SAYE IS THE REAL DEAL. It is absolutely heartwarming and a slice of life that really FEELS like a slice of life. The characters, everything is feels so real. Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei will always have a place in my heart. It is my comfort book. I've never been so invested in a chinese novel before.

A must read (again)

This is such a realistic story about 2 boys dealing with their problems in a selfish world.
I especially like how the writer portrays mental health; how it can stay with you and make every little thing effect you, and how you face the world with it and how the world treats you because of it.
You don't need to be anywhere near in the situation of the MCs to relate to them. Except the basketball matches, their everyday life is actually pretty interesting to me, someone who dislikes slice of life.

Because this story is so good, every little details that isn't as good as the overall story is, is very noticeable, so I have to nitpick:

If only both MC weren't "incredibly handsome" it would've been better. Like just say handsome and go lmao not incredibly handsome that kind of gets in the way of the realness. There are 3 main typed of BL: 1) gays for the sake of fangirl material 2) gay bc there are gay people in this world 3) gay to portray the struggles of the LGBTQ community. Everything else in this story points to 2) or 3), but the MCs being two super hot guys in a relationship falls into 1). Too bad bc this could've been something else.

The relationship between both MCs is also very good portrayed. Pretty realistic, not too much and not too little. It's just a bit too quick for the reader because both characters don't directly make it known to the reader that they like each other. Now I know of another book in which the girl also never made her love known to the reader, but as a reader you could just feel it. This isn't the case with SaYe.

*Just completed the raws and I take this paragraph back*
Also the character of Jiang Cheng is pretty hard to grasp.
{Prob also partly because of the translation. NOW LISTEN the translators did a GOOD job. The thing is just that, like the translator said, the way Jiang Cheng talks comes off as rude when translated. The way he swears is actually just very casual like when you tell a friend to f*ck off.}
So the thing is that Jiang Cheng is a character with many layers. He has a quick temper, acts like a rogue, but is actually pretty disciplined and has a sense of justice. He can also be really childish. Now the problem is that these types of layers are often portrayed as different characters instead of as a part of a whole. So it sometimes feel like you're looking at a bunch of different people instead of just different sides of one person.

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BUT remember, this is just me nitpicking. If this was a faceslapping/fangirl-material/dogblood novel or smthn, I would never be this critical because then the target audience changes. The more critical I am, the better the quality of the story is.

one of the best yaoi, or even novel in general i've ever read. The author did well in making the setting (e.g. The city) comes to life, I could vividly imagine living in that kind of city and feel its nuance. I LOVE the main characters and their relationship, that feels so genuine, pure and sometimes it makes my heart ache. Like the feeling of first love. The characters are not perfect and but they accept and love each other's strengths and weaknesses. I WANT MORE EPILOGUES!! Completed this book... more>> through MTLing, but its fairly understandable if you have basic Chinese proficiency. Going to reread after the translation is completed. <<less

It is A CRIME that this novel isn't fully translated. F*ck that.

I love this novel man. I've re-read it twice, and look for updates every once in a while - but alas.

Our MC is a school-smart type with little daily life knowledge. This is because he used to be a rich young master, but then he was kicked out by his fam, so he goes to study in a random town somewhere. Despite this major life setback, he's a resilient person and adapts :)

ML is a street smart little... more>> gangster (secretly soft towards his little sister) that's alr given up on life. There's trauma to unpack there, but I won't spoil.

When they get together, sigh, it's so natural. Usually I drop novels once the CP gets together, because both characters become heavily ooc, or the dynamic changes, or the plot is completely forgotten. This wasn't the case this time 🥺. When they got together the story was still good after SOB (traumatized by ooc CPs)

The side characters are good too. Fleshed out. Mc's brother that regrets his actions but ends up scummy anyways, the little gangster friends of ML's (surprisingly not homophobic?), ML's little sister (er-miao is the cutest!). They feel like real people.

All in all, the main focus point is the relationship between MC and ML, which I dare say does not always go smoothly. In fact, lol, nothing always goes smoothly (but not to a "unlucky mc" degree).

Ps. Everything by this author is good. If you don't like this one's sypnosys, why not try another by this author? They're all good. <<less

I love SAYE. When I first started reading it, I thought, 'It's good.' Then I reached the last update and moved on to another novel to busy myself with. I'm back, approx. 1 year later, and I think it's HELLA f*ckING GOOD!!! Back then, I didn't get to appreciate so much of its beauty, but now, coming back, it was actually more beautiful than I've remembered. Really. No novel has ever inspired me so much, no characters have ever been so beautiful to me. This novel is truly one of... more>> a kind. 💯 Percent would recommend. After this, its really hard to read another novel, because this is too good. I love all the characters in this novel. Love, love, love. That's all I have for this book.

PS. Still the best, after all this time. If I ever get my hands on any form of merch I WILL GRAB IT, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES. For a while, it even inspired me to do better in my studies (because of Jiang Cheng's grind). I'll do my best too. SaYe is just one of a kind. Its chef's kiss. Made such a huge impact in my life. Phenomenal. <<less

Sa Ye is so heartwarming and honestly gives me hope in life, especially when I feel lost or stuck. It's really inspirational seeing Feicheng's growth and the effect that they have on each other. Both Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei's (hell, all the character's) situations, feelings, and thought processes are so real and raw that I feel as if they are actual people that exist out there in the world. I literally can not go a week without re-reading random parts of this novel, it seriously has had such a... more>> huge impact on my life and I'm so thankful that I was able to come across it. I have an immense amount of love for all the characters but Gu Fei has become my favorite fictional character of all time. <<less

One of the best novel I read overall. Everything was said before me so I can only say - highly recommend to read. I patiently waiting for complete translation to re-read it in higher quality.

This is the best and most beautiful BL novel I've ever read, and one of the best novels overall. I don't know why, but I felt a strong nostalgia when I read the first chapter. I was reading it on these translation sites and their translations are so beautiful, but then I became too impatient to wait for new updates that I read the rest in MTL (but I'm not giving away any spoilers here). All I want to say is that I love the protagonists' maturity, their coolness, their... more>> respect for each other and the fact that they look out for each other through thick and through thin. I reveled in their joy and cried with their pain (the second book that I've ever shed tears upon). I also like the fact that they both have friends of their own. It's usually one popular guy (or one with several friends) and one loner in most BLs (I'm not complaining, though). Anyway, even though I have MTL'ed the entire book, I still keep up with and read the latest updates from the sae and amidstwoods sites. That's how much I love this novel. <<less

This is one of the best coming-of-age stories ever. This novel is a literature masterpiece and I'm so glad I read this in high school because it actually changed my life and my point of view on things. The love between our protagonists is so wonderful and mutual, respectful and altruistic, and the gifts they gave each other made me cry so much they're so cute and perfect for e/o. I'd never thought I'd like this novel sm I'm so glad I've read it💕

This had all the ingredients to be a cliche but it totally refused to, and stubbornly swan against the current to produce a masterpiece.

Words can't express how much I love this novel, the characters (special shout out to my queen, Miaomiao). I cried when they cried, laughed when they did, my heart broke when theirs did. It was just a roller coaster of various emotions.

I never thought I'd love a modern setting BL novel this much 😭😭😭 The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time...

Can someone please tell me if there are decent MTLs?? I really want to finish the rest of the novel while I wait for the human translation... Thank you 💜

Finished it today; binged it in 5 days.

I have no words for how this novel makes me feel.

It's the best thing I've read in 2020 thus far. Do yourself a favour if you were like me and hesitating about reading it: DO IT.

My absolute favourite Damei novel. Where do I even begin? Everything from beginning to end is so damn good. The novel perfectly encompasses the differences between the lives of the 2 MCs. I actually can’t put into words how much I love this novel. JUST GO READ IT NOW!!! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE??

Finished reading raws, highly recommend.

This has to be the most realistic novel I've read within the genre.

Everything from the complexity of the main pair, the three dimensional side characters, the struggles of each character by themselves but also together in their relationship, the life-like dialogue, the comedic bits, the obstacles and overcoming them. Sa Ye is an encouraging novel about studying to break the shackles of life and pursue a brighter future, but it is also about how the first step to all that is overcoming the mental shackles that... more>> one puts on oneself. It's a story about how regardless of how shitty a situation you're in, there can always be hope. Jiang Cheng was so lucky to have met Gu Fei. But as the story wears on, it becomes evident how lucky Gu Fei was to have met Jiang Cheng as well. And it is not just those two, so many important side characters who may have their flaws but are ultimately kindhearted make appearances. And the world is so lucky to have good people like them.

This novel was a bit rough to read. It's not incredibly angsty and there's no great tragedies. But it's rough to read regardless because of how stifling the most mundane little tragedies can be. Yet the main characters don't allow those moments to define them. They find themselves and their happiness in the everyday. The day to day life, watching Gu Fei's little sister skateboard, studying to improve oneself, grilling meat with a bunch of friends, squeezing into a tiny old vehicle that's barely a car, chattering about meaningless things. It really is just a beautiful coming of age story, and while the romance is such a central theme of it all, I really appreciate the book for how well-written Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei are as individual characters. <<less

This novel is so beautiful. I have no words, from the characters to the story, this was a masterpiece. When I was reading this novel, I feel like I'm also accompanying the characters with their journey.

Wonderful character development so far, and particularly good dialogue and interactions.

I really appreciate how real a lot of the dialogue feels, particularly the casual cursing and banter -- thinking about reading the raws later to see the OG version. Not just cliché romance lines or "cold silent possessive ML"s; these characters really do fit the setting they've been given, and sound like teenage/YA guys just f*cking around or giving each other shit. There are a lot of other novels where I wonder if the teen boys are actually supposed to... more>> be teen boys based on how they always speak, and although those novels usually have characters with better living environments and family backgrounds, it still feels moderately unreal. That's certainly not the case here.

I saw it mentioned that Jiang Cheng's cursing sounds a lot more aggro/not banter-like in the EN TL compared to the raws, but I don't think it's really the case. I haven't read the raws, but a lot of the TL still gives me the "hey bro, f*ck you, you s*upid bastard lmao" feeling. Very casual and familiar.

A little bittersweet from the very beginning.

Each character, including the side characters, has their own background that you can slowly start seeing bits and pieces about. Even while the story is centered around the MCs, the world around them is still there for the taking. There might be a lot of studying scumbags, but there aren't so many pointless idiots there for a grand faceslap. They don't win everything, and there are limits to success, even when they put in some effort and try, but sometimes the journey is more important than a first place medallion.

Edit: Listened to some audiobook recs of the original CN raws (past the EN TLs of up to 117), and they're pretty damn good. Also some of the radio show, which is genuinely great. <<less

Sa ye is poignant story about two boys that will tug on your heartstrings. It is a coming of age story of the MC and ML trapped by circumstance and the ways in which they go about dealing with life. Even though the plot is not super exciting or dramatic, it is one that makes you feel for the characters and want to root for them. Both the MC and ML are strong characters who feel stuck in the small town that the story is set in. As the plot... more>> progresses, the experiences that the characters have will make you fall for them. Even during the happy moments, there is a touch of sadness and heartache that never really goes away until both the MC and ML successfully overcomes their psychological barriers. <<less

How good is this novel? Let me tell you. This made me bawl my eyes out even when I read the MTL-not-proofread-version. That's how well-written it was, and it even carries a strong impression of nostalgia.

The characters are well developed. They felt real, they have flaws, they have differences but the main pairing fills out the gap of the other which makes them, not a perfect pair as there's no such thing, but a pair who complements each other.

The chapters are quite long but it's full of substance. There's no... more>> boring parts. Misunderstanding s/problems aren't dragged out because the characters COMMUNICATE. There are some quite valuable lessons as well; such as non blood-related can act more of a family than blood-related ones. This is definitely one of the best coming of age theme I've read so far. (Aside from the novel 'Through the Strait Gates' which is pretty good read too).

Spoiler

I just don't know whether the author accurately portrayed the psychological condition of the ML's sister. The child wasn't autistic, but it seems she just had a delayed cognitive/development. I read the MTL so I'm not sure if her condition was specified; all I know was it is different from autism. But whether this was accurate or not, I'd like to say, the way the author wrote this both as the main catalyst/hurdle between the ML and MC's romance, they did a splendid job.

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Overall, this was a ROLLER COASTER RIDE of emotions. A 5/5 for characters, plot and satisfying ending. <<less

I wanna give thanks to the translator who really gave their efforts to translate this novel. ❤ This novel is REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD and the fact that it's not your typical BL novels where its so cliche and the story doesn't even have any flavor.

This novel makes me laugh, angry, frustrated. It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The MC and ML are really ❤❤. Makes we wish that when I have problems that I won't be able to tell anyone that certain person would be there and give me a... more>> feeling on what HOME is like.

The author is really good ❤ This novel really deserve more attention. <<less

Beautiful. I wish I could describe how much feels this novel gave me but it's really the most heartwarming, pure, and absolutely beautiful novel I've read in awhile. I don't usually lean towards slice of life danmei, and only few could capture my attention like Saye did.