如果给你寄一本书 | If I Could Mail You a Book

by 一盏夜灯, hazevie (Translator)

Thirty year old Liang Xinhe broke up with her lover of seven years because the other cheated on her. Thirty-six year old Ning Xi finally broke up with her partner who had broken up and gotten back together with her several times.

When they first met, they were both in poor states of mind. They both thought that the other was going to be another person who had brushed past their shoulder, not knowing that their affinity had started.

Liang Xinhe: “So I press down the snow in my heart time and time again, as they are too white, too close to spring.”

Ning Xi: “These emotional affairs of the mortal world flash by like a sparrow suddenly swooping past.”

– Yu Xiuhua, from the poem “I Love You”

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[iayal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. this charmed me because of how realistic it felt. a story any one of us can have (and i wouldn’t be shocked if one of you on goodreads fell in love with someone the same way the two in this book did). though there were some faults that seemed to be aligned with cultural ideals i don’t see the sense in, for the most part, a neat (and very human) baihe.

[kay! ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I don’t have many merits, and I have a lot of bad habits,” Ning Xi said, her throat tightening. “I actually don’t know how to correctly spend time with another person, and I’ve always struggled with learning it. But I like talking with you, eating with you. I find that I’m really relaxed when you’re with me, but I’m afraid that I will do something wrong and let you down or make you sad.”

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎︎ ｡ ✧ ⋆ ★ ★ ★ stars 🍓｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

this baihe felt like drinking a warm cup of tea. it was so soft but also very bittersweet at the same time

the mc & fl are both well into their 30s and have loved and lost, and at the start of the novel both of them are coming out of different relationships, so this was undoubtedly a slow burn. the author took their time letting liang xinhe (mc) and ning xi heal and grow together which was just so…it was so sweet. right from the start i wanted to wrap liang xinhe & ning xi in a warm blanket because they just kept on going through it

but the pain they went through was worth it. it was also worth reading about since the two of them made such an endearing couple

however, i enjoyed this but i can’t say i loved it because the slice-of-life sfuff felt draggy at times? imo the translators did an amazing job with this so even if i struggled through certain chapters, the writing stayed consistent and good

kind of sad this isn’t longer though. i wanna see more of liang xinhe and ning xi together continuing to live in domestic bliss

[Ash(eaux) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mostly positive feelings about this story. Nothing much happens for the most part the protagonists are just living their lives, meeting and slowly falling for each other and then beginning a relationship. I actually appreciate this aspect a lot, this is like the part of the life of someone u could run into in the streets, I like the fact that there wasn't any unnecessary drama or nonsensical beating around the bush before the relationship starts. Also liked that the leads both came out of long-term romantic relationships with women, like don't get me wrong I like self discovery coming of age stories too but it felt nice to see grown women who know what they want for once without any internalized homophobia or comphet involved. It's great that we get to see what did not work in their previous relationship, how they handled the break up and how they've both grown because of it. Overall got very chill and homey vibes from this book.

What didn't really do it for me : I wish we got more into details about some things, like their professions, their life before meeting each other in general, their platonic relationships, I found it kind of odd when Liang Xinhe was like I feel like everyone around me has someone special and I'm all alone, bcs to me even if we didn't see that much of it she felt really close to her two friends from the company, I don't really like how it kind of diminishes the importance of these friendships, especially when her example with Ning Xi is her ex like..why would u consider her relationship with her ex more important than urs with ur friends damn.

Another thing is abt the little drama that happened while they got together, I feel like it could have been executed much better. I don't see why Ning Xi constantly has this pressure to do better (bcs she's not the outgoing type ?? ) because she's older and got out of a longer relationship ? Maybe this is a cultural difference issue but I simply could not grap the criticism of her behavior. What I'm also confused about is while I understand that Liang Xinhe has insecurities which I think are a great thing to portray, I don't understand why the start of this relationship was kind of treated like a one time chance at romance again, idk maybe it was supposed to feel romantic but all I kept thinking was u just turned 30 why are u talking like u are 55 and got divorced from ur partner u got two kids with like 😭.

Anyways those small issues aside it was overall an enjoyable read that put a smile to my face

[lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i felt that it was almost too slow paced at the beginning but reading it genuinely felt nice. it was a comfortable read in the way that it didn’t make me feel too strong emotions but still always touched me

the characters felt so real, nothing was over the top and i liked that. it was unique in its simplicity and honesty. it truly feels like what a healthy regular romance is like.

[Dawn Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in Chinese. It is such a solid modern baihe romance between a writer and a reader. I especially how this book follows both main characters who have recently ended a long term relationship with an ex girlfriend before they met each other, and their relationship with their ex/ending of the previous relationship is treated with the same importance as their budding romance.

This is not something I ever encountered in other baihe. I especially love the compare and contrast of the two main characters’ ex girlfriends, while one of the exes (the writer’s ex) started off as someone who seemingly to be hostile, but is later revealed to actually have a tender relationship and dynamic with the writer, but that relationship sometimes end simply because the time you can have w that person passed (this mc’s ex noticeably had a relationship with the mc from when they were both schoolgirls, in this book the characters are in their thirties, this means that their past relationship was one that was a very long first love, and you can feel the writer mc and her ex parted ways on good terms/that they loved each other in a bitter sweet but mutual respectful way). While the reader mc’s past relationship with her ex is one of a toxic dynamic of the reader’s ex being a rich spoiled classist snob whose friendship group are filled with classist snobs that always tried to degrade the reader mc bc the reader mc’s background.

I also love how autistic coded the writer is allowed to be. I think this is a bit of a personal preference but the fact that the autistic coded writer character’s autistic traits are not treated as “quirky” but rather actually does affect her life is something that stand out to me. Because I think I see a lot of myself in the writer mc.

Anyway, this book is one of the baihe contemporary works that I do recommend dearly. It isn’t in my top 10 favorite baihe of all time, but is a solid read for anyone who might be interested in any of the previous stated aspect that I feel are the strongest points of this story.

This was slow paced at the beginning but I don’t mind it to be honest.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a comforting read!

As someone approaching their 30s in the coming months, I felt reassured seeing how Liang Xinhe and Ning Xi live their lives. Sure, struggles may arise and things might not end up the way we expect it to, but casting our doubts aside, spring will always arrive.

It’s a very slice-of-life story where we’re following two characters as they navigate a stage in their lives where almost everything they know falls apart. The way they deal with things differs, but that makes it feel so realistic and relatable.

Reading this made me more assured that life has just only begun even if you feel old. There’s always chances to start again and to discover things that bring your happiness and that wholly align with your life. I hope to achieve the level of serendipity and contentment as Xinhe and Xi soon!

[Sibyl Vane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely a very sweet romance. The cast is well-dimensioned and relationships, including outside of the romantic pair, are fantastic. The world feels lived in. Realistic but still interesting/dramatic issues with ex, life, and family.

My only complaint was how it meandered near the end. Seems like the author had trouble letting them go too!