MOTHER'S WRITING A NEW BOOK and the publication date is almost a year from now but technically it's in january but it's january first so that's basicaMOTHER'S WRITING A NEW BOOK and the publication date is almost a year from now but technically it's in january but it's january first so that's basically december and december goes by so quick because it's christmastime, so in reality it's in november. however, november is fall and fall is always the season that goes by the fastest, so it's in august. can't wait for this book to release in the summertime!...more
sorry this was so beautiful, and the ending? i am currently ruined, this was EVERYTHING <3 (also idk why i'm reading so much like it's very concerningsorry this was so beautiful, and the ending? i am currently ruined, this was EVERYTHING <3 (also idk why i'm reading so much like it's very concerning procrastination) rtc ☆
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the fact that this is kind of mulan-inspired makes me so so happy !!
thank you to the author and penguin publishing for the arc ...more
｡୨୧｡→ pre-review you're crying, not me (this was everything) rtc ☆
2/2/2024: goodreads is TAUNTING me with the "4 books behind challenge" on my reading g｡୨୧｡→ pre-review you're crying, not me (this was everything) rtc ☆
2/2/2024: goodreads is TAUNTING me with the "4 books behind challenge" on my reading goal, so a short story will help <3...more
3/31/2024: i feel like i need to go into a dark room and only think about this book for the next 100 years! I HATE THIS BOOK. I HATE IT SO SO SO MUCH.3/31/2024: i feel like i need to go into a dark room and only think about this book for the next 100 years! I HATE THIS BOOK. I HATE IT SO SO SO MUCH. the wound will never heal. rtc ☆
2/15/2024: someone help me, edanmaia are so precious <3 i want to give them both the biggest hugs in the world, they are such cuties !! thank you rina2/15/2024: someone help me, edanmaia are so precious <3 i want to give them both the biggest hugs in the world, they are such cuties !! thank you rina for the rec, iloveyou bsf rtc ☆
꒰ pre-review ୨୧ ꒱ this cover deserves to be framed in the highest of halls. also, look how pretty the cover is. adding on to my point, the cover art is gorgeous. and finally, i think that the cover looks amazing. (please act like i have a way with words)...more
4 stars ☆ ⤿ spoilers are marked trope: enemies at first, star-crossed lovers
˖ ࣪ ◌ ➛ “the stars incline us, they do not bind us.”
the year is 1926, and sh4 stars ☆ ⤿ spoilers are marked trope: enemies at first, star-crossed lovers
˖ ࣪ ◌ ➛ “the stars incline us, they do not bind us.”
the year is 1926, and shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. with an opening line like that, how can you not fall in love with this book? gong’s historical fantasy debut hooks you in from the start with a gripping power struggle and a lingering question: is love simply tragedy? this slightly alluded to romeo & juliet but i loved how there was a unique twist even though this is an iteration! the author delves into the divide in governments, the consequences of previous wars, and foreigners entering the bleak city. while the rival gangs; the scarlets and white flowers, are being pulled in many different directions, the two heirs are on a journey to accept the power they hold and uncover a monster hidden in the depths of the huangpu river. the found family aspect of this book was so precious: juliette, a character with rather morally complex intentions (she’s a piece of my heart now), starts to slowly realize that a person is made up of the impressions that others have left on them, and learns who to trust <3
⤿ analysis. i’ve been thinking about my rating for a while; i originally rated this 5 stars, but it’s been a while since i read the book. and since then, i read these violent ends and finished foul lady fortune! in comparison, the writing only improved, and while this was so impressive and is very dear to me, i think 4 stars is more representative of my enjoyment/the story itself. i have two main critiques with it, one of them being that the prose sometimes got too detailed. i’ve heard that some people thought that it was slow and dense to get into, and i can see why, especially because paragraphs upon paragraphs of pure description is incredibly intimidating. my second problem is that there’s a bit of a pacing issue, meaning that there are points where the reader is intrigued and able to finish 100 pages in one go, and others where it’ll take a day to pick it back up again. with that being said, the political undercurrents of hierarchy were brilliant, i loved seeing the feud and elements of fantasy, specifically contagion, woven into the narrative!
˖ ࣪ ◌ ➛ “i am the heir of the scarlet gang,” juliette said. her voice had grown just as sharp as her weapon. “and believe me, tángdì, i will kill you before i let you take it from me.”
✧.➛ “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.”
this book is the first one i had read that was written by ann liang, and if you couldn't tell already, that decision to pick up the pretty blue book lying on a forgotten dusty shelf might've been the best i’ve ever made! if you could see the sun is more than a simple romcom: it's a book that seamlessly weaves the analysis of privilege, a need to pursue dreams no matter what the cost, and the desperation to make something of yourself. i love how ann makes you re-examine what you thought about the characters you've previously been introduced to. it's like she writes intricate ideas for each person in her books, pushing aside any preconceived notions and letting readers adore all of her protagonists whole-heartedly. i promise that the writing in this will make you feel seen like no other book has before, leaving you wanting more even after flipping the last page!
⤿ the plot. haven't you ever wondered what would happen if you were invisible? what would you do? what could you accomplish or find out if nobody knew you were there? alice sun has felt unknown all her life, and as she continues attending an international boarding school in beijing, this feeling of invisibility has only grown. but it was just a feeling, until one day, her emotional turmoil became a different physical problem. when alice's parents let her know that they can no longer afford to pay for her education, she comes up with a somewhat ingenious idea, which utilizes her newfound power: to create an app called beijing ghost. with the help of henry li, my favorite character, (shocking, i know, try to contain your gasps for now) maybe, if she can carry out simple tasks for others, alice can take the stress off of her hard-working parents. however, as these escalate from mild to borderline criminal, alice has to make a choice: will her perfectionism ultimately be her downfall? and will she have to sacrifice education in order to stand by her morals?
i think this concept was executed brilliantly, full of fitting metaphors for feeling unseen. many people feel invisible because they are invisible to themselves. by this, i mean ignoring your own feelings, putting others' needs before your own, or even having facets of your personality for each situation. it's just the magic of if you could see the sun! there are many hidden life lessons and characters that you can fall in love with so easily.
✧.➛ “i’ve spent my whole life longing to be seen, but i’ve also come to realize that when people look too closely, they inevitably notice the ugly parts too, like how the tiny cracks on a polished vase only become visible under scrutiny.”
i am heartbroken. i really don't think my review can do this book justice. i went into this fully expecting that↠ 5 stars ✰ ~ spoilers in this review ~
i am heartbroken. i really don't think my review can do this book justice. i went into this fully expecting that all of the characters had to have happy endings and everything would be perfectly fine.. i was wrong ofc ...more
5 stars ⤿ spoiler-free review reread: december 21st, 2023
.ೃ➛ “i guess my point is that i do believe in love. really. i'm just not convinced that kind
5 stars ⤿ spoiler-free review reread: december 21st, 2023
.ೃ➛ “i guess my point is that i do believe in love. really. i'm just not convinced that kind of love could ever happen to me.”
this book is the definition of happiness. i've repeated this over and over again which has become very annoying to everyone i know. ann liang finds a way to create such comforting characters who have now become my entire personality <3 if i were to recommend a book to any reader who wants their mood to be lifted (yes, i mean you, go read it now), this time it's real is the one.
⤿ the writing. i adore everything about this book, but there's one aspect of it that i cherish most of all, which is the way that love is portrayed. not just a romantic relationship, but a family, which in my opinion, is the hardest to write about. eliza's families and friendships are described in a manner that makes me feel like calling all my distant relatives, inviting them to an impromptu dinner and giving them a hug. it's the little details: visits to the park, nostalgia about a place she grew up in, long car drives with an annoying sibling. no one realizes that that's what you'll miss the most when you grow older. there's a fear of losing everyone you love, and i didn't expect to stumble upon these lessons while reading a romcom, but i think that's the magic of liang's writing: it makes you feel safe, and somehow, you fall in love without even knowing it.
THERE ARE SO MANY PERFECT SCENES. their love made me smile so much, from eliza writing compliments on every single paper crane that she made by hand for caz, her taking care of him when he was sick and had no one who cared about him, touring beijing and visiting a park, tutoring him and explaining the love of writing, they are actually perfection. i was screaming into my pillow half the time, elizacaz are both just the cutest people ever <3
.ೃ➛ “and this, i think, is my ultimate fatal flaw. missing people who don’t miss me back. clinging on to strands of string that shouldn’t mean half as much as they do. it takes so little for me to love someone, yet so long for me to move on.”
eliza. she's very worried about her family throughout this entire book, and always seems to put everyone else before her. she's a professional overachiever and as caz helps her to realize that it's ok to have fun once in a while, i started to see myself in her more and more. her struggle about never fitting in even when she's in the place she grew up in is something that hits close to home. as a person who is asian-american, that feeling of inadequacy is written very emotionally, and it's something that is present the most in liang's work. eliza's a reminder of how capable we can become, and i love her with my whole heart.
.ೃ➛ “are you happy?” “i am, are you?” “i'm so unbelievably happy right now.”
caz. as time goes on and she gets to know him more, we slowly start to realize that caz is actually the definition of sarcasm.. but also manages to be the happiest and sweetest person alive. i just want to give him a big hug, he simply doesn't know his worth. there's a sense of relatability to him because unfortunately, some of us have grown up in situations where our family hasn't been there for us, so we feel the need to do everything by ourselves. there's no need to get help from others. his development was so interesting to read about, and i loved getting to see the growth that he went through when meeting someone like eliza. and he calls her my love?! (i'm sorry but i did have to add that, because that nickname is guaranteed to get me to buy any book you put in front of me, so now you have to buy it too!)
note: this was the most fun ever because i was reading it with bff irha. she's perfect and makes any 5-star read even better! i love talking/fighting for hours with her about who loves elizacaz more p.s: it's me. i'll upload her review when she's finished with it, which will quite obviously be the best piece of literature ever written <3
before, i buddy read this with adira, who is just the sweetest person ever and i read my first liang book with her! her review is amazing as always.
⤿ bottom line: i can't write enough to describe how elizacaz makes me feel but i can say that this time it's real is the most wholesome romcom to have ever been written, and the characters feel like family....more
mitra ౨ৎ (hiatus)
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