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5 stars ��
�� spoiler-free review
tropes: 💌 academic rivals to lovers

��.�� “all of which to say, i hope this finds you. and i hope you find me too.��

i hope this doesn't find you is a love letter to the perfect ya romcom <3 it's no secret that liang's witty prose somehow manages to depict deep and meaningful characters while weaving in the perfect plot. i was shocked at how much i could resonate with sadie, and her utter despair of never being enough. never pretty enough. never smart enough. craving academic validation only to regret wasting your time. scared that you aren't living the life you deserve. even now, my self-worth depends on the grade that is marked on the top of the page, and to read about a girl who keeps striving to reach her full potential regardless of the setbacks that come her way was so inspiring. i will treasure her forever.

�� the plot. sadie wen has spent most of her life trying to be perceived a certain way; smart, confident, likable, and charming. she has a need to be loved by everyone around her, and would do anything if it means not upsetting a classmate or a person in her life. her number one nemesis, julius gong, hates her with a passion, and the feeling is reciprocated. he's arrogant, conceited, vain; but as co-captains of the school, they have to maintain a facade for the students. and yet... unknown to everyone else, sadie channels all of her negative feelings into email drafts. one day, her hate mails are accidentally sent out, exposing her real self, and effectively ruining her reputation.

ann's books are so so special to me for many reasons, but i'm surprisingly shook at how easy to read this was. the romance was well-crafted and i absolutely adored how they much they hated one another. sometimes, in these types of books, it's advertised as an enemies to lovers. when in reality, they fall in love starting from the first page. but sadie and julius both genuinely disliked one another (which was very entertaining to read about, their banter is swoon-worthy!) however, this book is so much more than romance. it's full of hope, hatred, anger, bitterness, passion, love, and empathy. this is a story that is near and dear to me, and i just felt so seen. i hope that you can empathize with sadiejulius and love them as much as i do!

��.�� “fix this. it's what i've always done, or tried to do. fix the gap in my family, the holes in my life, patch everything up, smooth everything over.��

꒰🌷�� sadie wen. my new favorite fmc. she's so complex in beautiful ways, and always puts others before herself. sadie cares for her mum and brother, and undergoes a perpetual struggle of feeling inadequate and lonely. she thinks the entire weight of her family is on her shoulders, and i just want to hug her and tell her that she isn't a burden! also side note: the way young love is portrayed in liang's books is the coziest and fluffiest ever. this will forever be a comfort book for me.

��.�� “for ten years i thought i was preparing to destroy you, when really i was preparing to love you.��

꒰☁️�� julius gong. in case you haven't fallen in love with him already, i will proceed to list what he does for her:
- defending her from his brother and saying that she pushes him to be his best every day
- researching and scouring the internet to find the exact bakery she works at for an impromptu visit (yes, that does sound a little creepy without context, but for my sake, please pretend)
- sprints to win an entire race for her
i don't want to give away any more spoilers, so i guess you just have to read it to find out everything else he does i'm sorry his emotional depth and growth was so interesting to read about, especially the constant comparison to his sibling. because he is related to another unbelievably incredible individual, there is a tendency to unconsciously turn to self sabotage because he doesn't think he deserves love or happiness. julius changes himself in hopes that someday, someone will notice. i once read a quote that says; "in love with being noticed but afraid of being seen," in my mind, this saying describes him in a way i never could.

thank you to scholastic and the author for the physical copy of the arc! i am so grateful that i found them <3

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�� bottom line: if you are a believer of hate emails instead of letters, lover of academic rivals, and romcom enthusiast, this is for you! (if you hate all of these things, you still have to read this, i don't make the rules)