I Hope This Doesn't Find You

6/5 ★

This book deserves 6/5 stars because it goes above and beyond all the expectations and norms set for romance novels. Before I lose you, I want you to know that it also has a realistic yet heartfelt plot, filled with actual character growth. I liked this book because it wasn't just another cute rom-com type book that had no premise and the plot was all fluff. This book genuinely isn't as shallow as the rest; for one both main characters have reasons for their competitive behavior and internal conflicts that come from trying to please their families. The main character, Sadie, works through her people pleasing issues that occurred from the guilt she has about her dad leaving. And while she sees Julius as only a pretentious snob that everybody likes, he feels overshadowed by his older brother that continuously pressures him to be better. When Sadie's life seems to come crashing down right before they graduate, Julius and her spend a lot of unwanted quality time together realizing there is a person behind all the hate.

Recommendation

There is not enough I could say about this book, it is now one of my favorites! And I will recommend this to everybody, even those who hate romance because it's not too cheesy but it has the right amount heartwarming-ness. I don't know how she did it but Ann Liang seemed to nail every possible moment on the head. And throughout the book we see them catch feelings for each other, which I prefer to him doing one act of kindness or saving her once and her falling head over heels for him. I also think unlike a lot of books about teens this was by far the closest to reality(that I have read). Granted, Ann Liang is a younger writer so she would have a better understanding of how stressful high school is not for the academics but for the social aspect. Overall I think this book will age well and you should absolutely consider reading this. After I read all of Liang's other pieces I'll come back and praise them too.

I Hope This Doesn't Find You