Never Thought I'd End Up Here

by Ann Liang

From the author of the instant New York Times bestseller I Hope This Doesn't Find You, Never Thought I'd End Up Here is another hilarious and romantic romcom from Ann Liang, this time following a former model determined to get revenge on the boy who ruined her life.

Leah Zhang has spent her whole life in LA - it's all she's ever known. But after accidentally wishing her cousin ill health and a very depressing marriage at her wedding, her parents stage an intervention. She's forgotten most of her Mandarin, has zero regard for etiquette, and can't hold a conversation with her own grandparents for longer than a minute. Their solution? Send her on an intensive two-week travel program across China's most beautiful cities. To them, it's the perfect opportunity for Leah to get back to her roots. To Leah, it's simply a much-needed escape.

But before Leah can even begin to enjoy the luxurious hotels, stunning scenery, and mouth-watering cuisine, she finds that also on the trip is her former classmate and least favorite person cynical, sarcastic Cyrus, who's somehow only gotten more annoyingly handsome since they last saw each other.

While Leah might be tempted to shove him off the peak of the Yellow Mountain when nobody's looking, she can't get rid of him just yet. After all, she might never get another chance to get revenge on the boy who ruined her life.

Yet the deeper they wander into China's provinces, the deeper Leah finds herself falling in love - with the boy she once thought she despised, the home she never thought she'd call her own, and the parts of herself she thought were already lost.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult Romance

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2025

About the author

Ann Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.

Reviews

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"From lost notes carried by the breeze,
Came new promises whispered with ease."

Ohk! I picked this up thinking it was going to be a cute travel romcom. You know, some giggles, some banter, a little scenic train ride. What I got instead was a direct emotional assault via ✨childhood enemies-to-lovers✨, a missing letter, a revenge arc, and so much longing I felt like I was personally being soft-launched into oblivion. Ann Liang has become shorthand in this house for soft chaos, cultural ache, and the kind of rom-coms that make you laugh while quietly wrecking you.

Never Thought I’d End Up Here is a tender, messy unraveling of what it means to grow up between two worlds... A story about the people we meet when we’re not looking. About detours that become destiny. And the kind of love that finds you in the ruins, not the fireworks.

Leah Zhang is That Girl— gorgeous, overachieving, trying very hard to keep it all together while being painfully aware that life is not going to plan. So naturally, she decides to fake it till she makes it… with a travel vlog, a model boyfriend, and a fake smile that hides a thousand academic disappointments.The girl who once believed in fairy tales—and now edits them for a living.Watching her slowly peel those walls down for Cyrus (even if it was through gritted teeth) made me want to hold her hand and high-five her at the same time.
—“She’s all thorns until you realize she’s bleeding too.”

And then there’s Cyrus Sui-Broody. Silent. Bookish. Annoyingly perceptive. And her worst childhood enemy. So obviously they get thrown together for a sponsored travel program in Shanghai. And obviously there’s only one bed. Because fate, my friends, is a C-Drama screenwriter on crack.Former childhood nuisance. Now? Too attractive for his own good and holding secrets.
He’s the kind of boy who used to pull your pigtails in 4th grade and then grew up into the man who’d carry your bags through a storm and remember how you take your ginger tea. Every time he said Leah’s name, I felt personally attacked. That monologue? The “I can be whatever you want me to be” monologue? I read it three times, cried twice, and wrote it in my diarywith the message: “Tell my future husband this is the bare minimum.”

"I never wanted you to hate me,
I never wanted you to leave. i only meant to tease you until you truly noticed me"

...
-YEARNING 101.

➤ The Setup:
Leah never planned to return to Shanghai, let alone with him — Cyrusc childhood nemesis turned insufferably hot travel partner. They were fire and ice at age twelve, and somehow... still are. But when fate (and a little family meddling) forces them into a travel vlog project across China, old battles turn into new sparks, and a revenge plan Lana cooked up years ago? Might just backfire into feelings.

"Qin ai de.”
“Did you just call me your worst enemy?”
He smiles against my lips. “I was lying.”
"What?”
“Qin ai de doesn’t mean my worst enemy,” he says. “It means my love.”

🔖𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧

What happens when the boy who teased you in class for years shows up in your adult life—tall, apologetic, and still staring like you invented starlight?

Leah never got the letter Cyrus wrote. Never knew the teasing was a twisted form of longing. So when they reunite years later (in an apartment in Shanghai, no less), all the tension, pain, and unspoken feelings begin to unravel.

Through forced proximity, deep conversations at 3AM, dumpling-fueled arguments, and a letter that surfaces at the worst possible time, they’re forced to confront:

What was real.

What was lost.

And whether forgiveness can feel like falling in love.

"Be my enemy. Be my friend. Be the person I get to love. Just don't be a stranger. I don’t think my heart would survive it."

-Cyrus Sui just redefined emotional devastation😭✨

🎬 The VIBES. The PINING. The ANGST.
This felt like a C-drama, a K-drama, a whole cinematic event. Longing stares across crowded Shanghai streets, bickering that hides bruised hearts, old wounds resurfacing in neon-lit nights… I swear the air between them crackled. It’s giving You Were Never Just a Childhood Rival to Me. It’s giving If I Hate You Any Harder, I’ll Kiss You.

🍜 What to Expect:💥 Let’s talk about the trope buffet we were served and how I devoured every single bite!

📍 Shanghai streets, noodle stalls, bullet trains
— A fake travel vlog series with real feelings
— Grumpy x Soft-But-Guarded
—Forced Proximity (Hi, flatmates. Bye, personal space.)
—childhood enemies to strangers to Almost-Friends to Soul-Tied Lovers
— Emotional Baggage Claim: Carousel Never Stops Turning
—Healing Through Quiet Moments and Sarcastic Teasings
— One bed. One plan. One suitcase full of emotional damage.
— That cursed letter no one wants to talk about
— Bubble tea-fueled banter
— So much tension I had to fan myself with a dim sum menu
— She likes everyone but him x He hates everyone but her!!
— C-drama vibes
— Revenge arc but make it emotionally fulfilling.
— Former model x literature nerd?? I’m listening.
— Overdressed GF and underdressed BF is a whole aesthetic.
—Travel romcom in China


💌

“I wrote you a letter—”
WHAT LETTER. WHAT. LETTER.

🫠 I have not known peace since...

There’s something achingly beautiful about watching Leah realize she’s been performing her life instead of living it — and seeing Cyrus quietly, stubbornly see her the whole time. She likes everyone but him. He hates everyone but her. It’s giving mutual destruction with a kiss.

➤ Writing Style:
Breezy but introspective. Cinematic and heartfelt. Every scene feels like a rom-com montage spliced with a diary entry you were never meant to read. It balances the wit with sincerity, giving each character space to unravel, grow, and fall — not just in love, but into themselves.


🔖What worked 💫

The setting is STUNNING. From the misty peaks of Yellow Mountain to bustling city streets, Ann Liang brings China to life in textured, vivid detail. The Mandarin contest? The food? The countryside vs city comparisons? Absolute chef’s kiss.

The romance was cute, even if not groundbreaking. Cyrus is quietly tender behind all the sass, and their banter? Genuinely fun.

➤ The Final Stop:
In the city where it all began, under a sky strung with red lanterns, Leah finds the letter. And Cyrus finds her. They don’t just forgive. They see each other — clearly, finally. And when he says:
“You were always worth the wait.”
…I threw my Kindle and hugged a dumpling plushie.
Because love, even the kind that starts with war, can still end in peace.

"That’s why I’m obsessed with enemies-to-lovers —
Because even at your worst, when you’re a mess,
They see you… and still choose to love you anyway. 💔➡️❤️‍🩹
It’s messy, real, and perfectly imperfect.”

🎧 “Letters, Grudges & Shanghai Skies” — Playlist

📌"The Archer" – Taylor Swift
 ➝ For Leah's quiet vulnerability beneath all her fire.
 “I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey.”

📌"I Hate You, I Love You" – Gnash ft. Olivia O'Brien
 ➝ For that push-pull tension they carry like second skin.

📌"Back to December" – Taylor Swift
 ➝ For the letter that was never read… and the apology that was never heard.

📌 "Youth" – Daughter
 ➝ For the melancholy of growing up side-by-side, but never together.

📌 "You're On Your Own, Kid" – Taylor Swift
 ➝ Because growing up was messy, and Cyrus watched her every step of the way.

📌 "Until I Found You" – Stephen Sanchez
 ➝ For that cinematic final stretch. The confession. The heartbeat. The jacket.



🎯 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:

-Better Than the Movies

-Loveboat, Taipei

-Taylor Swift’s You Are in Love + All Too Well (10 min version)

-Books that ache but heal you softly

-Long-lost letters. Long-lost boys. Long-held love.

💬 Verdict:-3.5 stars, 1 ruined eyeliner, 28 dramatic gasps, 17 minutes spent staring at the ceiling!! And a desperate need to see this adapted into a C-drama IMMEDIATELY!

If you’re in the mood for second chances wrapped in sarcasm, for travel and tension, for childhood memories reinterpreted with adult heartbreak, for “I loved you before I knew what love was” energy—this is your book. Never Thought I’d End Up Here is the rom-com you pack when your passport says “ready for chaos,” your heart says “not again,” and fate says, “Too late. He’s already here. If you’ve ever reread an old note, questioned someone’s silence, or wondered what if?, this book will gut you in the best way. It’s a Shanghai-set, letter-laced, enemies-to-lovers feast of emotions with a revenge subplot and awkward emotional cooking sessions. Iconic.
~Read if you love:
second chances drenched in emotional drama,The one bed trope but make it deeply awkward and romantic,witty heroines and lovesick men in denial
And a letter that could have solved everything if it wasn’t LOST IN THE SAUSAGE OF TIME, one who Still remember their first crush’s handwriting!!

This book made me want to text my enemies “just wondering if you ever secretly loved me” and then block them for dramatic effect. I’m unwell.

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✧ NEVER THOUGHT I’D END UP HERE ✧
by Ann Liang
4.25 stars — and my entire heart tbh

this book is like a soft sunbeam hitting your face at golden hour.

there’s something about ann liang’s writing that just gets it. she’s writing for the girls who feel too much, for the ones who laugh while quietly breaking, for the ones who feel like they’re always halfway between countries, cultures, and versions of themselves.

leah zhang is the moment.
she’s imperfect in all the most real ways — trying to connect with her family, fumbling her mandarin, feeling disconnected from a place that should feel like home. she’s beautiful, thoughtful, a little lost, and so deeply human. every thought she had? it felt like someone held up a mirror to every insecurity and said “you’re not alone.”

and the way she learns to love her roots again? not in some flashy, perfect montage — but through awkward convos, embarrassing moments, and unexpected kindness — ugh. it made me tear up.

now cyrus sui… hello???

✨ childhood friends turned ex-best friends turned enemies turned maybe something more
✨ a boy who remembers
✨ a boy who regrets
✨ a boy who cares in the quietest, loudest ways

he is literally down bad in the most respectful, longing, softboy way.
and i’m sorry but he kneels down to put bandaids on her blistered feet??? buys her overpriced snacks because she stared at them for too long?? the standard is now cyrus sui or nothing.

plot?
yeah it’s got that ✈️🌸

think: revenge plan that slowly unravels, forced proximity, slow-burning feelings, unspoken apologies, rediscovered memories.
the scenery is STUNNING — every city felt like a character, every scene gave that delicious travel romcom energy. i could see it all, taste it, feel it. and now i want to book a flight to china like... yesterday.

ann liang does what ann liang always does:
she wraps a swoony, fluffy romance around a core of real, raw emotion.
identity. grief. diaspora guilt. first love. reconnection.
this isn’t just a romcom — it’s a whole journey of healing in disguise.

tropes:
🏮 childhood best friends to enemies to lovers
🌸 second chance romance
🏮 slow burn
🌸 forced proximity
🏮 the boy falls first (and harder)
🌸 travel romance
🏮 diaspora & identity exploration

i literally devoured this book in one sitting.
did i laugh? yes.
did i clutch the book to my chest? yes.
did i squeal? yes.
did i send voice notes to my bestie about cyrus? also yes.

alsooooo we’re getting Daisy and Oliver spin-offs right??? we BETTER be. because i need that dynamic. daisy is unhinged perfection and oliver gives “I pretend I don’t care but I actually care so deeply it hurts.” I want more. I need more.

final thoughts:
this book is for the girlies who feel in-between. for the ones relearning their culture, rediscovering joy, and maybe — just maybe — falling for the boy they never thought they’d see again.
ann liang is the queen of soft powerful YA and I will read everything she writes forever.

🩷 fun, fierce, meaningful — like if a heart had a passport and a revenge plan.
🩷 Cyrus Sui nation rise.
🩷 go read this and feel something again.

[ivy || v. busy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
ann liang is the only author that can consistently capture my thoughts perfectly in every single book that she releases. leah reminded me of me so much that i was questioning whether ann liang snuck into my house, picked apart my brain, and wrote a book about it. this book follows leah and cyrus going on a trip to china to learn more about their culture; along the way they work out their troubling pasts and find friends that they can rely on forever.

ׂ╰┈➤ leah zhang. i am her and she is me. mesh her and sadie together, and you get me. the two of them are, out of all the 400+ books i’ve read, the most relatable characters ever.

i feel a spasm of self-consciousness, certain that i’m doing it wrong, that i look stupid, that i’m about to be made fun of. sometimes it feels like there’s an invisible comment section floating around in my brain, and with every mistake i make, every wrong thing i say, these imaginary spectators who vaguely resemble my classmates from my old schools flock forward to pass judgment.
⤷ not wanting to care about what other people think but deep down knowing that you still care immensely is so relatable. at the end of the book, leah finally gained her confidence and that was just amazing to watch 🥹 and i hope my girlies who feel the same way i & leah do are able to see that they are amazing and shouldn’t care what anyone else think.

But this doesn’t feel like I’m escaping—it feels like I’m returning. Like I’m reaching back in time for the person I used to be, before the tears stained my pillow and the blisters split my feet. The little girl who didn’t wince at the sound of her own laughter, who plucked wild daisies and braided them in her hair, who saw a secluded garden and imagined hidden realms, who wore sparkly tiaras and waved around heart-shaped wands, picked out dresses because she loved the color pink and not just because she liked how the material clung to her body. The girl I was, the girl I had forgotten. Not an ignorant foreigner, but someone wandering through new, familiar cities.
⤷ ANN’S WRITING 😭. at the beginning of the book, leah was someone who was significantly disconnected with her culture. by the end, we see how she becomes proud of her culture. as someone who is half chinese, i really enjoyed reading this because i was also born in california from immigrant parents. right now, i’m in the process of learning to read, write, and speak the language, so being able to witness that in a book was just truly spectacular.

I wanted to be astonished by my reflection in the mirror, to see myself in a new way. I wanted to be completely, irrefutably happy with how I looked, even though it seemed an impossible task: You stare at your own face long enough and you’ll inevitably find something to hate about it.
⤷ alexa, play ‘pretty isn’t pretty’ by olivia rodrigo please!!

And my heart swells at the silly, simple, human fact that when we stumble upon something beautiful, our first instinct is to show it to the people we love. It’s what we do with pretty seashells on a beach, a radiant sunset, a rare bird flitting through the trees, a herd of wild horses grazing in the countryside. Look, we say, saving these little pieces of beauty for each other. Do you see it too? Isn’t the world such a strange, lovely, breathtaking place?”
⤷ NO BECAUSE WHY DOES THIS BOOK HAVE ME TEARING UP

ׂ╰┈➤ cyrus sui. where is my cyrus 🫴🏻💗 if you want a yearner.. RIGHT HERE!!

”But I meant it when I said that I can be whatever you want me to be: whether that’s an enemy for you to curse and hold a grudge against for the rest of your life; a friend you can trust to accompany you anywhere and drive you safely back home, the one you can call at any hour of the night and tell all your secrets to; or the person you fall for, who will always wear a jacket so you don’t have to bring yours, who will be the first to find you when you’re lost and alone, who will remind you how heart-wrenchingly, unfathomably beautiful you are even on days when you don’t feel it. The only thing I ask is that we don’t ever become strangers, because I really—” He breaks off. Clenches his jaw, fighting against some ineffable emotion. “I don’t think I could bear it, Leah. I don’t think my heart would be able to survive it.”
⤷ OH. if a man said this to me i fear i would just evaporate

“Of course,” he says, watching me intently, his dark eyes serious, his hair tousled and soft around the sharp lines of his face. “There’s never been anybody else for me. There never will be.”


➤ leah & daisy. AW give me a friendship like theirs immediately please!! i hated how leah didn’t have any real friends that truly cared about her, but thankfully, she met daisy and learned that people could love her for more than her looks, or her social status. their friendship is truly precious.
Daisy nodding fast and clapping a hand over her mouth at all the right parts, I feel it rising up beneath my ribs. The delight of finding a real, true friend, someone you can talk to about anything, no matter how serious or silly.
⤷ 🥹🥹

➤ cyrus and oliver. OKOK i see the dynamic here.. black cat and golden retriever best friend trope will always be my favorite. i can sense that oliver is the type that uses humor to cover up his past trauma and i’m veryyyy intrigued 👀.

“There must’ve been a gross misunderstanding—I don’t believe the teacher was asking for photos of you,” Cyrus says, voice flat. He’s grabbed two cameras, and without a word, he walks over to me and presses one of them into my hand. “It’s meant to be a photography contest. A form of art.” “My face is art,” Oliver counters without missing a beat, shaking the photo in the air. “It deserves critical acclaim. Don’t you agree?”

➤ oliver and daisy. OKAYYY are we getting another book in this world? and is it going to be aboue oliver and daisy? because if it is.. 💳 ann, just take my money.

well, overall, this was a beautiful book filled with self-discovery and hauntingly relatable characters that i think everybody should read 🫶🏻

[mitra ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love you leah

[fadheela ♡ (on a mental-health break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・“𝓘’𝓵𝓵 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓶𝔂, 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽’𝓼 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻. 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮.”・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

💌11/06/25
➸ 4.5 stars ~spoiler-free review💫~
⤿ br with my pookies aksh & sama 🥹🫶🏻💕

Alright everyone, buckle up, because we are in for an adventurous trip!!🤭 Yup, Ms. Liang did it AGAIN y'all!!🙂‍↕️🤌🏻💘 No need to be surprised there 😌✋🏻 I don't know what black magic Ann Liang does when she writes her books, because as always this one HIT, ATE & LEFT NO CRUMBS (I'm begging for more crumps 🤧), and also how come she always writes such relatable characters????🥺💖 You feel seen in a way through her characters that you can't explain by words alone. I first thought it was going to be another cute book, but alas I was wrong. This one hit so much with emotions (check the TWs at the end), I kept reading because I couldn't put the book down 😭💗 I'm literally OBSESSED with Cyrus Sui so much, he is THE key definition of standard besties!! Ann & her MMCs never fail to make my heart flutter!😩💓

Read this if you like 💌:
🎀 YA Travel Romcom
🎀 Childhood Enemies-to-Lovers
🎀 Former Model x Literature Student
🎀 Revenge Arc
🎀 “What Letter?”
🎀 He Falls First & Harder
🎀 C-Drama Vibes
🎀 Set in Shanghai, China

✨️ Let's meet the cast of NTIEUH 🎬✨️

“You’re so mysterious—except there’s nothing really mysterious about me. It’s just that I’m not very loud and open about the things I love, or I can’t be sure of what I love in the first place.”

Leah Zhang 💁🏻‍♀️~ a former model from LA. She has gone through a lot as a kid and became a model and then quit it, and she doesn't have any real friends to rely on 🥺 The story begins at the time when she goes to her cousin's wedding. Things start going downhill when she unknowingly curses her cousin instead of congratulating her due to her lack of speaking skills in Mandarin. Her parents decide that she has to go on a 2 weeks trip to China to revive her chinese roots. And guess what???? She meets her sworn enemy, the one who ruined her life, aka Cyrus again after 2 years 🤩 She plans to take revenge on him for what happened 2 years ago, by making him fall for her & then break his heart. (well...👀🤭)

“I didn’t know what I could possibly do to make you so much as look my way.”

Cyrus Sui 💁🏻‍♂️~ a literature student, Leah's nemesis. He likes tormenting Leah so much. He hates interacting with others, except Leah, because she's an exception 🙈💘 And he blushes & gets flabbergasted a lot because of Leah when she outwits him 🤭 Despite how cynical or sarcastic he was through out the book, when I got to know more about him, I just wished I could give the biggest hug to him for what he had to go through 🤧🫂

“He didn’t say good morning to me, and I greeted him, like, twenty times.”

“You have to believe that there are people who will genuinely like you, and care about you, and worry over you when something’s wrong.”

Oliver & Daisy 💞~ both of these side characters were literally the sunshines added to this wonderful world 🥹 Oliver was such a mood. Whenever he appeared, I laughed out loud as he was trying to befriend grumpy Cyrus—only to fail!😂🫶🏻 I was actually shipping their bromance 🤭💖 And Daisy, she's the most purest soul!! I loved her so much. She is the truest friend anyone could ever have, and I'm glad Leah met her!🥹🫶

I 1000% DEFINITELY RECOMMEND READING THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WORK THAT ANN HAS BLESSED US WITH!!🥰 All I request Ann is to, please give us a book of Oliver too so that I can see him annoy the brain cells out of Cyrus when he was his roommate 🤭😂

TWs: Public Humuliation (on page), Bullying (on page-past), Heavy food diet, Body Image Pressure.

Also posted a mini review posted on my instagram, click here to see it!! Happy reading besties!!🥰💖

𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 💌:

“We know each other very well,”
“If by very well you mean that I have dreamed of murdering you,”
“So you’ve dreamed of me?”

“But for the first time in a while, I’m surrounded by people who know nothing about my history, and I want to keep it that way. I could be anybody here.”

“I’m here, I think to myself again, yet what I really mean is: I’m home.”

“Of course it makes sense, qin ai de,”
“What did you call me just now?”
“Hm?”
“Qin ai de, or whatever that was, it sounded like an insult.”
“It means my worst enemy,”

“You have a nice voice.”
“You must be tired.”
“What?”
“When you’re tired,” he says, “you forget to hate me.”
“I forget to hate you a lot of the time,”

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is that everything you touch turns beautiful. The world becomes beautiful, as long as there’s you.”

“You’ve always been beautiful—beautiful like the stars are, like Shanghai is. I could never get sick of looking at you.”

“He knows me in ways I wouldn’t have thought anyone ever could, or would ever even bother to. It’s like he’s reached into my brain and peered at the mess there and gently untangled everything.”

“He kisses me not like he wants to own me, but like he’s mine, and he’s desperate to prove it.”

“And suddenly I’m scared that I’ve gone too far with this little revenge plan of mine, that everything’s slipping out of my control. I’d wanted his heart, but I hadn’t wanted to give away mine.”

“What are you smiling at?” Cyrus asks me.
Nothing, I want to say. Everything.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

💌04/06/25
4.5 stars? rtc. ANN LIANG DID IT AGAIN Y'ALL!!!😌🙌🏻 I'm literally obsessed with Cyrus Sui!!😩💘 I'm literally so sad this book has ended, WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW?🤧✋🏻 Leah & Cyrus were EVERYTHING. I MEAN IT!!😭💞

💌03/06/25
*screaming* OMGGGGG IT'S FINALLY HERE!!😭🤧💖 I was dying to read this for MONTHS, the wait was painful 😩✋🏻 Life is worth living again, because Ann has dropped another new MMC in town 🙈💘 Ditching my study books and locking in for the day to meet Cyrus, because guess who is back?😍 *mic drops🎤* *drum rolls please* 🥁🥁🥁

yes besties, it's finally happening after a year!!🤭 the chaotic trio— aksh, fadhee, & sama are back for the iconic br of the year 🥰💞

[Nancy •͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

──⟡⋆˙✩ 5 stars ✩ ⋆˙⟡──

꧁ᬊᬁ“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭.”ᬊ᭄꧂ツ

CyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrusCyrus

Ahem. Not me pulling a Cardan. Forgive me. I was merely utilizing my... uh... freedom of speech. ༊*·˚

જ⁀➴ I've been afflicted by a condition common among the bookgirlies. I call it ✧Inktoxication✧: Intoxication by ink-born characters. More informally, drunk in love. Symptoms include sighing, rereading, and unrealistic standards.

(｡•́︿•̀｡) cringe at me, I DARE YOU

This book is everything I needed after weeks of D R O U G H T. I did not just read it. I FELT it ✧ IN MY BONES ✧. It washed over me. It clawed at me with its sharp little talons. It slithered into my heart. It made me cry. And I let it. ❀·˚ ༘

ㅤ ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕙 ℤ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘: ❝ I care too much about my appearance, and I overthink everything, and I can be annoying and dumb and indecisive, and I have no personality outside of my flaws. ❞

Leah is a former model, and right from page one, her internal monologue reached out and gripped me. I was instantly reminded of Alessia Cara’s Scars to Your Beautiful, particularly the lines:

ꜱʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ
ꜱʜᴇ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ᴜɴɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ, ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ ɴᴏ ʟɪᴍɪᴛꜱ
ꜱʜᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴠᴇꜱ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪ��ɴ, ꜱʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀɪꜱᴇꜱ ᴀɴ ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ
ꜱʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀʏꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴄᴜʟᴘᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄᴜʟᴘᴛᴏʀ

So what does Leah do?

❝ 𝐈 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐮𝐩. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. ❞

જ⁀➴ She’s 5'10, always put-together, never seen without makeup or stilettos—gorgeous, yes. Like, woman of my dreams, whereabout hast thou been?

But her mindset? It’s killing her. She thinks her worth is tied solely to being pretty. If she wasn’t beautiful, she believes she’d be worthless. And tragically, the people around her keep proving her right. Because as soon as she "becomes pretty":

❝ 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. ❞

She became a model not because she loved it—but because it was shiny. It meant she’d be liked.

I love her. I love her. I love her. There, I've said it three times and everything! I cried for her and I felt for her. I admired her. I have a crush on her. Who needs dignity anyways

ㅤ ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ ℂ𝕪𝕣𝕦𝕤 𝕊𝕦𝕚: ❝ Sometimes I think I ruin everything I touch. ❞

Leah hates Cyrus. He’s her childhood enemy—the guy who got her expelled and flipped her whole life upside down. Naturally, she loathes him.

જ⁀➴ So why, you may ask, have I become unhinged over Cyrus?

Because he takes ONE look at her…

And he knows.
He sees.
And he speaks up.

(Okay yes, it backfires. LMAO. She gets offended. But I was moved. Because someone finally SAW her—the real her, not just the elegant, composed, glamorous exterior.)

❝𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰,❞ 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, ❝𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲…❞
𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬? 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭? 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬?
❝𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭.❞

Not the most charming line, I know—but he noticed. He didn't just say “you lookin’ hot today” like literally every other guy in her life, no. He looked beyond her high heels and perfectly styled hair.

જ⁀➴ He’s so quietly devoted, soft, respectful. Noticing when her heels hurt her feet, kneeling to put on a band-aid. Buying her overpriced snacks cuz she was looking at them too long... and he BUYS HER A FLOWER CROWN.

You can NOT get better than that. What, he saved your life? He sacrificed himself?

BUT DID HE BUY YOU A FLOWER CROWN?

NO?

THEN HE AIN’T THE ONE. (Ignore me. I’m being immature and unreasonable BUT WHY DOES NO ONE EVER BUY ME FLOWER CROWNS?) ಥ_ಥ

જ⁀➴ Cyrus didn’t raise the standard. Boy became the standard. It’s like, on a scale of 1 to CYRUS, how great is this man?

At this point, I’m concerned about myself. Am I okay?!

ㅤ ׅ 𝄂𝄚𝅦𝄚𝄞𝅄ㅤ 𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕙 & ℂ𝕪𝕣𝕦𝕤: ❝ He kisses me not like he wants to own me, but like he’s mine, and he’s desperate to prove it. ❞

Leah plots a classic petty-girl revenge: make Cyrus fall in love with her, break his heart, and publicly humiliate him. And we know how perfectly those kinds of plans go in romance novels *insert heavy sarcasm*

જ⁀➴ So Leah is CONSTANTLY flirting with Cyrus (who is clearly down bad for her—it’s not a spoiler, it’s SO OBVIOUS). And he’s all bashful (CUZ HE LOVES HER), and blushing (CUZ HE LOVES HER).

𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦, "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞."
𝐇𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬. "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝."
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭?"
"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝," 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, "𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞."

I squealed. I kicked my feet. I screamed into my pillow. This dynamic? Chef’s kiss.

(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ・Ꮖᥒ Ꮯꪮᥒᥴᥣᥙ᥉เꪮᥒ・

If you’ve never heard of this book before, then—What rock have you been living under?!

But don’t worry—I’m glad to have pulled you out of literary exile. If you haven’t read this yet: GO. NOW. READ IT.

If you HAVE read it: REREAD IT. Feel it all over again.

જ⁀➴ This book will make you cry. It will make you laugh. It might even make you blush. Or maybe I’m just the weirdo here

Whatever. Just read it. Please.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦,” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 6,479 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦. ✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ≀ˍ̮ ❝᷀ົཽ₊✧

[joni ౨ৎ - [semi hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 6 stars ⋆⭒˚.⋆

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ✧.➛ it’s very easy to fall in love with you, leah.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎the easiest thing in the world.

arc review 💌
release date: june 3

⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
💗 childhood enemies to lovers
✈️ set in shanghai
💗 forced proximity
✈️ china travel romcom
💗 revenge arc
✈️ “what letter?”

𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠: imgonnagetyouback by taylor swift ‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹


⤿ 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 may 27
⤿ 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 may 29


⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
guys i actually ate this book up and devoured it. like what the actual hell. first i’d like to thank rajdeep at scholastic canada for being so generous and sending me this beautiful novel. forever grateful to you for that 💗

this review is going to be LONG so if you don’t want to read the whole thing - just one thing to take away from this review is that i 100% recommend this book and you should definitely go buy it tomorrow or whenever!!!!!!

this book is definitely more lighthearted and funnier than ‘i am not jessica chen’ so it’s PERFECT for the silly summer vibes book. that in mind it still does have the flawed fmc and mental health topics like in leah’s case insecurities, self loathing, and etc.

the book is marketed towards young teens/12+ but there are some very light innuendo and jokes. an example would be condoms in the hotel room but like it was an accident and none of them actually brought it. just something to keep in mind if that’s important to you <3

guys i literally yapped about this book to like 5 people sending paragraphs, voice notes, or just talking a lot because i actually adored this book SO SO much. i think it’s my fav ann liang book or at least tied with ‘i hope this doesn’t find you’

my book boyfriend list has changed after meeting cyrus sui 🤭

let’s talk about how FUN this was to read?!! like i don’t think i’ve actually enjoyed a book this much… since let’s say ‘beg borrow or steal’ back in JANUARY. 6 months damnnn. like obviously i found some new favs and 5 stars but those took such an emotional toll on me i probably need therapy.

this book is what you call a romcom!!!! there’s the pettiness of wanting to get your nemies back with a revenge plan and then avoiding falling for him while making him fall for you. the secret moments where maybe they don’t hate each other as much as they want to think. the moments you SCREAM into your pillow at how much you just want them to kiss and confess everything. the YEARNING of a guy who’s so obviously down bad. like guys the LITTLE things are freaking everything. acts of service >>

cyrus freaking sui.
loml
my husband
dream boyfriend like wdym he’s not real 😫💔

i don’t trust myself to not accidentally spoil you so

‼️ 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 ‼️

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡 𝐳𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠
my model princess guys. in very much true beauty fashion (i watched like 3 eps but ann said it’s the inspo/she marketed the book inspired by it)

i literally loved her pov and character so much, it didn’t feel unnatural or artificial. like it felt like a real person and there were so many thing about her that i could see in myself. i love ann’s writing so so much, it’s definitely one of my favorites and she is my favorite author of all time because every single book is perfect and everyone can see a piece of themselves in each character.

❝when joy arrives, it catches me off guard.
i’ve always been used to happiness in snatches - happiness that felt stolen, happiness that was hard-won, happiness because. ❞
✧.➛ this quote. was felt deep in my soul - ann where are the cameras because how on earth do you describe through each and every one of your books who i am. i firmly believe that she’s the only person/author who could accurately write about my life. i don’t think anyone could portray in the way i would want and like to be seen.

leah is very much a teenage girl struggling to find herself and what brings her joy. if she’s not good at something she doesn’t think she should continue. i loved seeing her fall in love with her culture and language, her roots and finding herself once again. it makes me want to learn my language and learn my own history

❝it’s like you were making yourself go through all the motions without feeling anything…. ❞
✧.➛ tell me why my mom literally had this almost exact conversation with my a few nights ago. li wa shook when i read this because it’s exactly what i’ve been doing for… i don’t know the last 2 years i suppose.

i know i’m talking a lot about the emotional stuff about this book but it’s actu
ally way more lighthearted and funny. so many scenes where i giggling and smiling.

sadie is still my favorite fmc by ann but leah will forever have a special spot in my heart.


𝐜𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐢
SCREAMING BECAUSE THIS MAN IS EVERYTHING. LITERALLY EVERYTHING.

will never ever get over him and fully obsessed with him.

live laugh love breathe cyrus sui

officially a fan account for this man

like until i find my own cyrus i’m staying single because he has RAISED standards. we need yarning boys, this guy is SEVENTEEN and shows love better than some fully grown guys (100x better) -
➜ remembers everything from their childhood - every single game she made up at the age of 5 and they played together- over 10 years
➜ fellows her social media and current life even after she left the school 2 years ago and blocked his number
➜ recognized her after her glow up instantly
➜ calls her ‘qin ai de’ (might get spoiled if u search that up lol)
➜ bought her overpriced snacks after seeing her stare at them on the flight
➜ buys her bandaids when she’s wearing heels and her feets are bruised, takes her shoes off, puts the bandaids on, puts her shoes back on, all while kneeling on the ground after numerous protests from her (haha my dad alr does this type of stuff so this standard just got yk more important)

there is SO much more but i’ll let you have fun with the swoony moments

cyrus was a very raw and real character imo. he was flawed and portrayed himself more cold than he actually is. he has the biggest heart and loves so loudly when given the chance. he’s been through a lot and it shaped him into who he is today.

he also has an obsession with hand sanitizer and things being clean - #mecore. cant go a day without almost finishing my hand sanitizer bottle LMAO. like i go everywhere with hand sanitizer, lipgloss, and earbuds. as long as i have those i know i’ll be okay.

❝though i doubt it’s possible for anything to look ugly on you ❞
✧.➛ excuse me? i fear i’d never forget this, if my ENEMY told me i could never look ugly?!! and esp for someone who’s insecure

cyrus please marry me

❝ yet, cyrus is fake mean, almost as if he wants t lower your expectations of him, to make sure you stay away ❞
✧.➛ uh sounds kinda familiar…

❝ he looked like he was about to lose his mind if anything happened to you ❞
✧.➛ how does one hear this and still think he’s trying to cause your downfall

no, you don’t understand im OBSESSED like downright falling at his feet for him to look at me


anyways new fav book boyfriend alert 😙💖



‼ MAJOR SPOILER WARNING BECAUSE OF QUOTES ‼
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡𝐜𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬

❝ when you’re tired, you forget to hate me ❞
❝ i forget to hate you a lot of the time ❞

❝ i never wanted you to hate me,
i never wanted you to leave. i only meant to tease you until you truly noticed me. i would wait every day for the moment you walked into class with your polka-dot socks and your cute sweaters and pigtails- it was like my day didn’t even begin until i saw you. i loved the games you invented and the stories you came up with and your laugh, how it bubbled out of you and you could hear it from down the corridor. all i could think about was you, all the time, and how funny and sweet and beautiful you were- ❞

❝ you can’t, unless you’e absolutely certain you want to be with someone and you’re in love with them-❞
❝ i am.❞

❝ you’re in love with me? since when? ❞
❝ only the past seven years. ❞

❝ there’s never been anybody else for me. there never will be. ❞



my new fav couple ever?!!!
guys why don’t irl boys act like this 😭💔🥀
i’ll just stay single until cyrus sui becomes real


﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹
𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

but i'm gonna get you back
whether i'm gonna curse you out or
take you back to my house, i haven't decided yet
but i'm gonna get you back?
➵ imgonnagetyouback - taylor swift

no one wanted to play with me as a little kid
so i've been scheming like a criminal ever since
to make them love me and make it seem effortless
➵ mastermind - taylor swift

yeah, i don't know if you like me
sometimes i think you might hate me
sometimes i think i might hate you
maybe you just wanna be me
➵ girl so confusing - charli xcx & lorde

i know that i should hate you
i know that i should hate you
i know that i should hate you
➵ i should hate you - gracie abrams

i want you to know
i'm a mirrorball
i can change everything about me to fit in
➵ mirroball - taylor swift

uh-oh, i'm fallin' in love
oh no, i'm fallin' in love again
oh, i'm fallin' in love
i thought the plane was goin' down
how'd you turn it right around?
➵ labyrinth - taylor swift

full playlist linked <3
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥
will never be moving on because this book is engraved in my soul.

ann liang will forever be loved and cherished by me

if this book doesn’t get the popularity it deserves i’ll be crashing out

go read this asap please and thank you


mwah,
joni 🤍

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏



ahhhh this is so good yall

okay so this book is probs my #1 anticipated read, so I actually need to start it asap


thank you SO SO much to scholastic canada for sending me a physical arc

[anh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I want a childhood enemy who's secretly been in love with me 😔

__________
so ready to giggle and swoon over the romance in this one 🤭 reading this with best girl cherie! 💓

[cherie ^_-★ (on a break) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars ⭐
⤷ mini spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

okay seriously, where are the cameras ann liang?! first jenna, now leah??? 🤨

this book was definitely a sign from the universe that i need to reconnect with my roots too (i’m chinese but i can barely read or write the language as well, and i’ll admit i’m pretty ashamed of that 😓).

anyhoo, i devoured the first half, but my excitement dipped a little as the story went on, and the second last chapter in particular felt unnecessary and kind of threw me off, so i ended up lowering my rating a bit.

that said, this was still such a cute and bingeable read. i flew through it in under 24 hours, and i’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun and light YA romance ~


pre-read 🚞
finally starting one of a few new releases i’ve been looking forward to this month!

br with my fav girl anh 💞

[Ashley (WE'RE SO BACK) · Rating 3 out of 5]

chinese anne shirley and gilbert blythe

“You’re in love with me?” I whisper. “Since when?”
His smile is wry. “Only the past seven years.”

“There’s never been anybody else for me. There never will be.”

“Letter?” The ground seems to wobble beneath my feet, my mind racing faster and faster like a bullet train, threatening to throw me right off its tracks. “What letter?”
“I wrote you a letter,” he says.”

“I never wanted you to hate me,” he whispers. “I never wanted you to leave. I only meant to tease you until you truly noticed me. I would wait every day for the moment you walked into class with your polka-dot socks and your cute sweaters and pigtails—it was like my day didn’t even begin until I saw you. I loved the games you invented and the stories you came up with and your laugh, how it bubbled out of you and you could hear it from down the corridor. All I could think about was you, all the time, and how funny and sweet and beautiful you were—”

if you know, you know.

so me when??

thank you yumi for reading with me <3, i had lots of fun!

[ellie જ⁀➴]

WAIT WHAT, NO WAY. ann liang i love u sm <3
no one will ever understand how much she works and COOKS!! 2025 is going to be 😭

[Nour (FREE PALESTINE) Books]

I DONT THINK I CAN WAIT MUCH LONGERRRRR

GUYS I NEEEEED THIS RN
I stayed up till 11pm last night for the cover reveal hehe

and guess what? on insta Ann Liang posted some teasers of the cover and I put them together like a puzzle AND SHE RESPONDED SAYING "omg yesss 💗💗💗"
MY LIFE AS A READER HAS BEEN FULFILLED

update 3 june 2025
EEEEE YALL ITS OUT, ITS OUT, ITS OUT!!! AHHH

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

★彡 5 stars 彡★

“Look,” we say, saving these little pieces of beauty for each other, “Do you see it too? Isn’t the world such a strange, lovely, breathtaking place?”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ You know what? I can’t anymore. Just take my whole damn heart and be off with it. Seriously, lady… who gave you the right to cleave me open like that? Leave me with bloodshot eyes and a will to keep banging my head on the nearest unsuspecting wall? Anyways, the point of this review is:

Please get me married to this book, I’m ready to say my vows in a flower crown-

Buddy-read partner, sweetest girlie in town, Mira? Would you mind being the maid of honour?

𑁍ࠬܓ ᏖᏒᎧᎮᏋᏕ ᏗᏖ ᏇᎧᏒᏦ 𓇢𓆸

⪼ Childhood Frenemies To Enemies To Lovers

⪼ Forced Proximity

⪼ Slowburn

⪼ He Falls First, He Falls Harder

⪼ He Carries Her Purse told you ‘twas a real trope!

𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ᎷᎩ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧

: ̗̀➛ 🅣🅗🅔 🅢🅣🅞🅡🅨 & 🅣🅗🅔 🅕🅔🅔🅛🅢: Like falling through a fissure in time - as Leah described seeing China again. Like Xindong – it means, as Leah says, and I quote:

“It means, literally, that the heart is moved by something—or more often, someone. A sensation firmer than butterflies in your stomach but more fleeting than love.”

Because that’s exactly how I felt reading this book. From viewing the prettiest nooks of China through Leah’s lenses, to feeling every description the book threw at me… it doesn’t get better than this.

Leah is a girl relearning her roots as she sets on a trip around China. Ranging from trekking the magnificent mountaintops, to mingling with the market crowd, she traverses the journey with a simmering passion to learn and implement and emotionally destroy that one cold and cool boy.

I swear, this was a guidebook to appreciating your culture and giving it more thought. Especially if you’re losing touch with yours, living as an immigrant and silently feeling far away from it. I promise you when I say that it will heal you in every way you need ♡

: ̗̀➛ 🅛🅔🅐🅗 🅩🅗🅐🅝🅖: I’m pretty sure the universe tires of hearing me call every Ann Liang FMC relatable. Shut your mouth hole and swallow your judgment, universe! It’s not my fault Ann Liang is intent on going the uncanny valley route every damn time!

Pointless chitchatting aside, let me tell you a little about our Lady Leah ⇣⇣⇣

Perfectly decked up, perpetually, presentably pretty and a literal fashion icon is Leah Zhang in a few words. She rocks in stilettos and never has a bad hair day teach me your sorcery, Leah. To the world, she’s a very glamorous figure. They think, surely someone that put-together and confident couldn’t have any care in the world. Surely, people line up to be her friends. And that surely, she’s always that composed, inside-out.

Leah is a love letter to all those girlies who play pretend. Who’ve never really had real friends, because they’re just caught in the buzz of being someone “too big” to fit in. Someone people like the idea of, but not really love being friends with when they’re midway through forging a bond.

“A real friend. My mind browses through the years and comes back empty-handed. You have plenty of people you hang out with at school, I try to remind myself. Hundreds of numbers in your phone. People who compliment you all the time and invite you to things. But how many of them can I actually call?”

What’s mind boggling is that Ann Liang showed us: You don’t have to be a model in pretty pumps to be able to relate to Leah.

“Sometimes it feels like there’s an invisible comment section floating around in my brain, and with every mistake I make, every wrong thing I say, these imaginary spectators who vaguely resemble my classmates from my old schools flock forward to pass judgment.”

This is, hands down, the best descriptor for those voices I always hear in my head. So, this is the working inside Leah’s mind. When she appears so composed but in reality, she’s fighting anxiety every step of the way. And a girl is bound to get tired after all that shit. She’s bound to feel worn-out as Cyrus once highlighted for us.

Leah’s character arc, her finding herself, learning her identity was like magic in layman’s terms. I felt whole when she learnt to feel at ease, and it was a connection I’m sure many readers can find themselves being lured into. All in all, I’m obsessed with Leah Zhang.

: ̗̀➛ 🅒🅨🅡🅤🅢 🅢🅤🅘: If your heart doesn’t beat for Cyrus, then are you sure even have one? please don’t report me for being offensive (ง ͠ಥ_ಥ)ง

AKA the aforementioned cold and cool boi Leah was on a manhunt for. Now what did this little vampire angel do, you ask? He’s the reason Leah’s whole life was upturned, that she had to suffer in pain for so long. The sole reason behind all her newfound insecurities, even.

I was prepared to hate on him on her behalf, but you know what? I couldn’t. And what’s worse is Ann Liang knew what she was doing. She made the perfect reason, the perfect explanation for The Incident™ from his perspective. His side of the trauma. It made so much sense that I was cursing Ann Liang for being TOO GOOD at this shit –

Besides all that, Cyrus is literally everything Leah needs. Squeal-mode switched on because lord forbid I don’t appreciate him PUTTING A BAND-AID ON HER HURTING HEEL, OR BUYING HER OVERPRICED SNACKS BECAUSE SHE GLIMPSED AT THEM A LITTLE TOO LONG OR PUTTING HIMSELF BETWEEN HER AND A FLURRY OF FALLING ROCKS OR FREAKING BUYING HER A FLOWER CROWN AND OH MY GOSH… I’m out of breath, hold it ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;)  I’ll have Cyrus fill in the silence for me:

“Why not? It’s very easy to fall in love with you, Leah. The easiest thing in the world.”

*consistent head-banging*

“I don’t love you in the darkness; I love you in the light.”

Thank you for making me feel alone and unloved, you big bully of an author!

It’s not even just him being a pathetic simp, rather his character as a whole. He looks cold and indifferent, but he’s so vulnerable for Leah, so willing to flay his darkest core open for her.

“Leah. You remind me of the greatest sculptors, who can turn marble into the impression of billowing silk, the coldest stone into something soft. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that everything you touch turns beautiful.”

No, don’t swoon. I made the mistake of swooning at this, but wait for what comes much much later:

“I think I ruin everything I touch.”

And just like that, it took me one line to break apart. One line to f***ing cry my soul out and know that I love this boy.

⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ 𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝔼𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕃𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣 ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳

“Like the sun is all I can see when he’s with me. It makes his features look softer, burns the strands of his hair gold like alchemy in motion, bathing him in its glow.”

You know what? If not to the whole book then at least marry me off to this piece of writing, PLEASE I BEG, HUMBLY! (ᴗ_ ᴗ。)

: ̗̀➛ 🅞🅛🅘🅥🅔🅡 & 🅓🅐🅘🅢🅨: Listen. Oh yes, you WILL listen. If any Ann Liang side characters deserve their own spinoff, it’s them. They might be the best batch of side characters we ever got. They had so much essence! It would be a travesty to not have more DaisyღOliver content. And both Mira and I agree on this, yes please! I would beg for mere cameos if not entire spin-offs, please I’m desperate!

Oliver’s the classic charmer and goofster so granted I would love him. He was too unfairly good at making me laugh, like, dude- chill out! And Daisy… my sweet muffin Daisy. I swear to god, I live to serve and protect her from all the wrongs. #ProtectOurDaisys

⋆⭒ ᏗᎴᎴᎥᏖᎥᎧᏁᏗᏝ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ ᏁᎧ ᎧᏁᏋ ᏗᏕᏦᏋᎴ ᎦᎧᏒ ⋆⭒

𖧧 I have this theory that Ann Liang loves Caz the best out of all her MMCs! I mean, pretty boy made two cameos already (¬ᴗ ´¬ )

𖧧 I heard this book was inspired by imgonnagetyouback by Taylor Swift? Fitting-

𖧧 Okay, so Leah’s cloud drawing stuff is real, okay?! It’s a real hobby! I love doodling clouds, and I definitely need this to be a certified new hobby! got no Cyrus to doodle my clouds on (╥‸╥)

𖧧 Ann Liang is slowly giving away her type. She likes guys who carry our purses (*cough cough* Julius and Cyrus) like any sane woman, I relate

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ �� ·

»»——★ fιnαℓ тнσυgнтѕ ★——««

➳ Ann Liang’s writing has this way of romanticising life. That you feel good just living it one day after another. It especially shows in Never Thought I’d End Up Here because as I’ve mentioned a thousand little times before? I lived through the descriptions, lived through Leah’s thoughts. And savoured every minute of Cyrus’ vulnerability on show. Everything about this book felt magical and also so deeply human.

Thank you, Mira, for sharing this wonderful experience with me. It made this beautiful wait worth so much ᡣ𐭩

#AnnLiangMenSupremacy #WantMeJuliusGongCameos #IfYouCouldSeeTheSobFest

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡]

pre-read:

i think it’s safe to assume that this is the book that’ll win because of the huge difference in the poll that i posted yesterday. anyhoo, it’s timeeee!! FINALLY!! i have been wanting to read this one and y’all didn’t disappoint with your votes! i’m sooo glad i’m finally reading this because it’s one of my anticipated releases this year 🙂‍↔️🫶🏼

[veerali · Rating 4 out of 5]

live laugh love ann liang

[lydia ‧ ia]

everything that was once beautiful to me is now mediocre after seeing this cover

[clara bow · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
⤷ minor spoilers (quotes)

”its very easy to fall in love with you, leah. the easiest thing in the world.”


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: i love this omg, like i’ve been feeling kinda down in the dumps and in a slump but this book brought me back up. i haven’t cried over a book in so long to the point where i was like ok what’s happening but this one made me cry so hard and i love it! page 277 is literally my national anthem and i wish i could keep being in this world forever and ever


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐡:
”sometimes it feels like there’s an invisible comment section floating around in my brain”

so i’ve never really struggling with being pretty before but this book helped me understand her. people aren’t always what they are on the outside. if i knew her, ugh i would want to be her so bad like soooo bad and even though i still want to be her, i see her. i see her struggles and i see what her life is like. she isn’t perfect and she isn’t flawless, which is why her character is so amazing.


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐜𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬:
”looking back on the long course of human history and everything we’ve survived and haven’t survived, i’m actually very lucky”

cyrus’s story omg. i’m trying so hard not to spoil things right now. i love him so much omg he cares about leah so much and i want that soooo bad. he loved her in her best and worst and never once broke her trust (after the situation but yk) he is perfect for her and she is perfect for him


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥: read this. it changed my life (not exaggerating).


⋆｡‧˚ʚ ❀ ɞ˚‧｡⋆


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: hopefully this works in saving my slump, i need to recover before summer starts


⋆｡‧˚ʚ ❀ ɞ˚‧｡⋆


ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: so i just found this at barnes and noble…that made me soooooo mad…i still bought it but like THIS SHOULD NOT BE THERE, it’s like the target fourth wing thing. i refuse to start this until its release date, i’m sorry ms.liang :(

[aira · Rating 2 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ an unexpected turn of events narrated by aira 😔

So, I think I will settle at 2.75 stars and I'll have to round it down.

Let me start with what I liked because there was things that I liked. First, I think I have to note that fact that I really loved seeing Leah make friends who are genuinely interested in being her friend, not like those "friends" she had. Then, we had the flower crown scene which was so freaking cute and quite literally had me giggling. Also, Daisy and Oliver were such cute additions to the story. Oliver was one of the carefree characters and Daisy was one of those shy characters, so to see side characters like that was definitely a treat.

However, if I were to talk about the two main characters, I would have to say that I thought the characters fell a little flat for me. It feels like they weren't developed enough and I don't know enough about them as I should know about a main character in a book. Then, the enemies to lovers was just there and it didn't consume me wholly like I thought it would. I don't love when characters in enemies to lovers have that dynamic where they say stuff like "I've been mean to you because I like you" because it rarely works for me. I think it is kind of over done and it makes the enemies to lovers not really enemies to lovers in its core. I also had to skim some of the bits in the last 25ish%. If I had to tell you the real reason I found a lot of problems, I would honestly say that it was because I felt a little too old for this book. Maybe if I were younger, I would relate more to this book, so I would have given this a higher rating.

In conclusion, do not let this review stop you from reading this book. A lot of people loved this so consider that for sure and know that I am part of the minority with this rating.

------------

pre-read: it's time, Ann Liang has never disappointed and the glowing reviews have me so excited!! 🤭

[saisha⊹{ia} · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8✧!!
╰rounded up to 5 ofc! literally all of ann’s books have been 4.5 stars or more omg!! 💗💗mild spoilers up ahead!

♫ ~ close to you
“i’d burn for you
and you don’t even know my name
if you asked me to
i’d give you everything
to be close to you”

“i would imagine myself as anything and everything: a poet, writing to their one true love; a princess, standing up to retrieve her crown at long last; an artist, grieving over their lost muse. back when the future felt endless, expansive, and all the options delighted rather than terrified me.”

⊹my thoughts🌷

ann liang is truly incapable of writing a book that i don’t love🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ her writing feels like a breath of fresh air after being trapped inside for too long; like the way the first rays of sunlight feel on on your face🥺💗this was a marvelous book and i enjoyed every single page of it! the banter was pure perfection as always and the characters were chefs kiss like always with all of ann’s books🫶🏻🫶🏻 i absolutely adored this book!! thank you ann for feeding us😽💗

⊹plot!💌

leah zhang is used to life in la. it’s all she’s ever known actually. but things take a complete 180 when she accidentally wishes her cousin a depressing marriage and ill-health. see there’s a little problem. leah is a little out of touch with her culture- she’s forgotten almost all of her mandarin and doesn’t know the proper etiquettes either. her mothers solution is to send her on a two-week long travel program across china to get leah back in im touch with her roots. leah is excited by the idea of a break until she finds that cyrus sui- her greatest rival is also going on the trip with her. leah’s plan? somehow enact revenge on the boy who ruined her life…without losing her heart to him on the way.

⊹characters!💗

⊹ leah zhang
╰ ࣪ ˖ once again ann liang has proved that she is the ultimate queen of writing relatable fmcs🥺🫂 at first i thought leah was vain and a little selfish but oh boy did i see how wrong i was after the first few chapters. reading about her and all her internal struggles was so eye opening and painfully relatable. acting like she didn’t care what others thought about her while internally constantly worrying about their opinions - my heart broke for her and also made me feel seen- there are so many girls who feel that way- i want all of u to know that u are perfect. just the way you are. leah constantly trying to change things about her to gain approval was something i could also empathize with💔 her growth throughout this book was so beautiful to watch- and her relationships with daisy and oliver were so heartwarming🫶🏻 and don’t even get me started on her and cyrus🤭💗
⊹“but so much of the pressure i felt was silent, unspoken, like being trapped inside a submarine thousand of miles underwater and feeling the oxygen slowly run out.”

⊹ cyrus sui
╰  ࣪ ˖ it’s very easy to fall in love with you cyrus. he’s not my favorite ann liang book bf(that spot will always be taken by julius💋) but he captured my heart nonetheless. from the beginning it was so obvious he was in love with leah and it was so fun watching him keep falling for her in this🥺💗 the things this man says, my future bf needs to take notes because my standards just went through the freaking roof. also his little thing with airplanes-how he’s scared of them and how he disinfected his seat-he might be even more of a clean freak than my mom😭 all jokes aside i absolutely loved cyrus in this and leahcyrus was just perfect🥺 the way i could tell he was down bad for leah after a few chapters of meeting him ahh!!! and ofc him and oliver were too funny i loved their ‘bromance’! cyrus completely captured my heart awe❤️
⊹“it’s very easy to fall in love with you, leah. the easiest thing in the world.”

⊹ oliver
╰  ࣪ ˖ oliver is legit one of the best side characters ever. he’s so funny and i love how he’s always everywhere that leahcyrus are🤭although his pick up line scene was a lil cringe loll😭😭
⊹”you’re, like, a bro. like, a very pretty bro, who i’m into platonically, and whose house i might crash at in the future, once you’re married and i’m named the most eligible bachelor of the century.”


⊹ daisy
╰  ࣪ ˖ daisy is literally the most precious character ever and i want to protect her from the whole world awe🥺🥺 she was so cutie and so sweet to leah and seeing her come out of her shell was so heartwarming💗 her and leah’s friendship was one of the highlights of this book!! i hope we see her again soon🙌🏻🎀

⊹romance!💐
“there’s never been anybody else for me. there never will be.”

⊹leahcyrus
╰  ࣪ ˖ leahcyrus were just incredible in this. the banter between them, the way cyrus was head-over-for her the whole time, the way she fell for him against her will🥺❤️ i was writing down quotes so often my hands started cramping- ann you really outdid yourself with this- i loved leahcyrus. i loved how cyrus was always watching out for her. i loved how cyrus showed he cared about her. i loved how he fell first and kept falling- and then she fell for him too🤭🥹 what else do i need to say? please read this for them🙏🏻🙏🏻
⊹ “leah. you remind me of the greatest sculptors, who can turn marble into the impression of billowing silk, the coldest stone into something soft. i suppose what i’m trying to say is that everything you touch turns beautiful. the world becomes beautiful, as long as there’s you.”

⊹quotes!💝

“you’ve always been beautiful—beautiful like the stars are, like shanghai is. i could never get sick of looking at you.”

“only later did i realize how completely, utterly wrong he was—how wrong i was to have resorted to tricks and childish teasing when i should’ve just gone for it. treated you like you were precious and perfect because you always have been.”

“i feel a spasm of self-consciousness, certain that i’m doing it wrong, that i look stupid, that i’m about to be made fun of. sometimes there’s an invisible comment section floating around in my brain, and with every mistake i make, every wrong thing i say, these imaginary spectators who vaguely resemble my classmates from my old schools flock forward to pass judgement…”

“maybe i don’t have to be the outcast, or the model—i can just focus on being a good person surrounded by other good people in beautiful places, and that’s more than enough.”

“but i meant it when i said that i can be whatever you want me to be: whether that’s an enemy for you to curse and hold a grudge against for the rest of your life; a friend you can trust to accompany you anywhere and drive you safely back home, the one you can call at any hour of the night and tell all your secrets to; or the person you fall for, who will always wear a jacket so you don’t have to bring yours, who will be the first to find you when you’re lost and alone, who will remind you how heart-wrenchingly, unfathomably beautiful you are even on days when you don’t feel it. the only thing i ask is that we don’t ever become strangers, because i really—[…] i don’t think i could bear it leah. i don’t thing my heart would be able to survive it.”

“no fantasy could ever live up to you.”

⊹a message for kella😽

omg thank u so so so much for reading this with me kells!! this was so much fun and perfectt for our first br! reading this with u made it even more special🫂 i loved yapping abt this with u!! and ofc fangirling abt cyrus was so much fun🤭🎀 im so happy we both loved this and i can’t wait for our future brs💋🫶🏻 i love u endlessly my invisible string!💗💗 GUYS GO SPAM HER GORGEOUS REVIEW!!!
╰  ࣪ ˖ kella’s stunning review🌷

this was incredible please read it💝

all my love,
saisha
“i don’t love you in the darkness; i love you in the light.”

- - - -

⋆·˚ ༘ * 🌊┆ post-read!

this was incredible. rtc<3

⋆·˚ ༘ * 🌊┆ pre-read!

it’s finally time to read ann’s new release omgg!! i literally can’t wait bc first; ann always serves and also a lot of my besties on here love this!🤭🙌🏻 and to make this even more special, i’m buddyreading this with my invisible string- kella!! ily so much kells and ik we’re gonna have the best time reading this! xx🫂💗🩷

[manas · Rating 4 out of 5]

ann, please marry me.

[skylar ₊˚⊹♡ [busy] · Rating 5 out of 5]

‧₊˚🖇️✩ 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ₊˚🎧⊹♡
⤿ where's the 6 stars..?

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW! READ WITH CAUTION!)

ᝰ.ᐟ “The world becomes beautiful, as long as there's you.”

ANN LIANG DID IT AGAIN. is this woman magical? i think she might be a goddess or something. there's just a different feeling when i read her books. they're so so so so perfect and her characters are SO layered, even the side characters!? like daisy and oliver ABSOLUTELYYY ate in this and they weren't even the mcs. i could talk about this book and all the other ann liang books for hours but i'll TRY to make this review short.

⤿ the writing was ofc BEAUTIFUL. i just knew when i read the synopsis that the scenery would absolutely devour AND IT DID. she delivered on that once again. she described china so well like now i wanna go...and she always manages to put in so much chinese culture in all of her books. like hello i learned so many words??? i now know "handsome" in chinese guys!! (because that was very much needed. it's "shuaige" btw.) but seriously, even though i could never know because i'm not in any way chinese, it was really cool to see and one of the things i love about ann liang!!

ᝰ.ᐟ "you're told to put your head down. stick it out. grit your teeth until they break. shut up and be grateful. remember that you're living out every girl's dream, and nobody wants to hear about the nights you lie awake hurting, so hungry you could gnaw on your own hand."

౨ৎ (📷) leah. how do i even talk about her? like EVERY SINGLE ANN LIANG FMC, i related to her so much. i could write an essay on everything about her that i care so much about. guys. i wrote notes. i wrote NOTES as i was reading of the things about her that make her unique. is this a new level of insanity? sure. but it was worth it. even the thing with her disconnection to her culture was so cutting to me. not even knowing how to speak your home language and making your parents feel bad for not teaching you. THAT'S ME. and her thing about friends? where she has "you can borrow my sunglasses" friends and not "i'll listen if you want to talk" friends. how it feels like you can't complain because you HAVE friends but you know they would judge you if they really knew you..STOP. if i keep going i'm gonna reveal way too much about myself but just know that yeah...leah is me, i am her. SHE IS PERFECTION. but perfect because she's actually not at all perfect <3

ᝰ.ᐟ "i feel a spasm of self-consciousness, certain that i’m doing it wrong, that i look stupid, that i’m about to be made fun of. sometimes it feels like there’s an invisible comment section floating around in my brain, and with every mistake i make, every wrong thing i say, these imaginary spectators who vaguely resemble my classmates from my old schools flock forward to pass judgment."

౨ৎ (🎹) cyrus. CYRUS CYRUS CYRUS CYRUS CYRUS. ann liang men OH MY GODDD. if only men like this were real. he's so perfect for her because he loved her even before her "glow up" and he knows she's beautiful even if she doesn't have a tight dress or makeup on. he's actually such a gentleman and treats her like a queen. but he also has his own personality!! i feel like we always forget to talk about it because we're all obsessed with the romance, but can we talk about how he loves books?? HE LOVES PIANO AHGSHAHHA HE'S MY MANNN. he's passionate about literature and casually thinks about how bad life is on a daily basis. he's afraid of feeling happy because there's a chance it'll leave him soon.

ᝰ.ᐟ ”looking back on the long course of human history and everything we’ve survived and haven’t survived, i’m actually very lucky”

౨ৎ (🧸) leahcyrus. they're. so. amazing. hey so can we talk about the amount of times leah would literally just look at something or want something and he'd get it for her? he'd take one look at her and know exactly what she wants. whether it's a choco pie, a flower crown, a jacket, he knows. and OMGOMGOMOMGOMG the confession???????? they were so obvious about it even before this but that was still like THE best scene. they're actually so cute!!

ᝰ.ᐟ ”but i meant it when i said that i can be whatever you want me to be: whether that’s an enemy for you to curse and hold a grudge against for the rest of your life; a friend you can trust to accompany you anywhere and drive you safely back home, the one you can call at any hour of the night and tell all your secrets to; or the person you fall for, who will always wear a jacket so you don’t have to bring yours, who will be the first to find you when you’re lost and alone, who will remind you how heart-wrenchingly, unfathomably beautiful you are even on days when you don’t feel it."

⤿ oliver and daisy. they were so cute!! i loved them as side characters sm and they were both such good friends. daisy is PRECIOUS but also sticks up for herself when it's necessary, and oliver is sooo funny and flirty but also really respectful. he for sure brought the comedy (especially when he's with cyrus) so i really loved him. and the scenes with daisy and leah HEALED ME because that's exactly what leah needed: a real friend.

⤿ bottom line is that YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AND EVERY ANN LIANG BOOK THERE IS. that's all.

────୨ৎ────

💌┆𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
⤿ never thought i’d end up here

ANN LIANG NEVER FAILS GUYS. i have no doubt that this book will be amazing. i’ve been in a slump for a long time now, but i’m logging this after reading more than half in one day?? that’s the most i’ve read in one day in a while. WISH ME LUCKKK 🤭🤭

[madi [semi-ia] · Rating 1 out of 5]

⋆˙⟡ — 1.5 stars
sooo... the sadiejulius novella will be the last book i read by her 😞💔

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ pre-read ♡⋆°｡⋆𐙚
⤷ i'm going into this with low expectations, but i'm praying it surprises me!! br with pati 😽 we better love this!!

[emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 𝟒.𝟓𝟎₊˚⊹🚊 𝟘𝟞/𝟘𝟞/𝟚𝟝—𝟘𝟞/𝟘𝟟/𝟚𝟝
an ann liang book has never disappointed me—but this exceeded my expectations by a million!! i thought i would just like this but i LOVED this!! (currently debating if this should be 4 or 5 stars so ignore if it’s constantly changing!)

ann liang is so good at making characters and couples and this was no exception. cyrus and leah were literally EVERYTHING and their romance was so adorable. the silent pining this man had 🥺!! he is such book boyfriend material!! the way everyone hated her in childhood until she got “pretty” but he always found her beautiful KILLED ME!!

again this served such cdrama vibes and i devoured this so quickly!! i will say it started out a tad slow near the beginning (before they got onto the train) but after that it was very quick pace!!

really the only reason this isn’t an immediate 5 stars is just because i wanted it to be longer!! i wasn’t ready to let go of this story and these characters. on this note, i wanted a little bit more of cyrus’s character. even though i ABSOLUTELY loved him—i wanted maybe a bonus chapter from his perspective just so i could understand a bit more about him and his motives.

but that being said—this book was actually SO adorable and every single scene of them especially near the end i was stabbing and highlighting! there isn’t much i can say without spoiling it but just please read it, it has one of my favorite tropes EVER!!

ALSO: p.s. please ann liang make a 2nd book (or even a novella but a novel is preferred) about daisy and oliver. PLEASE they would be absolutely adorable and their scenes together were so cute!!

╰┈➤ tropes to expect! (SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING!!)
✎ he fell first and harder
✎ miss-understanding/miscommunication
✎ “i sent you a letter?!” “what letter?”
✎ childhood enemies to lovers
✎ closed door romance

𐙚🧸ྀི || 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
an ann liang book has never disappointed me so far so let’s hope this one doesn’t! i saw that the “what letter?” trope (ifykyk 🤭) so i can’t wait to start this. i’ve been feeling myself inch a little bit closer to a slump every day so i’m trusting ann liang to pull me out!
————————————————————————————————

[karolᵕ̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I really did enjoy the relationships between the characters and the chemistry between Cyrus and Leah was amazing, I felt that compared to Ann Liang‘s other books, this one had worse writing. And parts of it just felt rushed, unfinished.

[vanessa ۶ৎ (writing reviews era) · Rating 3 out of 5]

✦Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang✦
✿ Rating:3 stars

“I never wanted you to hate me,
I never wanted you to leave. i only meant to tease you until you truly noticed me”

I picked this up expecting a lighthearted travel romcom—some laughs, playful banter, maybe a charming little train ride. Instead, I was hit with a full-blown emotional ambush featuring childhood enemies-to-lovers, a lost letter, a simmering revenge plot, and enough aching longing to make me feel like I was being gently, painfully soft-launched into the void. At this point, “Ann Liang” basically means: tender chaos, cultural heartache, and rom-coms that manage to have you laughing even as they quietly shatter you.
But I went into with high expectations and it hunt me down so fast that I didn’t even remember what heppened.

“Qin ai de.”
“Did you just call me your worst enemy?”
He smiles against my lips. “I was lying.”
“What?”

Ann Liang really said: “haha, here’s some chaos and cultural ache with your rom-com crumbs.” And don’t get me wrong, there were moments I loved—the tension was chef’s kiss, and some of the banter really landed. But wow, the pacing dragged, and the miscommunication thing? Felt like being stuck in a loop. Like please, just TALK, I beg.

“Qin ai de doesn’t mean my worst enemy,” he says. “It means my love.”

Leah Zhang; She had her cute, relatable moments (I did root for her at times), but wow… she also tested my patience. Instead of clearing the air, she’d triple-knot every misunderstanding. It’s like: yes, queen, keep holding back that crucial piece of info, what could possibly go wrong? 🙃 She’d overthink herself into corners and then act surprised when things got messy. I wanted to scream “just SAY IT” at least once every two chapters.
She’s the kind of heroine who’s both endearing and maddening—you get why she’s guarded, but also… girl, you’re in a romcom. You’re allowed to talk to your love interest without a 10-chapter detour of angst.

“You’re in love with me?” I whisper. “Since when?”
His smile is wry. “Only the past seven years.”

Cyrus Sui: Bro, pick a lane. Half the time he’s broody and mysterious (which, yes, I will admit, kinda hot), and the other half he’s just… sulking like someone stole his favorite hoodie. He’s clearly written to be this soft-hearted boy with a tragic past, and while that can work, here it felt like his entire personality boiled down to “yearns a lot, hides pain, stares at MC with haunted eyes.”
Don’t get me wrong—when the emotional tension landed, it landed. But I wanted more than just his “tragic backstory + simmering angst package deal.” Where’s the spark? The wit? The messy, human flaws outside of his trauma? Instead, it was like the book kept telling me: feel bad for him, he’s Sad and Broody. And after a while, I just wanted him to… I don’t know… crack a joke, have a hobby, do something other than pine and glower.
So yeah, love interest = hot in theory, frustrating in practice.

“There’s never been anybody else for me. There never will be.”

But here’s where it lost me: instead of letting that tension naturally build into something swoony, the book leaned way too hard on miscommunication. Like, these two could’ve solved 80% of their problems with one emotionally mature conversation. Instead, they circled each other with cryptic half-truths and avoided eye contact like it was a competitive sport. After a while, it stopped being “angsty slow burn” and started feeling like narrative stalling.
The chemistry was there—you can’t deny the sparks—but it felt like watching two magnets trying really, really hard not to click together. Fun at first, but exhausting by the 200-page mark.
So yeah, their relationship had potential, but the payoff never fully hit. More longing than loving, more angst than actual romance. By the end, I was like: “kiss already, or I’m knocking off another star.”
BUT THE ONLY THINK THAT I LOVE IN THIS PERSON IS YEARING, OH YEAHH!😩

“…The only thing I ask is that we don’t ever become strangers, because I really—”
“I don’t think I could bear it, Leah. I don’t think my heart would be able to survive it.”

This wasn’t a bad book by any means—it had banter, angst, and a swoony premise that definitely had potential. But between the MC tying herself in knots, the love interest drowning in broody stares, and side characters who felt more like background props than people, I never fully connected.
Ann Liang knows how to mix cultural ache with romcom chaos (and I do respect her for it), but this one didn’t quite hit the sweet spot for me.
3 stars: fun in moments, frustrating in others, and overall… let’s just say I’ll remember the ✨longing✨ more than the love story.

────୨ৎ────

“Sometimes the scariest journeys aren’t across oceans or mountains, but the ones that force you to face who you really are.”

💎 What to Expect:

I already know this book is going to take me on a ride I’m not ready for. I can feel it. It’s not just about Leah’s journey across China—it’s about the parts of herself she’s forgotten, the roots she’s neglected, and the messy, complicated love story that sneaks up on her when she least expects it.
I’m expecting laughter, because the idea of being stuck with someone you can’t stand is so deliciously petty. I’m expecting tension—the kind that makes my chest ache and my cheeks hurt from grinning, because I know every sarcastic jab is just one step closer to something deeper. And I’m expecting softness—the quiet moments where Leah starts to see the beauty in her heritage, in the culture that has always been there waiting for her to return.

But more than anything, I’m expecting to feel. To feel the frustration of family expectations, the sting of being disconnected from your roots, the warmth of slowly falling for someone you swore you hated, and the bittersweet ache of finding yourself in unexpected places.

I want this book to break me open a little bit and then stitch me back together with love, with laughter, with a sense of belonging. That’s what I’m ready for.

The Vibe?
🏞️ Wanderlust vibes: traveling through breathtaking cities, stunning landscapes, food that makes your mouth water, all with that dreamy travel-romance glow.
🥡 Cultural reconnection vibes: family expectations, heritage, language barriers—soft but heavy moments that tug at your heart.
🌸 Slow-burn romance vibes: the “I can’t stand you but also can’t stop looking at you” kind of pull that builds and builds until it cracks you open.
💖 Bittersweet self-discovery vibes: Leah not just falling in love with a boy, but with her roots and herself.

All I can say is—bring on the chaos, the banter, and the heartbreak. I’m ready.

[kella ౨ৎ (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

˖ ⁺ ౿ 🚞 ┆4.25 stars ⛧
⤿ ann liang does it again !

⊹ “but this doesn’t feel like I’m escaping—it feels like I’m returning. like I’m reaching back in time for the person I used to be, before the tears stained my pillow and the blisters split my feet.”

🎧┆plastic palm trees + no one noticed
every weekend, go out somebody new
you could say that all my dreams came true
oh, what an underwhelming view
thought that it was real, thought that it was worth it
out the window everything was looking perfect
caught in a dream, it's not what it seems
⤿ so actually this whole song fits leah so well, what the heck

𖥻 my thoughts
i really enjoyed this one! it was so fun and heartfelt <3 i loved the whole concept of a girl reconnecting with her roots on a trip to shanghai. i felt connected to our main character, leah, in that regard. as a fellow chinese girlie, i wish i was closer to my culture because i’m resentful that i can’t speak mandarin or cantonese 🫣 but this was inspiring—seeing how leah had the heart to open back up to and appreciate her culture!
but other than that, the setting of china was beautiful. the characters were all lovable once you got to know them! and leah and cyrus were literally so so precious 🥹🫶 their banter was hilarious and witty. and the way they can show their true selves around each other >>

𖥻 characters
⤷ leah
i have to admit i wasn’t the fondest of her at first, but she definitely grew on me quickly! at the start of the book, she seemed kind of vain, but i think that was just the environment she was placed in, forced to be someone she really isn’t in order to fit in :/ i relate to that and i don’t blame her, because it’s easy to fall into that trap of thinking you have to be “pretty” to attract real friends. it was also heartbreaking to see the way other people’s opinions weighed on her so much :( on top of that, i appreciated getting to see a bit into the cruel modelling industry and how that affected girls like leah.
i adored seeing her grow and find her true self throughout this book, because once you get to know her and she gets to know herself again, she’s such a genuine and kind person 🫂

⤷ cyrus
this man!! 🥹 gah i just loved him sm, he was a sweetheart. plus he loves literature which is a bonus!
he was so sweet, supportive, and down bad for leah! all the things he would do for her were so cute—finding her when she got lost in a bamboo forest, buying her half the snack cart, bandaging her blisters, etc. <3
he was admittedly a bit of a bully to leah in the past, but seeing the reason why was so sad. his situation with his parents and how they created a twisted perception of love for him made me tear up for him 🥺

⤷ leahcyrus
these two were so adorable! enemies to lovers at its finest 🙂‍↕️ except that cyrus never meant for them to be, he just didn’t know how to communicate what he was feeling. also the way he always thought leah was beautiful even before she turned “pretty” 🫶🫶 they had so many precious scenes tgt, like when they had to bargain their way in a supermarket, or when leah was comforting cyrus after his nightmare aaa!

⤷ oliver + daisy
oliver was kinda annoying at first but admittedly entertaining and funny, and he ended up growing on me. daisy was such a sweetheart! i love her character growth and how she slowly climbed out of her shell <3 her and leah bring out the best in each other and i love their bond! also are oliver and daisy gonna become a thing? i need to know and i need more of them (ann if you’re seeing this…) 🤭

𖥻 concluding thoughts
overall, i had a great time reading this, and it was even better reading it with one of my besties <3 leah and cyrus have my heart, and ann liang can do no wrong 🙂‍↕️

💐 to saisha:
thank you for reading this wonderful book with me, fav! i had an incredible time chatting about it and its characters with you, esp our babies leah and cyrus <3 our first buddy read was so special and we must do this again sometime 🥹💌 i love you to pieces saish 🫂🫂
⊹ saisha's gorgeous review!!

𖥻 quotes
“Leah. You remind me of the greatest sculptors, who can turn marble into the impression of billowing silk, the coldest stone into something soft. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that everything you touch turns beautiful. The world becomes beautiful, as long as there’s you.”
~ likeee ok poet 🤭

"only later did i realize how completely, utterly wrong he was—how wrong i was to have resorted to tricks and childish teasing when i should've just gone for it. treated you like you were precious and perfect because you always have been."

“But I look so ugly right now,” I whisper, my skin burning. “Impossible,” he says firmly.

“He’s the only person I know who’s seen every single form I’ve shape-shifted through in the past few years.”

“I can be whatever you want me to be.”

“See?” I say, soft. “You haven’t ruined me.”

“I never wanted you to hate me,” he whispers. “I never wanted you to leave. I only meant to tease you until you truly noticed me.

“He knows me in ways I wouldn’t have thought anyone ever could, or would ever even bother to. It’s like he’s reached into my brain and peered at the mess there and gently untangled everything.”

“Why not? It’s very easy to fall in love with you, Leah. The easiest thing in the world.”

“I can’t know exactly where I’ll end up, but I don’t have to let them choose for me.”

"I don't love you in the darkness; I love you in the light."

—

˖ ⁺ ౿ 🚞 ┆pre-read !
i fear i’m going to connect with this one, because why is leah lowkey me 👀 in the sense that she’s a little out of touch with her culture, i just feel like this one’s gonna resonate with me! but i am so excited to be reading queen ann liang’s new release!! and to make this even more special, i’m reading this with my gorgeous best girl saish! i am beyond grateful that i get to read this with you, love of my life 😚💗 i love you endlessly!

[Arna Sharma]

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆ᑭᖇᗴ-ᖇᗴᗩᗪ˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈’𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞
➥𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠

𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻—𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮, 𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷. 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷. 𝓣𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓳𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓞𝓻 𝓪𝓶 𝓘? 𝓝𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓽’𝓼 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮, 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓷𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓮𝔁𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓻𝓸𝓸𝓶. 𝓘’𝓶 𝓸𝓯𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼, 𝓬𝓻𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓼, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘’𝓶 𝓪 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓪𝓭𝓾𝓵𝓽. 𝓢𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓻: 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝔂, 𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓘’𝓶 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭.

──── ୨୧ ──── ୨୧ ──── ୨୧ ────

⋆˚✿˖°𝓝𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓘’𝓭 𝓔𝓷𝓭 𝓤𝓹 𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓮°❀⋆.⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

𓂃✧ 𝙋𝙧𝙚-𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 ✧𓂃

Ann Liang’s about to cook so hard Gordon Ramsay might retire.
I’m so excited for the release I could explode — and that cover?
Absolutely gorgeous. She’s not playing.

⋆｡°✩ Expectations? Unreasonably high.
⋆｡°✩ Emotional damage? Imminent.
⋆｡°✩ Shelf space? Cleared.

[Noa (semi ia) ˚୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 thus is so different from her other books in such a good way



Finally got my hand on this AAAAAAAAAAA





Edit: EVERYBODY THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL WE HAVE A COVER

Edit: I read the synopsis online, and apparently we're getting another I hope this doesn't find you 🤭🥳

Anything Ann Liang writes, I read💸🧎‍♀️

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Leah. You remind me of the greatest sculptures, who can turn marble into the impression of billowing silk, the coldest stone into something soft. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that everything you touch turns beautiful. The world becomes beautiful, as long as there’s you.”

This was a wonderful and heartwarming young adult romance about family, trusting others, discovering your passion and love. Never Thought I'd End Up Here follows Leah who is sent to China on a travel program after she by accident wished her cousin a depressing marriage and poor health in Mandarin. Then Leah finds out that Cyrus the guy who told a lie about her that had a negative effect on her life and she decides to get revenge. Will she forgive Cyrus and learn to trust him?

I was invested in this book from the very first page. The plot was engaging and the pacing was perfect. I appreciated that the author discussed important topics including unrealistic beauty standards, racism and anxiety. The writing was witty, descriptive and engaging. I enjoyed reading this story from Leah's perspective, she was relatable and emotional. I loved Leah, at first I wasn't a huge fan of her lying to classmates but the throughout the book I learned that she was brave, hardworking, resilient, and soft on the inside. I also thought her revenge towards Cyrus was petty, but I'm glad that she learned to trust him. I'm proud of Leah for overcoming her fears, trusting people again and becoming more confident when speaking her native language. I'm in love with Cyrus, he was so sweet, thoughtful, brave, smart and would do anything for Leah (he's such a simp). Cyrus' character development was great, he was cynical at first but then realized that he was a sweetheart and a romantic. I was swooning at the thoughtful things he did for Leah. I really liked the side characters especially Daisy (who was such a great friend to Leah) and Oliver (he was funny and charming). The tension and chemistry between Leah and Cyrus was amazing! I'm glad that their relationship developed over time and they learned how to communicate to each other. The slow-burn made their relationship more realistic. There were several romantic scenes that made me smile and blush. The ending was well done, I enjoyed how it was resolved.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves young adult romance, awesome characters and amazing chemistry between the main characters.

[jette ᥫ᭡ [ia]]

⟡ pre-release ꒰ 🚞 ꒱

12.09.2024 — GUYS, THE COVER DROPPED. The way I squealed!!! the green, the train… it stunning 🤭 I believe that Ann Liang is incapable of doing ugly covers

08.2024 — AHHH, she officially announced it. I'm not ok 😪

28.07.2024 — OMG WHAT, I'M SO EXCITED 🥹