I related to these characters so much, because I am the person who always wants to help/a certified people pleaser. but i really fell in love with this story because of the TENSION, oh my gosh. It was expertly done and very engaging. There was a lot of depth to the main character and the romance was built really effectively, but I do wish we got more insight into our male lead, Julius, and his life. While we knew Sadie so well, he often was somewhat of a mystery, even toward and at the end of the story. This is a great read for fans of Jenny Han and the To All The Boys I've Loved Before series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

Sadie has spent most of her life trying to be regarded a certain way: smart, confident, likeable, and charming. She has the need to be loved by everyone, and would do anything to not upset anybody in her life. She and her number 1 nemesis (and co-captains), Julius hate each other with a passion. In school, they must main a put up a front for their fellow students. However, unknown to others, Sadie channels all of her hate into her email drafts. Then, one day, her emails are accidentally send out, exposing her true self and ruining her reputation.

The tension between Sadie and Julius, I tell you, I wasn’t ready. And the plot twist at the end, I didn’t see coming at all! My only complaint is I wish Julius had more depth. We got to see a little in the scene where Sadie overhears Julius and his brother. But other than that, we really didn’t get to learn too much about him.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find is a book for the people pleasers. I found the main character Sadie, incredibly repeatable, as I find myself consistently apologising. Like Sadie, I’m always trying to fix things or people in mu life, even if it’s not my burden to bare.

All in all, this story is the a wonderful young adult romance. Some parts seemed a little slow moving, while other parts made it difficult to part it down. It was close to perfect, and I found a new favourite author.

- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Never Have I Ever
- people-pleasing fmc
- hate emails, not love letters
- academic rivals to lovers
- forced proximity
- slow burn
- witty banter
- absent father & family pressures

In the fall of 2023, I read a YA romance that put me in a reading slump for months and had me questioning if it was time to say goodbye to the YA genre for good.

Then, I was approved for the ARC of I Hope This Doesn’t Find You……and Ann Liang made me believe in YA again!!!

This book has so much heart. It’s witty, angsty, and filled with all the enemies-to-lovers tension you could ever want.

Sadie is a people-pleasing academic overachiever. Liang does an excellent job of fleshing that out and truly making you feel what Sadie is feeling. As a recovering people-pleaser myself, it was deeply relatable.

Julius Gong has my whole damn heart. The things that this boy does for Sadie OMG I SWEAR…I literally had my hand over my heart and couldn’t stop smiling. Definitely ‘it’s always been you’ and ‘touch her and die’ vibes! My one complaint is that I wanted more of Julius' story.

The banter is top-tier. I struggle with banter in contemporary romance because it often feels cheesy and overdone. But not here! All the banter was clever and witty.

Also, the ending was just perfect, everything I hoped it would be!

Thank you Scholastic and Ann Liang for the opportunity to read and review this gem!

Ann Liang is giving us everything we want with this book. Lifelong rivals? Check. Unfortunate emails being leaked? Check. An unexpected ally in a challenging time? Check!

i was so excited for this book based on the premise, but it felt very much driven solely by tropes, which is something i’ve noticed in a lot of books lately. i didn’t feel the connection between the two main characters, and there was very little inclusion of other characters outside of the main two. thank you to scholastic for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Let me just say that Ann Liang is VERY quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are so well written while also being fun, cute and they suck you in so quickly. Liang's characters are always so well written and I absolutely cannot wait to read everything she ever writes after this.

A fast paced novel that felt like coming back to the roots of why I love reading in the first place. Filled with great tropes, I thought that the relationship between the two would be forced, but it was completely natural and didn't feel forced upon the reader. Though I would have loved to really connect to their lives outside of each other, i didn't. I wanted to continue with more of the angst between the two.

A cute lil enemies to lovers YA. Julius and Sadie are rivals at school, and she writes emails to his as drafts she never sends. Then, one day, all of her drafted emails (even ones to other people) send. The whole school is upset with her…

Things I loved about this book:
Sadie! She was so relatable. Her anxiety, her perfectionism, and her drive to be successful. I also thought her reactions were completely understandable!
Julius. Oh he reminds me of emo boys who don’t always know what to do with their emotions. He’s handling so many things are home too. Stressful!
Abigail. I really liked her a lot (even with the one thing).
The friendship was strong in this one.
The importance of family and love.
I liked the mom and brother of Sadie!
That ending was cute - loved the callback to the beginning!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review..

THIS BOOK IS SO ADDICITING. Ann Liang's writing was made for me. All her books just resonate deeply with me (probably some academic validation issues I should talk about with my therapist). Academic rivals to lovers ALWAYS SLAPS. I was a little worried about this book because everyone reading your hate emails ??? That sounds too stressful for me LOL but I was still able to enjoy it. Also, this book was so poetic in a way I did not expect. THE SLOW BURN AND FORCED PROXIMITY. SCREECHING. IT WAS SO GOOD. Lastly, I want to say I need Julius in my life. Will definitely recommend!!

Y’all have to know this about me before I start this review………….I am not an enemies to lovers girlie, so please take this review with a grain of salt. But, I almost DNFed this. As much as I liked the first one, I did not care for this one at all. They were still enemies at like 83% and I was bored by it all.

Ok so what I actually liked was the characters. I really liked Sadie because I related to her. She basically does the electronic version of what I did in high school lol I wrote everything in a journal. Till this day i have a composition book on me at all times. I would have kept them all if it wasn’t for a natural disaster. ANYWHO, the way she decimated everyone in those emails…. I knew it was going to be a problem when they were sent out lol And yes it was. On the other side of these emails was the rest of the school, who seemed to be led by Julius. He was annoying. I did not like him. Like at all. I WISH she had made this dual POV because he might have stood a chance of me liking him, but the way it’s written from only Sadie’s POV, I was annoyed lol

As for the romance, I was so annoyed lol Whyyyyyyyy did she make them hate each other up until like 83%? I don’t understand books like that. They do this and make it seem like a slow burn, but it was just annoying. I didn’t think it was cute at all. And then they were throwing subtle hints that they liked each other, but they were TOO subtle in my opinion. Because even when it got to the part where they were saying they liked each other was also like in a mean way?? And then it was the end? Idk, but it just wasn’t good to me. They had no chemistry and it just wasn’t believable. And I guess it’s a me thing because there’s other people out there that say they loved it. But I said what I said lol It just wasn’t a cute thing to me.

This book was one of my most anticipated because I really enjoyed the author’s debut. But although that one also waited until the last minute for them to get together, it was also still enjoyable. This one wasn’t. And I was sad about that.

Included as a top pick in weekly February New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I loved this story so much! I'm a sucker for academic rivals, hate-to-love stories and this hit the spot.

I can't wait to let my teen read this one. I know she'll adore it.

Sadie Wen is a high-achieving people pleaser whose email drafts containing rants towards various people suddenly become exposed to the public. Even worse, her academic rival, Julius Gong, received the forty-something emails meant for him.

Perfect for fans of the academic rivals to lovers trope and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
💯
Sadie Wen demands perfection from herself and strives to be seen as a pleasure to have in class by every teacher. Her school life would perfect if not for Julius Gong, her academic rival since they were little. When Sadie’s venting emails she’s saves in her drafts get sent to the entire school, she’s now facing the wrath of teachers, friends, the principal and Julius. Now Miss Perfect Sadie has her life turned upside down. What happens when everyone sees the real Sadie Wen?
💯
@annliangwrites blew me away with This Time It’s Real and I worried her second YA romance wouldn’t match up—I was so wrong! This YA book was everything I look for in a romance I can’t wait to read more by Liang. She’s an automatic buy for me. Thanks @scholastic for an ARC of this title out now!

CW: parental abandonment, panic attack, alcohol, bullying

4.25 stars - Sadie and Julius are both at the top of their class and are co-captains in their high school. They are highly competitive and always try to outdo each other. Sadie is a people-pleaser and finds it hard to say no to anyone. Instead, she writes emails about her true feelings about her classmates and teachers and saves them to her draft. However, all the emails in her draft box mysteriously get sent. Julius receives the most emails. They are forced to spend more time together and realize that they may not hate each other.

What a great YA romance book! The academic rivals-to-lovers trope was executed perfectly. This book was a lot of fun to read. Sadie may have had her annoying moments, but I understand how difficult it can be to be a high achiever while also trying to please others. Throughout the book, she grew a lot, and although a lot of it was forced, she learned to handle situations that she couldn't have before. Her competitive streak with Julius was also wonderful. I wish we were able to Julius's POV and learn more about his story.

Thanks to Scholastic Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

So, to put it simply, I really liked this. I'm not going to discuss the plot because that's what the book summary at the top of the page is for, though I do want to mention it is well-executed and credible. I want to gush about the characters, because they were my favorite part.

Julius was just the right combination of sharp and sweet, and Sadie's insecurity and competitive nature balanced wonderfully, making them both the sort of characters I could relate to and root for. Although this is without a doubt an Enemies To Lovers story, no one is really the "villain," though both of them do some things that don't cast them in the best light (that it's Sadie more than Julius should surprise no one who is familiar with the trope). Further excellent characters: Sadie's mum for being a surprise. Abigail, for being the best friend a person could hope to have or aspire to be.

I also feel that I must mention how great the cover art is, because it was what prompted me to give the book a closer look in NetGalley in the first place. I plan to find the artist (Robin Har) and follow them on socials, that is how much I like the cover art.

Anyway, this is worth a read and I want a copy for myself when it's available in paperback.

Thank you Netgalley and Scholastic Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you're seeking a rollercoaster of emotions packaged in a delightful romcom, Ann Liang's "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" is an absolute gem that will leave you swooning and emotionally invested from start to finish. Liang's masterful storytelling creates a relatable story of love, rivalry, and self-discovery that resonates deeply with readers, leaving them eagerly anticipating more from this talented author.

From the very first page, Liang's writing draws you into the world of Sadie Wen with the sheer power of Sadie’s emotions. Sadie's struggles, her suppressed anger, and her yearning for connection become palpable, making her journey one that you can't help but invest yourself in. Sadie’s emotions and her anxiety are so relatable that you can’t help but find yourself in her shoes, feeling her anxiety, sometimes even becoming overwhelmed by her stress. While I normally don’t like feeling stressed when I’m reading, Sadie’s anxiety is just so realistic and a part of who she is that I wanted to experience more just to have the same euphoria Sadie experience when she was able to let that anxiety go throughout the book.

At the heart of the story lies the complex relationship between Sadie and Julius Gong, academic rivals since childhood whose dynamic evolves into something much deeper and more profound. Liang expertly navigates the push and pull of their interactions, crafting a slow-burn romance that is both exhilarating and heart-wrenching. I love the academic rivals to lovers troupe, and it felt so authentic in this book; Liang’s relationship writing is so well done in this book. The banter between Sadie and Julius is so much fun, and their chemistry leaps off the page, making them a couple that you root for throughout the book.

But "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" is more than just a love story; it's an exploration of identity, self-acceptance, and the masks we wear to navigate the expectations of others. Through Sadie's journey of self-discovery, Liang tackles themes of perfectionism and the pressure to conform, inviting readers to reflect on their own struggles and desires for authenticity. Sadie's journey, though unique to her experiences, resonates with universal truths about the human condition.

I did find some plot points to be a bit predictable and some dialogue a bit cringey, but that is sometimes expected in YA contemporary literature. The cringey dialogue seemed more realistic because sometimes teenagers say the stupidest things.

In the end, "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" is a testament to Ann Liang's talent as a storyteller. With its compelling characters, heartfelt romance, and emotional depth, this book is sure to captivate readers. I definitely recommend this book for those looking for a well-written YA contemporary romance.

Liang is easily becoming one of my fav YA authors. I love how she delivers appropriate stories that deal with harder topics like people pleasing, navigating emotions, expectations, and more in an approachable way. There is humor mixed in and some more heartfelt moments too. I appreciated the little Easter eggs scattered in from her other works too! Another great title that I’m quick to add to our library for YA but also can recommend to adults who want a sweet story.

Rivals to lovers with so much angst and pining. Wow! The book was entertaining and so fun. The MC can be a little over the top sometimes, but hey, she's got a lot going on. Absolutely loved this one.

<b>Ann Liang's newest young adult rom-com pits high school nemeses against each other: one relentless perfectionist and people-pleaser and her effortlessly successful classmate. But neither is as perfect as they seem...except in being perfect for each other.</b>

In Ann Liang's <i>I Hope This Doesn't Find You,</i> Sadie Wren is perfect...on paper. She's valedictorian, school captain, and a model student.

Sadie's one vice is writing scathing, no-holds-barred email drafts. She never sends them, but crafting the furious hypothetical replies to anyone who is frustrating her is helpfully cathartic.

That is, until the emails that were never meant for others' eyes are mistakenly sent out. (The reader is given several hints as to how this happened--although Sadie conveniently doesn't dig into the possibilities too deeply--and the truth is revealed late in the book.)

Now everyone--from her co-captain to her teachers to her classmates--knows how shockingly blunt the "real" Sadie is. And the only one who seems to embrace her accidental show of full honesty is her longtime nemesis, Julius.

This young adult story is sweet and fun; the pacing often feels somewhat slapstick and frantic--as is the relentlessly ambitious, over-the-top super-pleaser Sadie herself. The feeling settles down when she finally begins to explore her feelings for Julius in a wonderfully sweet and romantic set of exchanges that feels all too brief.

The vulnerability that Sadie and Julius allow each other to see at long last was lovely.

This story premise (the high-achieving senior nemeses--minus the emails) reminded me in some ways of Rachel Lynn Solomon's <b><a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-today-tonight-tomorrow-by-rachel-lynn-solomon/"><i>Today Tonight Tomorrow,</a></i></b> a young adult story I loved.

I received a digital edition of this novel courtesy of NetGalley and Scholastic Press.

I fell in love with Ann Liang's fake-dating young adult novel <b><a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-this-time-it-s-real-by-ann-liang/"><i>This Time It's Real,</a></i></b> read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/six-of-my-favorite-light-fiction-reads-from-the-past-year"><b>Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year,</a></b> <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/six-rom-coms-perfect-for-summer-reading"><b>Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading,</a></b> and <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/my-bossy-favorite-reads-of-the-summer"><b>My Bossy Favorite Reads of Summer</a></b> the year I read it.