If You Could See the Sun was an absolute treat of a book! Academic rivals to lovers with a speculative twist, it follows the story of Alice, a student who uses her newly emerged power of invisibility to earn money towards her school tuition at an elite Beijing boarding school. Using an app she developed with her classmate (and infuriating handsome rival) she embarks on anonymous tasks set by her classmates, for a price. What starts off as simple gossip quickly takes a dark turn, putting both Alice’s academic career and life into question.

One thing I loved about this book was the pacing. Oftentimes with YA contemporary I find myself growing frustrated with side-plots and details I don’t really care about, but IYSTS does a wonderful job of laying out the stakes and goal right off the bat, and sticking to it throughout the course of the novel. It almost felt like watching a movie. Liang’s writing is clear, atmospheric and easy to read, making for a great reading experience.

I loved both Alice and Henry and absolutely adored their dynamic. Alice is determined and thoughtful, her inner monologue and great exposition on class, parental expectations and privilege. Liang does a fantastic job of making her invisibility the least interesting thing about her, which is a testament to her ability to craft a well written character! I greatly emphasised with Alice’s struggle to fit in as a working class student amidst the children of celebrities and billionaires. Her thoughts on the subject were nuanced and determined to succeed despite her barriers, something I really admired about her.

I loved Henry so much. Alice originally sees him as the perfect nemesis— rich, handsome and always seemingly to effortlessly come out on top. As both the reader and Alice gets to know him, we find he is so much more than that. I loved how soft he was, and how caring. Although there wasn’t the space to fully delve into their relationships (it’s not a very long book), we definitely get a fully formed view of Henry. The romance was one of my favourite parts of the novel, though it is a smaller plot point compared to Alice’s schemes to raise her tuition.

Overall, If You Could See the Sun was a thoughtful, pacey look at privilege, inequality and academic rigour though the eyes of a young student doing everything she can to make her way in the world. 5/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this! I don’t reach much contemporary YA but this felt fresh and unique! I loved the international school setting which felt so relatable to my own background and how real Alice felt as a character - her struggles and perfectionist desires made you sympathetic but also frustrated by her decisions. So she felt very human. The romance was also pretty cute and sweet.

Oh my god. This book was so, so good! First of all, an elite boarding school in Beijing? Academic rivals to lovers? Yes to all of those things! This was so fluffy and adorable, I loved it so much. I hope I'm not being too dramatic, but I would probably die for Henry. 5 stars.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the team at Inkyard Press for sending in an e-ARC of this book!

Alice Sun has a lot on her plate. Between keeping up with the school work as a scholarship student at an elite Beijing boarding school and competing against her infuriating, and stupidly handsome rival, Henry Li, Alice is determined to succeed and hold onto her status as one of the top students. However, when her parents drop the news that they are no longer able to afford the expensive tuition fees to keep her at Airington, Alice is given the option to go back to America and finish up her schooling in Maine or attend a public school in Beijing. Unable to accept her fate, Alice discovers that she has the ability to turn invisible. This ability, she realizes, could be her way to finance her tuition at Airington - but at what cost?

This was a wonderful read. Brilliantly paced, I found myself reading into the night, absolutely devouring the book. I saw so much of myself in Alice. As an overachieving daughter of an immigrant family, the stakes are even higher to be able to succeed and come out at the top. Liang carefully weaves discussions on class, privilege, and wealth all play crucial parts in the life of a student. More than anything, Alice wants to feel a sense of belongingness; she wants to be seen as more than the “scholarship kid” who has to fight tooth and nail to survive. Alice is smart, thoughtful, and incredibly witty - there’s just so much to love about her.

Of course, I can’t forget the cute romance that blooms between her and Henry. There is so much growth and understanding between the characters that made me smile until my face hurt. “If You Could See the Sun” has it all: academic enemies to lovers, endearing characters you want to root for, an exploration of Chinese diasporic identity, and a heart-warming ending!

I would like to thank Inkyard Press for providing me with an ARC.

This was a fantastic book. The writing is very engaging and beautiful. The characters were very well written. Alice is a very relatable character and her the problems were written in such a relatable manner. The academic rivals to lovers between Alice and Henry was written perfectly. I loved their banter and just how their relationship changed and grew. I also loved how Alice was making other connections between characters, like Chanel. I loved the commentary on class, privilege, family, and friends. I loved this book and I'm looking forward to Liang's future work.

3.75 stars rounding up

Striving for the top against an academic rival in a high-end school in China can be rough, making you feel alone, and why not complicate that more than with a fee increase AND a new invisibility power!
That is what has happened to Alice, and we see her struggle with pressure, morals, life, love and friendship in this fantastic debut.
It does take a few chapters to get into; same with the love interest connect, but after a little, the relationships and pov of Alice become so interesting. I didn't love the central conflict, but I loved the ending!

Unsure of my expectations going in but wow was the writing amazing! I loved reading about the characters and the dynamic between all of them!

it was worth reading all the details and the relatable things were on point and love the way of writing too ! keep it up ! cant wait to get a hardcopy so i could re read once more !

First off, let me just say thank you so much to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for giving me an ARC of this incredible book!!

I had seen some videos on Instagram, thought it sounded terrific, and requested it on Netgalley. It did not disappoint!! I finished the book in a few days and didn’t want to put it down. This book has academic rivals to lovers, which I personally think is even better than enemies to lovers (yes, I said it.). The romance was so well done, that I was rooting for them to kiss within the first interaction.

Past the romance, the rest of the cast of characters was incredible. Alice was kind and relatable and didn’t deny the fact she made mistakes. Henry was funny, sweet, and the right amount of sarcastic. Chanel was probably the most surprising character, obviously, Alice and she were going to become friends, I was just surprised by how kind she really was.

I loved the invisibility element!! I was excited to see it in a somewhat contemporary book, but I wasn’t sure how it would be handled. I thoroughly enjoyed the way it was done. It was interesting and somehow realistic despite because completely unrealistic.

I just really loved this book! I’m preordering it and suggesting it to all of my friends!

This book felt like it was made for Type A readers who struggle with feeling like they have any value outside of our achievements, and that they had to be the best to be seen.

This book addresses several difficult topics but still manages to be a lighthearted and upbeat read. Alice, our main character, is a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school, and we get to see some of her struggles with that. Because of her lower economic and social class, she struggles with feeling seen, and the privilege that she sees other have just because of their parent's wealth. Being the best student in the entire school is the only way she can prove, to everyone else and herself, that she belongs here and that her parents did not waste their money. She pushes herself past her limitations, willing to sacrifice her health to stay ahead. Alice is a very relatable character that I think will resonate with readers.

The tension between Henry and Alice was so well written and their banter was absolute gold. I loved seeing them go from being reluctant partners on a slightly questionable endeavor, to something so much more. I giggled out loud so many times. Academic rivals to lovers is a top-tier trope, and it was done beautifully here.

I loved getting to learn about Chinese culture as well. It so seamlessly flowed with the book, and it made me want to visit Bejing!

One of the best debut novels I've ever read. Miss Ann Liang has written a story with common tropes but has executed them perfectly that the writing is anything but ordinary. Between the academic rivals' banter, the heartstopping plot twists, and Henry Li, I was screaming at every other page. From the very beginning, you can feel that the attention Henry has for Alice is unlike anything he's given to anyone else. And if you've seen the bonus snippets on Miss Ann's socials, the reason why Henry finds their academic competition fun is that it's the only time he's certain that Alice's focus is solely on him and nowhere else.

Besides the slowburn romance, the development of each character, especially Chanel, had me sobbing into my pillow. Chanel is Alice's roommate, but while they never really talked before, by the end of the book, Chanel is one of Alice's best allies and supporters. The dynamic she has with Alice and Henry, the two main characters, is pure serotonin. It almost makes me wish that there was a sequel just so we could see the three of them interact more.

However, beyond the characters and romance, Miss Ann has crafted a story that accurately depicts the joys and difficulties of being Asian-American. Some of the things that Alice went through hit a little close to home, like struggling to write an essay in Chinese and feeling as if she needs to be the top in everything. (Of course, it's also because she needs to maintain her scholarship, but like- you know?)

Honestly, I went on a whole Instagram close friends story spam while reading, and one of the worst things is that I can't fully discuss this book with anyone because no one I know has read this masterpiece. Then again, not everyone has received an arc, so I'm working on getting all my friends to preorder If You Could See the Sun. If it doesn't work, I'll repeatedly send them snippets and tiktoks that Miss Ann has shared. Maybe that'll work.

15/10, highly recommend, Alice the Beijing ghost will come for you if you don't read it!!

A refreshing and fast-paced read! This story's speculative twist was so much fun, and I loved learning more about life at an elite international school. Plus, the wonderful food descriptions and academic rivals to lovers were the cherries on top!

If You Could See The Sun!! This is a brilliant debut novel that has made me want to read everything Anne Liang has written. Throughout the story, I enjoyed the diversity, romance, and unexpected gritty action.

If You Could See the Sun features a lot on the trope of academic rivals to lovers but yet the overall plot didn't feel like it was trope driven which was relieving. The characters are so lovable that I can't help but adore every student's relationship and dynamic with one another. The main relationship between Henry Li and Alice Sun who are the main characters touched my heart. Their constant bickering and academic competition. Not to mention how Henry loved her from the very start of the novel. I know that I will recommend this to all my friends as it holds so many elements from romance to action that I feel that a vast audience will truly cherish. Another factor that played into my enjoyment of the novel was the fact that the characters had Chinese backgrounds. While it might seem irrelevant, I truly appreciate the diversity in novels such as this.

I will admit that it did take me an incredibly long time to finish and to get into but as soon as I was hooked, I couldn't stop. It's truly refreshing and I didn't expect to love it so much. People say to never judge a book by its cover but that cover is a work of art.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was beautiful. I found it extremely immersive and the writing to be extremely well done. I also found Alice and Henry to be extremely likable. The plot of the story was also very unique and I could not put this book down! The cover is also beautiful!

what a slay debut!

okay so i applied for this arc on a whim? i’d added the book to my tbr a few days before, but i never thought i’d actually get it. and when i did get it…it languished away in my phone because i was too lazy to read it. major mistake on my part, because this book is good! it’s a great debut!

the book follows alice sun, a scholarship student at one of the top international schools in beijing as she helps students at her school with problems, because she found out she can go invisible. tbh i forgot about the supernatural part of this book when i started to read it so i was like ??? i do not remember this book being supernatural. the plot isn’t super intricate or too complicated, and i liked that! i also think that the author accurately captured the environment and the characterization of the rich prep school kids well, as well as exploring classism and the feeling of not fitting in and not feeling like enough. i did enjoy the plot, however it’s very strange that no one was suspicious of beijing ghost like no shade but if this happened at my school i’m sure the admin would’ve caught wind of it and shut it down immediately.

i personally enjoyed the characters the most, i think! alice is a very strong narrator; you can really grasp her voice and her character from the first few pages. she’s determined and smart and willing to fight for her goal. i admire that. i also feel like the supporting characters(henry and chanel) were great as well! alice’s classmates were also well-characterized; they did give off rich prep school and sometimes asshole vibes.

the romance! henry is a very charming love interest and so i liked it! i also really liked that he never disparaged or demeaned alice. their banter even when they became friends was great, and the fact that he fell first? immaculate.

overall, this was a very promising debut! i enjoyed this novel and i was hooked on it. i’ll definitely keep an eye out for whatever ann liang writes and publishes next.

also…chanel please call me.

For fans of the Netflix hit Never Have I Ever. Enemies to lovers school drama with a touch a the supernatural. Thought provoking and entertaining. 5/5

If You Could See the Sun was first introduced to me on TikTok with flashy buzzwords like "academic rivals to lovers," "elite boarding school," and "scandalous secrets." Goodreads says it's about a student who "monetizes her strange new invisibility powers." The author describes it as a "love letter to Beijing."

Me? I think, at its heart, If You Could See the Sun is really a story about being Chinese American, about academic achievement, what it feels like to never be enough, never have enough, and about losing sight of whats important. Rather than the drama and intrigue-filled enemies to lovers tale I thought I was getting into, its an exploration of happiness, family, and success--led by an all too recognizable protagonist.

While the romance is there, the male lead was much too boring (and nice) to bring any drama. I adored Henry, but his feelings towards the main character were obvious from the onset. The plot was okay but, again, felt more like a vehicle to explore deeper themes.

Overall, it's not the most captivating romance, but a solid standalone novel that I would definitely recommend.

Alice Sun is the only partial scholarship student at an elite international boarding school in Beijing. When she discovers that her parents won’t be able to afford next semester’s tuition, she takes matters into her own hands to provide for herself and fund her education, thanks to a newfound ability to turn invisible. She partners with her #1 academic rival, Henry Li, who helps her start a clandestine business, gathering secrets and running errands for her peers, while Alice continues to wrestle with metaphorical invisibility she has always felt due to her different socioeconomic status.

I’m floored that I enjoyed this so much! While there is that hint of the supernatural or fantastical with Alice’s invisibility, the rest of the book reads as a contemporary YA, which I’ve learned I’m not really the audience for personally. (This is speculative or magical realism by the way, so don’t expect an actual explanation as to why Alice can turn invisible. The characters for the most part don’t act too surprised for too long when they learn about her power.) But there’s something really engaging about the way Ann Liang writes that elevates this debut: her descriptions of food and setting in Beijing were really vivid and specific (roast duck, white rabbit milk candies, etc.), and the dialogue between characters was also witty and snappy.

Characters: Alice could have been a really grating protagonist, but I felt myself rooting for her while she struggled with internal feelings of worthlessness, wrestling with her reputation and the fear of not gaining everyone’s approval and ultimately failing. Though she makes some really morally gray, questionable decisions in the process and can be stubborn, you can’t help root for her to figure it all out and hope that she matures by the end of the book because you understand where she’s coming from. I loved Henry too: the British accent, secret Taylor Swift-listening? App-designing side-kick? Ears turning pink when he’s embarrassed? Just a really solid male lead. Together, Alice and Henry are an academic rivals-to-lovers pairing done well with their sparkling banter. I thought the side characters were actually great too: though this is clear criticism and commentary on the extraneous lifestyles of some of Alice’s peers,I also felt like a number of them were not one-dimensional. It seems like this a realization Alice herself comes to over the course of the book as her invisibility allows her to learn the secrets of her classmates and their families, realizing they don’t have “perfect” lives she always assumed they had. Alice’s parents also were a standout here and I really loved their relationship.

Themes: it’s obvious that Alice’s ability to disappear is really a metaphor for the invisibility she constantly perceives in herself. She grapples with wanting to be noticed and praised, to forge ahead and succeed. She has to learn that basing her sense of worth and achievement on her reputation in the eyes of others is ultimately another form of invisibility, in which she doesn’t really get to live as herself, truly. As a result, I appreciated that Alice didn’t get off completely free and had to face consequences for her actions.This book also definitely tackles wealth and class disparity this head-on; Alice makes scathing observations about the rich lifestyles of her classmates, who are ignorant to the real difficult lives of most of the populations. Both of these themes were handled maturely and I was pleasantly surprised by the depth to which they were explored.

If I had any slight criticism, I felt like the resolution came on a bit quickly in the aftermath of Alice’s most ethically problematic stunt. I also wish we got to see more of her and Henry together since that confession actually came rather late, close to the climax and that we got to see more of him trying to understand her background.

This book was my MOST anticipated release of 2022. An academic rivals to lovers YA contemporary set in an elite Beijing boarding school, are you kidding me? So I begged for an eARC in the author’s DMs on Instagram, and she’s an angel so she told her publisher to send one to me. And here we are now.
If you could see the sun was basically everything I thought it was going to be – funny and cute and moving and, if you’re a burnt out gifted kid and/or child of immigrants like me, probably relatable too. It tells the story of Alice Sun (cue the light in your eyes when you understand the title), a Chinese-American teenage girl who went back to live in China with her parents after a few years in the US, and is enrolled in an elite (and expensive) international school. She’s a top student there, but when her parents can’t pay the tuition fees anymore, she resorts to spying on her classmates and exposing their secrets in exchange for money, using her new strange power – she can turn invisible. And in order to do that, she teams up with her rich, hot and unsufferable academic rival, Henry Li.

Technically, this book is magical realism, but the fact that Alice can turn invisible doesn’t really matter that much in the end. In my opinion, it was more of a metaphor disguised as a plot device, for how she feels less considered and has less opportunities than her rich and privileged classmates. If she had simply been discreet and stealth, I think the story would’ve been the same with a few minor changes, so I won’t focus on that aspect too much – and actually in the end, her power disappears like it came, without a real explanation, and it’s barely even acknowledged.

I started If you could see the sun thinking it’d be a very cute and funny YA romance with my favourite trope (academic rivals to lovers). And it was, but it was also more than that. I wasn’t expecting the themes of immigration and racism and social inequalities to be so prominent, and I wasn’t ready haha. Alice’s parents’ story and her own childhood / teenage years in the US, and the attack they were a victim of there, and the homesickness and struggle; it was all so real and vividly described, it made me cry a little. I could relate to so many of her parents’ sacrifices and wishes for her, and experiences to a certain extent.
And then when Alice was in danger of having to leave Airington, I really felt her desperation to stay and be able to prove herself, and her ache for everything she doesn’t have – money, recognition, privilege. I loved to read about a character who was ambitious not because she was passionate about something (I never was), but because she knew studying hard was her only way to “make it”, to beat the odds, and overcome the social inequalities that stand in her way. I think any child of immigrant and/or POC overachiever will understand Alice’s journey. And that’s why I was SO happy with the ending. I was very scared she would end up realising “ambition is wrong” or something dumb like that. Which, don’t get me wrong – it’s not the ONLY thing that matters, and Alice does understand that by the end. But allowing herself to have other dreams and hobbies doesn’t mean giving up on her ambition altogether, and I was very glad to see her fight for her education (and win, or at least not completely loose).
Basically, I thought the resolution of the business that put her in jeopardy in the first place was both realistic and satisfying.

Like I said, academic rivals to lovers is my favourite trope, and I was so excited about the banter and tension I’d get in this one, especially with this setting (I love reading about rich people lol). I think I was expecting messy romantic confessions and impulse make out sessions, but Alice and Henry are both way too in control of themselves and their emotions to slip like that haha, and I suppose it wouldn’t have been in character (as much as I wanted to see it happen). As a result, it was a very slow burn romance, much more than I thought, and they realised their feelings for each other way before actually acting on them. And then when it does happen, they’re at a point where they already respect and consider each other so much, so there’s no angry and heated argument scene like you see in a lot of rivals to lovers story. I’m usually a fan of these, but I didn’t mind not getting it in this book – it was a nice change.
I’ve already briefly mentioned it, but I enjoyed Alice’s character a lot. She was ambitious and unapologetic, but also self-conscious and insecure about a lot of things, and of course there was the whole child-of-immigrant-who-has-to-make-her-parents’-efforts-worth-it aspect, which was highly relatable. She was sometimes a bit frustrating to read about because of how headstrong and stubborn she could be, and VERY oblivious for some things (he has a PICTURE OF YOU on his desk bestie?), but overall it was very enjoyable to read from her POV. Henry was… just a little bit TOO much I suppose? He was basically k-drama perfect: hot, tall, super rich, very respectful, smart, cocky, obviously super in love with the MC, with just the right amount of childhood trauma to make him sympathetic. So it was perfect for a fantasised YA love interest, but I also had a hard time believing Alice was COMPLETELY immune to his charms all these years, even when he was flirting with her constantly haha.
I preordered the book as well, and the author has a preorder campaign open where you receive 40 pages of exclusive bonus content from Henry’s point of view, so I’m VERY excited to read all about him simping for Alice.

To sum it up, If you could see the sun delivers on what it’s promising, and the YA romance part of it works well. But what I thought really elevated the story was the themes of social injustice and the frustration that comes from feeling you don’t, and can never, truly belong in the privileged environment in which you move.
TWs: parental abuse (off page), racial microaggressions and hate crime, kidnapping.

between financial issues that threaten her spot at her elite boarding school and an academic rival who is always neck in neck with her, alice sun has a lot on her plate before she starts randomly turning invisible. but at a school full of rich, influential kids, there are a lot of secrets that people will pay good money to keep under wraps. or to expose.

this book was a super fun read! alice and her drive and character were very relatable to me, and i thought that the plot was fun! i think that some relationships could've been explored and developed a little more (i would've loved to see more raine for one!), but for the most part, i really enjoyed it! i think that it wrapped up a little too suddenly and wish her invisibility we delved into a bit more, but as a whole i think the story was fun and the romance was sweet!