Honestly, I absolutely loved this book. Quintessentially young adult, this hits all the right notes with a solid plot, excellent characters, and an overarching story that seemed at once both timeless and true.

I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I had anticipated. I've been shying away from YA, especially YA contemporary, but this one fell right in my alley and I decided to go for it. I wasn't disappointed!

I really liked Sadie, she may have had her annoying moments, but I know how hard it is to be a high achiever while also being a people-pleaser and it's not easy. She grew so much over the course of this book though, and a lot of it was forced, but she learned to handle things she couldn't have before. And her competitive streak with Julius was wonderful, I love a good enemies to lover's story.

Definitely enjoyed Liang's writing and would most definitely read other books by her.

this was a book i had seen advertised by the author months ago on instagram. When i seen the videos about the book i knew i needed to read it immediately. I am an absolute sucker for academic rivals to lovers. I related to the main character Sadie Wen on a different level. Sadie Wen is a people pleaser, constantly seeking validation from her peers. Julius Gong is a swoon-worthy. I loved how he was so caring and possesive towards only Sadie.

This book needs a sequel IMMEDIATELY.

Ann Liang never misses!

Third time reading a book from this author and she always manage to deliver something new.

In this academic rivals YA romance, Ann Liang penned a strong novel about how some, if not most, teens view themselves in the early to mid stages of adolescence. It's this awkward point of time where we want to get the most out of everything and also try to bring the best out of ourselves in order to fit the bill that the society or a friend group or a circle unknowingly demands. This is for the 'this is me trying' girlies.

Love how the author developed Sadie Wen and how her development perfectly blended with her love-hate relationship with Julius.

Banger! Ann Liang keeps on giving us better books.

5stars!

Have you ever been with or maybe you are that person who apologizes for everything. This individual may accept everyone's demands and rudeness simply to avoid causing disruption and maintain harmony. They may also feel compelled to achieve perfection so excessively as manifested in their pursuit of ideal grades, college experience, and personal conduct. They come off as superficial. Beneath this facade lurks suppressed anger that requires a safe outlet. This is where diaries come into play. In the digital age, we can effortlessly express our innermost feelings, anxieties, and anger on a laptop. No one will be able to access our deepest thoughts about others... or so Sadie Wen believed. Unfortunately, Sadie's most inner feelings regarding her academic peers and even teachers are now exposed to their wrath, as her draft emails are inadvertently sent to the entire school. Consequently, no one is spared, particularly Julius Gong, her primary rival. Now, the entire school harbors animosity towards Sadie, which poses a significant challenge considering her inclination to please others.

I rarely read a book this fast, but I couldn't put this one down! I was totally hooked and couldn't stop smiling while I read it. Dare I say, I really felt for Sadie and the author made her such a sympathetic character but she also did an excellent job with Sadie's rival, Julius Gong's character as well.

A big thanks to NetGalley, Scholastic Press, and Ann Liang for sending me an early copy of this book! I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book didn't only get me out of a reading slump. It was also my first 5 star of the year, so it has a special place in my heart.
This was an academic rival to lovers done right. The dynamic between Sadie and Julius was marvelous, and whenever they were together, the tension between them was always present. I truly enjoyed reading about them opening up to each other and realized that they were obsessed with one another. If you're looking for academic rivals to lovers, this is the book for you.
Thank you, Netgalley and Scholastic, for an arc of this book

MY NEW FAVORITE BOOK TO EVER EXIST!! This one’s for the people pleasing, academic validation craving, pain internalizing, mirrorball girlies — aka me! 🥲

If this book & ‘If You Could See the Sun’ are any indication, Ann Liang officially OWNS rivals to lovers as well as my heart! The rivals to lovers trope is my favorite trope of all time but ESPECIALLY when Ann writes it, she’s just too good! 🤩

The rivalry-turned-romance of Sadie & Julius was absolutely everything. They truly were RIVALS in every sense of the word, and their slow progression of turning into more was done so well. I loved how palpable the tension between them was and that their rivalry really stemmed from a place of mutual respect for one another. Their banter was incredible, and their softer moments had me SCREAMING!! I had the best time reading into every little thing Julius did and said — that man was fascinated and obsessed with her from the start, and I simply fell in love with him! 🤌

I also could not get over the kinship I felt with Sadie. It genuinely feels like Ann took a look inside my brain then decided to cook up Sadie Wen, and it was kind of terrifying (like I think I would’ve broken down and suffered emotional damage if I had read this book in high school LOL). But throughout all her mirrorball-ing, Julius was the one person Sadie was really her true self around, and, even better, he loved and respected her even more for it. I WANT TO HUG THEM MY BABIES I LOVE THEM SO MUCH 😭

Anyways, if you are a rivals to lovers enthusiast like me, PLEASE do yourself a favor and GO READ THIS BOOK! I love when smart people fall in love, and Sadie & Julius were everything and more 🥹 Forever crying because of how much I adore this book! And I’m so grateful to have discovered Ann Liang & her books because she is truly for the traumatized Asian girlies! She never misses, and I adore her beyond words 🫶

Thank you so much to Scholastic Press & NetGalley for a physical ARC and eARC of this book! 💌

5/5 stars.

This has to be one of the best YA novels I have read in a long time!! I absolutely loved this novel, and enjoyed every minute of reading it. Sadie was such a relatable main character! She craves academic validation and is a people-pleaser to her core. I really enjoyed her journey through the novel. She learns to stand up for herself and to stop apologizing for things that she cannot control.

If you are a fellow Swiftie and also relate to "mirrorball" or "this is me trying," then this is the book for you!

Thank you to Scholastic Press, Netgalley, and Ann Liang for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is lightning in a bottle - Liang defies the saying that it doesn’t strike twice with a continued brilliance in this genre.

Ann Liang’s books just scratch a special place in my brain and my heart. Her writing captures the authentic messiness of teenagers, with brilliant characters and plots that are inventive. They always have such joy and love and laughter within them, while also delivering important messages to the readers too. This is another such shining star of a romantic contemporary tale. It is an academic rivals to lovers storyline, with a throughline about competition and expectations pushing someone down against themselves and blocking out people who could be their biggest champions. There is a lot about familial expectations here, heightened by the prestige of the academic setting. I absolutely loved every second of my reading experience.

Sadie is breaking herself trying to maintain this perfect image. She is loving, kind and intelligent, but she is weighing herself down trying to keep everything as rosy as possible. The development she has over the course of the book is amazing and a love letter to all those gifted students on the brink of burning out. Her method of catharsis is drafting these vicious, somewhat spiteful emails over her personal grievances. Well, a la Lara Jean, these all get sent and everything spirals. However, in this moment of implosion, there is a sense of release and setting everything out as it truly is - including a potential romantic spark. Liang’s ability to create good chemistry should be studied. It just builds so naturally and has the reader rooting for these two muppets to realise the obvious. There are so many excellent scenes here and dialogue that sparks off the page. I love a good love story and this is a great one.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You continues a winning streak for Liang that I do not think will be broken any time soon.

3.5 🌟 rounded up

To start, I must say that as recovering people pleaser the first part of this book had me feeling really stressed. While my level of agreeableness was not as intense as our M.C Sadie, I found some of her thoughts and actions very relatable and it was making my heart race a little bit. Fortunately for me, we get into the situation with the emails quite quickly and from there Sadie slowly but surely starts learning that she doesn't have to bottle up her feelings and please everyone to be liked and feel worthy.

In terms of the characters, I enjoyed Sadie and the supporting cast of family, friends, and enemies. Julius, the boy Sadie loved to hate, was the main side character. The relationship between Sadie and Julius was… a lot. As the story progresses, we definitely get a better understanding of why Sadie and Julius are the way that they are, however, I feel like they were mean to each other in a super aggressive way. Because of that, while it was quite obvious where the relationship was headed, a part of me wasn't really rooting for them the way I wanted to be. I didn't feel like enough had happened to offset all the rudeness.

One thing I think would have been great is an epilogue. Considering all that happened, I think a short epilogue showing the new dynamic between Sadie and Julius now that their relationship has changed would have been really cool. There were a couple of other things I wanted to know the outcome of as well that I think would have fit nicely in an epilogue. Overall, it was a fun and engaging story. If you’re interested in a journey of self-disocery with some enemies to lovers (heavy emphasis on the enemies), then you’ve come to the right place.

Thank you, Scholastic Press, NetGalley, and Ann Liang for allowing me the opportunity to review this book!

What a sweet YA enemies to dating romance. Sadie and Julius are both top of their class and leaders at their high school. Competition and one uping runs deep with these two. Sadie is a pleaser and doesn’t tell anyone no. When all the emails in her draft box mysteriously get set, her truly feelings about peers and teachers are known. Julius receives the most emails and their hatred for each other heightens. Soon they are forced to spend time together and they realize that maybe they don’t hate each other as much as they thought.

This was a really good quick read. I enjoyed the writing style and how fast paced it was.

A pulsating academic rivals-to-lovers story by Ann Liang with a palpitating plot and addicting romance. Sadie Wen and Julius Gong have been competing for years to best the other in nearly everything, from grades to sports. When Sadie’s private emails with her real thoughts of her classmates get out, her people-pleasing facade is broken. Her venom-laced words hurled like knives against her rival sent to him and the whole school, and those are only some of the letters she wrote. Now she must climb her way out of this mess and Julius seems to be there nearly every step of the way. Maybe, just maybe, their hyperfixation on besting the other could shift into something more as they navigate through this.

What I loved about this story is that it felt so real to me because Sadie and Julius were not competing just for the sake of it, but both feel extreme pressure to be the best and know the other is the only one who could best them. The pressure while different for each is so searingly realistic as students today are expected to aim high, growing up so fast. Their plight in school is a perfect and relatable story for YA readers in that way, I know even when I was in High School there was an overwhelming pressure to be the best, get the best grades, do the most activities, get into a great school, and so on and so on. Crafting a tale of love amidst this academic rivalry works so well because while we begin to root for our MCs to get together, there is so much more at play than just them falling in love. You get to see how family plays an important role in how we grow up and how they can shape what we want for ourselves. We also see why they fight to be the best, how they’ve become who they are, and how, ultimately, find their way together through all of that. That is what makes this a great YA romance, a book I truly read in one sitting, my pulse rushing as I neared the end. 5/5 stars.

Taylor Swift Songs I associate with this book: this is me trying, The Archer, Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince, mirror ball, Change, Delicate, gold rush, New Year’s Day, I Can See You

Ah! This book!!

If you’re looking for a YA romcom that has academia and rivals to more, you have found it. I love the dynamic between Julius and Sadie, they are so challenging to one another, and it’s so satisfying to see them go from bitter rivals to more.

Things I adored about this book:

📚 Sadie, she is like my spirit animal! She wants to please everyone and has some simmering frustration hidden in her bones
📚 He falls first. Clearly he cares about her and their rivalry is fun for him. LOVE UT.
📚 Their interactions because of the academic setting are a lot of fun.
📚 The writing feels a lot like watching a teen movie.

Things I didn’t like:

The only thing that could have made this better is Julius’ perspective. 😅 not even a critique, just a thought because I love seeing both points of view.

TW/CW: kisses, bullying

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You ~ Ann Liang

“I want you to hold me like a grudge, keep me like a promise, haunt me like a ghost.”

It’s so easy to fall into this book ~ a fast-paced, entirely predictable yet intriguing, rivals-to-lovers YA romance. Honestly, this was the slowest burn I’ve ever read, but the skillfully written tension made it all worth it (and thank god for no break up scenes, right?). And is it just me, or do all enemies to lovers books start to blend together? Yet, I loved that I could feel the animosity from the get-go and that even after they had their HEA, they stayed sharp and cutting with each other.

There were some holes (like where is this?!), but it was engaging and easy to picture. Liang established the characters their background early on, making it effortless to follow along and become invested. I often felt murderous both because of and for the extreme people-pleasing FMC, but isn’t it good writing when you can feel so much?

You’ll notice some past trauma for each of the main characters, problematic parents and siblings, and a cast of vibrant side characters. I suggest reading this, as well as her first, This Time It’s Real.

P.S. I had an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley, and while I understand it wasn’t the final version, the jacked up format was absolutely destructive to the reading process.

Thank you to Netgalley, Scholastic, and Ann Liang for allowing me the pleasure of reading and reviewing this ARC.

I Hope This Doesn't Find You is like my nightmares and personality splashed on the page. As someone who grew up pouring her heart out in emails which never got responses - talk about the early stages of ghosting am I right?? - this book was made for me. Sadie spoke to my own experiences growing up in the ways she feels awkward, struggles to fit in, and plans her own success. While I never was as successful in planning my success like Sadie, I deeply resonated with her character. These emails, the illusions and false images of being nice to everyone? Talk about my own teenage years.

Ann Liang does it again. I am obsessed with her overachieving teenage girls struggling to figure out what’s really important and how to be themselves. I’m a little older than them so their struggles seem more clear to me, but I know I would’ve appreciated these stories so much as a teen. ALSO her romances never miss. This one in particular really showed the progression of Sadie and Julius getting to know each other which is so important to their developing feelings and also their relationship was a great lens through which we could watch how they changed as individuals.

A few plot things in the first half were a bit muddy (ex: the principal didn’t really have a reason to force them to work together? the tasks he gave them seemed like detention/extra credit vibes but he claimed it was for appearances which didn’t make sense because no one knows that they’re doing these tasks? it would’ve been simpler to call it a punishment/lesson and they’d have to learn to get along to get it done) and could’ve been simplified but once you moved past those details it was all good fun. The second half I read in one sitting because I was just absolutely eating it up.

As always, looking forward to what’s next from Liang (and it looks like she has quite a few books in the pipeline!!) and wishing the young adult genre looked a little more like this when I was growing up.

Once you open the book, you won’t be able to put it down.

The academic rival was academic-rivaling! This is my first Ann Liang book though I have had her first two books on my kindle shelf for so long now, and I absolutely loved reading it. I adore both Sadie Wen and Julius Gong. It was so enjoyable to read them bantering with each other, Sadie is just so witty with her insults lmao. Overall I loved the story but wish we had seen more of Julius’ story (But I guess it’s understandable because the book is from Sadie’s pov.)

Model Student Sadie has no clue what a journal is. Instead, she'd drafted years worth of angry emails every time something frustrates her - like when a teacher abuses his power, or a classmates takes advantage of her hardwork, or even when she's bested by her academic rival, Julius, someone she's Very Much Not Obsessed With. One day, the emails accidentally get sent out and every eye is suddenly on her and its not because of her academic achievements.

Liang is a master at writing intense, slow burn first love and all the confusing jumble of emotions that come along with it. In this case, the push and pull of the academic rivals to lovers trope was sheer perfection. Sadie is such an endearing people pleaser who carries such a heavy burden from her family trauma, one that I very much relate to.

Reading this book, like all other Ann Liang books, was an extremely visceral experience - I laughed, I cried, and screamed and punched my pillows out of sheer frustration. I couldn't put this down until 3:30 in the morning and I'm old - I really CANNOT do that again.

This phenomenally crafted YA romance, is like all of Liang's other books: a love letter to the young Asian over achiever in me. I am utterly obsessed with everything Ann Liang.

Five glittering stars are not enough for this masterpiece – consider this my declaration of undying love for Sadie, Julius, and the whirlwind of emotions they've stirred within me.

Meet Sadie Wen, the epitome of the perfect student—school captain, chronic people pleaser, and a pro at accidentally sending draft emails to the entire student body. Her unintentional electronic escapade focuses mainly on Julius Gong, her charismatic rival and co-captain at Woodvale Academy. Julius, the only guy who's ever dared to challenge Sadie's perfect record while looking equally handsome and annoying, is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime – and so are we!

Now, let's talk romance. Oh, the slow burn! Every page is a delicious tease, a tantalizing dance of emotions that had me fangirling like there's no tomorrow. Sadie and Julius are the ultimate power couple, and I ship them so hard it should be classified as a full-blown obsession. The chemistry is off the charts, and Ann Liang, the literary sorceress, has woven a love story that left me breathless, gasping for more.

And can we talk about Julius for a moment? Move over, fictional boyfriends – Julius Gong is the new benchmark for charismatic, entertaining, and utterly lovable leading men. His banter, his quirks, his everything – I fell head over heels, and I'm not even sorry. If there's a fan club for Julius, sign me up, because I'm the president, treasurer, and the loudest cheerleader all in one.

The competitive edge between Sadie and Julius, even as the flames of love flicker, is a stroke of genius. Ann Liang, you are the maestro orchestrating this symphony of emotions. The laughs, the feels, the unexpected twists – it's a rollercoaster of epic proportions, and I want to ride it over and over again.

This being my initiation into the world of Ann Liang's creations, I can confidently say that I'm a fan for life. If you're on the lookout for a romcom that delivers on humor, romance, and characters you can't help but adore, dive into "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" – it's a literary delight that will leave you with a smile on your face and a serious book hangover!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Ann Liang, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sadie has it all. She is school captain, every teacher's favorite and the future valedictorian. How does Sadie do it without losing her mind? She writes draft emails to people that have annoyed her or caused her stress. She'd never want to hurt anyone's feelings though so she'd never send them. One day though, they are accidentally sent out and Sadie is now one of the most unpopular girls in school now that people know what they really think of her. Everyone minus Julius that is. Julius is the only boy she is sworn to hate.

A great YA read! A book about people pleasers and the stresses of high school. Sadie and Julius were both loveable characters. I will definitely recommend this book to others!