Whatever happens, she’s more than smart enough to get through it, and I’ll be there to support her.” Utterly unique, thought-provoking, and wonderfully written." —Gloria Chao, author of American Panda and Rent a Boyfriend Playlist dedicated for Henry and Alice can be accessed here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Dl... She needs to consult someone as genius as her: that means she needs her nemesis’ help! Maybe they can work on a special app called Beijing Ghost which can help the other students by reaching everywhere without being notice.

Utterly unique, thought-provoking, and wonderfully written, If You Could See the Sun was a thrilling ride that hooked me from start to finish. Ann Liang is a fantastic new voice in YA!' You're still a kid, you know. Even if it doesn't feel that way now, you're still only a kid. You're too young to be this hardened by the world. You should be free to dream. To hope.❞If You Could See the Sun isn’t just special because it decenters whiteness, and saying that would unfortunately recenter whiteness in the conversation surrounding the book. It is also just a better version of this genre than we often see. When you finish reading The Secret History or If We Were Villains, you are still left with an undercurrent of romanticization and maybe some abstract ideas about where the moral boundary is; you are only ever shown the dark side of academia through a dreamy lens that in many ways glorifies suffering. If You Could See the Sun does not pull these punches. Instead, it allows the reader to take in the staggering inequalities of the institution it is set in, and it shows the consequences of the way our society has simultaneously made a student’s ability to learn their entire identity and something that hinges on how much privilege they have. Alice isn’t hurt by the institution she gives everything to because of a failed test or college rejection letter. She is hurt because she was forced into horrendous moral compromises by a school that didn’t care enough to make itself accessible to her. This is what dark academia means. seriously tho, Alice is me. i am her. i could see myself in her so much, by the way she strove to gain academic excellence, the way she was so brave and determined and strong and would do anything to just please people, not figuring out what she wanted. Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student in a sea of über-wealthy classmates. But she has a plan: be top of the class, attend a prestigious university, secure a killer job, and finally lift her family out of poverty. A Chinese American scholarship student with an inexplicable ability to turn invisible uses her newfound power to monetize her peers’ secrets in Liang’s imaginative debut. Unlike her affluent classmates, 17-year-old Alice Sun has only her hard-earned “established streak of success” going for her. After receiving news that her parents can’t afford the tuition for her next semester at the prestigious Beijing-based Airington International Boarding School, she’s faced with transferring to a local Beijing academy or moving in with her auntie to attend school in Maine. But when she suddenly finds herself able to turn invisible, she uses this gift for leverage. With help from her academic rival Henry Li, they anonymously create the Beijing Ghost, a phone app that allows students to request Alice uncover secrets and scandals for a fee. As the tasks escalate to a criminal level, however, the cost becomes greater than Alice anticipated. Liang paints a clear picture of what it’s like to struggle for certain advantages that are seemingly handed to others, skillfully exploring themes of classism and privilege via a sympathetic protagonist who feels—sometimes literally—invisible. Ages 13–up. Agent: Katherine Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Oct.) Publishers Weekly

Liang paints a clear picture of what it’s like to struggle for certain advantages that are seemingly handed to others, skillfully exploring themes of classism and privilege via a sympathetic protagonist who feels—sometimes literally—invisible."— Publishers Weekly This turned out to be such a charming read! It was witty and refreshing. I live for an academic-rivals-slow-burn! And everything about this moment is so lovely and so fragile in its loveliness that I’m almost afraid to hold it. Afraid that the spell will break.❞ Then her parents drop a bomb—they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship. But that’s the least of Alice’s problems because she has started uncontrollably turning invisible. As in completely, physically invisible.I appreciated that the setting was a private school in Beijing rather than the American and British schools we see in many YA romances and mysteries. This allowed for a different and nuanced look at East Asian identity and socioeconomic status in China, especially highlighting the differences between students born and raised in East Asia or abroad. Henry and Alice are just so freaking perfect! I loved each and every moment these two were together! The chemistry between these two is absolutely unmatched and the banter (mostly one-sided on Alice’s end) was so fun to read about!! Also the moments between these two, whether they’re funny, cute or vulnerable… I LOVED THEM ALL!!!

Utterly unique, thought-provoking, and wonderfully written, If You Could See the Sun was a thrilling ride that hooked me from start to finish. Ann Liang is a fantastic new voice in YA!"—Gloria Chao, author of American Panda and Rent a BoyfriendWhen I saw the cover and read the blurb that mentions a Chinese American girl who is aspiring, brilliant scholarship student monetizes her power to pay her school fees, I expected to read something more dramatic, depressing and sad. I didn’t mean this book is not enough thought provoking with strong messages like criticizing class differences, racism, inequality, poverty but the way of giving those messages was brilliant! And I have to admit I truly sympathize with Alice from the first chapter where she eats a lunch with her family at a restaurant and feels something ominous about to come ( family eats lunch rarely: for birthdays, for deaths and for dramatic news) You all know I love a good contemporary with that little something extra. I’m not sure how to explain this in the best of ways, but… If You Could See the Sun had it. Alice’s invisibility added that little something exciting, unpredictable, a little bit of fantasy I enjoyed and that was perfectly working with this particular story.