The Lost Life of Sylvia Song

by Ann Liang

Would you love every version of me? Would you love me in every life?
Sylvia had her whole life scripted. But when her boyfriend, Laurence, died suddenly, it felt like the movie cut off mid-frame, and she can’t seem to figure out how to live without him.
Until she accidentally stumbles into another world, where her family never moved to San Francisco from China. One small difference, and Laurence is alive.
And he isn’t hers. He barely knows her name. Certain she can make him fall for her all over again, Sylvia sets about recreating their love story, scene by scene, and finds herself falling in love all over again.
But all stories, even the best love stories, have to end. Sylvia will have to choose a world—his, or hers. Can she be brave enough to write a new ending?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 19, 2027

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

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

“When the only boy you’ve ever loved is dead, it’s a little hard to care what the poets think.”

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*]

sorry for the multiple pre-reads but I'M SOBBING?? ? I GOT THE ARC??? 😭😭😭 OH I AM SO EXCITED!!!
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GUYS THIS IS COMING OUT REAL CLOSE TO MY BIRTHDAY. DO I GET IT AS A GIFT TO MYSELF?? 😛
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THE COVERRRR
PLEASEEEE GIMME 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[ଘRory ( semi-hiatus)]

This sounds INCREDIBLE. Well, guess I'll just hibernate. Wake me up in January 2027!

[Dawn Solaris]

♬ ᗩᑎTIᑕIᑭᗩTEᗪ .ᐟ

⭑𓂃 I WILL COMMIT ARSON. I WILL GO TO JAIL. I WILL EAT CEMENT.

January 2027. January 2027.

2027. 2027. 2027. 2027. what.

So, what? You expect me to wait that long and still somehow not destroy public property?

P.S. The feelings I feel for Ann Liang need to be studied.

P.P.S. Sylvia Song is gonna be my favie, I feel it in my bones.

P.P.P.S. Day 360 of me screaming for a Julius cameo.

[aqsa]

devastating. started sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of chem (and left early bc that was lowkey embarrassing) (it’s day 1 of my period guys don’t judge). will be recommending this book to everyone I know, forcing it into the hands of my friends, and preaching about it for the rest of my life. will I ever read it again? absolutely not.

pls be prepared for a 1,000 word review once I collect myself and cry a bit more.

[ellie]

🪶 — pre-read .ᐟ ⌗

𐔌 ♯┆9.2.26
⤷ dont mind all my prereads but THIS. oh my gosh this. i can't believe i get to read this right now ☹️ thank you so much to harper collins for the e-ARC copy!!! it mean SO much to me you dont even know. this is my very first ann YA arc, so this means a ton 💐 will be sharing thoughts soon, out in january 2027!! 🥹 but AGHHGHAHGHHG


april 11, 2026
WAIT ANOTHER ONE..... LIKE AFTER THE ONE THATS ALREADY COMING OUT LATER THIS YEAR?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DONT TALK TO MEMEMEEEE

[Sarah • semi ia (nvm still pretty inactive, sorry!)]

WAIT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. I GOT THE ARC?!?! I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED AND HAPPY 😆🤭😭💙💙💙💙

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚]

‎ ‎ ‎ ⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ──🍋‍🟩🐈‍⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
I JUST WOKE UP TO SEE THAT I GOT THE ARC, OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I'M CRYING. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.

thanks to Ann Liang, HarperCollins US and Netgalley for an arc in exchange of an honest review.

[ivy]

˒ 🪶 pre read ˒˒࿐・xxvi 𖦞.˖
ꕥ ⸺ 9/22 ⋆˚✿˖°
I GOT THE ARC I'M SCREAMING 😭 immediately starting this with my sister & fellow ann liang enthusiast, yienne !! going to savor this because what a world we live in that ann liang is actively releasing books 🫧

˖⸂⟡ thanks immensely to netgalley & harper collins for the ARC! <3

[rehaab ౨ৎ]

TAKE. MY. MONEY. SEE Y'ALL IN 2027 🫡

[jo ❣︎]

꣑ৎ˚⊹ 🍥 ｡𖦹

i got the freaking arc bro

the cover artist for this book deserves to have her pillow be cold on both sides and like 5billion dollars

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

all you ann liang fangirls will be jelly to know that i have been blessed with the arc 💖💗🥰💞

[yienne ౨ৎ]

post-read 𓏲๋࣭࣪˖🪼.ᐟ ┆5 stars ☆
⌞fin. 09.22.2026⌝

im actually inconsolable. thank god my roommate was showering because i genuinely burst into tears and sobbed my eyes out. rtc if i can stop crying (impossible)

. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.

🎐 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ┆pre-read ⋆˙⟡
⌞beg. 09.18.2026⌝

the SCREAM i withheld opening up this email in my 8:30 am bio lecture 🥹 im dropping everything right now to read this omg ; getting this arc actually made my whole month im not even kidding 🙈 biggest thank you to harpercollins, netgalley, and my favorite author ann liang for the arc 𓏲๋࣭࣪˖🪼.ᐟ

and as always, im so excited to be reading this with my twin and favorite ann liang girl vee ୨ৎ and also crying about this to my best ann liang enthusiast lili⋆˚࿔ im beyond excited to read this and cry my eyes out <33

[Casey Reads &#x1f338;]

Imagine your first love dies tragically, but you are able to transport to another life where everything is different to see him again. Would you stay in the new life or go back to the people you have always known? 💜

This was a very interesting book about grief and choices. I can’t say I loved the ending even though it did make sense. It did make me think about what I would do given this option and it would be a hard choice to make.

Thank you to netgalley for the free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚ (exams!!)]

₊˚⊹ ᰔ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞:
you know the SECOND i hear about a new ann liang book i am going to figure out EVERYTHING about it🤭!!

the title is giving fantasy 👀 but it could also be so many genres 🤭🤭

[joni ౨ৎ]

𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
crying because ann's publicist reached out to me and knows me 😭

thank you x100 epic reads for the physical arc

[soleil.]

I'M GAGGED I JUST SAW THE COVER REVEAL

[justine ⊹ ࣪ ˖ (back-ish?)]

A NEW ANN LIANG BOOK?!?

STOP THIS COVER IS STUNNING

[ava ★]

𐙚 ꒰ 💌 ꒱ 𝘱𝘳𝘦~𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 ౨ৎ

why did no one tell me about this?? omg yayayay I can’t waittt

[jolie]

just saw the cover reveal for this book on ig and OMG it looks soo good!! i’m sososo excited 🤭🤭

[ari [gin’s vrsn &#x1fa75;] [semi ia]]

somehow I landed myself on harper's automatic arc mailing list for Ann Liang....

anyway, I'm so unbelievably grateful and life is actually surreal

[&#x1f342; emma &#x1f342;]

what the heck, ms. liang

[sept_scribbles]

the real ones knew about this since ihdtfy days (some of us are just insane.)

[Annabella⁷ (henry li’s version)]

THIS MIGHT BE MY EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD.

A DEEPLY SAD, TERRIBLY ROMANTIC MULTIVERSE ABOUT GRIEF, DIASPORA, AND LOVE❤️‍🩹

Goodreads group therapy session here, January 19th 2027🤝?

[chi ౨ৎ (semi-ia)]

ann?? liang?? 👀👀

[saisha⊹(school ia)]

THE COVER STUNS?! take me to 2027 rn i cant wait that long ok. mother will be feeding us🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[sofi⋆ [smth stupid like "ily"]]

ann is feeding us guys
i have a feeling i'm going to love this🤭🤭

give me a second to dance around my room i'm so excited omgomgomgomgomg🤭🤭🤭
anyways have a good day everybody au revoir <3

p.s. guys i actually can't wait until january 2027 ughh

[Noi (in & out)]

If Ann Liange has no fans, then I'm dead

[rêverie]

genuinely how does she write so fast

[Isabel M]

ann are you ok because WHY DO YOU WRITE LIKE YOU'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME???

(not that I'm complaining, 3 ann liang books in a year is WHAT I WANT)