow. (...) all i can think about is his lips, now firm around the back of my neck, tangling deep in the roots of my hair ...
page 326 actually>>>
— ׁ݂ he shoots mister murphy another smile softer this time, embarrassed, and my heart does a weird little somersault in my chest.
— ׁ݂ 'wait.' something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. 'you think i'm attractive?' 'oh, come on. don't act like that's such a huge revelation.' i snap. (...) i'm suddenly all too aware of the heat in my cheeks, the anger curled in my chest that no longer feels like anger, but something else. 'just—whatever.' i clear my throat. 'anyway. what was i saying?' henry cocks his head to the side, a slow smile spreading across his lips. 'you were telling me how much you hate me.' i bite my tongue.
— ׁ݂ i surge forward until i'm standing right in front of him, hating that i have to crane my neck so we're at eye level. (...) the idea of murdering him flits through my mind.
— ׁ݂ as he passes it over, his fingers brush against mine. just once, briefly, there and then gone. so warm and light they could be confused for the flutter of birds' wings. it feels nice. too nice. i retract my hand as if i've been burnt.
— ׁ݂ maybe it's just a trick of the light, but i swear i can see his ears turn pink.
— ׁ݂ i sneak a peak at his spotify playlist, half certain it’ll be all just white noise or classic orchestral music, only to find taylor swift’s latest album playing instead.
— ׁ݂ god, i've missed him. i somehow still do, even though he's standing right in front of me.
tropes:
⤷ academic rivals to lovers
⤷ fast-paced
⤷ forced proximity
.𓍢ִ໋ “i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i'm around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.”
⋆.˚ ʚ thoughts before i read the book: ɞ ˚ ⋆
before reading this book i was so excited, i cannot tell you!! plus, this book totally met the expectations. i had already heard about alicehenry's greatness and was soo excited for the academic rivals to lovers trope in this too! ilovethem <3
.𓍢ִ໋ “who the hell works this early in the morning? and who the hell looks this good doing it?”
⋆.˚ ʚ overall thoughts: ɞ ˚ ⋆
this book made me truly feel amazing and made me loveee ms. ann liang <3 her writing style is absolutely queennn! she is my new favourite author by the way — words cannot express how good her writing is and this is only my first book by hers (can't wait to read the others!!). i'm also so in love with my annotations in this book, they're actually so cute but i can't believe that there were so many annotations like ann liang please put your foot on the damn BRAKEEE
.𓍢ִ໋ “but for the first time, i hate the distance between us.”⋆.˚ ʚ characters: ɞ ˚ ⋆
˚. 🌊 ⋆ alice: this girl is boss, you love her, i love her, we all love her <33 and OH MY GOD the amount of unhinged confessions of hers in this book — literally wowww
˚. 🌊 ⋆ henry: oh my goddd, he's such a cutie and where. can. i. find. a real life henry li? WHERE?!?!
˚. 🌊 ⋆ chanel: THIS DELULU GIRLIE UGH I LOVE HER AND YES I KNOW WE STAN ALICEHENRY AND OH MY GOD I'M ATTACHING THE QUOTE BELOW GUYS SHE'S SUCH AN ADORABLE QUEENNN 🤭🤭
.𓍢ִ໋ “it's incredible how fast i can vacillate between wanting to kiss this guy and kill him.”
˚. 🌊 ⋆ alice + henry: THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THESE TWO ALMOST KISSED IS SO UNFAIR BECAUSE ONE SECOND I WAS SQUEALING AND KICKING MY LEGS AND THEN THE NEXT HENRY FREAKING LI GOES "YOU BIT ME," THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE TO ME UPON READING THIS BOOK
⋆.˚ ʚ favourite quotes: ɞ ˚ ⋆
— ׁ�� henry li is standing in our living room. (...) 'i've missed fighting with you at school.' my heart stutters. 'same'
— ׁ݂ 'are you ... dating my daughter?' oh. god. 'no, no, of course not.' i hurry to tell baba, the same time henry says, 'yes.' i whip my head around so fast i hear my neck crack, my heart flying in a frenzy. no way. henry meets my disbelieving gaze with a grin, and i don't know if i want to strangle him or throw my arms around him.
— ׁ݂ he reaches out, his fingers forming a warm circle around my wrist, and i stop walking. stop everything. (...) this might be the most nervous i've seen him.
— ׁ݂ 'well, what else are we supposed to do?' i snap. 'netflix and chill?' his brows rise higher. and suddenly my face is burning too.
— ׁ݂ henry, whose head is resting against my shoulder, the soft curls of his hair brushing my cheek, his features smooth and unguarded in sleep. and everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that i'm almost afraid to hold it. afraid that the spell will break.
— ׁ݂ chanel asks, 'how was the train ride henry? did you sleep well?' 'i did, thank you.' henry replies. 'mmm, that's what i figured.' chanel says. 'since alice never returned to our compartment.' i almost choke on my tea.
— ׁ݂ we're sitting close, i realise. too close. not close enough. (...) god, his accent. his voice.
— ׁ݂ he looks really, infuriatingly good.
— ׁ݂ all i feel is ... warm. whole. flushed from my proximity to henry, from the way he's looking at me, his lips red in the places i pressed my fingers to.
— ׁ݂ the rest of the words die on my tongue as henry straightens, laughter still dancing in his eyes, cups my face in one hand, and presses his lips against mine. this time, i do register the kiss, everything from the warmth of his skin to the blush of his lashes when he closes his eyes and— wow. (...) all i can think about is his lips, now firm around the back of my neck, tangling deep in the roots of my hair ...
page 326 actually>>>
— ׁ݂ he shoots mister murphy another smile softer this time, embarrassed, and my heart does a weird little somersault in my chest.
— ׁ݂ 'wait.' something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. 'you think i'm attractive?' 'oh, come on. don't act like that's such a huge revelation.' i snap. (...) i'm suddenly all too aware of the heat in my cheeks, the anger curled in my chest that no longer feels like anger, but something else. 'just—whatever.' i clear my throat. 'anyway. what was i saying?' henry cocks his head to the side, a slow smile spreading across his lips. 'you were telling me how much you hate me.' i bite my tongue.
— ׁ݂ i surge forward until i'm standing right in front of him, hating that i have to crane my neck so we're at eye level. (...) the idea of murdering him flits through my mind.
— ׁ݂ as he passes it over, his fingers brush against mine. just once, briefly, there and then gone. so warm and light they could be confused for the flutter of birds' wings. it feels nice. too nice. i retract my hand as if i've been burnt.
— ׁ݂ maybe it's just a trick of the light, but i swear i can see his ears turn pink.
— ׁ݂ i sneak a peak at his spotify playlist, half certain it’ll be all just white noise or classic orchestral music, only to find taylor swift’s latest album playing instead.
— ׁ݂ god, i've missed him. i somehow still do, even though he's standing right in front of me.
August 1, 2023
2.5⭐️ I am too old for this book 🤷🏽♀️
✔️ academic rivals to lovers
✔️ chinese representation
✔️ fmc with an invisibility gift
✔️ boarding school drama
*sighs* I had high expectations. I wish I had lowered them and kept lowering them and lowered them some more.
The plot felt insanely one dimensional, like it made me insane it was so. The writing style and characters were juvenile but let's chalk that to me being too old (maybe?? idk).
I was told this was fantasy 🤡 guys, we seriously need to redefine what a fantasy novel is because the only thing magical in this book is that our fmc disappears a few minutes a day 4 days a week then we never found out how or why or any magical world building. Does that really qualify as fantasy? 🤔
✔️ academic rivals to lovers
✔️ chinese representation
✔️ fmc with an invisibility gift
✔️ boarding school drama
*sighs* I had high expectations. I wish I had lowered them and kept lowering them and lowered them some more.
The plot felt insanely one dimensional, like it made me insane it was so. The writing style and characters were juvenile but let's chalk that to me being too old (maybe?? idk).
I was told this was fantasy 🤡 guys, we seriously need to redefine what a fantasy novel is because the only thing magical in this book is that our fmc disappears a few minutes a day 4 days a week then we never found out how or why or any magical world building. Does that really qualify as fantasy? 🤔
August 3, 2024
➵ ♾ ✰ 🌷
my full + more in-depth review can be read below! 💌
─ more ann liang ᝰ.ᐟ
i hope this doesn't find you
if you could see the sun
this time it's real
a song to drown rivers
─ ୨୧ the king and the ghost bonus chapters ୨୧ ─
WHAT THIS WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED LIKE A HENRY POV WHAT? my sunli going on dates and being all cute-sy and domesticated is what i needed rn. henry's memories mostly being of alice?? he still has nightmares about her being taken?? the banter + competition?? forever alicehenry brainrot.
i absolutely adored this and idcidc if it's fanservice because i ate it up + here are my fave quotes:
- for myhenry
ethan who had to listen to me rant about this book constantly + how alike he and henry is, ily <3 [i know you're stalking my gr rn]
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ first re-read review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
⤿ first re-read! 💌
i don't think i can put into words the way that this book makes me feel. this is MY comfort book ☹️ i will never get over alicehenry and how they are the most perfect ever. i literally have over 200 highlights + notes for this book (that's how much i love it)
i just need a sequel or a novella or any kind of continuation like even a cameo crumb ann liang pls 🙏🙏
my full + more in-depth review can be read below! 💌
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ initial review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
⤿ first read
~ might contain minor spoilers! 💌
going into this book i knew i would like it but i didn't know that i would like it THIS MUCH. i firmly believe that Ann Liang has perfected the ya romance formula because i haved loved all of her books so far. she writes in a way that still incorporates cliches and tropes but in an extremely nice way. also her characters? i don't think i've ever disliked a single Ann Liang character. i love the way she integrates asian culture without it being stereotypical ughh i just love love love her.
now i am convinced that this book was written by me becausefunfact my bf and i had, almost the exact same dynamic, as henry and alice. from the banter to the slow build. henry + my bf literally confessed in almost the exact same way which had me giggling and squealing like i'm back in hs. this book was just so cute and fun that i am willing to ignore all flaws and plotholes because this book was written for me.
➶ this quote alone was enough to send me into a spiral. it changed the trajectory of my life. my brain chemistry was never the same and ughh henry li 💌
➶ alice sun. i don't think you guys understand how much i love this girl. she got me rooting for her even through the kidnapping and the blackmails and every questionable decision that she's made. she's so the archer coded. academically driven girl who just wants to succeed in life.
- i think what made her extremely likeable was her very superficial ambitions. she's just a girl who wants to get rich and would do anything to have a successful life. does that make her a villain? maybe but it also makes her human. she's not this mc who's moral compass is always pointing at the right direction because that's simply not how it goes.
- also when she had a mental breakdown after the test?! it's so me coded. there was a time in hs when i also broke down in front of a history/social studies teacher because i thought i did bad on a test. she's literally me and i am her.
- no. 1 alice sun defender she can do no wrong! 💌
➶ henry "wait. we hate each other? li. this man is the standard. that's it. that's the review.
- poor boy is claustrophobic tho T_T the train compartment scene made me want to go on a train right now. i like how he has strict parents but they ended up apologizing and being better. yay for parent character development in asian fiction.
+ he's the perfect amount of tease and flirt. never crosses the line and is always willing to beyond fot alice. the fainting. the app itself. the kidnapping. the lawyers. the "i'm gay and in love with you" part. like what?!
➶ sunli. alice sun + henry li my babiess. them being accomplices to a literal crime but it's ok because they're top students is so 😭 but it's ok i love them and i stand by everything that they did.
⤿ overall. this book is not a literary masterpiece by any means but it means sm to me that i'm giving it 6 stars. i kind of wish that they gave an explanation as to why she does turn invisible but i do undersstand that it's a metaphor for finding yourself but IDC IDC ANN LIANG SUPREMACY. pls pls go read this rn and i'll love u forever <333
# all reviews are opinions of my own and you should experience a book before giving your own. happy reading! 💌
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ pre-review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
5 STARS FOR MY HENRY AND ALICE
i might have stayed upall night at a decently good time just thinking about them instead of while studying for my finals.
i loved elcaz but my sunli now has a special place in my heart 💌
+ i'm convinced that Ann Liang wrote this book specifically for mei'm delusional.
rtc !! 💌
my full + more in-depth review can be read below! 💌
─ more ann liang ᝰ.ᐟ
i hope this doesn't find you
if you could see the sun
this time it's real
a song to drown rivers
─ ୨୧ the king and the ghost bonus chapters ୨୧ ─
WHAT THIS WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED LIKE A HENRY POV WHAT? my sunli going on dates and being all cute-sy and domesticated is what i needed rn. henry's memories mostly being of alice?? he still has nightmares about her being taken?? the banter + competition?? forever alicehenry brainrot.
i absolutely adored this and idcidc if it's fanservice because i ate it up + here are my fave quotes:
⊹ she looks how he believes art should look like, the kind of beautiful that makes you feel something, that presses your heart too tight against your ribcage.
⊹ ... and he knows she would not hesitate to ruin him. the problem is if she were only to smile at him, he would let her.
⊹ it is a competition between only the two of them, just the way he likes it.
⊹ alice, the source of his richest, most indispensable memories...
- for my
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ first re-read review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
⤿ first re-read! 💌
🧷 ₊⊹ # “i would rather spend the rest of this train ride fighting with him than let him be alone with his thoughts and fears again.”
i don't think i can put into words the way that this book makes me feel. this is MY comfort book ☹️ i will never get over alicehenry and how they are the most perfect ever. i literally have over 200 highlights + notes for this book (that's how much i love it)
i just need a sequel or a novella or any kind of continuation like even a cameo crumb ann liang pls 🙏🙏
my full + more in-depth review can be read below! 💌
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ initial review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
⤿ first read
~ might contain minor spoilers! 💌
🧷 ₊⊹ # “i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i'm around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.”
going into this book i knew i would like it but i didn't know that i would like it THIS MUCH. i firmly believe that Ann Liang has perfected the ya romance formula because i haved loved all of her books so far. she writes in a way that still incorporates cliches and tropes but in an extremely nice way. also her characters? i don't think i've ever disliked a single Ann Liang character. i love the way she integrates asian culture without it being stereotypical ughh i just love love love her.
now i am convinced that this book was written by me because
⊹ "wait. we hate each other?"
➶ this quote alone was enough to send me into a spiral. it changed the trajectory of my life. my brain chemistry was never the same and ughh henry li 💌
⊹ "if i'm not swimming as hard as i can, feet trashing at the waves, i'm drowning."
➶ alice sun. i don't think you guys understand how much i love this girl. she got me rooting for her even through the kidnapping and the blackmails and every questionable decision that she's made. she's so the archer coded. academically driven girl who just wants to succeed in life.
- i think what made her extremely likeable was her very superficial ambitions. she's just a girl who wants to get rich and would do anything to have a successful life. does that make her a villain? maybe but it also makes her human. she's not this mc who's moral compass is always pointing at the right direction because that's simply not how it goes.
- also when she had a mental breakdown after the test?! it's so me coded. there was a time in hs when i also broke down in front of a history/social studies teacher because i thought i did bad on a test. she's literally me and i am her.
- no. 1 alice sun defender she can do no wrong! 💌
⊹ i sneak a peak at his spotify playlist... only to find Taylor Swift's latest album playing...
➶ henry "wait. we hate each other? li. this man is the standard. that's it. that's the review.
- poor boy is claustrophobic tho T_T the train compartment scene made me want to go on a train right now. i like how he has strict parents but they ended up apologizing and being better. yay for parent character development in asian fiction.
+ he's the perfect amount of tease and flirt. never crosses the line and is always willing to beyond fot alice. the fainting. the app itself. the kidnapping. the lawyers. the "i'm gay and in love with you" part. like what?!
⊹ "for one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met, you can really be quite oblivious sometimes."
➶ sunli. alice sun + henry li my babiess. them being accomplices to a literal crime but it's ok because they're top students is so 😭 but it's ok i love them and i stand by everything that they did.
⊹ "to live well, you must learn to see yourself first."
⤿ overall. this book is not a literary masterpiece by any means but it means sm to me that i'm giving it 6 stars. i kind of wish that they gave an explanation as to why she does turn invisible but i do undersstand that it's a metaphor for finding yourself but IDC IDC ANN LIANG SUPREMACY. pls pls go read this rn and i'll love u forever <333
# all reviews are opinions of my own and you should experience a book before giving your own. happy reading! 💌
₊˚ ────── ୨୧ pre-review ୨୧ ────── ˚₊
5 STARS FOR MY HENRY AND ALICE
i might have stayed up
i loved elcaz but my sunli now has a special place in my heart 💌
+ i'm convinced that Ann Liang wrote this book specifically for me
rtc !! 💌
July 14, 2024
“𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝑜 𝒻𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾’𝓂 𝒶𝓁𝓂𝑜𝓈���� 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝓉. 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀.”
i’m really sorry to all of my gorgeous goodreads friends who loved this book
spoilers to follow! (i may have gone slightly crazy with the spoiler tags)
to say that i was excited to pick this up would be an understatement - ‘blackmail’ was plastered Everywhere. so i immediately picked it up because… blackmail
she blackmails a guy one time. once. that's it. how is that enough?? i thought she would be some sort of invisible ninja, listening in and recording her classmates ‘scandalous secrets’ and then blackmailing them until they pay up but noooo, let's flash forward to a thousand fatal cuts later where i'm dying in pain searching for something greater ---> this seems to be a recurring problem, both the part where i seem to be unable to read blurbs and the part where i'm constantly adding in lyrics to my reviews - it truly is a hard knock life for me.
but i digress.
including but not limited to:
i was really looking forward to alice becoming morally grey. i was still looking forward to it even when the book ended.
in simpler terms, she was never morally grey.
she never embraces the fact that she's not a good person. we all love an anti-hero but only when they're not actively trying to victimise and defend themselves for a doing something evil/twisted/criminal/illegal/very f*cking stupid.
whilst pondering her morality, alice thinks: 'i'm not evil for wanting to [] because i'm poor so i'm allowed to pull the sh*t that i want to pull'.
i wanted 'yeah i'm a sucky person, but at least i know i suck'.
but you know what, i.ignored.it. i continued reading. i was waiting for it to get better.
i don't know if i was very hormonal or if i was on a two-day streak of trying to be optimistic (which inevitably always ends with me crying into a tub of ice cream)
but really though, could it really get much worse than that??
haha that's funny
it gets worse.
so much worse.
alice decides to go through with the whole but then she also
“is it really too much to ask? for people like me to want a bit of that light for ourselves?” - i mean only when you it is
oh and our dear alice is later upset because as it turns out, there are consequences for your own actions!!! who would have thought?!
so i'm going to cut this rant short (yes it was originally a few words/sentences/paragraphs/
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
☾.°✧ఌ the characters:
☼🎓alice sun: it’s her. say hi alice, because you're the problem it’s you. did i understand why she made the decisions she made? absolutely. were those decisions incredibly stupid? absolutely. before all the shennanigans happened, i did like her and could even relate to her, especially in the way she constantly strove for academic validation and had to be the best at everything she did. but then she did some stupid sh*t. i am secretly hoping for a sequel where it turns out that she was switched with an alice sun clone at around the half-mark point of this book.
ᥫ᭡🎓 henry li he is a swiftie. i repeat he is a swiftie. i wouldn’t care if he had the personality of a doorknob with no qualities apart from being rich, clever and handsome because he.is.a.swiftie ..and he ofc has other qualities - the british accent being one of them.
🩷chanel: chanel is an icon, she is a legend, she is the ✧moment✧. i needed so much more of her because she was just so amazing and i wish there were another hundred scenes with her and alice.
💟alicehenry: there was no spark, no tension and most importantly: this was not an academic rivals to lovers story!! if he was then that is a trope on its own, and plus, whole 'rivals' part dissolved within 0.02 seconds!? give me a ‘i hate you so much i have a full-sized image of you on my wall with your eyes scratched out’ which then turns into ‘i hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all’ and i’ll be content. it’s also a crazy long slow burn, so you have to be in it for the long haul, and i was definitely not.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
୨ৎ the writing:
🫥🪄 this is not magical realism. in no parallel universe is this a story that ‘successfully includes surreal elements of dream or fantasy’. (okay, in a hypothetical scenario involving the theory of the multiverse, there could be a parallel universe where this could be considered magical realism, but for the sake of my argument i'm ignoring this). it was never explained why the invisibility actually occurred; it was just used to push the plot along and was then abandoned in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. and don't get me started on how practically nothing about this story was realistic.
on the other hand, it was really easy to fly through the book. it’s super sweet and bingeable and even though i didn’t feel particularly connected to any of the characters, i read it in a day which counts for something. oh and the food descriptions😋
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
ꨄ︎ final thoughts: would i recommend this? maybe. if you do decide to read this, keep in mind it's not a fantasy and also not a very well-developed romance. it’s fiction, maybe a coming-of-age story, although none of the characters matured nor realised/owned up to their mistakes. and if you've read up to here, teach me your ways because i stopped checking for typos before the half mark point of this review.
however, i did LOVE her new release i hope this doesn't find you which i would recommend in a heartbeat, except i can't. it stole my heart, and is yet to give it back (that was less cheesy in my head i promise). i didn’t love this time it’s real though but i do want to try her new historical fantasy coming out this year.
trigger warnings: elitism, classism, racism, xenophobia, poverty and
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
౨ৎ • 𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀𝓼:
⤿ this time it's real- 2.25✩ review here
⤿ i hope this doesn't find you - 4.5✩ pre-review here
⤿ a song to drown rivers - ?✩ arc pre-review here
⤿ i could give you the moon - pre-release review here
⤿ i am not jessica chen - pre-release review here
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·
pre-review:
i would like to begin this pre-review with a big f*ck you to gr for not being able to do the bare minimum and save both of my reviews for this book after what felt like a thousand rounds of ‘are you a robot’.
i am not a robot. but i also didn’t love this book so i’m probably leaning more towards the soulless/heartless-human rather than the soulless/heartless-block-of-metal. there’s a big difference... i think.
i do love the title. i think it's ingenious. as is the cover. i love henry li. i also love the idea of the plot. i don’t love the three shiny stars i gave this book, but i do love having my head attached to my neck so here we are.
i will post a proper review soon, but i'm in a horrible book and review slump. it's not helping that my immune system is officially against me and i have nothing to do. oh and i'm going on holiday soon for my birthday meaning i need to get out of this slump asap. i need book recs pleaseee
· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·
tbr-review:
i'm finally reading it! why glitchreads couldn't glitch on another day so i could do status updates urghhh
anyway my first ann liang! and henry is a swiftie? *dies* ˗ˏˋ♡ˎˊ˗
February 23, 2024
» 3.75 stars ✰
potential spoilers ahead!
let me preface this by saying that while i did enjoy this, it also suffered the unfortunate fate of being my first read after kingdom of ash. did this affect my experience? see, i don’t feel like it did, but the subconscious is weird like that.
my thoughts
i’ve seen so many of my friends on here read and love ann liang’s books, so i wasn’t surprised to like this one. what i was surprised about was the … balance? of the plot. i thought i was getting a cheesy little ya romcom with a little fantasy thrown in. which yes, is kind of what this was, but it also had so much more.
obviously the romance was perfection. so cute. a little bit of a slow burn. plenty of rivalry. solid tension. i mean, what else is there to say?
the fantasy – or dare i say, magical realism – aspects played a bigger role in the story than i originally thought it would. not a bad thing at all, just unexpected. the total spontaneity of the invisibility made it all the more fun.
i 100% wasn’t expecting the commentary on racism and classism, but it is something that should always be talked about when it’s appropriate, and it was woven into the story so well. alice and her family’s struggles broke my heart a little.
the characters
౨ৎ alice sun – as a former ib student and seeker of academic validation, she was a little too relatable. my heart hurt so bad for her, especially when she starts really thinking about the “you’re still just a kid” comment from mr chen. an overachiever and essential genius, yes, but still just a human being.
౨ৎ henry li – he’s a swiftie! need i say more? but truly his teasing and sarcastic remarks had me giggling sm. the way he’s always secretly liked alice? PLS 🤭 but outside of that, his backstory was so so heartbreaking in both good and bad ways. i wish we could’ve met his sister.
౨ৎ chanel cao – our fun little side character of the story. i loved her n alice’s bond and how friendly n sweet she was. i bet she goes on to be one of those famous designers that actually cares about everyone she comes across 🫂
what i didn’t like
this really isn’t that deep but i would like to point out that there are in fact schools with ib in america! yes, even in maine!
ANYWAYS my biggest issue was the ending of this. one, it really took a little crime drama turn there for a second 😭 henry’s little action scene wasvery slightly unrealistic but it had me laughing pls why was it so dramatic??
okay let me actually be serious for a second because i really didn’t love the actual ending. it felt, well, unrealistic. like this was all put into motion so last minute and everyone was just like “oh okay it’s all andrew’s fault then. cool.” HUH??? i get henry and alice are geniuses but really. truly. bffr.
we also never really found out how the whole invisibility thing came about. what made it start in that one specific moment after the assembly? why did it never come back after peter’s kidnapping? it’s like it was completely disregarded after that and alice is just like “well it hasn’t happened again” and that’s it. really?? unless it’s some big philosophical thing, in which case i hate it just as much. it’s like when magic systems aren’t fully established in fantasy books. like do i understand it enough? yes. would i like to know how and why it works? also yes.
↝so consider this me officially joining the ann liang fan club!! and can we talk about her covers?? they’re all so gorgeous i could actually stare at them all day long?? anyway alicehenry is going to live rent free in my head for so long, this was such a fun n cute read 💌🫧
quotes
i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i’m around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.
“see, this is why i can’t stand people like you,” i seethe, jabbing a finger in his direction. “you think that just because you’re all smart and wealthy and attractive you can just do whatever the hell you want–”
“wait.” something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. “you think i’m attractive?”
“are you saying you find my presence distracting, alice?”
i’ve spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i’ve also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too.
it makes me almost dizzy, thinking about the stark differences in realities, what will be and what could’ve been. but that’s the kind of difference wealth creates.
Dimly, I remember myself thinking not too long ago that we could never kiss. Something about stubbornness. Something about discipline. I remember thinking a month ago about how much I hated him, how I couldn't bear to even be in the same room as him.
Now I can't bear the few inches of distance between us.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
i need something fun n cute after koa, ann liang pls deliver
potential spoilers ahead!
“together, we’ll–”
“be the nation’s greatest power couple?” he offers.
“i was going to say conquer the world,” i admit. “but sure. i guess we can start small.”
let me preface this by saying that while i did enjoy this, it also suffered the unfortunate fate of being my first read after kingdom of ash. did this affect my experience? see, i don’t feel like it did, but the subconscious is weird like that.
my thoughts
i’ve seen so many of my friends on here read and love ann liang’s books, so i wasn’t surprised to like this one. what i was surprised about was the … balance? of the plot. i thought i was getting a cheesy little ya romcom with a little fantasy thrown in. which yes, is kind of what this was, but it also had so much more.
obviously the romance was perfection. so cute. a little bit of a slow burn. plenty of rivalry. solid tension. i mean, what else is there to say?
the fantasy – or dare i say, magical realism – aspects played a bigger role in the story than i originally thought it would. not a bad thing at all, just unexpected. the total spontaneity of the invisibility made it all the more fun.
i 100% wasn’t expecting the commentary on racism and classism, but it is something that should always be talked about when it’s appropriate, and it was woven into the story so well. alice and her family’s struggles broke my heart a little.
the characters
౨ৎ alice sun – as a former ib student and seeker of academic validation, she was a little too relatable. my heart hurt so bad for her, especially when she starts really thinking about the “you’re still just a kid” comment from mr chen. an overachiever and essential genius, yes, but still just a human being.
౨ৎ henry li – he’s a swiftie! need i say more? but truly his teasing and sarcastic remarks had me giggling sm. the way he’s always secretly liked alice? PLS 🤭 but outside of that, his backstory was so so heartbreaking in both good and bad ways. i wish we could’ve met his sister.
౨ৎ chanel cao – our fun little side character of the story. i loved her n alice’s bond and how friendly n sweet she was. i bet she goes on to be one of those famous designers that actually cares about everyone she comes across 🫂
what i didn’t like
this really isn’t that deep but i would like to point out that there are in fact schools with ib in america! yes, even in maine!
ANYWAYS my biggest issue was the ending of this. one, it really took a little crime drama turn there for a second 😭 henry’s little action scene was
okay let me actually be serious for a second because i really didn’t love the actual ending. it felt, well, unrealistic. like this was all put into motion so last minute and everyone was just like “oh okay it’s all andrew’s fault then. cool.” HUH??? i get henry and alice are geniuses but really. truly. bffr.
we also never really found out how the whole invisibility thing came about. what made it start in that one specific moment after the assembly? why did it never come back after peter’s kidnapping? it’s like it was completely disregarded after that and alice is just like “well it hasn’t happened again” and that’s it. really?? unless it’s some big philosophical thing, in which case i hate it just as much. it’s like when magic systems aren’t fully established in fantasy books. like do i understand it enough? yes. would i like to know how and why it works? also yes.
↝so consider this me officially joining the ann liang fan club!! and can we talk about her covers?? they’re all so gorgeous i could actually stare at them all day long?? anyway alicehenry is going to live rent free in my head for so long, this was such a fun n cute read 💌🫧
quotes
i do hate you. i hate everything about you. i hate you so much that whenever i’m around you, i can barely think straight. i can barely even breathe.
“see, this is why i can’t stand people like you,” i seethe, jabbing a finger in his direction. “you think that just because you’re all smart and wealthy and attractive you can just do whatever the hell you want–”
“wait.” something shifts in the black depths of his eyes. “you think i’m attractive?”
“are you saying you find my presence distracting, alice?”
i’ve spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i’ve also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too.
it makes me almost dizzy, thinking about the stark differences in realities, what will be and what could’ve been. but that’s the kind of difference wealth creates.
Dimly, I remember myself thinking not too long ago that we could never kiss. Something about stubbornness. Something about discipline. I remember thinking a month ago about how much I hated him, how I couldn't bear to even be in the same room as him.
Now I can't bear the few inches of distance between us.
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i need something fun n cute after koa, ann liang pls deliver
May 23, 2022
this was such a fun and addicting read !!
— academic rivals to lovers
— international boarding school
i love that they worked together from the start !! it is so obvious that Henry has feelings for Alice. I LOVE ONE-SIDED ENEMIES TO LOVERS, OR IN THIS CASE RIVALS TO LOVERS. imagine sneaking into his dorm to ask for help when you turned invisible and you see an old picture of you and him taped to his desk? SCREAMING.
I LOVE HENRY SO MUCH HE ALSO HAS AN ENGLISH ACCENT I WAS SWOONING !!! anytime he gets flustered, the tips of his ears turn pink. IM CRYING i love him
lastly, even though this was such a lighthearted read, I loved all the commentary bits we get about family and trying to make it in a world where you don't fit in <333
— academic rivals to lovers
— international boarding school
i love that they worked together from the start !! it is so obvious that Henry has feelings for Alice. I LOVE ONE-SIDED ENEMIES TO LOVERS, OR IN THIS CASE RIVALS TO LOVERS. imagine sneaking into his dorm to ask for help when you turned invisible and you see an old picture of you and him taped to his desk? SCREAMING.
I LOVE HENRY SO MUCH HE ALSO HAS AN ENGLISH ACCENT I WAS SWOONING !!! anytime he gets flustered, the tips of his ears turn pink. IM CRYING i love him
lastly, even though this was such a lighthearted read, I loved all the commentary bits we get about family and trying to make it in a world where you don't fit in <333
May 10, 2024
this felt a tad bit rushed towards the end but otherwise? immaculate
October 21, 2024
an incredible uncertainty.
May 3, 2024
★★★☆☆ - 3 stars
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“Everything about this moment is so lovely and fragile that I’m almost afraid to hold it.”
reading the summary, this book has a lot of potential. but even with all these great ideas, it felt a little rushed
this is my 3rd ann liang book, and i did enjoy her other books. this one, however, was just…weird.
this book is about alice sun, a people-pleasing, studious girl who mostly keeps to herself. one day, she finds out she can turn invisible. she decides to use this ability to help her family with school fees by completing tasks through an app called “Beijing ghost” with the help of her “rival”, henry li.
sounds interesting, right? at first, i was interested. i could see where the story was going. but then…it just..kept going. there was very very minimal chemistry being formed between henry and alice. by the last 100 pages, all that had happened was a few interactions that were abruptly cut off by of course, alice.
i did like the way that alice’s emotions were portrayed. i could definitely feel her anxiety and pressure through the pages. when she started crying over her test, it had me tearing up a little. it’s always so horrifying when you haven’t studied for a test! and i really sympathized with her when she got in trouble with her parents.
henry and chanel were also a fun duo. sadly, this was only witnessed for one chapter. but it would make a promising sequel to see more of chanel, im excited. she had some great potential.
the last 100 pages really lowered my rating. i was absolutely lost. it got weirdly violent and confusing. and overall, it was just super rushed.
the love confession was a little anticlimactic. alice quite literally pulled henry out of the school and said “you know what? let’s make out.” (not a direct quote of course.) i was a little underwhelmed.
i can see how others rated this highly. alice’s parents in this book sparked the initial conflict. they are struggling with money and contemplate moving alice to a different school. and while i loved this idea, i felt like the parents didn’t get enough page time. sadly, the parents were mentioned about twice. and when alice finally got the money at the end, it was so overlooked! i would have given this book an extra star if alice’s parents played a more significant role.
- with all these unfinished ideas, this would make for a good sequel. i need more alice and henry.
overall, i don’t regret reading this. it was super short, and simple! i binged this in a day (as i do with all her books) and found it fun at times. also, what taylor swift era is henry??
links
i hope this doesn’t find you review - 4 stars
this time it’s real review - 4 stars
check reading activity for quotes!
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April 16, 2023
4,5/5⭐️
THIS is what I’m talking about when I say I love academic rivals to lovers. This book is literally the definition of this trope and I’m so freaking in love with it, you guys have NO IDEA!!!
It was just so so sooooo freaking adorable!! I was screaming, giggling, blushing, kicking my feet and squealing throughout majority of the book! It was literally so fluffy and cute I could barely handle it!
Henry and Alice are just so freaking perfect! I loved each and every moment these two were together! The chemistry between these two is absolutely unmatched and the banter (mostly one-sided on Alice’s end) was so fun to read about!! Also the moments between these two, whether they’re funny, cute or vulnerable… I LOVED THEM ALL!!!
Also the fact that they had to work together?!?! And Alice hated it so much but at the same time was falling for him?? I died dead!!!
Alice was in general such a fun character!! I enjoyed her inner monologue and thoughts so much! She’s just so interesting and loveable. I loved being in her head and seeing her perspective on things and events. She’s definitely a favourite character of mine now!
Henry… gosh where do I start with him. I really wish we could’ve gotten his POV because I really really want to see what his thoughts were during certain situations!! He was just so freaking cute I love him so much! We love a guy who’s sweet and obsessed with his girl! The way he was literally blushing whenever Alice looked at him and how he always wanted her attention was to die for!!! He���s literally the sweetest.
The plot of this book kind of reminded me of a Disney movie. Like this book gave of kind of Disney and Pixar vibes with the way it was written and how the characters acted and I loved every second of it! It was fun, endearing and absolutely hilarious!! I was literally cackling at so many scenes!!
The only thing that kind of was a minus for me is that it was so short and how abruptly it ended… I wish we could’ve seen more of Henry and Alice together at the end and maybe even an epilogue.
Other than that the book was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it!
Overall, I’m so mad that I just NOW got around to reading it!! It has been on my TBR for a while and I should’ve read it wayyyyyy sooner!! That’s how amazing it was!
THIS is what I’m talking about when I say I love academic rivals to lovers. This book is literally the definition of this trope and I’m so freaking in love with it, you guys have NO IDEA!!!
It was just so so sooooo freaking adorable!! I was screaming, giggling, blushing, kicking my feet and squealing throughout majority of the book! It was literally so fluffy and cute I could barely handle it!
Henry and Alice are just so freaking perfect! I loved each and every moment these two were together! The chemistry between these two is absolutely unmatched and the banter (mostly one-sided on Alice’s end) was so fun to read about!! Also the moments between these two, whether they’re funny, cute or vulnerable… I LOVED THEM ALL!!!
Also the fact that they had to work together?!?! And Alice hated it so much but at the same time was falling for him?? I died dead!!!
Alice was in general such a fun character!! I enjoyed her inner monologue and thoughts so much! She’s just so interesting and loveable. I loved being in her head and seeing her perspective on things and events. She’s definitely a favourite character of mine now!
Henry… gosh where do I start with him. I really wish we could’ve gotten his POV because I really really want to see what his thoughts were during certain situations!! He was just so freaking cute I love him so much! We love a guy who’s sweet and obsessed with his girl! The way he was literally blushing whenever Alice looked at him and how he always wanted her attention was to die for!!! He���s literally the sweetest.
The plot of this book kind of reminded me of a Disney movie. Like this book gave of kind of Disney and Pixar vibes with the way it was written and how the characters acted and I loved every second of it! It was fun, endearing and absolutely hilarious!! I was literally cackling at so many scenes!!
The only thing that kind of was a minus for me is that it was so short and how abruptly it ended… I wish we could’ve seen more of Henry and Alice together at the end and maybe even an epilogue.
Other than that the book was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it!
Overall, I’m so mad that I just NOW got around to reading it!! It has been on my TBR for a while and I should’ve read it wayyyyyy sooner!! That’s how amazing it was!
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