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!

Alice Sun is the only scholarship student at an elite international school in Beijing, but when her parents can no longer afford to pay her tuition, Alice is told to choose a cheaper local school to attend. Ever-determined Alice decides to get the tuition money herself, and her newfound ability to become invisible is the perfect tool to aid her.

Enter Henry Li, the heir to one of China’s most successful tech startups and Alice’s biggest rival. Ever since he came to Airington five years ago, the two have been dueling it out for the title of top student.

But when Alice and Henry create Beijing Ghost, an app in which people can pay Alice to find out information for them, and as the requests become riskier, the two transition from just academic rivals into something more.

It was such a fun YA novel, and I loved just watching as Alice became more unhinged in the tasks she was willing to do, while Henry was just there happy to be her accomplice.

While the ending did feel a little rushed, and I wished it had continued longer, I still found it to be quite a fun read. But throughout the novel, I was giddy and there were mentions of Henry listening to Taylor Swift, so I can’t be mad!

The dynamic between Alice and Henry was so great; they were literally academic rivals turned partners in crime turned something more?! I mean, what more could you ask for?

-

Thank you Inkyard Press for the eARC!

rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

includes : academic rivals to lovers, guy falls first, academic validation, financial division, asian representation, relatable experiences

this is most definitely my favourite release of 2022 so far !! before i begin, i would just like to say a huge thank you to @annliangwrites and @inkyardpress for providing me with the opportunity to read such an amazing book before its release. i cried, i laughed, and i squealed on the toilet seat🕴🏻

anyways, onto the review - i've split it up into 3 sections :

1. characters
firstly, alice was so well written - her development was very clear, especially through her conversations with mr chen. her character was so realistic and relatable in many aspects - although she may initially seem like the typical 'effortlessly number 1' kind of student, you can really understand just how much effort and energy goes into earning her place. yes, she may have been selfish at times, but i didn't even get close to hating her.

2. plot
i did actually manage to roughly predict some of the events that occurred throughout the book, but even so, ann presented them in a way that felt unique and emotional every time. the reason i loved this book so much was because it perfectly depicted the mindset many young people hold (specifically asian immigrants) - the thought that our value is defined by money and academics. if you were to ask a crowd asian students what they wish for, how many of them would reply with, 'i want to be happy'? i truly hope that all those students, who struggle to meet their own expectations, will be able to come across this book and realise there is so much more above studying.

3. romance
now on a lighter note, henry li is THE love of my life. he has a british accent guys. A BRITISH ACCENT. i absolutely loved seeing their little arguments grow into so much more, and henry being entirely clueless of alice's hatred for him😭😭

p.s. full review on goodreads!

This book was really wonderful! It was so cool to read YA not set in the US, because so much of it is. The characters were all multidimensional, and I loved watching Alice grapple with the problems she faced. She was such a great character: prickly and full of desire, defining and redefining herself over the course of the novel. The plot was interesting, and it definitely hooked me, seeing Alice team up with her academic rival and use her newfound invisibility to achieve her goals. It was fascinating to see how far she'd go to get what she wanted; that's one of my favorite things to explore in novels. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, and I'd definitely recommend it to others!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

If I'm being honest, I don't have much to say about this book. The more I read I thought I related to Alice so so much, on so many levels. Academic validation? Pushing yourself to your limits? Pretty much all you have to your name is good grades? Check, check, check. This book got me thinking a lot and it was very profound! Even if at some parts what Alice did was quite frustrating, I think she had good character development at the end. And- Henry and Alice all the way!! I hope Alice got her happy ending at her new school. This was a great debut by Ann Liang, and I think it's great for anyone who struggles/struggled with defining yourself and setting standards based solely on academics. Make sure to get a copy of this book on October 11th this fall!

(Pub. on thelibraryealm.blogspot.com, June 19th, 2022)

This book has an interesting premise. Alice's power of invisibility is a fitting metaphor for her feeling unseen by her peers. (I feel like Buffy did an episode around this too, so it's definitely a relatable theme for teens.)

I like the class struggle stuff, and how much Alice's ambition and anti-heroic actions are tied to the unfortunate reality that she's just starting with a lot less than her classmates and has to do a million times more work just to keep up. There's a great moment where she remembers getting second place to Henry in a contest and cried, coz she'd worked really hard to win the RMB500 prize while Henry just entered the contest last-minute on a whim. The win also didn't mean as much to him, and he barely even remembered the contest at all. I like how Henry always viewed their rivalry as friendly while Alice saw it as much more serious, because she had so much more at stake with winning.

There's some sadly realistic scenes depicting racism, mostly from a white teacher at the school. In one scene, she calls Alice by another student's name, even though they look nothing alike.

The concept of Beijing Ghost is compelling. The author did a good job of showing the escalation of the tasks students hired Alice to do, from rather sordid but standard spy jobs that gradually intensify towards outright criminal acts.

The romance between Alice and Henry is sweet, but mostly meh. Alice never really seemed too much into Henry at all, so the random flirty scenes didn't really do much for me. I do like how Alice's developing friendships with Henry and Chanel helped her integrate a bit more deeply into the school social life. The author does a good job in showing just how much privilege wealthy students with powerful parents can have.

The book falls short for me on two fronts:

First, the task that eventually leads to the novel's climax and denouement requires Alice to perform a criminal act. I sympathize with her desperation to earn enough money to stay in school, and I agree that any penalties should be meted out fairly. But the fallout from her actions did not at all feel satisfactory. I expected there to be more consequence, or at least more character development as a result of this experience. Instead, the main message seems to be that her actions were totally understandable and justifiable, and the blame really lies within the classist school system. Which is far too simplistic and totally overlooks Alice's complicity in her own actions.

The big confrontation was a total non-event. The other party involved, the 'evil mastermind', so to speak, was barely even a force to be reckoned with. Alice's big gesture to reclaim power didn't seem anywhere near as much a death blow as the scene made it seem, and the way 'good' characters just seemed to get off unscathed bothered me. As terrible as the 'evil mastermind' was, I actually found myself wishing he got off as lightly as the main characters did, because the whole resolution just felt too neat and perfect.

The other big snag for me was that Alice's invisibility was a convenient tool yet never quite fully delved into. And on one hand, that's fine -- I like magical realism as much as the next person, and think magical elements should exist in fiction without being explained to death. But there was a scene with Alice's aunt that made me think the aunt had personal knowledge of Alice's superpower, like maybe invisibility or various superpowers ran in their family under certain circumstances. That thread intrigued me, yet it was dropped completely. Even a bit of added insight from the aunt would have helped enrich the mythos of Alice's invisibility; instead, it exists mostly as just a convenient plot tool.

Overall, this is a good book. The beginning was slow, and the book never really super hooked me. But I like the class stuff tackled in the story, and I just wish the ending had packed a bit more punch.

+

Thanks to Inkyard Press for an e-galley of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I spent 9 years of my childhood growing up in Beijing, so this book ended up meaning so much to me. The characters spoke to my soul, and the culture-specific themes of what it means to choose family and what it means to choose for oneself spoke to my soul. It looks like I'm becoming a bigger fan of magical realism, because I thoroughly enjoyed those elements in this story as well. While there were some issues, like pacing and certain elements to the story that I would have stronger complaints about had this story not captured my heart as wholly as it did, there wasn't enough to bog down my adoration of this novel.

I found myself utterly captivated by Ann Liang's words. She is a new author to watch for. I cannot wait to read more of her.

I received an ARC copy of this book from netgalley and it was a really cute book. I really loved the cover to this book, but I can’t say it matches completely back to the book.

This book starts off with Alice, a young girl who goes to an elite school. All of the students there come from money and some are celebrities either from social media or famous parents. Alice is the only one who is not and her parents work so hard in order for her to go to this school. Alice works/studies really hard in order to maintain her status as the #1 student in the school. Henri is her competition where he has tied with her in grades.

One day, Alice finds out she has a secret power of going invisible. She takes advantage of this and wants to team up with the only person she might be remotely close to, Henri. He agrees to be partners with her on this opportunity where she goes invisible for people’s benefits I’m exchange for money. She wants to earn as much money as possible so that she can pay for her boarding school rather than her parents. Henri creates and app called the Beijing Ghost. She receives requests until one request goes wrong. What happens to the Beijing Ghost, school, and her relationship with Henri?

The ending was a bit too cheesy for me, but it wouldn’t have ended well any other way.

Since its announcement, this book and its premise caught my eye, but I was even more excited for it when the cover was revealed! I was so excited for it that I picked it up as soon as I got an eARC (8 months from the release date as of writing this review), and I do not regret that decision one bit. In If You Could See the Sun, a girl goes into business with her rival by monetizing off her sudden invisibility power so she can afford the tuition to their elite boarding school.

As the only scholarship student at Airington Boarding School, Alice Sun has to be one of the top students. She’s been successful in that although she’s had to (literally) share the spotlight for every award with her rival, Henry Li. However, her time there will come to an end soon as her parents inform her that they can no longer afford the part of the school fees that her scholarship does not cover. When a sudden ability to become invisible appears, Alice takes matters into her own hands and decides to profit off this power. She knows that she can’t build the infrastructure for an app to receive requests, though, and is forced to work with Henry in order for this business to be successful. 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.

I think this book also approaches what we typically perceive as the “American” Dream in an interesting way. Alice was born in China and her parents immigrate with her to the US when she is young; however, they return to China after a few years, with Alice ultimately attending an elite international school. The American Dream usually means making something out of yourself from nothing, but this doesn’t necessarily have to happen in America. Alice wants so badly to be successful, to be something more, and this dream still applies to her even after they’ve left America.

Going along with this, If You Could See the Sun examines class and privilege throughout the book. Alice is the only scholarship student in this elite boarding school, and even then, her scholarship doesn’t cover the entire cost. She’s surrounded by privileged kids who have never had to think about money and sacrifices. 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.

I really loved the characters! Alice is very determined to make something of herself so she doesn’t waste everything her parents have sacrificed. She doesn’t even necessarily know what she wants to do other than be successful; however, she’s so driven in everything that she does (see: monetizing a confusing and random power) that she’ll be okay in whatever she does, something other characters have to help her see. Henry is one of these people; Alice perceives him as someone who has everything—essentially the opposite of her. However, as she gets to know him, she realizes how kind and caring he is.

The side characters were also great, such as Chanel, Alice’s roommate. They’ve been a bit aloof with each other, mostly because Alice has striven to be friendly, not to make friends. When she is inadvertently Alice’s first customer, she tells her the truth and Chanel joins Alice and Henry’s business. Even Alice’s teachers were interesting, with one of them being invested in Alice’s dreams even if she doesn’t see them herself at first.

I really liked the writing of this book too! The humor was so funny; I laughed out loud at certain parts, particularly at Henry’s deadpan responses and Alice’s spiraling. I’m really excited to see what Ann Liang writes next because I enjoyed this book so much. The plot itself was also exciting; I truly could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting.

My favorite part, of course, was the rivals-to-lovers romance! It’s a more one-sided rivalry, with Alice hating Henry for years without him really being aware of it. Still, the two of them together just create chaos, or rather, Henry’s presence makes Alice blurt out things she shouldn’t say, which had me laughing so hard. I loved their banter and their scenes together, especially as Alice gradually realizes that Henry isn’t a bad person. I just really, really adore them both!

Reading over this review, I don’t think I truly captured what I loved about this book fully. Sometimes, it’s hard to put into words why you love a book, and that’s really the case here. I just really felt Alice’s character and her feelings, the such strong wanting and how this drives her character. This longing was so intrinsic to the story, and I just really loved it so, so much. This book will live in my heart forever honestly, and I think I’ll be returning to it often,

Both heartfelt and chaotic at the same time, If You Could See the Sun examines privilege, the ability to pursue your dreams, and the desire to be something more. It’s definitely one of my favorite releases of 2022 already (and I wrote this review in February)! I loved the characters and the writing, and I absolutely could not put this book down. I can’t recommend If You Could See the Sun enough, especially if you’re in the market for a book centered on family sacrifice and dreams with a rivals-to-lovers romance!

this was such a fun and addicting read !!
— academic rivals to lovers
— international boarding school

i love that they worked together from the start !! it is so obvious that Henry has feelings for Alice. I LOVE ONE-SIDED ENEMIES TO LOVERS, OR IN THIS CASE RIVALS TO LOVERS. imagine sneaking into his dorm to ask for help when you turned invisible and you see an old picture of you and him taped to his desk? SCREAMING.

I LOVE HENRY SO MUCH HE ALSO HAS AN ENGLISH ACCENT I WAS SWOONING !!! anytime he gets flustered, the tips of his ears turn pink. IM CRYING i love him

lastly, even though this was such a lighthearted read, I loved all the commentary bits we get about family and trying to make it in a world where you don't fit in <333

I though this was a really great debut novel! It was so heart-felt and memorable. I loved the balance between the romantic aspect and the adventuring aspect--it was so good! I never felt like I needed more of one or the other. I loved the relationship, too, which doesn't often happen when I read YA--I feel like a lot of YA love interests give me the heebie-jeebies, but this one was so cute! One thing that I didn't absolutely love was the tone of the writing made the characters seem a bit younger than they actually were supposed to be. Overall: great plot, great characters, great cover. What more could you need in a debut! I will absolutely be checking out more by this author.

If You Could See the Sun is a riveting, heartwarming coming-of-age story deeply entrenched in its Chinese cultural roots. Ann Liang does a fantastic job balancing her prose and pacing, and the teen romance that blossoms in the story is truly swoonworthy. The fantasy elements are blended perfectly with the real-world setting, and does something I love: helps the protagonist grow throughout the story. Overall, this is a great young adult novel with plenty of high-tension stakes and juicy romance that makes a reader of any age compelled to turn the page.

It's been so long since I read a young adult book and I'm so happy that If You Could See the Sun was able to bring me out from my YA slump. Just by reading the blurb, I knew that this book would own my heart and it surely did. Sorry, I can't resist myself from reading a book where the main characters serve academic rivals to lovers. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I think Ann Liang did an amazing job with this story. Highly recommend!

If You Could See the Sun was absolutely charming. Ann Liang wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

This seemed like a coming of age novel about an over-achieving loner, but the author quickly flipped the script and created a genre-defying novel about the powers we have within us. The story quickly takes the reader on a journey that leads teens to ask themselves where the line is between opportunity and ethics. I found myself intrigued, then engrossed in Alice's missions, and concerned for the outcome. There is a hint of romance between her and her top rival, and I love that he becomes not only the perfect boyfriend but a safe voice of reason that lets readers fell that however risky the story gets, Henry won't let things go too far.

This was definitely worth the read for anyone who enjoys fantasy-lite. No futuristic operations or talking animals, but definitely a superpower-esque talent on the part of the protagonist, amidst a coming-of-age experience novel.

I loved, loved, loved 'If You Could See the Sun'. It's a phenomenal debut by Ann Liang, with a memorable heroine, Alice Sun, a great plot, and the perfect combination of magic, romance, and adventure. The relationship between Alice and Henry is *the cutest* and I couldn't stop smiling to myself. It's an amazing young adult novel! Also, the cover is absolutely stunning.