This one is a tough one for me to rate. On one hand, it held my attention and I was into the story itself and how Alice was getting paid to commit crimes with invisibility. I think that's a great premise. On the other hand, I found parts of the book a little jumpy and it was a shock to hear that so much time has passed. I'm not exactly sure how to explain - the book reads like it happens in one week, but then there are random sentences in there that mark the passage of a much longer time period and it's a bit jarring.

And listen... I know we're dealing with invisibility. I know this book is about something that can't happen. And yet, I found the outcome or resolution of these crimes completely unbelievable. More unbelievable than someone becoming invisible. The last job she was hired for was HUGE and I'm just supposed to believe it ends like that? You had believing in invisibility this whole time so I think that part could have used a bit more beefing up.

I honestly enjoyed my time reading this one, but I don't think it'll leave any lasting impression on me.

This novel is pitched as an academic rivals to lovers YA fantasy set at an elite boarding school in Beijing with a Chinese American MC and I was completely hooked! The plot was quite unique with a touch of magical realism and thoughtful commentary on social class and privilege throughout. Alice's multicultural upbringing and Chinese diaspora experience were particularly relatable and hard-hitting for me. If you're looking for a novel that makes you tear up and feel SEEN as a Chinese diaspora young person, this was it for me!

There is teen angst, an adorable and sassy romantic interest, Henry Li, and that "oh, OH" moment that makes any reader squeal. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly to my liking but overall I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend to YA readers!

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada and HCC Frenzy for sharing a digital review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good book. Hard to put down once you got into it. Despite having a hard time connecting to the MC, this is a really addictive book.

Thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC of If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang. It was SUCH A FUN READ! It found a perfect balance between being BOTH lighthearted and action-packed. The energy in this book is endless.

If You Could See the Sun is a perfect combination of a speculative twist with a swoony, academic-rivals-to-lovers romance arc. The character motivations were fully-developed, complex, and layered, and each twist in the plot played perfectly into the protagonist's growth arc. I loved seeing her make friends and find her place in the world along the way, and the final conclusion was beautifully done. A total joy, with lots of heart and thoughtfulness to boot!

Loved this book! I liked the setting of an American school in China - I knew nothing about this culture/place. The ethical and moral dilemma of the character's actions gave a lot of depth to the novel - I sympathesized with her motives and it showed the lengths individuals will go to succeed in life. Shows that not all success is based on merit. Will recomend to many students and friends!

A girl suddenly develops the ability to turn invisible and cashes in on her fellow students' dark secrets via a mysterious app. YES PLEASE.

An elite Beijing boarding school, rich kid drama, discussions on class and race, rivals-to-lovers. This was a fun and quick read -- but the ending left me wanting. The invisibility plot was never resolved or explained.

- academic rivals to lovers
- reluctant partnership
- elite Beijing boarding school
- girl that has powers
- rich boy who is obsessed with the female MC

Check check check. An amazing debut that discusses topics such as wealth inequality while also providing a fun story, interesting characters and of course some romance. 10/10. Absolutely amazing.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
YALL GOTTA READ THIS RN I SWEAR
HENRY AND ALICE <333

I love the plot, like it’s so unique, I don’t know what else to say just read it :)))

4⭐️

Alice Sun is one of the top students in her class at Airington International Boarding School, along with her academic rival, Henry Li. They often win awards for their academic achievements, but despite being infamously known as the Study Machine by her classmates, Alice feels invisible. Not only does Alice feel invisible, but on one fateful day, she <i> becomes </i> invisible. A cold chill snakes it’s way down her spine, and one of her classmates crashes right into her as if she weren’t there at all. Panicked, Alice runs to the only person she can think might be able to help her: her nemesis, Henry.

The two become close as they put their heads together to come up with a solution. Alice ultimately decides to embrace her new-found ability and use it to her advantage. She and Henry create an app called Beijing Ghost where Airington students can make anonymous requests for the Beijing Ghost to complete, including spying, deleting photos off people’s phones without their knowledge, and more. In return, Alice gets money to help her parents pay for her education. Unlike the other Airington students, Alice is on a partial scholarship and even still, her parents are considering sending her elsewhere because they will not longer be able to afford the tuition. When Alice receives a request to kidnap another student for one million RMB, she desperately accepts.

Alice’s character development is really great in this. At first, I found her a little annoying because of how arrogant she can be, and how she seems to think she’s so invisible but also doesn’t try to befriend those around her. Her family’s financial struggles and her desire to be the best certainly go hand in hand, and it is sad that someone so young has to carry such a burden. When she accepted the task to kidnap a classmate, I seriously questioned her ethics. All of her other tasks leading up to that point weren’t nearly as bad, and were more morally grey than anything. When she quickly changed her mind (albeit a little late), I was so relieved. I’m also glad that there were consequences to her actions and that she learned from them, and that she finally was able to be a kid. Also, her and Henry’s relationship is a perfect enemies to lovers trope, with a little misunderstanding on Alice’s part. Overall a great YA read!

<b> “Descartes was wrong, you know, when he said, ‘To live well, you must live unseen.’ To live well, you must learn to see yourself first.”</b>

What a wonderfully fun book, which despite being mostly a lighthearted "literary hamburger" of teen angst and romance, actually had one of the most realistic depictions of how a teen really would respond to developing magical powers. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Liang in the future.

Alice has always felt invisible at her high school, but suddenly she starts becoming LITERALLY invisible. She realizes that she can turn these invisibility episodes into a money-making scheme - money she desperately needs in order to stay at her expensive private school. Teaming up with her academic rival, Henry, she starts uncovering secrets on behalf of her peers, but their business quickly gets out of hand with escalating business requests.

I absolutely loved the academic rivals-turned-lovers aspect and was actually screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” at several points. I commend the author for writing something so thought-provoking and insightful without being too dark and heavy. I thought the plot got a little wacky near the end - did that last job have to get THAT dramatic? - but then I learned that this book is getting adapted to the screen. It will be FANTASTIC on screen! I can’t wait!

I went into this book having forgotten the synopsis, and that made the twist after the first chapter (second chapter?) completely throw me in the best way.

Ann Liang created something truly beautiful here. There was a perfect mix of lyrical and factual writing, the characters had flaws you could root for, and the plot kept me engaged.

Also, the academic rivals to friends to more relationship was really cute. At one point he listens to Taylor Swift which is a detail I love.

The only reason this wasn't a 5-star read is that the theme of elitism wasn't resolved to my satisfaction and the ending got really ridiculous.

I'm excited to read more from this author in the future!

Okay, I regret taking so long to finally decide to read this book, because it was definitely a five star read. In my case, it was one of those books that from the first few pages I knew it would be a hit.

"If you could see the sun" presents us with a common context in a location we don't usually see: the middle class protagonist attends a Chinese IB school (very expensive) in an effort to get the best opportunities to move up on the socioeconomic ladder. On scholarship, with excellent grades; it is easy to sympathize with her and her belief that being the best academically will open doors to a university where she is practically guaranteed a better life. However, it is not just a story of self-improvement and personal growth where the protagonist (just) changes her perspective of life. The story has hints of magical realism: Alice acquires out of nowhere powers that allow her to be invisible, and of course, she uses it to her own benefit in the face of a new difficulty that arises in her master plan. She needs money to cover her IB school's tuition.

If you know me, you're wondering if there's romance. Yes there is, very slight and slowburn (my favorite), but it's not what moves you to keep reading; it's a welcome addition. Alice teams up with Henry, her academic rival, wealthy (obvi) and with prodigious programming skills. Together they set out to do jobs where Alice makes use of her powers. Eventually, the book begins to subtly reflect on questions of ethics and morality, unusual in a young adult book....

Oh my godddd. This book is so so good!! It's my new favorite. I don't even know how to put into words how much I loved this, I'm obsessed. Everybody needs to read this, you will fall in love with it!!

Thank you Inkyard Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely adore this book. I never planned to finish it as quick as I did but I devoured it in a day. I just couldn’t put it down!

I really enjoyed the writing style. I was very apprehensive when it comes to YA because I can be quite particular. And when I found out that this was written in first person POV, I was even more nervous that I wouldn’t like it. Most of the time, I find first person POV to be a bit cringey. Especially if there’s a lot of internal dialogue and the MC is young. So, I have a hard time appreciating stories written in this POV. But I had a great time the whole way through. The main character is so well-written and dynamic that her ability to turn invisible is almost an afterthought.

Loved the pacing. I’m in a bit of a reading slump. So, slow build up and scene setting has made enjoying a book difficult. But, damn, this book really just lay out the stakes right at the beginning.

Henry Li. Oh, Henry. Through Alice’s eyes, he rich, handsome, prententious, and effortlessly overachieving. He’s introduced as an asshole but, as Alice gets to know him, we learn that he is much more than that. He’s so soft and so caring! Just the way he is around Alice has got me squealing and kicking my feet. I adore stories where the love interest falls first.

Overall, it was a beautifully written story that interweaves the Chinese culture, diaspora experience and socioeconomic commentary into a story of academia and magical realism (and a hint of espionage).

Alice is one of the top two students at the elite boarding school she attends in Beijing. She concentrates on school and trying to get ahead of her rival, Henry. Unfortunately, her parents are going to be unable to continue sending her to the school due to financial issues so Alice has to find a way to stay before it's too late. Suddenly, strange things start happening and she starts turning invisible. Alice realizes that this sudden, strange occurrence, may be the answer to her prayers. and confiding with her once sworn enemy may be the start of something she hadn't expected. But is her new plan to stay at her school ethical? Will she be able to pull it off? This is a quick read that will entertain everyone. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dark academia story that is hard to put down! Forewarning there are several problematic moral issues that the main character herself is even upfront about. You might not approve of the choices (or you may be given the circumstances) but you can undoubtedly recognize the struggles behind them. None of us are "perfect" or "completely bad" and this title does an excellent job with showing that struggle. It also deals with heavier issues like the right to education and social class differences. As someone who came from a lower middle class family and received private education surrounded by other families who afforded it easier than us, I related a lot to the conflicts the main character has. Also included are classic enemies to lovers who are also academic rivals, which is done in a fun way. If dark academia is your thing, pick this one up!

Sometimes a book hits you at just the right time, and this was one of those for me! After having read several horror and suspense novels, If You Could See the Sun was a fun story that kept me engaged the entire way through.

Some things I enjoyed:

🖊️ Academic rivals! This one of my favorite tropes of all time, and I loved how the author put this one down on the page. The rivalry and trash talk and banter were so much fun!

✏️ The deeper look into socioeconomic discrepancies when it comes to quality of education and connections that go a long way in determining financial success.

🖊️ Magical realism. I love magical realism as a genre! I don’t want to give anything away about the end, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed how the author handled the magical ability from beginning to end. I can see why some may not like the conclusion, but I was very pleased that the author went the way she did.

✏️ The social life of the protagonist. I enjoyed her social journey as she calls out others for their privileged behaviors but also realizes that many of the assumptions she has had about some of her peers were not completely accurate.



Things I wished:

🖊️ I did wish there was a bit more in the wrap-up. It felt very quick compared to the rest of the book, and I would have loved a bit more to the ending.


Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It was light and fun for the most part, with some great depth I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I’ve been feeling a bit “over” YA lately, but I had a fun time with this debut and would gladly read the author’s next book!

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang turned out to be a fun book to read and one that will stick with me for some time. Although the female protagonist was often irritating and harsh, by the end of the book she had gone through enough changes to make her a really likeable character. The male protagonist was my favorite as he won my heart right away. I do think my students would enjoy this book and welcome it in their libraries and I will recommend highly to those wanting a fun and entertaining read.