This was such a fun and touching read - Gracie is struggling to take care of her mother with Alzheimer's, as well as dealing with the fallout of sexual harassments at work and trying to launch her fledgling planner business. Her relationships with Fangli and Sam are both tender and warm, and it's wonderful to watch Gracie settle into the long-term friendships she's been craving.

Gracie has depression and anxiety, and it's revealed that Fangli likely does as well. In a way that's probably familiar to people with either/both of those diagnoses, she feels really stuck at points and is also unable to really verbalize how terrible her boss's behavior was until she has a lot of distance (much like Tiffy and her past relationship in The Flatshare). I think the book has been dinged unfairly for that.

Why I'm not giving it a full five stars is because I am perhaps too much of a moral relativist for this to totally work for me - Gracie has a real existential crisis over when it's "okay" to pretend to be Fangli and when it's not. I don't really see the ethical dilemma there: the important parties have consented to the sham. I found this a little tedious.

This was a really fun read, and I'm hoping that Fangli gets her own story! She sure deserves it.

My wish was granted, which allowed me to read and review “The Stand-In” by Lily Chu. Ironically, I have been told (ha, ha) that I resemble (insert famous actress), so this novel’s premise intrigued me.

Gracie is trying to do her best, but when her pervert of a boss fires her and she is struggling to find a way to get her mom, who has progressing dementia, into the proper place that she needs, it’s not always easy to see the bright side of things. But then she is mistaken for a well-known actress (Wei Fangli) who just coincidentally needs to take a mental health break and offers to pay Gracie a lot of money to be in her stand-in. So yeah, if you need money, why not consider this proposition? Naturally, not only does Gracie get to glam it up, but she has to appease hunky actor, Sam, who happens to also be an arrogant asshat and thinks Wei and Gracie’s plan is a bad one. (Until Gracie and the reader find out he’s actually a good guy).

If this reminds you of something you have seen on Hallmark, you probably have. You also have to be willing to suspend plausibility (like how could an “ordinary” woman look exactly like a well-known actress). Because of the plot is so formulaic, you go into this type of novel hoping the characters will add their unique spin. While I greatly enjoyed the book, I wish the main characters were more fleshed out—especially Gracie whose mind we spend the most time in. I also wish the novel spent more time with its heavier topics such as racism and mental illness, but then, this is not that type of story. But if you go into this novel knowing it’s more dessert than dinner, you won’t be disappointed.

My thanks to Lily Chu, NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish so that I could read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

I thought I knew what to expect with this book - I've read a lot in this genre - but I was genuinely and positively surprised by this book. Far from it being a simple life swap story, it addressed issues such as mental health, societal pressures, sexism and racism (albeit in a gentle way). I also liked that this was a story focussed on ethnic groups who are often under-represented in this genre. I cared about the characters and their lives and whilst there was a ring of inevitability about it at times, it didn't diminish from the experience and I enjoyed reading it. If you enjoy books in this genre, I would most definitely recommend it and would class it as a welcome variation on the usual theme.

The Stand-In follows Gracie as she's recruited by the most famous actress in China, Wei Fangli, to be her stand-in because she just needs a break and looks a lot like Fangli. Gracie is swept up in the celebrity world escorted by Sam Yao, Fangi's longtime friend and costar.

First of all, I love this beautiful cover! Secondly, this was a really cute story. It reminded me of a movie, and I could visualize scenes super vividly. Some really leapt off the page. I think this is a hard thing to accomplish in a book. The story is really well-written. The first half is wildly interesting and has great momentum. The second half a lot of the urgency is lost, and the story seems to slow. I think Gracie is a great character, so real and funny. I liked her a lot. There's also a hint of enemies to lovers in this story. I also enjoyed the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC.

This was so cute!
An easy breezy a celebrity duplicate story, which develops into a romance. It is a hate to love story and the chemistry between the lead couple is sizzling. Though there are no explicit scenes, you can feel the tension.
I was a little worried when it moved into a more family backstory track, because I think it was not given much time to develop. Is there going to be a book 2 to address these issues and will Fangli get her own romance? I’ll be all up for it!

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an ARC of this book, due out in print later this year. The views expressed are completely my own.

I think that this book does hold some charm to it. The characters are sweet and show growth over the course of the book, and the stakes are pretty low, so I never felt particularly fussed about the stressors they were experiencing. I also appreciate that the book treated mental health issues such as depression and anxiety as normal, and encouraged taking care of yourself. Therapy wasn't viewed as a weakness, but as an asset, another tool that someone could use to help themselves when they needed it.

I think the reveal that our two main female leads were sisters was particularly sweet. It was probably my favorite part of the book.

The romance aspect itself kind of dragged for me. I felt like the pacing of the novel, particularly around the middle, was slow, and I lost my investment in Gracie and Sam's relationship. I wanted more foibles with Gracie impersonating Wei Fangli, more moments in which that was described.

I do think it's worth a read (or listen), if you'd like a good piece of fluff with good character growth and a satisfying, safe ending.