“I want you to hold me like a grudge, keep me like a promise, haunt me like a ghost.”
– Ann Liang, I hope this doesn’t find you
Book Title: I hope this doesn’t find you
Author: Ann Liang
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Romance, YA, Fiction
My Rating: 4/5
My Age Rating: 13+
Content Notes: Clean, just kissing. Mild language, few uses of the B-word, small crude jokes, parental abandonment, extreme stress related to academic studies and social image, bullying and cyberbullying, teen partying and drinking
“I think you’re obsessed with me, Sadie Wen.”
– Ann Liang, I hope this doesn’t find you
Synopsis:
Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a “pleasure to have in class.” It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She’d never send them of course — she’d rather die than hurt anyone’s feelings — but it’s a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie’s work.
All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. “You’re attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you’ve been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft…”
Sadie doesn’t have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them… that is, until they’re accidentally sent out.
Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It’s her worst nightmare — now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they’re not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there’s one person growing to appreciate the “real” Sadie — Julius, the only boy she’s sworn to hate…
Review:
I read a lot of romance books in the month of February (10/13 of them to be exact… and the other three still had romance in it). No, I don’t have a problem, just lots of extra time and a love of romance. One of my favourite and most memorable books I read was this one, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You. I mean, even the name is amazing!
I wasn’t one hundred percent sure going into this book, but I ended up hooked from the very first scene. The rivals to lovers romance was amazing and was honestly what I believe all books should be like.
The author did a great job of opening the book and introducing Julius (the rival/love interest) right from the start, perfectly setting up their competitive dynamic. She perfectly wrote every encounter that they had, and the slow, gradual change in their relationship was perfect. Every word… Every touch… Every stolen glance was perfectly placed and written. Not a moment was wasted.
The writing and plot were easy to read and enjoy. I didn’t want to put this book down and nighttime was especially excruciating. The writing was humorous and light and just perfect, even though what the main character was dealing with wasn’t always something light, since she was dealing with intense pressure and stress academically and socially, bullying, and parental abandonment.
This book had just one POV, Sadie Wen, and even though I always prefer a dual POV romance so that you can get both of their thoughts and takes on the moments, I still loved this book and how it was written. It was written with enough depth that it didn’t leave me wanting, and since Julius is a little bit of a mystery, it was probably better that way. And the banter, OMgoodness gracious, it was amazing. Full of humour and witty remarks that never once let me down. Once I save the money to buy myself this book I’m going to annotate it until there isn’t any white left!
I wanted to mention how cool it was to read a book taking place in a different part of the world. I usually read books based in Canada or the US without even planning to, so it was cool to be immersed in a different place while reading this book, with different dialect, standards, and new places to explore. It was a good reminder to read out of my comfort zone every once in a while and try something new.
Let’s talk about the content! I was so happy about the fact that this book was very clean. The romance was full of tension and sparks but it was never unclean, with just kissing (though intense at times) and nothing more. There was a small crude comment here and there but it was handled with teenage awkwardness or light humor. There was only a minimal amount of language, mostly just mild with a few uses of the B word in context. There was some heavier content in this book, such as bullying, the stress of academics, pressure of keeping a good image, and parental abandonment. But as I said before, it’s all handled in a way that is appropriate. Overall this book would be great for teens 13 and over.
I loved this book and all it offered. The romance, setting, plot, and writing were all amazing. It was a great read for anyone looking for a clean romance with lots of tension but nothing explicit, and humor-filled banter that will keep you reading long into the night.
Happy Reading,
Ava
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