School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 9 Up —Sadie Wen is the school captain, valedictorian, an overachiever, and a people-pleaser. Julius Gong, another overachiever, is a co-captain. Over the past decade, the two have been competing in academics, athletics, and anything else possible. They seldom talk to each other, communicating instead via unspoken body languages, eye-rolling and hasty sighs. Sadie vents her frustrations in email drafts addressed to Julius and others, such as Rosie, who won last year's science fair with work she stole from Sadie, and English teacher Ms. Johnson, who refused to round up 89.5 points to 90 for one of her assignments. Sadie has no intention to send those email drafts, but one day, they are sent out to the entire student body and staff. Sadie immediately becomes the most hated person at Woodvale Academy. After years of avoiding conflicts, she must work to get back in everyone's good graces. In the process of fixing the situation, Sadie discovers that Julius is on her side and, in this rivals-to-lovers story, realizes that Julius has been hiding his feelings toward her. The story takes a sharp turn when Sadie's email drafts are mysteriously sent out—yet, how are the drafts sent out? Did Sadie make a wrong click? Did someone use her laptop, sending out the drafts intentionally? Nobody knows, and readers are kept wondering all the way to the end. VERDICT A must-read, this novel is full of charming dialogue, romantic-tension scenes, and heart-melting moments.—Anna Ching-Yu Wong

ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Sadie Wen is a perfect student, school captain, and the ultimate people pleaser o 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 d 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.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

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.)