📖Book Review📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
✍️🏽Rivals to lover: Alice and Henry will have you screaming at the book KISS as if you're watching the best Korea Drama. Don't let their names fool you though. This is a diverse cast set at a multi million dollar school. And they're both extremely cool even as they contemplate hard core crimes like kidnapping

✍️🏽Laughs: there are books that have made me chuckle but I truly laughed at Alice's quick wit or her aunt trying to kill her with embarrassment

✍️🏽Deep messages: for all the fun I had, this book had several messages to deliever that will resonate hard with the audience.

-The grind of hustle culture so yiu can claw your way from the bottom or to make your parent's sacrifice worth it vs. Being a child and living! Not just surviving
-coming out of your shell and seeing the world (and the people) around you
-the idea of fitting in rather it be with the rich kids or the culture you're part of.

All on all this is a perfect book and would pair well with a beach or [insert academic setting].
Thank you @netgalley for the arc and @inkyardpress and @annliangwrites

This is a really unique book. I love the way the magical realism elements play into the story and Liang’s commentary on class, elitism and poverty within a very expensive Chinese boarding school. I really appreciated the care she used when detailing the hardships Alice and her family have experienced, something her rich classmates could never imagine. Maybe it's because I’ve grown up poor but her justifications made sense to me. A lot of reviews say she's unlikeable but I really liked her because at least she was honest with herself. The pain her family felt when they finally realized the American dream is a nightmare and they would need to return home just for Alice to not feel like she belongs anywhere was so realistic and heartbreaking. It annoyed me that no one could figure out just how poor Alice was despite her not saying anything like rich people are so dense and self centered. Her and her roommates friendship was cute overall but homegirl really stopped talking to her for YEARS because she said no to shopping and her thought process was wow Alice must really not like me and not she probably cannot afford new things all the time?!

Overall it was a really fantastic debut. I loved listening to Natalie Naudus read Liang’s humor. They are a really fantastic pair.

I really enjoyed this YA fantasy/romance book about an American born Chinese student, Alice Sun who decides to capitalize on her mysterious new ability to become invisible in order to help her parents pay for her expensive private education.

A type-A personality, Alice is always striving to be number one, forever competing against rival Henry. But when she turns to him for help with her 'Ghost' app, the two become close, leading to romantic feelings and morally ethical quandaries.

Great on audio narrated by Natalie Naudus and recommended for fans of Not my problem by Ciara Smith. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

“All this time, I’d thought the nickname Study Machine was a compliment of sorts. That it meant productivity, above-human levels of discipline, that I was programmed for success.
Now I wonder if it describes someone devoted to doing at the expense of feeling. Something barely alive.”

There is so much to love here: the unique take on invisibility powers, the enemies-to-lovers romance, the school setting and nuanced characters with their secrets, the wonderful cultural specificity in setting and characterization...I binged this book an had a blast! There's a wonderful examination of our workaholic world and competitive school settings, especially in the Chinese cultural context of post-one-child act, as well as the fear of failure that paralyzes so many millenials and gen Z-ers. I just wish this examination would've gone a bit further, and that we would've seen her inability to sustain the relentless pace she somehow magically keeps up throughout the whole book.

I love this concept of monetizing invisibility, “capitalizing on vulnerability”… and all the possibilities of this power. It really gives a new spin on the idea of invisibility, and what it means to have power. I love that it’s outside of her control, making her use of it challenging. As a neurodivergent person, it made me think of how my autism can be a power but also feel like a curse, especially in how difficult it is to control when our strengths and weaknesses are activated.

I appreciated that her real problems were called out, though not sure they are fully addressed in act 3. The narrative gets at her problem of wanting to be seen, how that’s not the solution, but the pride, the fear of failure, the craving to be rich—those felt like the deeper problems that were acknowledged but not fully addressed, the real reasons she didn't want to be invisible. She takes responsibility in her act 3 choice but it doesn't feel satisfying, or even completely ethical--how they deal with the app. Changing the app after the fact to focus the blame on Andrew was kind of deceptive and not completely true. It didn't feel like the "solving the problem the right way" that act 3 should have. I think the narrative could've shown there were better options. I wanted to see in her lowest of low reconciling more with her perfect image ruined, of everyone knowing she was poor. It seems like this drops away in the end which was disappointing, as I feel that her pride and poor background were the real heartbeat of the story.

Though I'm not sure what to make of the ending and the ultimate message it leaves readers with, I really, really loved this read, A great read for discussion and conversation.

This was a really fun novel. I love how it inserted fantasy elements into an elite private school setting. I found all the characters to be very flawed and intriguing. I like how it has a diverse cast of Asian characters. I also like that it had Beijing as the setting which I found to be unusual in contemporary young adult novels. This novel is perfect for fans of Tiny Pretty Things, Pretty Little Liars, and Gossip Girl!

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

Alice Sun has always felt out of place at her high class boarding school in Beijing. She is the only scholarship student amongst her super rich peers and she spends all of her time making sure that she is at the top of her class. One day after her parents break the news to her that they can know longer pay for the remaining tuition at her school and that she would need to switch schools the next semester. Distraught, Alice finds herself turning invisible, literally invisible. Despite not being able to control her new powers, she teams up with her academic rival to create an anonymous service where she does tasks for her classmates that she could only do while invisible and they pay her. Using this, she hopes to make enough money to cover tuition so that she can stay at her school, but things very quickly go wrong.

This was such an amazingly well written book! I loved the characters, I loved the adventures, I loved everything about it! The enemies to lover's romance aspect had me wanting to bang my head against the wall because Alice is just so thick headed to not realize that Henry liked her. Alice's character in general is flawed in such a brilliant way that she's so intriguing to read about. Just overall a fantastic book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received an e-galley of If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang from Inkyard Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's been so many great Asian narratives out in the past few years and I think that If You Could See the Sun will be joining their ranks as a thought-provoking and special fantasy contemporary novel. While dealing with important themes of class and morality, Ann Liang takes a creative take with her story, giving her main character the powers of invisibility. Despite the stories of superheroes commonly seen in the theatres, these powers manifest in a world similar to our own - and as such, Alice Sun is completely unprepared and completely freaked out by the onset of this phenomenon. As it turns out that the power is not a one-time occurence, Alice finds herself utilizing the powers for her own needs and desires. As her morality and conscience begins to face difficult choices, Alice must decide what price she is willing to pay to use her powers - for good or for evil.

I thought that this was such an unique story - with the invisibility powers giving this contemporary novel an edge that stands out from the other releases this year. I look forward to reading what other stories that Ann Liang will be sharing with the world.

If you like academic rivals-to-lovers, read this book. If you like fantasy elements that are grounded in the real world, please read this book. If you like reading about high society machinations, read this book. If you like charming side characters and love interests that make you *feel*, read this book.

When Alice Sun turns randomly invisible after an awards ceremony for her prestigious boarding school, her first reaction is panic. Then, she realizes she can monetize her newfound power, with some help from her academic rival Henry Li, and her panic becomes relief. As the "Beijing Ghost," Alice discovers her classmate's secrets in exchange for a fee. But when she gets a request that is much more "criminal" than "petty secrets," she has to decide whether her future is worth her morals.

Y'all I can't even say what I liked about this book because it's everything. There were no weak points at all. The romance between Henry and Alice was delicious, the plot was amazing and well-developed, and Alice's character was phenomenal. There were so many painful moments when I related to Alice, and I just. Want the world for her.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Inkyard Press for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Alice Sun has always felt out of place at her elite Beijing international boarding school. She's the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens, until one day she starts to turn invisible. For real. When she discovers her parents, even with the scholarship, can't afford her tuition, she decides to use her new powers to discover and sell her classmates' scandalous secrets. But going from petty to real crimes happens fast and now Alice has to deal with her own conscience and to what means being a good person and what to do. If monetizing her powers is worth losing her conscience or her life too.

First of all, If you could see the sun is one of the most wonderfully written book I've read this year. It grabbed my attention since the beginning, because how couldn't you not love Alice Sun? How? She's a brilliant character, stubborn, shy, out of place, but willing to do anything to get what she wants, while, also, growing up in her journey during the whole story.
It's a unique and very peculiar book, pushing the reader to ask themselves questions. What would they do in Alice's place?
In this genre-bending debut, I still can't believe is a debut, this Chinese American student is brilliant and smart, with invisibility powers and it's thought-provoking and I loved it.
It's so peculiar, weird, but in a good way, brilliant and so amazing, I couldn't love it more.

If You Could See the Sun was even more amazing than I anticipated and I enjoyed it so very, very much. I tend to be very particular about the YA books that I read these days, and I had a feeling that this book would be something I wouldn't want to miss.

I'm incredibly impressed by how well Liang captures Alice's experiences and manages to convey so many different important themes and ideas. The premise of this book was so fascinating to me, and I really liked how Liang executed this idea in a way that felt both realistic and compelling. I will definitely be checking out more of Ann Liang's work in the future!

It gave GOOD FOR HER energy and I liked it a lot!!

I've been exploring dark academia this year, and this is definitely a highlight for me after some disappointing reads. I enjoyed how Liang blended magical realism with ethics. The character dynamics were fantastic, and the world-building was done very well.

I wanted the pacing to be a little smoother, but I definitely enjoyed this author and will be looking out for more from her!!

3.5/5

We have one answer to what would you do if you could turn invisible!

Set in a modern-day environment where our main character, Alice, a Chinese-American teen, attends an exclusive (and very expensive) international boarding school on partial scholarship finds out that her parents are struggling to pay the partial school fees and she is going to have to transfer at the end of the term. Alice has spent her years at Airington school fighting to be top dog when it comes academics and she knows that if she wants to achieve anything in this life, she HAS to stay at Airington. But money isn't the only thing that is standing in Alice's way of staying at Airington; she has also developed an odd tic of sorts. She randomly turns invisible.

When she comes up with a plan to raise her own funds for tuition and utilize this unexpected invisibility talent, she needs the help of her mortal enemy, and academic rival: Henry Li. *Cue enemies to lovers!* Alice may be in over her head though as her special project to earn tuition money turns downright illegal.

Enemies to lovers - check!
Social Class Commentary - check!
Chinese-American cast - check!
Adventure - check!
Questionable morals - check!
Secrets & Scandals - check!

Highly recommend this adventure-packed story about what it means to be truly seen.

Guys, this cover is legit STUNNING! It immediately caught my eye (as did the title, if we're being honest), and that was all it took to get me diving right into If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang.

Alice Sun is brilliant – though she doesn't see herself as a star. In fact, Alice frequently feels invisible. She's one of the top students at her elite boarding school, and yet people don't know the real her.

So perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise when Alice did start turning invisible. At first, Alice decides to turn this odd series of events into a business venture, but it doesn't take long for things to get out of control.

Okay, I would like to nominate If You Could See the Sun for the Young Adult award of the year. Which Young Adult award, you say? Any of them? All of them? I'm not sure! But I know it deserves one.

At first, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book. I loved the premise, but a good premise has burned me in the past. Thankfully, that wasn't the case for If You Could See the Sun, as I found myself reading it late into the night.

There's a good reason for that. There are many elements in If You Could See the Sun, and they all work well together. Alice's character is compelling, naturally. But more than that, I enjoyed the chemistry (enemies to lover style) she had with Henry Li. Combine this with the backstory, her strange new ability, and her determination to get some money out of said ability? Well, that's just the perfect recipe, don't you think?

The pacing of this book is perfect. There's always something going on that will keep you invested in the story, but it rarely feels like sensory overload. And trust me, you'll want to keep reading and see how these events play out.

Long story short, go read If You Could See the Sun. It's worth it.

I fell in love with this cover. Then I decided that I must read it asap.
Alice is a scholarship student at her private school but money is her problem. Alice has to make a very important decision, at the same time she acquires her superpower, suddenly Alice becomes invisible and finds a solution to her problem, something that will help her find money. She is in a difficult situation that needs to learn how to control her life and solve her problems. She and her genius enemy (slow burning) create an app that will use her superpower. Over time, Alice realizes that there are other things in life besides studying and grades that are also important.
This is a very exciting book and I really wanted to know how it would end. Alice is very witty, cute and it was a pleasure to follow her adventures. It was really interesting. Henry and Alice are the perfect couple, they are wonderful for each other and when they work together it's something incredible, they complement each other perfectly.
This book is definitely one of the best this year. This adventure is full of amazing emotions. I believed that I read someone's mind and I completely believed in this story. Many thanks to the author.

I am relishing these dark academia books. School. College. All of it. Ann Liang does such an incredible job at crafting Alice's character. Her flaws and strengths, her arc, is spectacular. The way her relationship with Henry is set from the very beginning and its evolution are masterfully done. The commentary and critique on who gets access to education is amazingly written. The metaphor of invisibility in school and its subversion as a superpower is excellent. Moreover, the ethics and ramifications of these acts are explored with nuance. Some of the ramifications could've been further explored, but it doesn't take away from the heart of the story. I love that the stakes and pace keep you trying to figure out what happens next. The book is exciting and well-balanced. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a great dark academia book. Thank you for an early copy of this book!!

(3.5+) It’s usually fun when you recognize a version of yourself in a character. It’s not so fun when that character is a teenage student who is so focused on schoolwork and her future that it comes at the detriment of her social life and general happiness. Oops?

This book tackles a topic that will be relatable for many: feeling like you’re invisible in certain situations. Except things are taken a bit further for our main character, Alice, who actually starts turning invisible. As the lone scholarship student at a ritzy boarding school whose fees are going up, Alice decides to take advantage of this quirk and leverage it, charging other students hefty sums for completing specific tasks on their behalf. But, of course, she can’t take this on alone and enlists help in the form of Henry, her academic rival. Both Alice and Henry were tremendous characters; she’s ambitious and kind and can be singularly focused, he’s confident and steady but maybe a little shy. Their chemistry is aces, and the way their relationship progresses as both characters start to clear up misunderstandings and rely on each other was my favorite part of the book. (This is worth reading just for Henry’s adorable traits, such as how his ears turn pink when he’s embarrassed and how he has a photo of Alice on his desk before they team up.) The way they complement each other is precious, and I kept squealing and kicking my feet up whenever they interacted.

As a poor student among the über-wealthy, Alice presents a unique worldview and allows author Ann Liang to make a poignant critique on socioeconomic status among Southeast Asians as well as take a look at the difference between those who are Asian by ethnicity and those who live in Asia. Alice is relatable for people who have ever felt less than in social situations and who feel the need to be better at everything as a way of proving to others — and to themselves — that they belong. She’s not always the easiest character to root for, because sometimes her one-track brain (I must get the best grades, I must do something significant with my life) leads her do morally gray things. But Liang makes it clear where Alice is coming from, and it’s easy for the reader to empathize with her as she tries to find her place in a world almost designed to devalue her.

There’s one plot point that really took me out of the story, because the stakes get raised in a way that didn’t quite make sense. Alice takes on an extreme task — like potential jail-time extreme — in a way that felt aggressive even for her. And then Henry — pragmatic, realistic Henry — never questions what she’s doing or pushes back. The rest of the tasks had been so tame that this one felt like it was coming out of left field, and I didn’t love how anything related to this part of the book played out. Maybe if the rest of the stakes had been higher (as the summary sort of suggests), I wouldn’t have noticed how glaringly off this one felt.

I also wanted more of a resolution to the whole turning-invisible storyline. It’s the crux of the story, but it’s never really explored in a satisfactory way. We never find out why Alice turns invisible, how her invisibility is triggered, and whether it persists. Alice’s invisibility is pretty much abandoned 80 percent of the way through, and it left me with lingering questions.

Still, with wonderful writing, world-building, pacing and character development — plus an adorable rivals-to-lovers subplot, of course — this was an enjoyable book I read extremely quickly.

If I could tell Alice one thing, it’d be: College is better, I promise.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

- thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eArc!

- this story was beautiful in its prose and exploration of finding where you truly belong. Liang wrote the story with decadent prose, a well-liked character, and an academic rivals to lovers that was executed perfectly.

I really loved this. The writing is beautiful and the story is so interesting. I loved the plot of Alice doing all the little crimes and mysteries. I loved the romance too, they were so sweet. Magical realism remains one of the best genres.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I immediately knew this book would truly wow me after reading one of my favorite authors, Chloe Gong’s, dazzling review of this novel. The stunning cover art initially drew me in, but I stayed for the gripping plotline, lovable characters, and intriguing magic system. This genre-blurring novel is set on the backdrop of a prestigious Chinese boarding school following the storyline of Alice Sun. Alice is one of the most intelligent students at school next to her long-time academic rival, Henry Li. When Alice’s family begins to face struggles paying the outrageous tuition bills and she discovers her mysterious power of turning invisible, she teams up with Henry to design an app. Together they turn to committing outlandish tasks for their app, Beijing Ghost, in efforts to gain enough for Alice to stay at school. This begs the question, ‘how far will a person go for money?”
First of all, ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS!!! Need I say more? Although this romance is a smaller subplot in the book, I loved these characters’ chemistry together. I loved reading their tension and watching the “will they won’t they” relationship pan out. I will note that Alice, while incredibly witty, is so oblivious to social cues. She was extremely oblivious to flirting which was so funny to me. I loved the pacing of their relationship and how realistic it seemed, instead of it being a “meet-cute” insta-love type situation. I just adore them both as individuals but together as well. I feel as if they really embraced their differences too and I LOVED how sensitive, caring, and articulate Henry’s character was. He was so sweet towards Alice, especially for a “rival”.
Aside from Alice and Henry’s palpable chemistry, I loved how devoted and driven they were towards their schoolwork. Neither of them gave up even in the face of adversity and obstacles thrown their way. Ann Liang does a wonderful job fleshing out these feel-good characters that are very lovable. I also really enjoyed the plotline, and the fast pacing really held my attention well. Certain parts of the novel were anxiety inducing and I was so concerned for the characters. This book was very good at making me feel a lot of emotions. I especially empathized with Alice’s family’s financial struggles. This book also was great at subtly commenting on differences in class status and wealth without being too glaringly obvious. I feel like these differences were utilized to contrast the wealthy characters in juxtaposition to Alice’s character who struggles to afford her tuition.
I really appreciate the attention to detail in this book especially within the title, “If You Could See the Sun” alluding to Alice Sun’s invisibility powers. I found this very clever from Liang. I also loved that this novel doesn’t put itself in a box genre-wise. This book successfully achieves merging many different genres and it makes for a very entertaining storyline. Overall, I highly enjoyed reading this novel and I would recommend it to dark academia and magical realism lovers alike. Not only is the cover absolutely enchanting, but the content within the pages lives up to it as well!

I absolutely loved this book! Alice Sun has always been in the running to be the best of the best. She's got a half scholarship to the most prestigious school. Her rival, Henry, is privileged and just as smart as her. When Alice turns invisible she doesn't know what to do! She ends up turning to her rival for help. When she finds out her parents can't afford the rest of her tuition, she decides to monopolize her new skill. Now she's selling students secrets for huge amounts of money. What can go wrong?!