Books like If You Could See the Sun

A sharp, glittering exploration of ambition and invisibility wrapped in an elite boarding school heist and a swoony academic rivalry. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with If You Could See the Sun.

glittering
tense
secretive
high-stakes

01
Never Thought I'd End Up Here
Ann Liang
A scenic, banter-filled escape about reconnecting with your roots and colliding with your past.
Shares:
- wry
- sarcastic
02
A Magic Steeped in Poison
Judy I. Lin
A lush, sensory fantasy where the delicate art of brewing tea becomes a deadly weapon in a treacherous imperial court.
Shares:
- tense
- earnest
03
The Young Elites
Marie Lu
A dark, thrilling descent into the mind of a girl who realizes that to survive a cruel world, she must become its greatest monster.
Shares:
- tense
04
Not Your Sidekick
C. B. Lee
A playful, swoony superhero romp where teenage rebellion and secret crushes collide with supervillain plots.
Shares:
- wry
05
Instant Karma
Marissa Meyer
A sun-drenched, magical-realism-tinged coastal romance where a judgmental overachiever learns that love and fate are messier than simple karmic justice.
Shares:
- wry
- earnest
06
Girls of Paper and Fire
Natasha Ngan
A lush, claustrophobic fantasy where forbidden love becomes the ultimate act of rebellion in a gilded cage.
Shares:
- tense
- earnest
07
Wicked Fox
Kat Cho
A neon-drenched, star-crossed romance where ancient folklore collides with the modern city streets.
Shares:
- earnest
08
The Bone Witch
Rin Chupeco
A shadowy, atmospheric coming-of-age fantasy where the burden of death magic forces a young witch to navigate encroaching darkness.
Shares:
- earnest
09
Powerless
Lauren Roberts
A breathless, high-stakes romantasy where deadly trials and knife-to-the-throat banter fuel an addictive enemies-to-lovers burn.
Shares:
- tense
- high-stakes
- earnest
10
The City in the Middle of the Night
Charlie Jane Anders
A haunting exploration of radical empathy and toxic devotion set against the harsh extremes of a tidally locked world.
Shares:
- earnest
11
Of Fire and Stars
Audrey Coulthurst
A sweeping, slow-burn fantasy romance where the sparks of forbidden magic and forbidden love threaten to burn down a kingdom.
Shares:
- tense
- earnest
12
The empress of salt and fortune
Nghi Vo
A quiet, lushly woven tapestry of memory and hidden rebellion, where the true history of an empire is told through the eyes of its forgotten women.
Shares:
- sharp

Back to If You Could See the Sun