If You Could See the Sun

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this book has been on my tbr and one of my most anticipated reads for months and i just want to say that ann liang’s books will never disappoint! The plot was decently straightforward, and while it was slightly slow in the beginning, which is one of the reasons I'm not giving this a full five stars, it picked up once everything had been sorted out. i feel like i’m in my ya era rn and i love ann liang’s writing style so much 😭 it’s pure comfort material tbh and i just wanna giggle and kick my legs up every time jsjdljdsfashkjfhkejrhegk henry li and alice sun are so cute !

I expected there to be more consequence, or at least more character development as a result of this experience. Between the gorgeous writing and the incredible class commentary and Henry Li, if I wasn't squealing into my pillow, I was near tears at feeling seen by the Chinese culture and diaspora experience woven throughout. it’s like it was completely disregarded after that and alice is just like “well it hasn’t happened again” and that’s it. because when he is ahead of her, if just by one question, one mark, one inch, that is the only time he can be confident she's watching nobody but him. But I didn't really like the execution and I felt like the characterization and story-telling felt a little.she looks how he believes art should look like, the kind of beautiful that makes you feel something, that presses your heart too tight against your ribcage. i 100% wasn’t expecting the commentary on racism and classism, but it is something that should always be talked about when it’s appropriate, and it was woven into the story so well.

Partial scholarship student, Alice Sun, is top of her class -well actually tied for top of her class at Beijing International Boarding School where the wealthy are plenty. i’ve seen so many of my friends on here read and love ann liang’s books, so i wasn’t surprised to like this one. This had such an interesting magical realism element – although this book is set in the real world and feels like a contemporary, our main character does have the power of invisibility that adds a fantasy layer. and i really hope this deliverss cuz im a kdrama obsessed girrlie, and if this disappoints im coming for your soul.i do wish the enemies to lovers part had been played up to a little more, and the magic realism part too, because it wasn’t fully explained in the end what happened ⸺ but oh well. i went into this with super high expectations - everyone was rating it five stars and i was 100% convinced it was going to be my new favorite book.

Her parents work difficult jobs with long hours to provide for her, and this spurs her into wanting to be able to do something with the education and opportunities that come with it. As the two of them grow closer, Alice also has to come to terms with what she’s willing to do to stay at this school. like this was all put into motion so last minute and everyone was just like “oh okay it’s all andrew’s fault then.alice sun, a high-achieving student at airington college, faces a tough decision when her family can't cover her remaining tuition fees. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. and as she glares at him, cheeks pink, glowing with perfect rage, he can admit to himself: this is why he must win. I’ve spent my whole life longing to be seen, but I’ve also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too, like how the tiny cracks on a polished vase only become visible under scrutiny.