First of all, I enjoyed the strong writing style that brought out this incredible setting as well as made the characters all seem like real-life people to me. Henry Li was my favorite character in this novel; I loved his complexity, his intelligence, his loyalty, his sense of sarcastic humor, and his willingness to sacrifice for family and friends. The family relationships/dynamics, friendships, and rivals/enemies to more all endeared this book to my heart immediately.

Secondly, I enjoyed being immersed in the Chinese culture, the arts, the cuisine, and even the tough parts of social inequities which made it feel real. The plot didn't shy away at the tough themes and I appreciated the tough look into racism, poverty, inequality, and bullying.

I enjoyed the suspense of the Beijing Ghost app tasks and found myself glued to the action to find out what happened next. However, I was extremely disappointed, if not frustrated, with the lack of consequences, especially for Alice's final task she accepted for payment. This made Alice unlikable to me and morally gray in nature, which is not a problem except Alice never seemed to accept responsibility for her choices and therefore, I don't believe she learned from her unethical mistakes and grew as a better person.

Another disappointing part of this plot was the lack of complete world building. How Alice turns invisible is never explained and this left me feeling unsatisfied with the magical realism this novel is based upon. Also, why didn't Henry and Chanel freak out about Alice turning invisible? Their acceptance of it took me immediately out of suspending my belief.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

If You Could See the Sun follows a young Chinese-American girl named Alice who attends an elite boarding school in Beijing. After finding out her school fees are no longer affordable, Alice teams up with her academic rival to monetize her newfound invisibility powers by completing tasks requested by other students.

Overall, I thought If You Could See the Sun was a fun read, but it definitely could have benefited from refining certain details and resolving the plot holes. Many aspects, such as the concept and setting, were really interesting, and I enjoyed Alice’s development and how supportive her family was of her. While I liked Henry, I felt like there were instances where he and Alice could’ve challenged each other more, especially considering their dynamic as academic rivals. For example, when Henry appeared apprehensive about a request they received, Alice was dismissive of his concerns and Henry went along with her plan anyways, and this would have been a much more intriguing point of contention if they had a proper discussion about it. Despite this, Henry was such a great love interest and there were so many cute moments between Alice and Henry as their relationship continued to develop. Chanel was also a great friend, and I would have liked to see more of her. The book did leave many questions regarding Alice’s invisibility unanswered, and I thought there were a lot of opportunities for her invisibility to be further explored. Though I believe parts of the story could have been improved upon, I found the book to be very entertaining.

thank you so much to inkyard press and netgalley for the e-arc! <3

4 (and a little extra) stars!

before i am even a human being, i am an academic rivals to lovers stan!!!

i requested this on netgalley simply because i saw it had my trope, but i ended up loving it even more than i expected.

this book is simultaneously deeper and also more fun than i expected. it addresses classism, racism, and other real world topics, but it also covers these things with a fun and fast-paced plot.

the story takes off quickly, and there’s never a dull spot. i had a few issues with the writing every here and there, but it never stalled the reading experience.

alice’s invisibility powers aren’t involved in deep lore - but for me, it absolutely worked. i immediately just felt like alice deserved a break because i loved her (and saw myself in her).

and i loved her and henry together. and i really really really loved henry. an angel. british, genius, tall… inserting him into a rivals storyline was absolutely perfect for me. teenage me would have been in love with him but current me felt like they were my sweet genius children and i needed to protect them forever. their push and pull banter was PERFECT and the little moments where you could see henry’s affection for her were sooooo good.

i won’t go into the plot too much because i recommend you read like i did and just go along for the ride! it’s 100% worth it.

there’s so much heart and culture involved in this book - i loved how real everyone felt.

a little fantasy a little romance a little drama a little action - a perfect escapist read and i highly recommend!!!

cws: racism, classism, violence, cheating

This is a story about class, academic rivalry, and being invisible. I loved seeing Alice and Henry grow through learning about each other's challenges and insecurities even though they are the top 2 students in their school. I also loved all the information about Chinese culture, and can't wait to try White Rabbit candy.

I could not put this book down. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved the romantic subplot and I felt that the characters were fleshed out and realistic feeling, given the magical nature of the story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Man, genre-bending is effing correct. I won't go into the plot because 1) the summary is pretty thorough and 2) I actually think the less you know going in the better. That said, pick up this book if you love:
- Elements of magical realism
- An academic rivals to lovers story that is just *chef's kiss*
- An MC who is honestly kind of a villain but we love to see it
- The ability to learn more about a contemporary culture through fiction

I loved the premise of the book. Academic rivals to lovers is 100% my jam, but what I thought would be a book that would be fast-paced from the description, the pace was average and was less dramatic than the story’s promise. I enjoyed Alice and Henry as characters and found them fun and good characters that had a lot going for them, but their romance was only okay. The synopsis mentions tasks that escalate, but that just didn’t happen. I was also really bothered that the author didn’t even explain Alice’s powers? (Unless I somehow missed it.)
Overall, this book just didn’t quite do it for me and it was a 2.5/5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC.

It only takes Alice turning invisible twice for her to create a business plan. Instead of doing what other people would do, Alice decides to turn this in to a way to make money. She makes acquires an app, using her skills to do anonymous tasks. Anything from catching someone cheating, to helping taking someone's phone.

I thought the concept of this book was interesting. I was also drawn to the book because of it’s diversity. In a way, the story felt immersed in Chinese culture, which I appreciated. Henry was also a wonderful feature in the book, even though the book isn’t romance-centric. Henry and Alice both showcased well the effects of academic pressure on students, as well as the effects of income inequality.

Despite liking what she represented, I had a hard time liking Alice. Time and time again she made decisions that I wouldn’t have dreamed of making. Maybe we are just built from different things, but Alice made some terrible decisions in attempt to do what she wants. I thought she was pretty selfish and hurtful. I did understand her reasoning, but I didn’t think it was excuse enough for the things she did.

All in all, this book was an interesting read. I think someone ages 12-17 would enjoy it more, as this book is definitely targeted more towards pre-teens. The blurb for the book does mention it being YA, but it’s hard to know the age-range for that because everyone has a different interpretation of what YA means.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this ARC to for an unbiased review.

Content Warnings (for parents):
-Mild Swearing
-Minor Kissing
-Mild Violence
-No Sexual Content

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang, 352 pages. Inkyard Press, 2022. $19.
Language: R (110 swears, 21 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Alice, a year twelve student, needs to be the best at school, and she’s been mostly successful so far – she didn’t even push her rival, Henry, off the stage when they tied for Top Achiever award again. But everything changes for Alice when her parents admit they can’t afford tuition after the semester and Alice suddenly turns invisible. Desperate, Alice turns to the only person she can think of for help: Henry.
The questionable morality of Alice’s and Henry’s actions stressed me out. On the one hand, they are the protagonists and I want them to succeed, but I also don’t believe that the ends justify the means. Liang has written a compelling story that elicits sympathy for her characters, sparks thoughts about ethics, and invites readers to think about what they really want.
Everyone is implied Asian. The text specifically says that there are Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, and Australian-born Chinese students, and it is implied that there are also some White international students. The mature content rating is for innuendo and illegal activity as well as for mentions of child molesters, pornography, sexting, condoms, sex, drugs, and alcohol. The violence rating is for fist fighting, knife use, and some blood.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

If You Could See the Sun is a young adult low fantasy or magical realist novel, depending on how one defines those terms, that follows Alice Sun, a low-income teen at an academically taxing school for the rich. When Alice's parents allude to taking her out of school, Alice uses her newfound invisibility to raise her tuition money by spying on her classmates. What follows ranges from innocent shenanigans to high-level crimes. The novel explores utilitarian moral quandaries. Is the promise of a better future worth breaking fundamental ethical principles? Or is becoming the type of person one despises too great a cost?
Ann Liang's work is certainly entertaining. The premise of a teenager with the power of invisibility coupled with high school drama is great YA fodder. However, what value exists in entertainment is overshadowed by poor, cliched writing and dubious morals. The central relationship between Alice and Henry has cute moments, such as an awkward comment about a praise kink, but lacks the tantalizing tension which usually makes enemies-to-lovers stories so enthralling. For such a sagacious girl, Alice is painfully oblivious to Henry's feelings for her. Henry takes the time to help her with an app despite being exceedingly wealthy and having nothing to gain. A picture of the two resides in his austere room. Since Alice is his academic rival, he would benefit from turning her into the administration, yet he does not. All of these factors should culminate in an overt case for Henry's feelings for her, but the thought does not cross Alice's mind.
Though, that is not to say what does cross her mind is wise. As the only scholarship student, Alice is privy to and critical of how the rich can get away with any unethical actions unscathed. Yet, she is willing to forgo any partially decent ethical code to get what she wants. One can argue Alice should not have been in the position of having to pay so handsomely for quality education, but this does not absolve her of moral culpability, especially given that she immediately resorts to spying on the other students with her invisibility powers before trying any other method. She does not explain her situation to the school, nor does she attempt to come up with alternative payment plans. Perhaps these efforts would have been in vain, but one can never know if they do not try. By the novel's end, the administration mildly reprimands Alice for her mistakes but not before Alice and her friends attempt manipulation or downright coercion. So, did Alice learn anything at all? Readers are expected to root for the misfortunate impoverished girl with a keen mind, yet she consistently inflicts misfortune onto others in the name of staying at a school for her academic prowess, which she fails to use in any part of the novel. Taken in aggregate, If You Could See The Sun is an adventurous YA novel with overt moral statements that are covertly contradicted. Some characters, such as Chanel and Henry, are loveable, but a puerile writing style and revenge fantasy overcome the potential for deep characterization or connection.

I really liked the premise of this book—academic rivals to lovers is my favorite! Unfortunately, however, I didn’t end up enjoying this book as much as I thought I would. I found it a little confusing that Alice’s invisibility was never given any explanation, and the characters felt a little flat to me. The story felt very lighthearted—something I enjoyed, but wouldn’t feel compelled to read again.

This book was very good and had although the themes around class is somewhat straightforward, it's well-written and super engaging! The setting is also really immersive, and it felt like the exact opposite of the stereotypical competitive and elite boarding school, but it still somehow really familiar? The characters are pretty well-rounded and distinct, and their development was also really good, and Alice and Henry's relationship seemed very realistic!

I'm actually obsessed with this book this is definitely one of my favorites of the year! The whole premise is just so interesting what with the academic setting, the superpowers, the academic rivals to lovers!!!! I definitely think this book would be an absolutely splendid adaptation what with the elite drama happening throughout the story. I'm literally at a loss for words because there's just so much I want to say about how interesting it was to make Alice decide to do seemingly innocent things that slowly seemed to escalate into the morally grey.

I also think it was such a cool discussion topic when Alice was discussing the lessons from Macbeth and how they paralleled her justifications for her actions. Of course, I really loved the friendships and romance because they felt really natural! The banter was superb and I just had a really great time with that.

The family relationships and especially the pressure a child feels to help their parents was something I really related to. I'm definitely going to be recommending this to everyone!

If You Could See the Sun is charming and fun ride. You will fall in love with Alice and Henry. Alice is invisible, literally. She finds herself turning invisible and doesn't know why. Then Alice's parents tell her they can't afford her boarding school in Beijing and she decides to use her invisibility powers to make some money to help pay for school. She starts listening to her classmates deepest secrets and sharing the information in exchange for money. This was a really interesting and fun read. I loved the characters and the writing was great.

I liked the premise of this story. Our main character Alice is a normal teen and comes from a normal family. I really loved how the author had our main character come from a regular family. Alice's family didn't come from money, but they did everything they could to ensure their child succeeded in getting somewhere in life. I loved the rivalry between Alice and Henry and how they learned to work together to make things happen.
We see just how far Alice will take this invisibility and how she learns just when crossing that line is no longer an option. So there is a part when Alice tells someone about her invisibility, and I was like, are you for real? We just go on and blurt that out to folks! I was just about done reading at that point, only because I didn't see why anyone else needed to know. I am so lucky I kept going because it all made sense. Yet, I am wondering how did she get her powers? Did I miss something? I plan on putting this book in the library as I do hope my students will enjoy this book as I did. The storyline was clean, the family dynamics were amazing, the friendships were on point, and the romance was oh so sweet!

This was a fantastic debut from Ann Liang! Fast-paced, full of relatable and intriguing characters, with a healthy splash of commentary on social class and elitism - I was engrossed from the very first page. No seriously I finished this in less than 24 hours. Overall a highly enjoyable read!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for this ARC!

first of all, thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been wanting to read this book for months. and did not disappoint! the tropes that were promised were fulfilled with excellence, especially that of academic rivals for lovers. I was really scared of being a ya, which is not the kind of book I usually like, but I was so captivated by the characters that it worked out really well for me.

I have to say that the ending felt a little too rushed. but other than that I really liked how people and tasks were getting more and more morally gray.

I have already recommended it to friends. I hope to be able to read more books by this author in the future!

Plot: 9/10
Alice Sun attends Airington, a prestigious international private school for the ultra-rich, on a scholarship. As talented and academically gifted as she is, it isn't enough, and she finds out she'll soon have to leave Airington. This news coincides with another revelation: Alice can turn invisible. She can't control when and she doesn't know how, but she decides to capitalize on her invisibility by teaming up with her academic rival, Henry Li, to complete tasks from her classmates to raise funds for her tuition. However, as the stakes start to rise, Alice must decide how far she's willing to go for money.

This book takes a tried and true concept and adds something new to it by bringing in a supernatural element. Now, I'll be honest, anything that involves an elite private school I will eat up every time, so I am a little biased. However, I do think this book stands out from the crowd. Alice has very good reasons for not wanting to leave Airington. Leaving would mean going to a regular school in China and having to face the gaokao, a notoriously rigorous and stressful test required for college attendance, or moving back to America, where she would be unlikely to be able to complete her IB curriculum and would face racism on the daily. Combine that with her desperation to make something of herself, especially when constantly compared to children with the world handed to them on a platter, the tension is there. Even if Alice's methods were dubious, I wanted her to succeed in the end.

In my opinion, the story does get a little slow around the middle, but it's necessary for Alice's guilt to slowly build and overtake her. I loved the comparisons between her and Macbeth, especially since English is something she cares about. Seeing Alice's gradual downfall as the stress and her conscience creep up on her really kept me on the edge of my seat; I knew she was going to crack, but when?

The only negative thing I can think of is the ending. I don't know, I was just expecting something more severe. On one hand, I'm happy for Alice since I was genuinely attached to her, but on the other, I wish the story had explored the negative effects of this sort of thing to a greater extent. Also, as would be expected in a private school full of children of the 1%, it is a little unrealistic. From aspiring idols to kidnapping plots to truly insane amounts of money being thrown around, expect some crazy antics from the students.

Characters: 10/10
As someone who constantly regrets missing out on social activities and extracurriculars due to my obsession with academics but without it would never have stood a chance of getting into college, Alice hits a little too close to home. She's clever, talented, and driven, but she lacks the privilege of her peers and as such has developed a huge inferiority complex. Her character development as she takes her ploy for tuition too far is very well done, and her constant worry and stress were palpable. She's a character that's easy to root for, even when we know she's in the wrong.

Alice's dynamic with Henry was also just fun to read about. Academic rivals are my bread and butter, and Alice and Henry were pretty much everything I love about the concept. I will admit, Henry is a bit of a stereotype for the genre. He's the heir to a huge company that seems like everything comes easily to him but actually puts a lot of work in, especially due to pressure from his parents. However, as much as I loved the romantic subplot, to me, this book was wholly about Alice and her struggle for greatness. Still, I can appreciate how Henry is a stellar, supportive love interest.

In terms of side characters, I would like to especially discuss Alice's parents, her aunt, and Mr. Chen, her English teacher. They all share one thing in common—they are authority figures in Alice's life that truly care for her. It was just so touching to read about the ways they supported Alice, and they also brought an interesting aspect to the story. Despite their unconditional support, Alice still feels as though she is always disappointing them and that she owes them for their help. It was an intriguing concept to cover that even though Alice technically had the support she needed, her environment and personality as a result of that kept her from reaching out.

Writing Style : 8/10
I think the descriptions of Alice's emotional and mental well-being are the stars of the show in this case. Her constant anxiety adds a lot to the story; it made my stakes in the story grow, and it was visceral at times. As someone who is prone to episodes of intense panic, Alice's reactions were both heartwrenching and realistic. This book did a very good job of showing not telling when it came to this.

I will say that the physical descriptions were pretty average. Nothing particularly stood out to me, and I do wish Alice's own appearance had been more detailed. On the other hand, I can perfectly picture Henry due to Alice's constant attention to him (which is pure rivalry and definitely never to be mistaken for attraction). I did like the ending paragraph quite a bit and the way it tied back to both the title and the overarching theme of the book.

Meaning: 8/10
Something I really appreciated about this book was how it made it clear that money is undeniably something important. The message isn't that Alice should stop reaching above her station and be content where she is; Alice's financial situation is what got her into the mess in the first place. The message is that Alice (and others like her) deserve better, but while they work towards a better life they shouldn't forget what makes that life worth living in the first place, be it family, friends, or personal passion, all things Alice has lost sight of. In the end, Alice's friends use their privilege to help her, and they are not villainized for having that privilege nor is she villainized for desiring it.

I do wish this book had gone a little deeper on the class divide, especially between Henry and Alice. There's potential for a very big fallout there around Henry not understanding why Alice cares about money so much. I can see why it was maybe excluded or glossed over, but it would have been so interesting to see Henry in particular grapple with Alice's reality.

Overall: 9/10
Like I said before, this book takes a story that's been done many times before and executes it well with extra elements that help it stand out. Alice's invisibility brings depth to both the plot and her character, which is well-developed. Her dynamic with Henry is so much fun, and I was able to genuinely root for her the whole time despite her dubious decisions. While I do wish the story had dug into the class divide a bit more, this was overall a very good book, especially for a debut, that I thoroughly enjoyed!

I try not to judge books by their covers... but I will admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read "If You Could See the Sun" is because of this absolutely gorgeous cover. And honestly, the judgment was correct - because the contents of this book definitely lived up to the beautiful cover! Following scholarship student, Alice Sun, and her classmates at an international school in Beijing, "If You Could See the Sun" ponders the question of what you would do if you could suddenly turn invisible (like, literally). This was an amazing debut by Ann Liang, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. The highlights of the novel were definitely the relationships between Alice and her parents, and Alice and Henry, her academic rival. Overall, it was a unique and well-written exploration of class differences, academic anxiety, and generational trauma... with a very cute high school first love on the side.

I've never been a fan of stories where the character gains a sudden power overnight with no explanation, but "If You Could See the Sun" is making me reexamine my bias. When she discovers she can suddenly turn invisible, Alice, the only scholarship student at one of the most elite high schools in Beijing, enlists the help of Henry, Golden Boy and Alice's academic rival to monetize her newfound abilities as a way to make enough money to cover her rising tuition. Together they develop Beijing Ghost: a way for their classmates to anonymously make requests, but as the jobs start getting more and more sinister, and Alice is forced to pick which is more important--opportunity, or her conscience? Alice is such a compelling narrator, ambitious and incredibly stubborn, and I loved watching how she grew over the course of the novel, particularly her delightfully awkward romance with Henry, the two of them completely obliviousness of the other's (very obvious) feelings. "If You Could See the Sun" was absolutely thrilling from start to finish!