Review by Booklist Review
Sadie Wen is a perfect student, school captain, and the ultimate people pleaser--who also must win and achieve at all costs. Julius Gong, her fellow captain at their exclusive private school, has, ever since an ill-fated dodgeball game in elementary school, been her opponent in everything. Sadie bottles up her feelings while venting her frustrations through a collection of unsent emails. When those drafts are accidentally sent, everyone, including Julius, sees what she has left unsaid. As she and Julius work together on a principal-mandated mission to overcome the school's damaged reputation, they learn that their enmity might be hiding something deeper. Sadie also discovers that people might actually like her as her real self--and that being liked isn't everything. With relatable characters and a rivals-to-lovers romance that is everything, this book's only flaw is a few slightly predictable twists that veer into cliché. But Sadie's journey away from people-pleasing is enjoyable to watch, and this will greatly appeal to readers who love the trope of academic rivals who are actually in love.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An Aussie teen's perfect facade crumbles when her private emails are leaked to the whole school in this sardonic love story by Liang (This Time It's Real). Seventeen-year-old Sadie Wen is a model student: she's a school captain, has stellar grades, and is an active volunteer. But while she's friendly on the outside, she secretly pours her frustrations into email drafts ripping into fellow students' work ethics and unfair teacher assessments. Sadie's most heated vexations are channeled toward her co-captain, irksome childhood rival Julius Gong. When the emails are accidentally sent, Sadie must face the music. Not only has she raised the ire of her fellow students and teachers, but she's also expected to work with Julius on various activities around the school in a show of camaraderie. The snarky duo's forced proximity allows them to open up, be vulnerable, and learn to appreciate each other for the first time. Underlying themes of parental abandonment, bullying, and academic stress add depth to the teens' developing relationship in this well-paced, banter-filled rivals-to-lovers romance. Sadie and Julius are Chinese Australian. Ages 12--up. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When her cathartic hate-email drafts are accidentally sent out, a teen girl tries to smooth things over with the guy who infuriates her most. After her father left years ago, Sadie Wen vowed to be a good daughter for her mother's sake. Now in her final year at her prestigious high school in Melbourne, Australia, Sadie has proven her perfection--she's school co-captain, gets good grades, and excels in extracurriculars--all while helping at their family bakery. Being perfect is tough, but she copes by unleashing her frustration in email drafts she never intends to send. When they accidentally go out, Sadie's perfect image crumbles. While some were written to people who had wronged her, Sadie addressed the most ruthless emails--some dating back nine years--to her longtime nemesis and school co-captain, Julius Gong. When someone posts a video of their subsequent public altercation, damaging the school's reputation, the principal forces Sadie and Julius to work together on school projects as punishment. At first, it seems like they'll never get along, but as the Chinese Australian teens get to know each other, Sadie realizes that there might be more than pure loathing between them. This sweet, cozy story is full of charming dialogue and laugh-out-loud scenes. Alongside the romance storyline, Sadie learns about going beyond just pleasing others. The emotional angst and awkwardness, adolescent pressures, and other emotions are engaging and relatable. Full of giggles, snark, and sweetness: Rom-com lovers, I hope this does find you. (Romance. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
