A very readable YA story about Alice,
a young scholarship student at an elite school trying to find a way to secure her last year of school, knowing her parents won't be able to afford to pay the tuition.
When her gift ‘appears’, it brings her closer to her enemy/competitor Henry who helps Alice navigate her gift to make some money helping her classmates anonymously. But when a more serious and dangerous, morally questionable job is offered, she questions whether it’s worth it.
I don’t know if this is considered an enemy to lovers trope, as I don't read much romance, but they seem more like school competitors than enemies.

An easy read, which will appeal to its target audience.

What would you do if you could turn invisible?
Would you use it for good, or for personal gain?

Alice Sun struggles with this decision at her elite boarding school in Beijing. Unable to control her new gift, she has to decide what it means to be invisible and what is most important to her.

Echoes of Macbeth and My Fair Lady. Deeper than your average teen novel

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this title, however I just couldn’t connect with and was unable to finish it.
Again, I thank you for the opportunity and hope to work with you again in the future.

This was a really good young adult fantasy set in a modern day time. I enjoyed it and rated it a four out of five stars.

A Melbourne author debut that is really something special! This romantic comedy feel unique and fresh. Alice, our main character, is struggling with the pressures of attending an elite school when she discovers she can turn invisible. She decides to monetise this new found skill. Things soon escalate from spying to crime, and Alice must decide how far she’ll go for hew family, for success, and to be seen. Exploring themes of identity, class and social expectations, this is a debut not to miss.

(ARC copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my rating or review.)

This was such a powerful story. I came for the academic-rivals-to-lovers, but I left with my heart broken and reformed by the touching messages on elitism, academic pressure and desperation.

“If I’m not first, I’m nothing.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

The characters were insanely realistic in this novel – and while some might call Alice ‘unlikable’ just because she wasn’t the most gentle person, I would call her strong (but at the same time, my girl needed a vacation, and stat). Alice’s intense personality was partially a product of the brutal academic environment common in SEA, but she was also just a very determined character, and I adored her. And Henry was just the cutest little cinnamon bun to exist, I wanted to hold him tight and protect him forever, and he and Alice’s relationship was so adorable. “We hate each other.” “We do?” HENRY LI STOP YOU’RE THE CUTEST. (also don’t quote me on that quote because I just reeled it off the top of my head haha). Anyway, their relationship was simply the greatest… I’ve been reading so many boy-falls-first X academic-rivals-to-lovers books lately (aka two) and they really bring out the squeals and swoons.

“I’d rather be the villain who lives to the end than the hero who winds up dead.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

I’m really glad I read this, it was a beautifully written story with incredibly important themes, and I thought the fantasy element of invisibility was terribly poetic (‘terribly’ being a compliment in this case). I cannot wait to read more of the author’s future books! Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!

What would you do if you suddenly turned invisible one day? Would you try and help the people around you without any selfish intentions or would you use this new ability to your advantage? That is the decision Alice Sun has to make when she literally turns invisible in school. Being the only scholarship student in an elite Beijing boarding school, Alice struggles to fit in with her other wealthy classmates, especially her academic nemesis Henry Li.

When Alice finds out that her parents no longer can afford the high tuition fee at her college, she is left with two equally frustrating options: going back to the United States to attend a college in Maine or going to a public school in Beijing. Things took a turn for the worse when she suddenly gains the power of invisibility. However, this might be the opportunity that Alice has been looking for.

Mild spoilers in the next paragraph…

In order to make the best out of the situation, she reluctantly turns to Henry for help. Having to share the title of top student with Henry for the past few years, he is certainly not her favourite person, and yet he might be the only one who can help. The two of them set out to create an app called Beijing Ghost, which can provide the students with help without anyone noticing. In return, Alice would be able to get enough money to cover her tuition fee. It started out small: secretly taking photos of a student’s father’s affair, deleting embarrassing photos from phones, but as the money kept coming in, Alice’s ambitions increase, she starts taking on high risk jobs, like helping people cheat and even getting involved in kidnapping! In the meantime, she seems to warm up to Henry a lot and their relationship gradually evolves into something more…romantic?

Personally, I enjoyed this book on so many different levels. First, the amount of Chinese culture mentioned within brings back so many memories from my time back home. As someone who is Chinese, Alice seems like an old friend with her commentary on family, class, and education. It feels like reading an eighteen-year-old me’s journal. Alice does not want to go back to the States because she feels incredibly isolated due to her skin colour, but she also has no intention of going to a public school in China because of the incredibly difficult exams to get into university (which is called Gaokao) is also super relatable.

Alice Sun is motivated, intelligent, and does not take everything for granted. She knows that her being at the school is not because of luck and definitely not because of money, therefore she strives (and becomes) the best there is. Her strength and her ambitions are something I relate to strongly and for a POC female protagonist, it is amazing to see such developments in heroines.

As for our other protagonist, Henry Li. HENRY LI. He is the definition of a walking green flag. Likes Taylor Swift, has a good heart, tall and good-looking, has a praise smirk, enjoys banter, and he is also smitten with Alice (I just know that he would LOVE the new Midnights album). The fact that Henry did not know that they were supposed to hate each other makes their relationship so much cuter, he is already in love way before she ever did. Honestly, what more do you want more from an enemies-to-lovers story? And the banter is also elite just like the boarding school that they both attend.

Overall, this was such an easy read and if you are looking for some POC protagonists, enemies-to-lovers with a dash of fantasy, you have come to the right place!

*4.5 Stars*

Alice Sun has always felt pretty invisible... Until the day, she actually becomes invisible and decide to make the best of it.
Enters, Henry Li, academic rival and sworn enemy (?) Together, the two start an app that allows Alice to help her student while making some needed money so that she can actually stay in her elite school.

I really loved this book. I liked the structure, the intrigue and the characters. The romance was also pretty on point.
I flew through it. I had the best time all throughout. The talk of classes was so well done in my opinion. And I just loved seeing Alice grow throughout the book.
Truly such a captivating read.
However, I was later told that some part were told through a Western lens... Do check out my friend Dawn's review.
Overall, for me, this was a great read. And an even better debut. I am looking forward to more from this author.

"To live well, you must learn to see yourself first."

What would you do if you could turn invisible?
For Alice, a scholarship student at a prestigious international school, this is her chance to make some money to not only remain at her school but to also help out her family.

Told in a typical Kdrama style, over the top and chaotic in such a fun way. This book manages to be fun whilst still hitting on some serious topics like social inequality, diaspora and feeling not at home, and the pressures we place on ourselves.

If You Could See the Sun is one of the only books where an enemies/rivals to lovers relationship has been done in a non toxic way. I found the relationship not only believable but also enjoyable.

Overall this was a fast paced magical realism that helped me get out of a reading slump.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes Kdramas, academic rivalry, or fun heists.

A fantastic debut and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's next work!

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers Harlequin Australia, HQ, and Mira for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

this was an amazing read!! start to finish in one sitting omg I couldn't put it down. before I started I was worried it was going to be like some of the other high school revenge/outcast books that are messy and leave you annoyed with the mc but no no no not at all!!! there was high school innocence and realistic issues that made the story fun and relatable and gave the characters more depth and dimension. the way ann liang wrote alice had me loving her more and more as the book went on. there was the perfect amount of tension and drama but also these sweet, relatable, honest moments with alice. also just henry. like every thing about henry was just spot on. how ann liang showed chinese culture, and the uncertainty of knowing who you are or how you fit into life was incredible. ann liang 1000% delivered, from the plot to the characters to her writing. I was absolutely floored by the details and intricate relationships that were formed and explored in the book. 🤍

This was so fun!! The plot was entertaining and the characters rivalry kept me so interested. I loved the world building too. Such a refreshing read.

“What I did was completely, undeniably wrong on every conceivable level. You can always fix or replace a broken plate, but when you hurt people - there’s no going back from that.”

Everything about If You Could See The Sun engaged me from the start, and had tears streaming down my face. My heart hurt almost the entire read through, yet I was left with a feeling of hope and healing for the future.

Our two main characters, Henry and Alice, reminded me of my favourite pairings or couples from the shoujo manga I read growing up. Rivals who are forced together by circumstance, only to realise that maybe those very strong feelings were much more like love than hate. I adore their dynamic and the development of their relationship. It felt so natural and believable, which I feel is missing from so many romantic subplots these days.

The entire book read like a love letter to the kids who gave too much of themselves, who had to grow up too soon for whatever reason, who read cute, whimsical love stories under the covers at night to escape their unappealing lives. Kids who made up stories about characters like themselves, getting out of impossible situations, and solving the world’s problems with ease.

Liang has taken a common rhetoric (well, one I’ve grown up with here in Australia) of the Asian family pushing their kids to study hard, work hard, so they can get a good job etc., and turns it into a gripping rollercoaster ride of a novel with characters you can’t help but relate to. Characters with real problems that our generation, our friends and our families have faced - threatening exes with nudes, cheating or divorced parents, financial struggles, the difficulty of fitting in, and the overwhelming pressure of your “entire future” riding on your school results.

“You're too young to be this… hardened by the world. You should be free to dream. To hope.”

This was a such a fun and addicting read, I couldn't stop once I started. Some of my favourite books I lovingly put in my "runaway trains" category because they centre on a usually good character who gets caught up in something.

There is something just so compelling about clutching a book and yelling "no!!" as a character you love makes a series of escalating choices which will end terribly and spectacularly. While this one pulled it off nearly perfectly the ending didn't quite grab me as I wish it did.

Alice was a fantastic character and her rivalry with Henry was just too sweet. I really felt her anguish and anger at the financial situation she is in and it made the lengths she went to so understandable

✦ I literally don't think I can praise this book enough. It's so well told, the story of classism, of feeling invisible, of just wanting to belong.
✦ I felt like I was a school girl again, giggling over first crushes, getting in way over my head, the feeling of wanting friends.
✦ It only took me 24hrs to read this, and I already NEED a sequel! (Please Ann Liang, I need more!)

If you could see the sun (Ann Liang)

4.5/5

I cried lmao cute book but I wish there was more of it.

Ty netgallery for give free book

If you could see the sun is a light-hearted, fun and romantic ya read. Alice Sun, nicknamed the Study Machine, by her students, is exactly what they call her. however, her dedication to her studies is almost unmatched, being in constant competition with her academic rival Henry Li. but when Alice suddenly turns invisible, she seeks henry’s help and decides to use her invisibility to help out her classmates in dangerous acts for money to stay at the school.

despite this book being quite light-hearted, it criticises poverty, status differences, racism and the pressuring education system. the novel revolves around a centrepoint of power and how people who do not have enough can do anything to try to validate themselves. this book is quite addicting to read and i find alice’s fight for power through anonymous tasks paid by her very own classmates to be a very interesting take on an inequality story.

the enemies to lovers is executed okay, i guess, but this is coming from someone who isn’t a huge fan of romance. it is tolerable, meaning it does not make me annoyed.

i love the details on chinese culture and tradition - these really added so much strength to the book. today, we’re exposed to a lot of literary media that aims to be diverse in their characters. this usually ends up with one of the characters being multiracial and almost always ends at that. if you could see the sun, however, featured specifics on chinese culture including street culture, art, religion, language and food draw me closer to the story and made it so much more vibrant.

i think the character of chanel, one of alice’s friends, could’ve been explored a bit more. i would've loved to hear about the dynamic between her and her mother, considering we get to read about alice’s and henry’s families. i think this book does convey the struggles of being middle/lower class, but it would've been nice to hear about the pressures of being upper class as well. we did get a bit of that from henry, but that was more so a familial issue than a common flaw in upper-class society. something could have been said about expectations being a universal thing, regardless of your status or reputation.

while the ending wasn’t rushed, i felt like it wasn’t as powerful as i wanted it to be. i would’ve liked alice’s perspective on her invisibility to change by the end of the book to represent her development and some deeper connection and understanding with her family instead of the one conversation they had that wasn’t deep to any point lol

overall, an impressive debut and a solid 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book, it was honestly so much fun to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing an eARC to review!

Uh, yeah this was incredible! An exploration of intergenerational trauma and the tension of existing between spaces (rich/poor, East/West, visible/invisible) with a touch of rivals-to-lovers thrown in for good measure.

I devoured this in one day and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a contemporary with a hint of magic, a protagonist who will do whatever it takes to survive, and a lot of heart.

Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this novel, as it made me feel so SEEN. As a Chinese-Australian who grew up in a working class immigrant household, but then went to a prestigious private school on a half scholarship, the themes explored in this novel (racism, class disparity, the desperation for a better life, the ambition, the jealousy, the pervasive feeling of being out of place, the urge to simultaneously be your own person but also live up to filial ideals) REALLY resonated with me. However, If You Could See the Sun is not all doom and gloom - it is also an extremely fun story. The thrill of Alice and Henry's first love blossoming against the backdrop of their morally-questionable business venture pulled me in so thoroughly; I found myself completely immersed in the world Ann Liang created. A thoroughly enjoyable debut.

Alice Sun is out of place at her elite international school, being a scholarship kid she knows she doesn’t stand out… in fact quite the opposite as she develops the power to turn invisible. What should she do with this power? Monetise it to find her peers’ secrets and to stop herself being kicked out of school.

This was a really fun premise and quite humorous at times. My absolute favourite thing about it was the Beijing setting. It was so descriptive and really took me back to my year in Beijing. The plot was playful and you definitely felt like you were on Alice’s side.

You’ll enjoy this one if you enjoyed Ace of Spades and YA.

This book was everything I could have wanted, truly it reminded me of why I read YA after so misses this. It magical realism set in an elite private school in Beijing with a romance between academic rivals, it’s everything I was looking for.