Something about Ann Liang’s writing style just calls to me.

I Am Not Jessica Chen is such a good take on the high school (but also lifelong) feeling of wanting what you don’t have and comparing yourselves to others. I felt for both Jenna and Jessica. Jenna for always being compared to her *perfect* cousin, Jessica. And Jenna for having to be the perfect student/daughter/cousin constantly.

I adored Aaron (Jenna’s romantic interest mmc) so much! He’s written so patient and understanding and attentive and just such a breath of fresh air. Also love that while there was a romance subplot it wasn’t overpowering whatsoever.


Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for access to the audiobook!

I just finished a fantastic YA book that had so many surprising twists! It's a dramatic magical realism story filled with amazing character development. I really loved seeing how the different relationships grew throughout the book. It was such an enjoyable read!

Jenna always try hard but never be the best. Meanwhile Jessica seemed to achieve everything without too much effort. Jenna wished she was Jessica, and the next morning she woke up as Jessica, while Jenna’s body (and Jessica’s soul) disappeared.

To be clear this isn’t dark academia IMO. So kinda false marketing? Anyway. This book frustrated me. Jenna’s thoughts were driving me crazy, and she’s in her head A LOT. Apparently I’m not the target audience for this. Aaron was cute, tho.

I enjoyed the narrator’s performance, her voice was soothing but also dramatic when the scene needed it to be. I liked that.

After being rejected from various Ivy Leagues, Jenna finds herself wishing to become her smarter, more successful, and well-admired cousin, Jessica Chen… and surprisingly, her wish comes true. As Jenna navigates life in Jessica’s body, she finally experiences life as the perfect daughter, an academic weapon, and someone who everyone adores and envies. We also uncover the academic pressure and Jessica’s deeper struggles, paired with the fading memory of Jenna’s actual self as she’s slowly forgotten by everyone except for Aaron. I loved the small moments she seemed to want back, and Aaron’s presence. Although there’s some minor romance, Jenna’s struggles of not being enough and feeling seen were raw, beautiful, and a reminder to live for yourself.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Audio for the copy!

3.5 stars
thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook
im actually so happy that i had the opportunity to listen to this because otherwise i know it would have taken me much longer to pick it up and it was such a delightful read
the narration was really good and since its a ya it was very easy to follow along so on the days i was a little tired i would just start playing this and would be entertained for a good while
i really liked the final message of the book and cant wait to read more by this author

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I Am Not Jessica Chen
Author: Ann Liang

Thank you so much Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC! I love Ann Liang, and the few books I have read by her and this one was captivating just like the others. We have two cousins, Jessica and Jenna. Jessica is perfect in every way. She’s insanely smart, beautiful, just got into Harvard, extremely popular, and top of her class. Jenna is also very smart but compared to Jessica she has to try significantly harder to keep up with everything. After getting rejected by all of her choices for college, and Harvard, she makes a wish that she was her cousin. The next morning she wakes up in her cousins bed, and at her house.. to find she is her! Jenna starts going through daily life as Jessica and starts to uncover so much about her cousins life she did not know. Also, she gets to experience how it feels to be THE Jessica Chen.. however with this comes the questions.. where is the real Jessica Chen, and also what happened to Jenna? I really enjoyed this book and the characters. It flowed, and I really felt Jenna’s pain at feeling not good enough, or less then, or not like she was living up to her parents expectations. Overall it was a good read and I definitely reccomend it! Thank you for the copy. 💕

All Jenna Chen wants is to be is as successful, smart, loved, and perfect as her cousin Jessica Chen and to get into one of the many Ivy Leagues she applied to. But unfortunately for Jenna, life for her is never that easy and fair. So, when she receives latest rejection from Harvard, she makes peace that she will never be able to live up to her parents’ expectation. And to make matters worse – Jessica, of course, is Harvard-bound. So, at a dinner turned celebration (and partial mourning) with their family, Jenna wishes upon a shooting star that she could be her cousin – Jessica Chen.
 
Imagine her surprise, when she wakes up the next day in her cousin’s bed and in her body. It doesn’t take long before Jenna becomes acclimated in Jessica’s body and enamored with her life. However, not everything that glitters is gold, and it turns out her seemingly perfect cousin is full of secrets.
 
This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and I can admit she knows how to pull the reader in with an engaging premise. However, like her other book, the ending felt rush and incomplete. Overall, I did find the storyline engrossing and relatable, being a high performing academic and the pressure to excel academically, especially in high school and college. Despite my enjoyment of the plot overall, I had trouble sympathizing and relating to Jenna’s character. Honestly, I would have preferred this story more if we had more insight into Jessica’s POV, since I found her more interesting and multifaceted than Jenna.
 
Overall, despite some of my reservations, this was still an interesting read, and I would recommend giving this a try.

One shooting star, one risky wish, two lost souls (literally).

Woah. This was a powerful read. This was my first Ann Liang book, and I’ve got to say I really, really liked it! It was fun, raw, romantic, emotional…

I felt so seen as I read this. Jenna is such a relatable character, in a depressing way unfortunately, but it made it super easy to connect with the story and her, which is a big win in my book. The character development was slower than I’d have liked, but I really loved Jenna in the end!

The romance was light, but it was still there, and I loved it for what it was! Aaron and Jenna were just ugh so cute. That boy loved the hell out of her, and the chemistry was so strong I may have screamed at the really cute scenes between the two.

I really like the aesthetic of this, and the writing is beautiful—painfully so sometimes. I listened to the audiobook as I read along, and it was such a lovely experience. The narration was wonderful; everything was delivered perfectly, even the accents were amazingly done! I can definitely say I have a new favorite way of reading and even a new favorite author, as well as narrator!

A couple of things I’ve taken from this book: never take for granted the life you have, don’t let someone’s facade fool you into thinking they have everything, and never wish for someone else’s life because being you is the best possible thing.

3.6 ★

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
•spoiler-free review•

This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and just like the others, I greatly enjoyed it! It’s a body swap story about Jenna, who feels inferior to everyone and thinks that her life would be better if she was her perfect cousin, Jessica.

Although I don’t think this book does anything shocking, it doesn’t need to. The lesson about being careful what you wish for is important, especially for teens. I was very gripped by the second half of this book, and discovering Jessica’s flaws. It took me a bit to get into, but I’m glad I stuck around.

I’m excited to read her other works coming out this year!

4.50 ⭐️

qotd: have you read any of Ann Liang’s work before?

Thanks you @netgalley and @harlequin_audio for the audiobook ARC!

#bookstagram #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #audiobook #yafiction #yabookstagram #arcreview #annliang #booksbooksbooks #newbooks #2025books

THIS IS AN AMAZING BOOK. Exceeded all my expectations. It was my first Ann Liang read, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by her.

This is the second of Ann Liang’s novels that I’ve read and I absolutely love her style of writing!
💫💫💫💫💫/5
Jenna Chen has felt constantly compared to her cousin Jessica Chen for as long as she can remember. But what happens when she gets her wish to BECOME Jessica?
This novel was very beautifully written about how sometimes we don’t see our own worth and how self comparison can negatively impact our self view. It also deals a lot with the concept of not knowing what we have and how to appreciate it until it’s gone.

“Sometimes I forget that in the bigger scheme of things, it’s okay to not be the best at everything.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Ann Liang for the audio coly!

4.8/5 stars — it felt like, and I mean this sincerely as a compliment, an elevated DCOM. Jenna’s arc is so relatable and the ROMANCE OMGGGG 🥰 it did reach a point in the middle where things felt a little slow and repetitive for me, but the ending was so strong and I love Ann Liang’s writing so much!

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Enjoyment: 5/5

Kept me asking myself “where the hell is Jenna??” Perfect for those who have asked themselves what would it be like to be someone else, specially someone who you admire or feel jealous of. But just as it happened to Jenna, one must be careful what one wishes for.

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

Okay, I am not sure where to start with this. I will say that I enjoyed the audiobook greatly. The narrator was great and the production was very nice and smooth. I just was not a fan of the book itself. The plot felt generic but that has nothing to do with the audiobook. I will definitely pick up whatever this narrator does.

I Am Not Jessica Chen is a story of jealousy, identity, and the pressures of perfection, following Jenna as she magically takes over her cousin Jessica’s body—only to realize that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. What starts as an escape from her own insecurities quickly turns into a high-stakes nightmare, with academic pressure, anxiety, and the struggle to maintain Jessica’s “perfect” life, pushing Jenna to the edge.

The book has a strong theme of self-worth, but it leans heavily into angsty teen emotions—lots of yearning, jealousy, and self-deprecating inner monologues. Jenna’s low self-esteem is a major focus, and it takes someone else appreciating her and admiring her to see her own value. It’s a relatable journey, though at times, the “woe is me” tone felt a bit overdone.

I liked the idea that even when Jenna thought she had nothing, she ultimately realized she had everything. It’s a powerful message—too bad everyone can’t have a magical body-swap experience to teach them gratitude and contentment! However, the plot itself was predictable, and the story required some serious suspension of disbelief, especially with elements like people forgetting Jenna ever existed.

Overall, I Am Not Jessica Chen is a compelling, if somewhat overdramatic, exploration of striving for perfection and learning to appreciate what you already have. It might not be the most surprising read, but its themes will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt like they weren’t enough.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely a case of <i>be careful what you wish for because you just might get it</i>.

Envious of her seemingly perfect cousin Jessica's life, Jenna makes a wish to <i>be</i> Jessica. While everything seems wonderful at first, Jenna slowly discovers that oh-so-perfect Jessica is far from perfect.

More horrifying still, Jenna discovers that her cousin didn't not end up in her life, but rather, that Jessica's soul seems to be missing. It also seems that all of their friends and family are beginning to forget that Jenna herself even existed.

It's been just over a month since I've finished this book, and I'm still not quite certain how to properly review my experience. While I was hooked by the horror of the possibility that both Jessica's soul and the memory of Jenna fading into nothingness and the discovery that perfection is often uglier than it appears, I felt like I was left wanting for something that I can't quite put my finger on. It might just be that I've not read much magical realism and I'm still adjusting to the genre.

Still, the lesson of this story is an important one and, while I am new to reading magical realism, I enjoyed how I was able to feel the suffocating feeling of living someone else's life while struggling with your own sense of worthiness and identity.

This was my first Ann Liang book, and I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

This book is a love letter to all the gifted students out there who suffer(ed) endless burnout climbing up the tallest mountain only to reach the peak and still feel like you’re not good enough.
Jenna Chen is smart, but she’s not /as/ smart as her cousin Jessica Chen, who receives about every award there is and gets top marks. She even got into Harvard, whereas Jenna didn’t. If only Jenna could hate her, but Jessica also happens to be the kindest person.
This book really harps on the damaging effects familial expectations can have, as well as generational guilt. “I have to be the best— because my parents sacrificed everything for me to be here”. I feel like a lot of kids of immigrants feel this way, myself included.
Jenna made a wish to be Jessica, and it came true. But there was no Freaky Friday situation. Jessica was essentially in the ether, and Jenna’s real life and memory (people’s memory of her, not actually her own memory) began to fade the longer she became Jessica. She also learned that life isn’t always greener on the other side. Jessica struggles a lot—- what looks like so much on someone’s plate IS a lot. She has pressures of her own.
I am glad that Jenna got to experience both the highs and lows of being Jessica, because I think it enabled her to appreciate more who she is and their differences, and begin to move past the self-hate. Aaron was also a great support, and I love that he was always there rooting for the real Jenna. In the end nothing really changed, just how the two girl’s viewed their own lives. It was a good coming of age moment right before they head off to college.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for the listen!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for this arc audio. I really enjoyed this narration and the story. When you wish to be someone else, but aren't expecting for your wish to come true. This was a really good story, I enjoyed it.

Who hasn’t thought they’d like to switch places with someone who seemingly has an easier life? Even with the magical realism of becoming another person, the main character is deeply relatable with so many normal thoughts, doubts, dreams. It is gratifying to see her learn that everyone, no matter how perfect their life may seem, has their own challenges and struggles. These lessons, softened by a sweet little romance, add up to a very satisfying story. The narrator does a beautiful job as well!