I was provided a complimentary copy through NetGalley by HarperTeen in exchange for my honest review. This doesn’t affect my thoughts in any way. Out in shelves on 28/01/25!

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets If You Could See The Sun in Ann Liang’s new young adult standalone where Jenna Chen, a girl who thinks she will never be enough for everyone around her wishes to be her perfect, smart, and Harvard-bound cousin. But what happens when it actually comes true?

Ann’s books always find me at times where I need to feel seen and understood and this is the personification of my life, where the narrative describes the experiences that made me. At one point I was Jessica, then Leela, Aaron, and now Jenna. When the first chapter made me cry, I knew it was for me.

I lived through these characters at one point in my life, considering how it has changed within two years. I recognized the anxiety, self-loathing, and exhaustion of every single one of these characters. I never felt enough for anyone, and I was so ahead that at one point, it became too difficult. Studying has always been the one thing I’m good at, and when I failed at that, I absolutely hated acknowledging burnout, leading me to the decision that ruined my future the first time. I am Jessica Chen, but I sympathized with Jenna: two sides of the same damn coin. Thus, I recognized that this book teaches that you CAN be enough. That success at the cost of your entire being is not always exciting because eventually, accomplishments will feel dull and empty, and life will humor you by taking away everything you’ve worked so hard for. This book is for the girls who’ve always been independent yet lonely, successful yet drained. It’s me. I’m the girl.