Source: The Xavierite
With the upcoming release of Ann Liang’s latest novel, “I Hope This Doesn’t Find You”, underway, I wanted to revisit her first novel. Ann Liang’s debut novel, “If You Could See The Sun”, is a classic academic rivals to lovers story— but with a supernatural twist. The novel’s protagonist, Alice Sun, develops a power of invisibility that switches on at any random moment.
“If You Could See The Sun” revolves around the characters Alice Sun and her academic rival, Henry Li, who attend an elite boarding school in Beijing. Alice is unable to afford her tuition, so after discovering her new-found powers she teams up with Henry to create an app, using her invisibility to offer services and gain money.
When I first read the plot of Liang’s novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve seen the rivals to lovers trope many times before, but not in this way. It reminded me of the plots of K-Dramas (Korean soap-operas) from the mid-2010’s, which were often rom-coms with some sort of twist. A popular example from this era is Strong Girl Do Bong-soon from 2017.
I had already previously read Liang’s second book, “This Time It’s Real”. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I’ll admit I went into this book with high expectations.
Liang definitely did not disappoint.
I was so immersed in the story that I finished the book in less than a week. I found myself resonating with Alice in a way I haven’t with other protagonists. Her worries and feelings of disconnect within her culture were something I could relate to immensely. I think Alice is a character that can be relatable to so many people.
!WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
Earlier I mentioned that the plot reminded me of K-Dramas from the mid 2010’s, I found this comparison really stuck with me the more I read. The requests Alice received as well as the conflicts she faced throughout the story really felt like something out of a popular K-drama that blew up on Tik-Tok.
One request that was memorable to me was one in which Alice had to get proof of her classmate’s father having an affair with a mistress. On top of discovering the target of her request was the father of her own roommate, Alice just barely manages to evade getting caught.
It’s a plotline that’s so cliché, but regardless I couldn’t help but be immersed in it, rooting for Alice to escape in time. Liang has a way of using cliché tropes and making them still feel fresh and interesting, something I’ve noticed is hard to find recently.
Another cliché I couldn’t help but enjoy was Alice’s dynamic with Henry. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for rivals to lovers. It’s a classic trope, I do have to say that at times it can be boring, but that’s not the case with this couple.
Romance in this book is a secondary plot in comparison to Alice’s invisibility services, but it never feels out of place. I’ve seen a few complaints about the lack of time spent on the couple themselves, but I felt it was perfect. I enjoyed how their relationship developed naturally as we followed Alice’s tasks.
The story altogether is set at a nice pace, but I found the plot progressed too rapidly a few times. This is something I noticed in Liang’s other book, “This Time It’s Real.” It makes the story more engaging to the reader, but one downside of it I found is that it sacrifices some detail.
Due to this, the only big complaint I have about this book is that the ending feels like it came too fast. Once Alice receives her “big” request, the story moves quickly from there until the end. I wish more time was spent on the ending and how the characters dealt with the final conflict.
I felt that Alice’s punishment for her actions was rather light. I think the story could have focused more on the effects of what Alice did as well as reflecting on her mistakes.
I can forgive this as the story itself is meant to be light-hearted, but I do wish that the pacing of the ending was more spaced out.
Regardless, I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend picking it up if you’re interested in a quick, fun read. If I had to rate it, I’d give it a four out of five stars.
You can find “If You Could See The Sun” by Ann Liang on Amazon as well as most other book retailers.
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