REVIEW: I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang

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Is this my opportunity to brag about the fact my book club choices always come back with raving reviews? I will happily own the fact that I have a flawless track record of choosing a book club book. But out of all the great reads I’m responsible for, I’m most proud of putting my stamp onto this one.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year – maybe only outdone by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Ann Liang is a masterful writer, and her prose had me clutching my pearls (literally) with admiration. When it comes to YA, I think that I’m a bit more giving with how it’s written. But this novel outdid some of the bestselling adult romances I have sitting on my shelf with how well put together it is.

From the storytelling, to the characterization, there are so many things I can spotlight here. It’s few and far between when I stumble upon a read that has me laughing, crying, giggling, and tossing my hands up in frustration. But I Hope This Doesn’t Find You gave me all those emotions and more, wrapped in a fast-paced package with a bow of skilled writing on top.

Do I Understand the Main Character(s)?

Part of me wishes I didn’t understand them so well. Sadie and Julius both encapsulate what it’s like to be willing to give up a part of yourself to make your loved ones proud. Seeing them fight tooth and nail in hopes of validation from their families made me so emotional, and Ann Liang did such an amazing job at putting those emotions on page. It was as if I was looking back at younger me.

In doing this, she made me feel so connected to the both of them. Did this make me biased towards their story? Perhaps! But it’s still such a talent to make your characters jump off the page and feel so real. It’s even more of a talent to make your reader feel connected to that character in such a way.

Seeing myself in Sadie especially made it so effortless to justify her actions and really appreciate her inner monologue. Even the aspects of her character that I couldn’t directly associate with made sense for who she was. That’s how I knew Ann had mastered her characterization.

Additionally, my friend Arianna said it best: This is exactly what an academic rivals to lovers novel should be. Not a “We hated each other for a really long time, but you won’t get to see that animosity on page because now they’re hot.”. Rather a, “Wow, they are so annoying I can’t stand them… Okay 50 pages later they’re not so bad.” It kept the tension up while still sprinkling in cute moments that any reader wants out of a romance.

Is It Well-Written?

I would argue I Hope This Doesn’t Find You too well-written! I made numerous comments to my friends while reading along the lines of “No YA book has to hit this hard!” or “She was so crazy for this line.”. I found myself constantly in shock of how good of a writer Ann is. I hadn’t read anything by her before, and never saw anything about her books prior to this one, so her stunning prose was an extremely pleasant surprise.

To clarify, I know there are thousands of young adult novels out there with amazing writing. (The Hunger Games, I’m looking at you). But this one was beyond anything I could have imagined for it. I am dying to see Ann write an adult novel or literary fiction. I think her talents would shine so brightly in those genres, too.

Is It Special?

Honestly, any book that the entirety of my book club agrees is good has to be special. We are such a diverse group of readers, that we are constantly debating on what reads are worthy of praise. Having us come to a consensus on any singular book is a near impossible feat. I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is one of the extremely few novels that everyone has agreed is good and enjoyable.

Aside from that, like I stated, the only book that I would say is in the same wheelhouse this year for me is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Do you know how crazy that is?! Evelyn Hugo literally changed my life. I wouldn’t say that this book did the same, but it is nowhere near average for me. It’s up there with how much I love it and appreciate it. If that doesn’t mean it’s special, then I don’t know what does.

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To be honest, I want to make a fuss. I want to find something wrong with this so that I can achieve my goal of having one compliment and one piece of criticism in every review I write. But I literally can’t. I have no notes. If I actually want to complain about something, it’s that there’s not a sequel for me to continue watching Sadie and Julius’s relationship develop. I just want more of them and their story.

Safe to say, Ann Liang has become an auto-buy author for me (At least, in the contemporary realm). If you’re looking for a masterfully put together YA novel with characters who capture what it’s like to chase your parent’s validation, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is the one.

★★★★★

(Also shameless plug: Follow my book club on Instagram @badbitchesbookclubla!)