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 ☆
the emotional rollercoaster this series has taken me on, can someone please tell me where i'm supposed to go from here now that i can't rea↠ 5 stars ✰
the emotional rollercoaster this series has taken me on, can someone please tell me where i'm supposed to go from here now that i can't read any more about jude + cardan? and the letters, heartbreaking and so adorable, when i tell you i might have screamed into my pillow for an hour, i'm lying. i actually cried all day. he's so in love, it's precious <3
✧.➛ “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
six dangerous outcasts. one impossible heist. if that isn't enough to make you read this book... oh my god, this↠ 5 stars ✰ ~ spoilers in this review ~
six dangerous outcasts. one impossible heist. if that isn't enough to make you read this book... oh my god, this was so thrilling!! i was on the edge of my seat, and rooted for nearly all of the characters. i'm a sucker for the found family trope, and the way leigh bardugo wrote it makes me so so excited to read crooked kingdom. (i'm so sad this is only a duology) the world building was also done beautifully, coming from someone who hasn't read the shadow and bone series, i still understood what was going on. the author made this intricate world seem so real to me, i was hooked from page one <3
kaz and inej... i giggled when anything even remotely affectionate happened between these two. the minute nina told inej about how kaz's breath catches whenever he looks at her... please go read this book!! ...more
note: i've read this 3 times. i'm too obsessed, it's unhealthy
"do you feel as if you wear armor, day after day?↠ 5 stars ✰ ~ spoilers in this review ~
note: i've read this 3 times. i'm too obsessed, it's unhealthy
"do you feel as if you wear armor, day after day? that when people look at you, they see only the shine of steel that you've so carefully encased yourself in?"
no. absolutely not. i am shattered. crushed. and the fact that i have to wait around 4 whole months for ruthless vows? even though the ending was criminal and UNCALLED FOR, REBECCA ROSS, i loved this book to pieces. it felt like a warm hug <3 the plot was a giggling, kicking and screaming, crying, emotional rollercoaster. it was romantic, beautifully written, poetic, and so intense. roman treated iris like a queen, their relationship was so sweet and the way they communicated through letters, using the typewriters!! i adored every minute of it. fantasy books have a way of making me feel like the story is too unbelievable but i didn't feel that with divine rivals. i am now way too emotionally attached to the characters, thank you very much. iris and roman are so perfectly flawed and precious <3
"she carefully turned the pages, which smelled like dust and tombs and places that could be reached only in the dark. pages full of stories of gods and goddesses from long ago. they were speckled with mold and felt like silk beneath her fingertips."
iris. my love. she was so strong and wholesome, always managed to find a way to follow her heart, the truth and her instincts. throughout the book, i got to see the way her character developed, how she grew more courageous, her writing ebbed and flowed from her more, i've never felt the way i feel about iris for any fmc before. and the way iris unconditionally loves her family and the people around her!! i can't wait to see more of her in the next book.
"it’s not a crime to feel joy, even when things seem hopeless. iris, look at me. you deserve all the happiness in the world. and i intend to see that you have it.”
roman. i am such a proud roman kitt enthusiast. someone needs to look at me the way roman looks at iris. he praises her, is respectful and loves her with his whole heart. he's protective and ready to sacrifice himself for her... HE TOOK A BOMB FOR HER. brb i'm gonna go cry my entire heart out.
i really don't think you can go wrong with enemies to lovers, and in this setting!! also, have i mentioned that the cover is gorgeous. this will be on display for many more months to come.
quotes i loved
"iris! iris, it's me, kitt." (this damn note. i'm crying my whole heart out rn.)
"a piece of armor, because i trust you. a glint of falling steel, because i feel safe with you."
"i pray that my days will be long at your side. let me fill and satisfy every longing in your soul. may your hand be in mine, by sun and by night. let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones return to dust. even then, may i find your soul still sworn to mine." these were their VOWS. they got MARRIED. i love them sm <3
pre review
tysm to becca and hoda for recommending this lovely book to me, ilysm <3...more
“some men's childhoods are permitted to last forever, but women are so often reminded that there is work to be done.”
i've been playing tennis for a while now, and it's something ingrained in me, watching wimbledon with my father only on weekends, rallying with my twin sister <3 these are all core memories, something that i look back upon so fondly, and honestly wish i could relive. i've never quite found anything that captured the love that i had, until carrie soto is back. i adored how this book was written, and how it felt to me, just so addicting. i've heard people talk so much about how tjr's writing makes you feel like the characters are real, they could simply float out of the pages! and i feel like that's the magic of carrie soto is back, i just couldn't believe that carrie didn't exist in real life.
➵ years later, carrie decides to reenter the tennis game, and wants to become the best player in the world yet again. unfortunaltely, she has to practice with an old “boyfriend,” bowe huntley. will she realize that maybe the people she thought were just stone-cold athletes have feelings and are kind after all?
javier soto, the fmc's father, is one of the most emotionally complex and driven characters i've ever read about. after losing his wife, his soulmate and love of his life, his one goal is to make his daughter the best tennis player in the world, someone that the world would revere. from morning to night, he implemented difficult athletic exercises like running in the beach for a couple hours on hot sand, and practicing against athletes years older with much more experience. this put an immense strain on their relationship, bickering about different coaching techniques, what they each thought was best for carrie. he had high expectations for his daughter, some might say too high, but i understood that he just wanted her to reach her full potential. there are flaws, just like any father-daughter relationship, but the way they were to one another, teasing and having fun, just utter respect and love. it's something so simple, but it made me tear up at times.
“we live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”
carrie. she is one of the most interesting and fierce women i've ever read about! carrie is extremely stubborn, quick to shut down others. it has been drilled into her head that winning is the primary focus. the one thing that she has, her #1 status, is being taken away by nicki chan, a brilliant player that completely changes the game, so of course, carrie has to come back. over the years, she completely shifts her mindset and learns to have fun at the sport she adores most. when i think of her, i think of the song “mirrorball” by taylor swift <3
bowe. he is so mature, and knows carrie's mind so well. i have rarely read about someone who can handle miscommunication so amazingly, their connection is so romantic and wholesome. bowe was sweet, and loved her father too. i need someone to say “my heart hurts because you are my heart,” to me!
in the sports world, especially in the 1980's, the way women and men were treated was drastically different. a popular male tennis player was known for his charm and affairs with different people, and was called a player, but when carrie did something similar, she was labeled as a slut, and could not recover for a while, being constantly harassed with tabloids and magazines. this infuriated me, she should have been first thought of as a talented and strong athlete. people are allowed to make assumptions, but the amount of judgement and hate thrown at her… she was constantly labeled as a "battle ax" which was revealed to be a more common term for "bitch." people would just laugh it off, saying it was a compliment, because she worked so hard and kept her cool, but carrie knew it was a thinly veiled insult for her attitude towards her opponents. this was brilliantly portrayed by tjr, she wrote it so that the discrimination wasn't so much shoved into your face, more weaved into the story, something that i thought about for a while after i finished the book.
➵ as much as i thought this book was amazing, it helped that i knew a bit about tennis, so if you are planning on reading this, either do some research (just learn about the basics) or go into it blind, my mom read this and actually had fun even without much knowledge about the sport! there's also some spanish convos between her and her dad, but i could translate it easily, maybe look up a few words.
my favorite quotes
“one of the great injustices of this rigged world we live in is that women are considered to be depleting with age and men are somehow deepening.”
“when did I lose that? the delight of success? when did winning become something I needed in order to survive? something I did not enjoy having, so much as panic without?”
“why do I have to be nice when most of the men aren’t?”
“you are perfect, even in your imperfection.”
““falling in love is really quite simple,” she says. “you want to know the secret? it’s the same thing we are all doing about life every single day.”
i look to her. “forget there’s an ending.”
pre review i play tennis so i'm hoping this is good ...more
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