My thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books, and the author for my e-ARC.

Belonging to one of the wealthiest families in Singapore, the REAL Ami Shah had choices and opportunities Monica Joseph, her family’s maid, could only dream of. It wasn’t fair. Especially since, unlike Ami, Monica was an outstanding student and serious about her education. She owed it to herself to pursue her ambition. To avail of her competency and talent — by any means necessary. She deserved it.

That is how she justified stealing Ami’s identity. But her face is her own. And, as the CEO of Amala, a prominent skin-care company, there is only so long she can save it from media exposure.

The thing about secrets and lies, though, is the possibility that they will come to light. But how, when, and by whom kept me guessing. Monica lives in constant fear and paranoia. She would love to confide and confess. But who to trust? And what would they think of her?

I enjoyed this book. Although there were multiple themes, they were seamlessly interspersed and didn’t feel overwhelming. The glimpse into the skincare industry was informative and meticulously researched. The vivid descriptions and fleshed-out, true-to-life flawed characters enhanced the story. And the end was satisfying — plausible.

The bonus author notes at the end were enlightening and fascinating. I was not aware that the settings of the book were based on real-life locations. That the author made a trip to Singapore as part of her research added to the authenticity.

In a world obsessed with curated personas and personal branding, Saving Face feels incredibly timely. It asks us to consider what authenticity really means—and whether it’s ever too late to reclaim it. The novel explores themes of ambition, shame, and belonging through the lens of Monica Joseph, an orphan who took a desperate chance two decades ago by stealing a classmate’s identity. As she navigates the glitzy world of entrepreneurship under her assumed name, Monica’s past collides with her present in a way that feels both inevitable and pulse-pounding.

(A BIG thank you to Mansi for being a part of her Street Team and gifting me an early copy)

A rags-to-riches tale about an orphan who steals her wealthy classmate’s identity and builds a new life in America. Two decades later, Ami is now the CEO of a Fortune 500 skincare company—but her past is catching up with her, and she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her secrets buried.

This was my first read by Mansi Shah, and I really enjoyed it! “Saving Face”is a twisty, fictional mystery with unexpected humor and some really interesting historical threads woven in—especially around how orphans were treated in Singapore. I didn’t expect to find it both funny and thrilling, but it surprised me in the best way. Reading about Ami—a morally gray main character—navigate the fallout of her choices kept me turning the pages. I needed to know if (and when?) she’d get caught. If you're into “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang, The Dropout, or Inventing Anna, you'll love this one!

The book also offers articulate socioeconomic commentary on South Asian culture, particularly around ambition, gender roles, and surviving another day. Even though Ami is not someone we're supposed to root for, I kind of was?? Her journey from Singapore to America is layered with racism and sexism, and even though her decisions are deeply flawed, they felt real and timely.

That said, I do wish the big reveal had a bit more weight—it felt a little anticlimactic after such a strong buildup. But overall, this is a smart and fast-paced read that explores how class and power intersect, not just in Singapore but universally. I definitely recommend picking up this South Asian villain origin story! Happy AAPI Month.

This is definitely not what I expected--neither as funny nor as thrilling--but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good read. It was. I have a little thing for books set in Singapore, and many of them are the sort of salacious, <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> types, which are tons of fun, but this was a more sobering look at how a society like the one in that series is only possible because of a parallel society more like the one in this book. I don't feel like it was sufficiently critical of American capitalism, but it was still a really interesting look at things from a perspective I haven't seen before!

From the summary:
Twenty years ago in Singapore, abandoned orphan Monica Joseph made a decision to steal her wealthy classmate's identity and move halfway around the world to build her life on someone else's name. For twenty years, she's managed to hide in plain sight…until an ambitious fledgling journalist sets out to write the inaugural full-length profile on her. With her carefully constructed persona and life's work now in jeopardy, Monica is left with no other choice: she must return to the scene of the crime—and the one place she vowed never to revisit.

Commentary:
This book was based on the idea of a young woman reinventing herself literally from the ground up. Monica went from being an orphan housemaid in Singapore, to a wealthy businesswoman in America. Monica began her life as a sickly newborn dropped on the steps of an orphanage, and was raised by nuns. Although she grew up in an orphanage and did not have a great deal of wealth, she was raised with love and given an education. After she aged out of her typical school years she took it upon herself to change her name to that of another, much more wealthy, young woman that she worked for as a maid. This gave her the opportunity of a lifetime, which was to go to university. Most people of her social standing were unable to get an education in a university due to the cost. Monica, on the other hand, had done both the essays and application handling for her much wealthier bosses daughter, and as such had direct access to all of them. When her bosses daughter asked her to handle all of the paperwork and send back the acceptance and all the other declines of acceptance, and that is when Monica saw an opportunity. After all, she was the one who loved school and excelled in her classes. Why shouldn't she have this opportunity? The sisters at the orphanage had taught her morals and honesty, and yet she could find no way to better herself and obtain this opportunity, so she decided to put her plan into action. Monica, who became known as Ami when she changed her name, proceeded to attend university and continue on to establish her own company for skin care, to help with people who suffered from the same skin issues as she did. Everything was going perfectly until she realized that someone knew her secret, and that they would be willing to destroy her and everything she worked so hard for.

I had never heard of the area, or even the history of Singapore where orphans were dropped off to be raised by the nuns. The thought of having to do this to your own child is so incredibly painful to think about, and the child not knowing where they came from, and what made a parent make the decision to abandon them in the first place is truly heartbreaking to me.

While reading this story all I could think about was if I could do the same thing that Monica did. I know what she did was right in the sense that she wouldn't have been able to go to university, and also she wouldn't have been accepted as much as she was in business if she didn't have her "wealth" behind her. It's unfortunate but it truly is a white man's world, for the most part. Would I have been able to pull it off??? Probably not! That being said, if you are looking for a book that is an easy read, and a bit of an adventure through life, this one's for you!