Romance

When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing.

Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah’s not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she’s reading them wrong? One thing’s for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here are certainly different than what she’s used to.

First Impressions: Love at First Sight

I randomly stumbled upon this book one day while wandering the aisles of Target, and as soon as I saw the cover, I immediately knew that I had to read it. I am a senior in High School, and I have been learning American Sign Language since my freshman year. With 4 years of learning, I have fallen in love with the language. I was so excited to see Give Me a Sign, a book surrounded by deaf culture, and I could not wait to read it.

I thought this was such a fun, delightful book, and it gave me so much more insight into Deaf culture. As a hearing person learning sign language, I can never truly understand the experiences of a deaf person, but this book allowed me to see deeper into their culture and understand them on a stronger level.

The Characters: Hands and Hearts

I thought that Lilah was such a great main character. She is kind and compassionate, and we could really see her passion for wanting to learn sign language and immerse herself in this part of her culture. It was interesting to see as she balanced between her two worlds: the deaf world and the hearing world. Because she was part of both, she often felt invisible in both, not quite fitting in either one. Watching as she had to navigate these struggles, but eventually grow in confidence, was so wonderful to see, and it was very empowering to read as well. Readers became really sympathetic with her, and we wanted to watch her succeed. By the end of the book, we felt so happy for her, and it was amazing to see her story wrap up so nicely.

Along with Lilah, I also enjoyed the other characters we were introduced to in Give Me a Sign. One of my favorite characters of the book was Oliver, though he was not one of our “main characters.” I thought that he was absolutely hilarious, and I was engaged in his and Lilah’s relationship at the start. At the beginning of the book, when it was Team Oliver vs. Team Issac, I was actually Team Oliver, since I was obsessed with their banter as soon as they met. However, once Oliver came out to Lilah and explained that he was in a relationship with Ben, this just made me love his character even more. I was so happy that we still got to see more of Oliver and Lilah’s dynamic, and their connection honestly felt stronger when it was simply platonic. Olivier was a great addition because he brought more diversity into the story and even kept it more interesting and engaging.

I was happy to see such a wide range of characters, as it allowed readers to encounter a diverse spectrum of deaf people. Not every deaf person has the same experience, and this book perfectly encapsulated that. By meeting so many different people who have a variety of hearing abilities, the book further immersed readers into deaf culture and allowed us to get a deeper look into what their day-to-day lives might look like.

The Relationship: A Language of Their Own

Even though I was initially team Oliver, Issac did start to grow on me throughout the course of the story. It was difficult to see their connection at first, especially since there was such an intense language barrier between the two of them. But I think navigating this language barrier actually made their relationship stronger. It was super cute watching as they grew closer, especially Issac watching and teaching Lilah to learn more signs. Lilah had so much passion for the language, and Issac had so much passion to help Lilah that their stories fit together so perfectly, making them an adorable couple that I rooted for until the end.

Real World Impact: The Power of Representation

On a deeper level, I think this book is amazing in representation. It delves deeper into the atrocities that deaf people face daily and how these challenges are often overlooked in general society. It felt really informative on deaf culture, and also felt very empowering to read. It advocated for accessibility and empathy for everyone, and this book can have an immense real-world impact on the deaf community.

Final Thoughts: A Heartfelt Story

Overall, I thought this was a really great read, and it was super cute and fun. I had a really great time reading this, and I hope you guys enjoyed!!

When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.

But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

First Impressions: The Start of Something New

As a mainly mystery/fantasy reader, I was interested in broadening my horizons with a new book genre. I knew that I wanted to dive into a romance, but there are so many great romance books out there that it felt almost impossible to choose one. But as soon as I saw If You Could See the Sun’s cover and read the quick blurb on the back, I was absolutely set on this one. It felt perfect, with a dabble in all three of my favorite genres: Henry and Alice gave me the romance, Alice’s unexpected invisibility powers gave me fantasy, and the scandalous secrets of her classmates gave me some mystery.

This book was the perfect read, and absolutely exceeded my expectations in every way possible. Upon reading, I realized pretty early on that Ann Liang used an academic rivals-to-lovers trope for the relationship between Alice and Henry. I had not read much academic rivals-to-lovers before this book, but If You Could See the Sun made me fall in love with this trope almost instantly. It was perfectly executed, and Henry and Alice’s relationship felt so authentic, like an actual real-life relationship. What stood out to me most about this trope was that it was complex, and Liang did not limit their relationship to just the surface level, but instead dived deeper into the trope. While Henry and Alice were certainly academic rivals, it never felt as if they actually hated each other, and their competitive spirit only brought them closer together, creating such palpable tension that you couldn’t help but smile watching their relationship unfold.

The Story: Secrets, Sunlights, and Something More

I am so happy that this was not your typical romance story where the relationship between the characters is the only plot line. If You Could See the Sun incorporates mystery elements, including Alice’s invisibility, which further “pushes” the relationship between her and Henry. I absolutely adored this because I love it when two characters that don’t get along too well are forced to work together on a plan. I will fall in love with this storyline every single time, and Liang executed it perfectly. The story kept my attention for every single page, and I loved this so much that I would read it again and again.

The Setting: Behind the Boarding School Gates

Set in an elite Beijing boarding school, the setting of that story was absolutely perfect. I am obsessed with boarding school stories, and this book was no exception. You could feel the energy from the school radiating off the pages, with every single person fighting for that number one spot in the class. It also gave us different perspectives, and the contrast between how Alice feels being the only scholarship student, and the thoughts of the other privileged and rich students who do not have to work for their spot at the school.

Their Relationship: Rivals, or Something like it

Everything about the relationship between Alice and Henry was perfect. Their slow-burning feelings for one another were growing throughout the book, and watching as they slowly realized their feelings for each other were changing. They were absolutely adoring, and you couldn’t help but fall in love with them. You could feel their tension, and I was so giddy reading each of their scenes, smiling through every page.

One of my favorite quotes between the two of them is, “‘You know’, I muse out loud. ‘If it weren’t for the fact that we hated each other’s guts, we’d probably make an impressive power duo.’ I expect Henry to raise his eyebrows at me as usual or make a cutting remark, but his footsteps suddenly slow beside me. ‘Wait. We hate each other?’” I could not contain my excitement when I read this, and there are so many conversations like this between the two of them that just make you fall in love with them. The fact that Henry never hated her just shows that they were never really rivals, but there was always this lingering connection between the two of them that they just didn’t understand at first.

Writing Style: Words that Feel like Sunshine

This was my first Ann Liang work that I read, but I can promise that it won’t be the last. I absolutely fell in love with her writing style and just how authentic it all felt. Her writing is so smooth, and it flows so nicely, making you forget that it is a book you are reading and not reality. I discovered that If You Could See the Sun was Liang’s debut novel, and this just further emphasizes Liang’s talent. If this is just her debut, I am so excited to read her other works and see what she does in the future. Whatever it is, I know I will fall in love just as I did with this story.

Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.

First Impressions: Love at First Sight

While it is not always ideal to “judge a book by its cover,” I couldn’t help but fall immediately in love with this one at first sight. The bright, fun colors immediately pulled me in, and the picture itself did the same. Two girls, almost holding hands, the flowers blooming on their roller skates, and just the aesthetic and feel of the cover alone were enough for me to pick this book up and begin reading. 

I knew very little about the authors going into it, apart from Rachael Lippincott’s popular romance novel turned movie, Five Feet Apart. Though I never read it myself, I’d heard very pleasant things about both the book and the movie, so I was excited to be introduced to these two authors. After reading, I learned that the two were actually married, making the book that much more special.

The Romance: From Enemies to Friends to Lovers