This book immediately pulled me in with its funny dialogue. I found myself laughing so many times while I read this! I really liked the main character, Gracie. She was relatable and you couldn’t help but hope things would all work out for her. The romance was done really well! I love the grumpy x sunshine vibes I got from them. I did see the twist coming fairly early on, but I still enjoyed seeing it all come together!

This one was a fun light read for me. Its a cute rom-com book. Gracy Reed agrees to impersonate a celebrity Wei Fangli ,who looks exactly like her, in exchange for money.
She has to live the exposed life of her celebrity look alike.
I thought it was cute and light read.
Cannot say it was one of my favourites though.

I am not sure how I feel about The Stand-In - I enjoyed the over arching story but getting from point to point sometimes felt slow.

Gracie is approached by a mysterious SUV, and the Chinese film stars Wei Fangli and Sam Yao are inside and turn Gracie’s life upside down. Fangli needs a break from her social obligations, and Gracie and Fangli look suspiciously similar. A little makeup and a wig and not even Sam’s mother can tell the difference.

I didn’t love Gracie as a character - she didn’t have a lot of self esteem and second guessed everything she did. That said, by about 70 percent into the book, my feelings on Gracie changed slightly. I did, however, like Gracie’s friend Anjali. She showed growth as a character and brought some sharp wit to the scenes she was written in.

I also guessed the twist at the end pretty early on while reading this one, but I still really loved the ending. This was a clean YA romance, with just a little kissing and some serious hand holding.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the digital review copy!

Because of problems with my computer and e-reader my I didn't read the book and my copy has expired.

This book was such a cute, fun, fast read! I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the love!! 5 stars!

This was the most fun read, perfect for a reader who wants a lighthearted story which gives you princess protection programme vibes! I loved the characters and the romance that was in this one! I cant wait for more from Chu!

The Stand-In had an amazing premise—I loved that it was a Princess and the Pauper storyline with an Asian twist. However, as I read on it was feeling very flat for me. As a plot that follows a well-used literary trope, I did not feel pulled into the plot to continue on. I think it’s is important to add unique elements when reinventing a popular literary trope. Overall, I unfortunately DNF at 50 percent.

DNF at 50 %

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my advanced copy of The Stand In .

This pains me.
I really wanted to love this.
I loved the premise.
I loved Gracie as a main character. I loved her backstory and her life outside of the interactions with the actors / celebrities in this book.
I was just so bored after the first quarter.

It was just not for me.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I was expecting more romance and this felt more women's fiction. I tired the audio as well, but this one didn't work for me.

This was a light and very fun read! I love how it depicted Chinese culture. I love the Chinese representation because there are very few books with Chinese protagonists. I recommend this for fans of Last Tang Standing, The Heart Principle, and Front Desk!

we love a book with fake dating. like a love this trope a lot. what i did love was the Chinese representation. i want to continue to support seeing more of it was a Chinese-American. this book was very YA and a slow burn. which sometimes i really love then burn, but this seemed really drawn out. i definitely recommend giving it a try if you are into YA- just not totally 100% for me.

Nothing about the Stand-In surprised me. I enjoyed it very much all the same.

In this novel, Gracie, a young woman with an unfortunate backstory is given the opportunity of a lifetime: to stand in for a very famous Chinese movie star at fancy publicity events as she is a complete doppelganger for her. Gracie desperately needs the cash--she was fired by her icky boss and her mom is suffering with memory loss in a long-term assisted living facility. Gracie takes on this job and becomes a more confident and ambitious woman. And the fact that the sexiest man alive will be working alongside her doesn't hurt.

This is a very fun rom-com story with some delicious twists and turns throughout. Like I said, it wasn't surprising, but I still had a blast reading it. I think older teens might enjoy it.

Wonderful and fun read. Looking forward to more from Chu. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an e-arc.

It was a fun read even though I expected a little more! Maybe I could have given it 4 stars if I had read it at a different point in time.

When I received this e-arc five months ago I didn't think anything of it and I literally forgot I just had this sitting in my kindle library. So when I magically got the motivation to finally read this I could not put it down. I honestly loved how the characters all had their own flaws and problems, Fangli and Gracie's struggles were also struggles I suffer from myself so I found them very relatable.
The romance was also very cliche and classic but still left me swooning over the tiniest things. Sam Yao, I love you forever <333
once we hit the 80% mark I saw "that" coming very classic plot twist but I wouldn't change a thing about it :)
My only problem was with the no epilogue like I said should be illegal. I NEED THE CLOSURE OKAY.

long story short if you loved The princess switch you would absolutely love this book :)
thank you net gallery for this e-arc!

I completely adored Gracie's voice in this book!
The struggles faced in this book, such as harassment, mental health, identity, biracial representation, and the controlling nature of media stars' management, were done so realistically and well!
It was an incredible read for the friendship and the twist and standing up for your needs and yourself, the love story was a lovely complimentary story in my mind!

I did not enjoy the term "taking the mickey" as it is an insensitive term used against the Irish, but I know how it isn't known worldwide, so I don't blame the author or team, I just wish it had been caught!

Gracie is a regular Chinese-Canadian woman who's down on her luck and just got recently fired by her asshole boss, when she gets an offer by popular Chinese actress Wei Fangli to be her stand-in temporarily since they're doppelgangers. In return, Gracie will get enough money to put her mother in a better nursing home. But, accompanying Gracie is Fangli's best friend (and boyfriend, according to celeb news) Sam Yao, who doesn't believe Gracie will pull this off and instead thinks she'll ruin Fangli's reputation. This was a very cute book and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy the grumpy/sunshine(ish) pairing, and I liked that it wasn't just about the romantic relationship, but a big part was Gracie making friends with Wei Fangli too.

I loved The Stand-in! As a romantic comedy, it has a sympathetic romantic lead in Gracie Reed. Gorgeous, hardworking, unappreciated and bullied at work, Gracie is forced into a corner and eased out by her supervisor. A mistaken paparazzi mixes Gracie up with a glamorous Chinese actress and a photo of Gracie at her favorite coffeeshop/bakery circulates on Page 6.

The photo brings Chinese cinema's golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao to her doorstep offering her two year's living expenses and the money for her mother's care home in exchange for "stand-in" as Wei Fangli during promotional events, etc. Against her better judgment and Sam Yao's opinion, Gracie undertakes the transformation. Gracie quickly discovers the underside of Wei Fangli's fame. As she learns to manage her side of Wei Fangli's public life, Gracie and Sam Yao come to an understanding, friendship and sudden romance.

The interaction between Gracie and Fangli and Sam makes the novel. I love the friendship, the bantering, the way that Gracie somehow speaks her truth and gives the two superstars strength to step out of their bubble. Lily Chu gives the characters depth and makes the Asian American/Asian Canadian come alive. Representation matters and this book isn't about being Asian or Chinese, it is part of the story and gives it an added depth.

This book is a good no thoughts head empty read. If you don't think too hard you'll enjoy it. The main character doesn't really take control of her own story. Life just happens to her instead of her happening to life. I found the spot fun and the romance cute but a read that I'll forget.

This was such a happy surprise!
I loved the premise, as ridiculous as it is and i was even more happy when i ended up really liking the book as well.
The dynamic between the main character and the love interest, as well as with the most prominent side characters, was well done and well developed. The romance took time, and when it eventually developed properly, I actually believed it. like there was proper chemistry between the main character and the love interest and it was so nice!
Th book also deals with some more serious topic, and i think they were dealt with very well.
The writing was nice, it kept me engaged and hooked. overall I really enjoyed this one!