I Could Give You the Moon

by Ann Liang

Everyone loves Chanel Cao—except Ares Yin.

While Chanel has spent her entire life curating a picture-perfect social media personality—from her body to her hair to her camera-ready smile—Ares has spent his trying to hide in the shadows. But Ares’s brother is missing, and Chanel’s parents have secretly separated, and their only hope is each other.

Ares is willing to do whatever it takes to find his brother, and Chanel will do anything to keep her parents’ secret. When the two meet and share a vision of the future—where Ares’s brother appears, as Chanel’s house burns to the ground—they are determined to use each other. Ares believes Chanel is the key to finding his brother, but Chanel is convinced if she gets Ares to fall in love with her, she’ll save her family house—and her parents’ crumbling marriage.

But Ares isn’t interested in the fake personality that Chanel has used her entire life to get affection and adoration. If she’s going to save her reputation, she’s going to have to let Ares get to know the real her—and risk real feelings.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Magical Realism, Contemporary Romance, Asian Literature

Expected publication April 14, 2026

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

[Annabella⁷ (blackford & henry li’s version)]

🙏🙏🙏HENRY LI PLEASE MAKE AN APPEARANCE FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH AND SANITY🙏🙏🙏

Chanel’s story🫶 in 2026😫. "MORE ANGST, MORE YEARNING, MORE TENSION"!!!!!!!

[mitra ౨ৎ]

A SPINOFF OF IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN (lives will change because of this book)

[ଘRory]

I COULD GIVE YOU MY HEART 🧎!!
2025 is already boring , waiting for 2026 🤧

[Cara]

JANUARY 1ST 2026?!?! WHAT? THAT'S SO FAR AWAY😭😭!!!!!!!

[jenoodle✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

── .✦ 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 💜⊹꒷꒦ ｡ﾟ
╰🌷 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸! 🥶₊°◞

₊˚ʚ ☔️𓂃˖˳ 𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 ⵢ₊˚. 🦋 ̟ !!
⤷ ☁️⸝⸝ 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚, 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩.), 𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚: 14+ (𝙠𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚.), 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 13+ (𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨, 𝙛*𝙘𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝*𝙩) 🩷‧₊˚.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────
🎧 ︵︵₊˚now playing: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙉𝙤. 5 👾‧₊˚⊹
˙ . ꒷ 🪼 — 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙖
⌞0:31 ——◦———— 3:00⌝
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ ┋🎀˖˳·˖
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹

🌊 ₊˚‧꒰ "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙉𝙤. 5"꒱ 💗 ₊˚‧

⸝⸝🫧‧₊˚. This book became my new reason for living in this insane corrupt world. THIS BOOK MADE ME HAVE FAITH IN TRUE LOVE. Because I kid you not, I was shattered and then pieced back together all within the span of MERE pages. 😫 I never felt so much joy and happiness (maybe even jealousy) reading a book that was a spin off from another one. BECAUSE IN MY OPNION, THIS BOOK WAS BETTER THAN IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN. And I will argue with anyone who disagrees. WE HAVE TENSION, DRAMA, ROMANCE, AND DARE I SAY THRILLER?? Because if you know Ann Liang you are bound to know she adds some kind of twist and magic in her writing. AND OH BOY, I CAN SAY WE GET THAT IN HERE. 👀 I'm actually going to be CRYING for the next 8ish months because this doesn't release until 2026 and I NEEEEEEED that psychical copy in my hands. (I also need the fastest ticket to getting inside this book as well thanks.) 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Oh and I do want to give a little mention to all my Henry Li fans... he does in fact show up in this book. 😋😋

🌊 ₊˚‧꒰ "𝙎𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚"꒱ 💗 ₊˚‧

⸝⸝🫧‧₊˚. In this story we follow the PRETTIEST, RICHEST, AND OFC BADDIEST GIRL KNOWN TO MANDKIND. 💅*drumroll* CHANEL CAO!!! This girl is RICH RICH. And I mean she doesn't just but her fave expensive dresses, OH NO HUN. SHE COULD BUY THE ENTIRE STORE. (lowkey giving young asian Kim Kardashian🧐🧐) She's that perfect picture model everyone wants be while they see her on their IG pages. But guess what? SHE ISN'T THAT PERFECT AFTER ALL!!! WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED!! (Not me guys, not me, I would not have known.🤫🤐) And what happens when you have this pretty girl with semi daddy issues AND the pressure of being perfect all the time, fall in love? Oh you get a JUICY MYSTERY FILLED PLOT, and ofc A JUICY mc who is the total opposite of her.

ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET FOLKS!!!



AND HERE WE MEET *drumroll* ARES YIN!!! We are talking, black wolf cut, piercings, a grumpy attitude, AND HES A BOXER? Holy mamacita I was in for a treat. 🤭🤭 And when I say words could not describe how much I loved him. I mean it. HIS CHEMISTRY WITH CHANEL WAS OFF THE DANG CHARTS. THE SLOW BURN?? THE YEARNING?? THE SUBTLE ACTIONS HE WOULD DO?? WHERE CAN I FIND HIM ON AMAZON?!! 📈📈 This guy right here might me the best book boyfriend in the Ann Liang universe. I was gagged, dead, astonished. And what made it worse was he remined me SOOOOOOOO much of someone I had a crush on in real life. (Even his mannerisms.) So it was safe to say I was over here swooning like there was no tomorrow. 😞😞😞

🌊 ₊˚‧꒰ "𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙖, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨"꒱ 💗 ₊˚‧

⸝⸝🫧‧₊˚. And what can I say? When you got characters like those it was SO hard not to love the plot. There was so much tension and mystery and I was just so invested. I MEAN WHO WOULDN'T BE WHEN YOU HAVE OPPOSITES ATTRACT X GRUMPY X SUNSHINE?? 🙊🙊 It was art purely in the form of words. And yes, I know you are probably wondering why I didn't rate this a five star. AND THAT IS BECAUSE I HAVE ONE ISSUE, AND ONE ISSUE THAT MADE THIS NOT PERFECT.

And that was the near ending. Because I cannot tell you how mad I was when it started getting rushed. 😭😞

We have this whole slow-burning going on and I felt like it was messy towards the end. It was like stargazing at a beautiful sky in peace only to be hit with an atomic bomb, YOU DID EVEN KNOW WAS COMING. (Which I mean is the point of bombs but we are going to ignore that.) And because everything about this book was so perfect and wonderful, I was disappointed when the ending become a bit messy and sort of predictable. 😫LIKE WHY COULDN’T WE TAKE OUR TIME AND CHILLAX GUYS?! 😫😫😫🥲🥲

BUT I'M NOT GONNA LIE AND SAY I DIDN'T ENJOY THE BOOK STILL, BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DID. 🤝

🤍₊˚⊹ 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 👛୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

🪻𓂃 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥: I don't know what it was about her in this book but I actually ATE THIS QUEEN UP. She was such a girl boss and gave badahh energy while still being feminine which I DEVOURED. Seeing her become vulnerable throughout the story really shattered me, NOT TO MENTION HOW RELATABLE AND REAL SHE WAS AT TIMES. I really loved that she got her own book because I enjoyed reading about her character so so much.
🪻𓂃 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐬: MY MAN. MY BABY. MY LOML. MY POOR LITTLE EMO BOY. I swear this character destroyed me. He was just the CUTEST thing on earth and his personality made it even better omg. THE WAY HE WAS WRITTEN WAS BEYOND PERFECT. Like I kid you not he even be more of a gentleman then THE Wes Bennett. Seeing his family struggles, his vulnerable side, the things he would DOOOOOO. And his style? Don't even get me started. IT'S GIVING THE MAN YOU SEE AT THE MALL AND NEVER SEE AGAIN BUT STILL DAYDREAM ABOUT. I honestly think he will be living rent free in my mind for the months to come. I literally love him so much it's hard to capture into words.

☂️.*• There is other characters that become HEAVILY invested into the plot of this book. But because this is a spoiler free review, that is for you to find out and discover. But let me warn you babes, THE TEA IS PIPING HOTTER THAN ALL THE KATSEYE MEMBERS ON THAT GAP AD. 😫😫😫

🌊 ₊˚‧꒰ "𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙡 𝙉𝙤. 5"꒱ 💗 ₊˚‧

⸝⸝🌌‧₊˚. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥:
I think this might be my new fave comfort book. I HONESTLY THINK SO GUYS. I loved every aspect of this and I seriously cannot wait for this to be released. If you are hesitant about adding this to your TBR and reading it, GIRL SHUT THE HECK UP AND JUST DO IT!! Because I swear this book was perfection and you will INDEED thank me later. Alright brb ima go make that Ares Yin Pinterest board, xoxo. 💋

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦
🦋💗 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: GUESS WHO GOT THE ARC FOR THIS CUTIE AFTER READING THE FIRST BOOK 🙈🙈 IM ACTUALLY SO EXCITED TO SEE CHANELS STORY IN THIS ONE 🤞🏻🤞🏻

[ivy ⟢ busy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars ✧ minor spoilers included.

'anything that matters to you matters to me.’

⟡ ladies and gentlemen, this book may be in my top 3 ann liang books of all time. she continues to surprise me with her love stories, her characters that we can’t help but feel empathetic towards - even if we might dislike them at the beginning - her ever-changing storylines, and her beautiful writing style. it genuinely surprises me everytime she releases a book and it immediately becomes my new obsession - so many authors continue to disappoint me with their releases, but she continues to deliver hit after hit. i wish i could unread this so i could experience the euphoric feeling of this book for the first time once again.

i could give you the moon follows chanel cao, our extremely rich and famous instagram model fmc and our stoic and straightforward mmc, ares yin. (i’m on my knees for this man.) the two of them share a vision together at a lake - essentially tying their fates together. both of them realize they have to work together, whether they like it or not. ares & chanel both have secrets they’re unwillingly to tell the other party, and throughout the story, we see them desperately trying to save themselves from this inevitable fate - but of course, they fall in love along the way.

♯ chanel cao. i’m so surprised at how much i enjoyed her character. in the beginning i was a bit skeptical because her biggest dream and goal in life was to be crowned the prom queen at her school. this made me laugh out loud sometimes - the emphasis on how important this was to her was a bit ridiculous. there were moments where she would break down because she thought she wasn’t going to win prom queen. however, we see her transform into a practical and down-to-earth character. one of my favorite moments in this book was where she realized that these moments that give you only a fleeting moment of satisfaction are generally useless - and that what is most important is the moments with the people you love. chanel is definitely ann’s least relatable fmc, however, i don’t think that was ann’s goal in this book - more so the love story.

♯ ares yin. OKAY MY MAN MY MAN!! while reading every book i write down my thoughts and the sum of all my thoughts for this book is how much i ADORE ares yin. he, as every ann mmc starts out, is extremely closed off, but as the story develops, we see how much he genuinely cares about the people he loves. the little things he would do for chanel were so touching (where can I get my own?) exhibit A: a few months before they started dating, when they were still “enemies”, chanel mentioned how she would buy this dress if only it had spaghetti straps, and months later when they began dating, ares got her the dress she wanted, even though the store didn’t do adjustments 🥹 exhibit B: waiting in line for hours to buy her a lychee pink cake because she wasn’t able to eat one for her birthday C: buying a flood of bots to remove comments about her parents’ divorce because she thought it would ruin her image. the list goes on and on and on. the way i was giggling when he talked to her 😍🤭 ann liang mmc’s are always the elite.

꒱ ┊the romance. oh my gosh they were the most adorable couple ever. i always eat the sunshine grumpy trope up (as long as the sunshine isn’t annoying). he was so grumpy but in the best way possible. she was so sweet and sunshine-y in the best way possible, too. some people might not like the way chanel used some of her “techniques” to manipulate him & make him fall in love with her at times, but honestly, she was the hottest when she did that 🫦 the lipgloss scene with chanel on the sink 🧎🏻‍♀️ the tension in this whole book was INSANE. i loved how their relationship didn’t move that fast - it was more of a slowburn. yearning and tension will always get me over insta lust.

side characters.

- long ge - this guy was GOOFY af lmao get him out of here!! not him setting up an entire illegal empire, exploiting children, and trying to kill people to impress a woman that will never want him was so embarrassing 💀 this plotline was so silly honestly.
- coco cao - it confused me how she suddenly redeemed herself at the end of the book, but i guess whatever works
- i thought that maybe the relationship between coco and chanel’s dad would somehow get a side plotline - because at the beginning, i thought they were both hiding something. it would’ve been nice if we got a little more of a deep dive into that, but that could’ve possibly made the story way more complicated.
- alicehenry fans: the mention of them in here was adorable, the alicehenry fans will eat it up

bottom line: i wish ann liang could release a book every week.

- thank you so much to my lovely girl yienne for reading this book with me <3 i couldn't have chosen a better reading partner for this book 🥹💌 here's to many more 💫🧸🕯️

thank you to netgalley for this eARC!

˗📨 pre - read
♯ cue me screaming when i got the email telling me i got this ARC 🥹
. buddy reading this with my best friend, yienne (i cannot believe we're finally doing a br together 🩵, i adore u twin)

- thank you to netgalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[sky ⋆]

im not ok make this come out sooner pls!!! 🫰🫰

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡]

pre-read:

i’ve decided that before going back to small-town romance books, i’ll be reading chanel’s story first! i absolutely loved her in if you could see the sun and i’m just so curious about her!

・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・

pre-release:

OMG OMG OMG OMG!! i got the arc of this book 🥹🩷 i can’t believe it, i’m so so so excited to read this book ✨ and who wouldn’t be?! just look at THE COVER of this book?

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I officially have my favorite Ann Liang mmc. And my favorite couple. And my favorite world(okay that’s cheating, if you could see the sun was already my favorite world of hers).
The rating is actually 4.5 stars, it’s close to perfect.
In the introduction Liang says this book is a more mature work compared to if you could see the sun, and it sure felt like it. This is a plot that would work perfectly in an adult novel, but she made it work for ya. My only complaint(and I think that’s probably where the bad reviews are stemming from) is that it feels a little messy in some parts, but I think that was the vibe the author was going for.
Personally, I loved I could give you the moon a lot more than Ann Liang’s previous books since her debut. It reminded me why I like her as a writer. Her last two ones seriously made me consider not continuing following her releases but I’m really glad I read this one. Oh, and if she ever writes an adult novel I’ll be first in line because she would do great at it, I just know it. 
Anyway, I couldn't recommend it enough, even if you are not usually a fan of the author, this one was very different from her previous works. 

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

[maelyn !]

the cover is so pretty oh my

[౨ৎ]

yes i am waiting for 3 years for this bc a) ann liang b) possible Henry appearance & c) chanel's story!!

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Well, I absolutely loved Alice and Henry Li’s paranormal romance in If You Could See the Sun, so when I found out there was a sequel—this time focusing on Alice’s glamorous former roommate, the It Girl and social media star Chanel Cao—I literally fist-pumped the air and shouted YAY! It felt so good to return to Airington, especially for an enemies-to-lovers romance laced with supernatural intrigue. I devoured this in one sitting, loved it just as much as the first book, and I’m already crossing my fingers for a third installment (please let it be Luke’s story!).

The story opens on a rooftop, where Chanel—Airington’s own “Beijing Serena van der Woodsen”—is helping a friend confront her cheating boyfriend. But what she doesn’t expect is to cross paths with mysterious new student Ares Yin. He’s intimidating, brooding, a boy of few words with a magnetic presence that pulls people toward him like moths to a flame. Intrigued, Chanel follows him…and stumbles upon a hidden lakeside spot where the moonlit water reveals visions of the future like a crystal ball.

When Chanel sees her own house in flames, a scarred man watching with a young boy at his side, and Ares holding a lighter that makes him look like the arsonist, she’s shaken to her core. Ares, however, realizes he’s not the only one with this ability, and suddenly their fates are tangled together.
Chanel keeps her terrifying vision secret, trying to use her charms to get closer to Ares in hopes of protecting her family. Meanwhile, Ares is fighting for his kidnapped little brother Luke, dragged into the dangerous world of underground fight clubs and ruthless men tied to Chanel’s family. Both Chanel and Ares are hiding agendas, circling each other with mistrust, but as they spend more time together the masks begin to slip.

Chanel discovers that Ares isn’t just a cold, brooding fighter—he’s protective, thoughtful, and far more tender than she imagined. And Ares learns Chanel isn’t the shallow, narcissistic girl she pretends to be; beneath the “It Girl” image, she’s sensitive, determined, and willing to risk everything for the people she loves. Together, they begin to ask: what if destiny isn’t set in stone? What if love is strong enough to rewrite the future?

💫 This was a fascinating romance with an addictive paranormal edge, brimming with sizzling chemistry between Chanel and Ares. Their banter, tension, and slow-burn trust made this story impossible to put down. I adored every moment, and I’m hoping Ann Liang keeps bringing us back to Airington—again and again.

🌟 Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the digital review copy of this amazing YA romance/fantasy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[manju ♡]

my girl chanel getting her own book as she should 🤧❤️‍🩹

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

oh this was perfect rtc

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
secured an arc of my fav author EVER and one of my top 5 antipacted reads of 2026?!! got the arc with a 20% ratio 💪 cannot wait to read chanel's story filled with tension and yearning men 🤭

sooo excited to read this with my bsf justine !!! adore u so much 💗🫂 can't wait to yap and scream about this together our second br!!!!

↪ started sept 5

[ari [violet’s vrsn &#x1fa75;] [semi ia] · Rating 5 out of 5]

big thanks to netgalley and harper teen for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

5⭐

𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ there is no universe where he doesn’t want her. ₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹

spoiler free

15+

romance: 6/10 (passionate making out, and obvious innuendo, characters come close to doing it a few times

cursing: 4/10 (semi-frequent moderate cursing, f-ck used a few times)

violence: 7/10 (illegal fight ring scenes, sexual harassment, a character is stabbed, someone’s house burns down with a person inside, stalking)

other: drugs and alcohol are mentioned or used by main characters

tw: divorce, familial estrangement, emotional abuse

tropes: rich girl x bad boy

first person, present tense

third person mmc pov

𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ she was as inevitable as the future, as familiar as his own past ₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹


– OVERVIEW –

OH MY WORD WHEN I TELL YOU THIS BOOK WAS SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS
you guys…you guys are NOT ready for this book ✋😩
this isn’t something that i experience often, but i literally want to DROWN in this book.
ares is officially my favorite ann liang mmc HANDS DOWN 😏😛


– PLOT –

romance
intrigue
SOMEHOW ALSO WITH THRILLER ELEMENTS??!?
our queen has cooked with this one.


– CHARACTERS –

channel cao
⤷ i loved her in iycsts and i loved her in icgytm. she’s one of those icons who, no matter what they do, i’ll defend until my last breath

ares yin
⤷ have i mentioned that he’s hot? he’s amazing. i’m so hideously obsessed with this man it’s ACTUALLY NOT FUNNY

𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ she seems determined to remain unknowable. yet he’s addicted to the process of trying to know her. ₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹


– CONCLUSION –

i could live a thousand more lifetimes and never experience a feeling like this book again

𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ wouldn’t it be nice if we weren’t destined to ruin each other? ₊˚⊹౨ৎ ₊˚⊹



– post-read –

i am unwell


– pre-read –

NO WAY IN HELL I GOT THIS ARC
NOOOOO WAY OML

BUT I DID ACKKK

[jo ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆ 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

five. freakin. stars 👏‍‍

💗 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘. 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ann liang always devours in everything and she must eat slayness for breakfast lunch and dinner because icgytm is nothing less than a five out of five stars. i could give this book the moon and i'd come right back to devour this masterpiece every single time.
it's ares yin. of course im giving it five stars.

also i find it so hard to write a review on a book i love. im so good at writing ranty hate reviews on things i dont like that when i have to write something i like i just sit there like ??? um it was good ?? so enjoy my thoughts not making sense.


. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁
(primadonna girl)
0:09 ━●────────── 2:47
◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷

🪩 ᴘʀɪᴍᴀᴅᴏɴɴᴀ ɢɪʀʟ, ʏᴇᴀʜ 🪩

chanel cao is the ultimate diva. the girl who we all know and love from iycsts and for being the most at everuthing. she's rich and she knows it. everyone wants to be her (yes babes even me) and who wouldn't want to read about a rich girlipop who has issues? and ofc fall in love. yeah me too girl. i wanna read it. chanel has the best comebacks and quips to everything. i love her character sm and if you are thinking oh shes this spoiled little brat she's spoiled fs fs but she's also

ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ

so set up that plot with some tea and a hot character who everyone...doesn't talk to? who's that? oh that's--

💮 ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ 💮

i need ares yin. and thats saying something when julius gong IS my book boyfriend and i dont take that statement lightly. but fear not. ares yin is up for second place in this case. this mans is literally like a parents worst nightmare in walking hotness form. he legit was chemistry off the charts and believe me when i say that i need more of him ASAP. hear that ann??? i need more ares yin. throw in some julius gong to while u are at it.

🎀 ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪᴍᴀᴅᴏɴɴᴀ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴀʟʟ 🎀

the plot was tense omg. like i was turning the page at 2am in the morning like "omg omg whats gonna happen next" i fear i was a fly on the wall.

🌷 ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ'ꜱ ꜰᴀᴜʟᴛ 🌷

my one complaint is how quickly the plot wrapped up but that's minor and i still enjoyed the plot anyway so im not docking anything !!! i loved this book because it also had henry li and alice crumbs. my babiessssss🤭

💜ɢᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍʏ ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀ, ʙᴀʙᴇ 💜

this lyric is literally chanel cao in an instant. sure ares let himself slowly be wrapped around chanels finger but chanel could wrap a worm around her finger i kid you not. she said yes. like the bathroom scene? I was literally dying because I CUOLDNT SQUEAL AT LIKE MIDNIGHT IT HAD NO RIGHT TO BE THAT HOT OMG i was literally blushing omgosh

🩰 ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍɪꜱʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇ 🩰

all in all. this book is everything to me. it feels so insane to think that i've been reading ann liang since the og days. like i remember reading if you could see the sun when it first came out and i requested it from the library and went Yes i like this author. and i haven't looked back since. ann liang is my top tier autobuy author and im afraid that no one will ever top her so this book is perfect in perfect form. ares yin would literally burn down the world for chanel and chanel would buy it for him. power couple.

𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ ᰔᩚ

so please go out and buy this book. if not for me, buy it for ares yin (mhmmm) and read it and yap about it with me. see you in april besties for when this book releases. buy some highlighters and tabs because you'll be quoting ares and chanels quotes more than you know it. it's that good.

mother ann has done it again. 🤭

happy reading besties!!! 💖💜
xxjo



🌷🍒☁️
pre-read
I AM FANGIRLING SO HARD OVER THE COVER REVEAL IT IS FRICKING GORGINA.
I NEED APRIL 2026 SO BAD OMG

[Avery]

edit 6/10: ITS CONFIRMED THAT THIS FOLLOWS CHANEL I LOVED HER SM

OMG? 2026?? IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN SPIN-OFF??

[manas (suffering)]

I GOT THE ARC???? HELLO!!!!

[emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚]

OH MY!! COVER REVEAL (ignore how late i am) but wow give this cover an award because wow.

currently counting down the days until this master piece will be released!! 👀 (2026 has never been so far).

[hannah [semi-ia] · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so good omg and ares is officially my new favorite ann liang mmc 🤭💌

⟢ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc!

[skylar ₊˚⊹♡ [busy]]

✦. ⊹ ˚ 6.04.25 : 🎱

AHH OMG COVER REVEAL, SYNOPSIS, AND RELEASE DATE??? WE WON. that cover is genuinely gorgeous as all ann liang covers are 🙂‍↕️ ann liang i love you so much and chanel has my heart <3 SO EXCITED 💌

[annie]

Anything new by Ann Liang is straight to tbr.

[ishi ☆ (busy w exams) · Rating 4 out of 5]

݁➳ 3.75 stars ★
╰ arc review.ᐟ

“i could claw the stars from the sky for you. i could give you the moon.”

🌆 ₊˚.꒱ thoughts.
⟡ i'm pleasantly surprised by how much i liked this! ann liang is a very hit-or-miss author for me, and i wasn't a fan of if you could see the sun, so i went into this with fairly low expectations, but ended up really enjoying it. this book has a more mature tone as compared to her earlier books, and i think this style really fits the story. i'd love to see more books with this vibe from her.

⟡ ann's writing absolutely shines in here. even though i've disliked a lot of her books, i will always appreciate her prose—it's beautiful and lyrical, but not overtly flowerly. all of her books are immersive and compulsively readable. i adored the darker setting of the story! the dual pov worked really well and added a lot of depth to both mcs.

⟡ the main focus of this book is definitely the romance, and it shows. while i liked the plot, it did feel haphazard and random. the story felt unrealistic at times and the amount of miscommunication was annoying. the characters aside from chanel and ares were underdeveloped and didn't have much depth. i enjoyed chanel and ares' scenes and their romance, but if you're reading this mainly for the plot you might be disappointed.

🌆 ₊˚.꒱ characters.

⋆.˚ chanel cao. ᝰ.ᐟ
she's a queen! she came off as a bit spoiled in the starting, and i did find it slightly ridiculous how her main goal in life was to be crowned prom queen, but she had a lot of growth and i really loved her character. she's so sweet and caring, absolute it girl energy.

however, chanel's story wasn't developed enough. there's only one brief scene of her interacting with her father, and aside from that he's never really addressed. also, the way chanel's relationship with her mother was written felt weird. her mother was a terrible parent—she was self-centered, encouraged chanel to develop disordered eating behaviors and fit into toxic beauty standards, and it's clear that their relationship was not good. but in the end, she just suddenly redeemed herself, which felt really abrupt and confusing. i think her family plotline needed to be focused on much more.

⋆.˚ ares yin. ᝰ.ᐟ
look. i adore ares, he is the definition of "if he wanted to, he would". i loved seeing him slowly becoming soft for chanel and all the sweet things he did for her! however, i don't think he was a very well written character. his backstory and the plotline with his brother felt very surface level and needed more detail. despite ares' main goal being to find his missing brother, we don't even see a scene of them interacting until over halfway into the book. ares' strained relationship with his father is mentioned frequently but again, we pretty much never see them interact, and his family situation isn't really resolved by the end of the book. his story felt incomplete.

⋆.˚ chanel + ares. ᝰ.ᐟ
i loved them together! slightly rushed but the grumy x sunshine dynamic was adorable and their scenes together were perfect. i loved seeing them break each other's walls down and slowly come to trust and love each other. the pining and tension was insane. also, the lipstick scene, hello? they're so hot i want both of them 🫦

⤿ sidenote: the alicehenry cameo was really cute! i didn't care much for them before but they were adorable here. need them to go on a double date with chanel and ares please and thank you.

🌆 ₊˚.꒱ playlist.
⟡ so it goes..., taylor swift
⟡ chanel no. 5, voilà
⟡ make you mine, madison beer
⟡ revolving door, tate mcrae
⟡ king of my heart, taylor swift
⟡ high fashion, addison rae

🌆 ₊˚.꒱ overall.
this is definitely in my top 3 ann liang books! i binged it in a day and absolutely adored the romance and setting. i do think some things could have been more developed, but overall, i really enjoyed this and hope ann writes more in this tone.

⤿ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

— ₊˚.꒱ pre-read.
so excited to finally start this !! i didn't like iycsts but this seems much more up my alley so i'm hoping it delivers 💗

[jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

ann in upper ya is the best thing that’s ever happened 💋 this truly is if you could see the sun’s bolder, older sister and i devoured it like a man starved. the plot was honestly so unhinged it made this book impossible to put down. the dual pov was also such a fun addition!! it felt extra exciting to get both sides of the story and i desperately hope ann writes more of it <3

i’m so, so irrevocably in love with chanel and ares. chanel was such a breath of fresh air, a reminder that even the people we admire most don’t have picture perfect lives. and ares, oh my god. this man is the epitome of my type and easily my favourite book boyfriend in the ann liang universe. he’s so mwah and his devotion to chanel has set my standards unreasonably high forever.

ⓘ thank you to netgalley and harpercollins for the arc!

[sarah سارة (free me)]

OH MY GOD THE COVER IM SO UNWELL

[emily ❤︎ (hiatus)]

I’m here because of Ann Liang supremacy 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

[zahra]

I GOT THE ARC EVERYONE AHHHHHH PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dawn Solaris]

♬ ᗩᑎTIᑕIᑭᗩTEᗪ .ᐟ

⭑𓂃 I could give you the CASH, the GOLD, ma BLOOD, ma SOUL ~

Just Give Me This Before January 1st wdym April 14th?! WTH NO! ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻) Or I’ll Go To Jail for being a bitch who vandalised on the wrong day

Also, my favorite French luxury brand and the god of war? Hell yeah! Ann Liang could write an essay on the economics of wage inequality and I would still be reading with glee, so trust that I’m pumped up for my darling Chanel’s story 𐙚

Is it the wrong book to ask for Julius Gong cameos? (≖⩊≖)

[anna ୨୧]

CHANEL’S BOOK 🚨🚨🚨

[fadheela ♡ (back from the long break)]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・“𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 ... 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓻 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓮, 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮, 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓵.”・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Ann this is so CRUEL of you to tease us with 3 chps, HAND US THE BOOK ALREADY!!!!😩🙌🏻 ASDFGHJKL HOW AM I REALLY SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR A WHOLE YEAR TO MEET ARES YIN & CHANEL CAO?!😭😭😭 2026 is like 10 years away, I MIGHT DIE from waiting 🤧