5 stars ★
⤿ spoiler free review
tropes: 💌 academic rivals to lovers

✮⋆˙ “If you knew the effect you had on me, how often I think about you, the things I would do for you..."

This book is so much more than the academic rivals to lovers trope. This book is full of hope, determination, hatred, yearning, anger, bitterness, passion, love, and empathy. This is a story that will resonate with a lot of people. I know I did; I felt seen. You will find a piece of yourself in this book.
 
This is Ann Liang’s best book up to date. This book managed to depict deep and meaningful characters in a way I feel her previous books haven’t.

⋆˚✿˖° Sadie Wen is complex in the best and most beautiful way. She’s a people-pleaser, she puts others before herself. She yearns for perfection; she's trying to fit the mold of the perfect child and perfect student, even if it means pushing herself to her limits. She always tries her best and is never seen or appreciated for it. She feels like her worth solely rests on her achievements. She carries a lot of burden… Someone needs to take away all her pain and suffering. It was beautiful to see her growth. Her development wasn’t rushed or anything like that, which was a win.

⋆˚✿˖° Julius Gong is the definition of cold on the outside and warm on the inside. His antics were so adorable. He was sassy sometimes, he was a gentleman sometimes, and sometimes he was full of hate and love. He was fleshed out well, but I wanted to see more. Even more depth was needed. His character could have been explored more. I wanted to see him put those people in their place.

When books are advertised as enemies or rivals to lovers, they never are, but Sadiejulius both genuinely disliked one another, like they’re REAL rivals to lovers, and I love that. The chemistry… is insanely off the charts. Their banter felt so real; it felt natural. The tension…. ooh… reading about them is the definition of kicking my feet, giggling, and squealing into my pillow. The young love portrayed is the fluffiest and sweetest. They were truly made for each other. They’re obsessed with each other, and I’m obsessed with them. I was so giddy for Sadiejulius.
 
Some side characters did feel a tiny bit one-dimensional, but it didn’t really affect how I felt about the book.
 
Ann Liang has become one of those authors I will follow along with their book releases. She has become a staple author for me. I can’t wait for the world to read this amazing book.

I need this to become a rom-com movie. Who do I need to contact? This is a very serious business. If I need to make a petition, I will.

⤿ Overall, I highly recommend this. If you’re looking for a good YA academic rival to lovers with good banter, this is the book for you. This is such a cute and cozy rom-com. ♡︎

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing me with an E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

→6✰
~spoiler free review+spoilers are marked!

✧"you were right, sadie wen. i am completely, helplessly obsessed with you. love, julius"


first of all, let me just say that i read this book in less than a day. which never happens, so let that be a sign to you to please-for the love of julius gong himself-read this book. also, be prepared for a rant review about how much i am deeply and utterly in love with this book 😭

ੈ✩‧₊˚my thoughts 💌
ann liang, the woman that you are. i love this book so much that i can't even form the right words (i need to get myself together 😃) i think i broke my kindle because i was highlighting and taking notes of every. single. interaction. between sadiejulius. i just can't get enough of them. their banter and chemistry is flawless. no complaints whatsoever (except the fact that i'm starving for more of them, and i'll probably never be full again because who knows if we'll ever even get crumbs (sorry that was a weird way to word it but you know what i mean))
this book left me screaming into my pillow, internally sobbing, and wanting to jump off a building because why can't men like julius exist?

ੈ✩‧₊˚sadie wen 🎀
sadie is me and i can't be convinced otherwise. i love her character with my whole heart. one thing i admire about ann liang's characters is that their very real. their lives aren't perfect, but their very normal and have real struggles, which is comforting because i've read plenty of books that are so unrealistic in those aspects. i like seeing myself in the people i'm reading about, and ms. liang delivers every time. anywayss sadie is the perfect student and she strives to be liked by everyone. i love how much she cares for her family, although she believes that the reason they have flaws is because of her. i just want to give her the biggest hug ever because she deserves everything.

✧"for ten years i thought i was preparing to destroy you, when really i was preparing to love you. all of which to say i really hope this finds you. and i hope you find me too."


ੈ✩‧₊˚julius gong 🎓
ohmygod don't talk to me. because THIS MAN 😩 so swoon-worthy. i'm screaming, crying, giggling, kicking my feet. he fell so hard for sadie and it was the cutest thing ever. and spoiler!!: (view spoiler) his character was so beautifully written as well. i don't want to spoil too many things, but i'm just saying that i love him

✧"because i'm willing to lose everything," he says, his eyes blacker than the surrounding darkness, than the sky outside, "so long as i don't lose you."


ੈ✩‧₊˚overall 🌷
i can't wait for this book to be released and i can't wait for all of you to read it and to see all of your updates on my homepage 🤭 i truly hope that you guys love this as much as i did! happy reading xx

-thank you to netgalley and scholastic for the arc!!

ੈ✩‧₊˚quotes 🏹 (minor spoilers!)
✧"you'll always be my first choice, julius gong."

✧"it's us, sadie," he says, like that's answer enough. "when have we ever been bad at anything?"

✧what i'm realizing is that if you're quiet about the things that hurt you, people are only going to mistake your tolerance for permission.

✧"it's like a sickness, and somehow, the cause and cure of it is him."

✧"she's smart, okay? she's a formidable force. she does everything she sets her mind to and nothing can stand in her way. not even me."

✧i'm only meant to absorb what others feel, present the best side of myself, sit still and swallow my own emotions.

✧and i know, even as the present is unfolding, that i'll always remember this. the gleam of confetti on the hardwood floor. the night falling around us. the dark strand of hair falling over julius's eyes. the quiet that feels like a truce, a reprieve from the war, something more.


ੈ✩‧₊˚
pre-review
ADSGSDFASFHB STOP 😭 I'M HAVING A MENTAL BREAKDOWN RN I'M NOT KIDDING
i loved this beyond words. idc if i'm exaggerating bc this book omg.
i'm also half asleep while writing this so i wouldn't be surprised if i don't make sense
there will be an rtc bc this book was just so 🥰

ੈ✩‧₊˚
pre-read review
I JUST GOT APPROVED FOR THE ARC!! screaming, crying, jumping up and down ☹
i can't wait to meet sadiejulius 🥹💐

A YA contemporary romance that reads as Never Have I Ever meets To All The Boys I Loved Before when two academic rivals are forced to join forces after the MC's scathing email drafts about her fellow classmates somehow get sent out. Academic enemies to lovers tropes abound! A quick, fun read that also touches on the pressures of perfectionism and the weight of living up to expectations of others.

📖 𝙄 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙣𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙜

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵?"
"𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦. "𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰."

Sadie’s one goal in life is to be successful and support her family. To do that, she has strived to be perfect in every way. The one thorn that has been in her side for the past decade is Julius Gong, her fellow school captain. They have raced against each other for years in athletics and grades. Sadie just wants to be liked by others, but to do that, she has become a people pleaser. To vent out her frustrations about others, she writes emails about people that have wronged her and saves them in her drafts. When her drafts get sent out to the entire school, Sadie must face the fallout, while also being forced to spend more time with Julius.

This book really struck a cord with me as a fellow people pleaser. I felt like Sadie’s character can be super relatable to not only young adults but also people of all ages. There were times when I wanted to cry for her and the situations she was dealing with.

Julius was a great character! I wished we would have gotten more of his family dynamic and maybe a chapter from his perspective at the end of the book. I feel like I just needed MORE because he was a great MMC.

Overall I really enjoyed this story! It’s a great coming of age story for young adults/new adults.

Tropes:
🫶🏼 Childhood Rivals to Lovers
📓 High school
🌻 Young Adult
💞 Asian Leads/Representation
🙈 People Pleasing FMC
🐶 Golden Boy MMC

Thank you to Scolastic, the author and NetGalley for my eARC of this story so that I could share this honest review. This story will be available on February 6th!

In a similar plot line to To All The Boys I Loved Before, overachieving doormat Sadie writes a bunch of emails about people and keeps them in her drafts folder. She vents about how badly they treat her, ignore her, take credit for her work and ask her for favors but never include her. The emails accidentally (?) get sent and Sadie has to deal with the repercussions. The person who received the most emails is her academic rival Julius. They are then obligated to do events/activities for the school to make up for the chaos created by Sadie’s emails. They get a lot closer and she realizes that she actually likes him and he likes her too.

I was bored most of the way through but I’m sure there is an audience that will like this book more than me.

fun, cute, interesting and an awesome book by Liang, who previously wrote other awesome books (such as that one about the invisible girl). thanks for the arc

As someone who loves to rant, both to friends and internally about shitty situations, I was immediately drawn to I Hope This Doesn’t Find You. The premise of Sadie having all the emails she wrote (ranting about classmates and teachers) leaked was intriguing and I was curious how Liang was going to handle it. It turns out she handled it extremely well. I’ve read Liang’s two other YA novels and liked each one so I wasn’t surprised that I had a fun time reading this one as well. Julius and Sadie have a good academic rivalry going that adds tension to their relationship which also demonstrates how there is a very think line between love and hate. I wish there had been a bit more time spent exploring the in between phase of their relationship but overall I was still satisfied. It was gratifying to see Sadie learn from her mistake. I think in the end she learned she didn’t need to people please as much BUT that her emails were not the right call, she knew she needed to address her problems in a more respectful way.

This was so cute! I love the rivals to lovers trope and this didn’t disappoint. The characters and the plot were pretty relatable especially for perfectionists and people pleasers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this story, and I think if you're a fan of Jenny Han's novels then you'll also like this a lot. This enemies-to-lovers story really hooked me from the start. I loved the way it was written--I felt compelled by the characters and plot but without overly flowery language (my mortal enemy). This story follows our main character as they navigate cultural academic pressure, and while I did like the story I would be remiss not to mention that I did find myself....idk, questioning? some of the choices made by the main character. They just felt overly naïve/immature at times, and didn't feel quite within the characterization we are given. Overall, though, this was a fun enemies-to-lovers story. If you're looking for something super inventive and new, you're probably not going to be blown away by this. But, if you want a solid story with well-done characters that examines different cultural pressures/academics/how that shapes the way you go through life, then you'll probably really enjoy this.

Oh my gosh, I could not have loved this book more if I tried. I literally devoured it in a day and did not, could not, put it down for a second. I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is such an unputdownable academic rivals-to-lovers that will honestly hold on to you until the very last happy-bubble-filled page.

The tension between Sadie and Julius throughout the book is a string pulled so taunt and I just kept getting so excited at the idea of it snapping. These two really test that thin line between hate and love and man, do I love when it falls to the latter.

The story follows Sadie, who is striving her best to always be at the top of everything. She’s intelligent and strong yet also a pushover and does whatever anyone says. The only person who stands in her way at the top is Julius, her rival of ten years. Julius is everything a swoon-worthy book boyfriend should be. He’s intelligent, put-together, dark eyes that “you could wade through forever”, and most importantly he’s always there for Sadie even when she thinks he is against her I adored these two together SO much and was so giddy for them around every turn.

Yes, this book has a very similar premise to “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” where her e-mail drafts “accidentally” get sent out to the whole school. However, it also has a story completely that is its own. I did not want to put it down for a second. I loved every interaction between Sadie and Julius and could not get over their adorable, tension-filled story.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Scholastic Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

I like to try different books. This one isn't my jam, but it's well written and is living up to the description. There's great racial diversity in this novel, and it has a similar vibe to the book: *All the Boys I've Loved Before.

The main characters are in a school battle to be the better scholar—I'm sure people feel this competitive edge too, but I don't relate at this level.

I enjoyed seeing the two main characters start to change and extend themselves to each other. I didn't end up finishing because I wasn't loving it for myself. However, I think teens will love it. There's some language, but I didn't get far enough to know if there's sex on the page. I hope this is useful to know if this book is right for you.

Happy reading!

An emotional rollercoaster, I devoured 30% in one night and finished the rest in two days. This multicultural enemies-to-lovers story navigates 'Asian academic' pressure well but left me conflicted about the protagonist's immature actions. Fans of Jenny Han's universe will find it familiar, tying into Netflix adaptations like XO, Kitty, and To All The Boys. Despite some rushed and cringe-worthy moments, it's a solid 4-star read for those indulging in high school romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for an ARC of this book!

This is a really fun academic rivals to lovers story. Sadie and Julius have spent a literal decade antagonizing one another, only to realize that their feelings might be closer to love than hate. The central conflicts revolve around the fallout from dozens of angry email drafts getting sent to people Sadie never intended to read them, including Julius. This story had a good balance of the tension/rivals element, humor, and some deeper and more complex family dynamics. It is a really fast read and will be perfect for my high school classroom library! If students enjoy the rivalry between Devi and Ben in Never Have I Ever, they will like this!

Sadie Julius is a hero and inspiration to young people trying to be their authentic selves. An honest technical mistake involving emails where she vents her feelings is sent to everyone she knows. She then has to answer and own the contents of these accidentally delivered emails. The fallout from this mistake is done with such class, integrity, honesty and grace.

I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this young adult fiction book AND also that it had so much depth in a genre that is usually superficial/fluff. Sadie Julius has such depth.

Pleasantly surprised with this and definitely recommended. I hope Ann Liang's next book is as good as this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Liang and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 2/6/2024

rating; 4.25

i love when a man supports a woman's wrongs 🥰
just kidding, my girl did nothing wrong.

ngl this book caught my eye because i (and i'm assuming other folks, from this book's existence and many other people's interest) have always had a fantasy of writing out exactly how i feel about people in my life and sending it to them. partly for the catharsis, partly for the chaos.

sadie has this done by accident in ch 3 (thankfully EARLY in, not too long of exposition) and must deal with the fallout.

"You know what I think? ...I think you're obsessed with me, Sadie Wen."

this girl wrote 42 emails about julius alone over the span of 9 years omg she is in LOVEEEEE.

even though i've pretty much outgrown hs settings, this premise was too good for me to turn down reading, and i found this was quite an entertaining read. there were some genuinely laugh out loud moments, the characters were fun and mostly avoided overly juvenile tropes, and overall it was an enjoyable story.

the tale of two kids falling for each other, exactly as they are <3

i loved If You Could See The Sun so I was super excited to get this ARC! this book reads like a super fun teen movie and the academic rivals to lovers is to die for!!

This is my first Ann Liang read and it's safe to say that she didn't disappoint me. After I finish a heavy fantasy series, I always make it a goal to seek out a good rom-com to cleanse my head however I am so picky about them.

This book was perfect, from the academic rivals-to-lovers trope (a favorite), to the banter, tension, and fast pacing. I read this book in one sitting after being in a tight reading slump for a week. The confessions, comedic dialogue, and characters were amazing. I loved all of dynamics between the characters and the love story.

Also, the representation. I am an east-asian woman (Vietnamese) and I hardly find an EA being represented correctly and main character nonetheless. Ann Liang portrayed Sadie and her family flawlessly and made the mom lovable.

Thank you for this arc ♥️

such a cute ya romance!!!! I've been looking to read one of the books written by this author and this was a great start! I had just the best time and I can't wait to pick up books from her backlist. ya romances slap so hard and I always forget that, I neeeeed to read more! if you want a cute book to read in the cold winter of February, definitely pick this up!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

Now, this book had my all time favorite trope of academic rivals to lovers, and I just wanna say that this author nailed it. I truly felt the rivalry between Sadie and Julius; the banter and tension between them was very fun to read.

I really loved the character progression of Sadie, but I felt that Julius was a little underdeveloped. I was not as strongly connected to him as I felt I should have been since he is the main love interest.

I really enjoyed everything else about this book, so I give it a solid 4 stars!

OH MY GOSH I LOVED THIS!!!! I absolutely DEVOURED it in 2 days and couldn't stop thinking about it anytime I had to put the book down. It was fun, flirty, cute, fresh, and real. I absolutely loved the main character and the love interest. Both characters were so enjoyable, yet flawed in a perfectly human way.

I am now looking forward to reading more from this author! Her writing style was snappy, fun, and polished. Highly recommend this one if you're looking for a good high school rom com!