A predictable yet interesting read...

I liked all the key characters - Gracie, Fangli and Sam and most of the secondary characters as well. An interesting mix of characters that were developed very well.

The story was as expected and I did have several questions and comments (it deals with several heavy and sensitive areas).

But it was written well - especially for a debut book.

Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

The Prince and the Pauper stories tend to be very camp, which is why they work so well in teen movies. The Stand In has an older lead (not a teenager) and a one sided take over rather than an equal two person switch.

This setting of an adult who can pause their entire life for a couple months only works by making Gracie an NPC in her own life. Looking like a gorgeous movie star is her best quality.

With no job and apperently no social life, Gracie takes the job to cover for superstar actress Fangli at events so Fangli can rest. This means forced proximity with Sam, Fangli's date to the events.

Sam was named sexiest man alive, but somehow has a completely free calendar to make all the events Fangli hired Gracie to do and hang out with Gracie during the day despite Fangli being over worked and scheduled?? Not sure about the logic on that one, but this whole absurd set up is so we can get self insert character Gracie to spend her days with grumpy super hot movie star man.

I loved the dichotomy between the world the main character lived in and the one she was learning to navigate. This book had a perfect balance of romance, fame, fortune, and realistic tropes. I appreciated the approach to troubles faced by the characters and how the characters navigated the new world. Such an intriguing premise and it did not disappoint.

I did not want to say goodbye to Gracie & Sam! Or Fangli for that matter. And I most definitely kept wishing that Eppy was a real app (all my fellows organizational enthusiasts will appreciate this one). This book was cute, quirky and fun with a perfectly imperfect main character, slow burn romance & a some deeper themes to boot. 2022 seems to be my year for own voices romances set in Toronto - a trend that will continue I hope as it's really working for me as a reader so far. My enthusiasm for this story was only amplified by this gorgeous cover.

Gracie is a hot mess - stressed out about her mom who has Alzheimer's and needs to be in a better home which Gracie is trying to save for but getting fired did not play into those plans. Even the endless stream of time management apps does not seem to help much increase her hold on her life. A paparazzi mistakes Gracie for a famous Chinese actress Fangli which leads to a quite unusual job offer - Fangli wants to hire Gracie as her stand in for some social appearances. Conflicted, Gracie accepts. Except her disorderly life is now thrown for another loop because she also has to spend time with Fangli's leading man, Sam - another gorgeous celebrity who keeps pushing Gracie's buttons. What could possibly go wrong?

This is not a fast paced story solely focused on the romance aspect. Though Gracie and I don't have much in common (except a love of lists and organizational apps), I couldn't help but root for her. And lets be honest many of us mere mortals sometimes fantasize about being thrown in the path of a celebrity we find attractive. And in the midst of this fantasy and cuteness, LIly Chu managed somehow to work in more serious topics such as racism, bi-racial identity, sexual harassment.

Grab this book if you need a mind escape, if you're in need of a fun vacation read or just feel like discovering a cool new debut rom-com with a tad more com than rom. And somebody please make Eppy a reality!

Grateful to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gracie Reed bears an uncanny resemblance to famous Chinese actress Wei Fangli. When she loses her job and Wei Fangli shows up with a proposal to be her stand-in for certain events, Gracie thinks of her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, and the dream private nursing home she’s on a waitlist for, and decides to accept the job. Her escort partner for these events? Sam Yao, Sexiest Man in the World (according to “Celebrity” magazine) and Fangli’s best friend.

Interestingly, this book didn’t feel very romance-centric to me. Instead I felt that the focus was more on other issues highlighted in the book: workplace harassment, mental health, identity, racism, friendship, and family.

Showbiz is often portrayed as a world of glitz and glamour, but this story highlights the dark side of it as well - the toll it takes on celebrities, mental health issues, the utter lack of freedom and privacy, and the constant pressure to upkeep the perfect image. My heart breaks for both Sam and Fangli, but especially for poor Fangli as she struggles to keep everything together.

As half-Chinese and half-White, Gracie has always struggled with her identity, feeling like she never belonged to either group. To some extent, I can relate to this, as an ethnic Chinese growing up in a rather westernized country with English as my first language.

I loved the dynamics between Gracie and Fangli; they clicked really well together. I enjoyed the friendship all 3 of them share despite the initial hostility between Gracie and Sam in the beginning.

Sam Yao. Sexist Man in the World. Need I say more? Yes, he was very prickly initially but it all stemmed from his concern for Fangli and he warmed up to me pretty quickly. Irresistible charms indeed.

It was heartbreaking to read about Gracie’s mum, especially on her bad days. It truly isn’t easy when a loved one is afflicted with dementia.

And oooh that plot twist at the end! But I wished there was an epilogue. The ending felt a little rushed and abrupt, and I had wanted more of the 3 of them. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read! 4.5/5 stars.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I loved reading The Stand-In, it isn’t your typical enemies to lovers story. It has a deeper story line about characters with personal struggles of mental health, uncomfortable workplace situations and the overall overwhelming pressure of life. the characters in the story become connected and help each other through their struggles, whether they realize it or not. Through some of the drama blossoms a romance, a friendship and a family. The story kept me captivated and entertained, it will not disappoint.

The Stand-In is a classic character building story with plenty of teasing moment of romance, self-doubt, and finding yourself in a better place than you started. The book takes place in the 2-3 months that Gracie finds herself posing as Fangli, learning her entire life, mannerisms, and relationships along the way. Not to mention Sam. My favorite parts were when Sam wasn't Sam Yao, as Gracie puts it, he's just Sam. I loved how she ended up focusing more on herself during the entire venture, but also helping Fangli learn about her own mental health, and breaking Sam out of the superstar shell he's found himself in.
If you aren't picky about predicable endings, or just love a read that has a multitude of different layers to the story, I highly recommend this book. It didn't WOW me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read either way and loved to see Gracie find more of herself, albeit imperfect, in the end. Perfect characters at the endings of stories are so boring
anyway.
Don't be scared away by the romance tag, it's a lot more than just that.

This is a good, well-rounded debut.

I absolutely loved the Chinese and generally diverse character group here.

I didn't fall in love with the main character. I felt that she could've had more personality and been a little less morose. That being said, I felt a lot of empathy for her. The consistent theme of her to-do lists was really cute and a nice touch. I enjoyed the unusual aspects of the book. Women weren't pitted against each other and Lily Chu didn't shy away from really tough topics. I respected that.

Sam as a character could've been developed slightly more but boy, did I swoon HARD! His friendship with FangLi was nice to see.

Overall, it was enjoyable but not too exciting. It didn't capture me as much as I wanted it to. I'd love to read more books about Chinese characters. This is the biggest strength of this book.

The pacing was a little slow but I did like the characters. I look forward to other books by this author especially when it could tighten her storytelling.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This checked all my boxes for a romance/women's fiction mash-up. I instantly liked Gracie and wanted to see how her turned-upside-down world would straighten up. Gracie has lost her job and her mother has early stages of dementia with little financial reprieve. Stumbling into Wei Fangli, her unexpected doppelganger, might be her ticket to success. Wei Fangli's cohort, Sam Yao, might further her downfall.
This book was such a delight to read. I loved how Lily gracefully (ha ha!) dealt with Gracie's challenges and triumphs. The push and pull between Sam and Gracie was terribly sweet and fun. Basically I adored this debut and am eager to read anything Lily writes in the future.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

After getting mistaken for an actress, Gracie Reed got an offer to be a double and pretend to be Wei Fangli. After getting fired from her work, Gracie finally accepts the offer to act and dress like Fangli. This also includes spending time with her co-star, Sam.

The blurb got me wanting to read this story. The stand-in was a refreshing and enjoyable read. The story reminds of Barbie the Princess and the Popstar at some point. The book felt long and predictable but overall, I loved the characters and the adorable plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchanged of my honest review

I enjoyed this one very much. It’s easy to get in to and moves in a good pace.

You start getting hints that Fangli and Grace might be sisters when Fangli says something about her father being the kind of man that Gracie’s mother ran away from. I like that they are long lost sister and think it adds to the plot in a great way!

I like Sam and Gracie together and think they have good chemistry. I love how the media and social media writes about Sam being in love with Fengli based on the way he looks at her when it’s photos of him and Gracie.

It’s kind of a slow burn which I at times kind find frustrating but I think it works in this one. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun and easy read but with a little more depth in the main characters stories.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ebook to review.

This book had been on my list of highly anticipated reads for the year and I can say, it did not disappoint.

The description slightly reminded me of The Parent Trap so I was IMMEDIATELY sold on the idea. it was fun and silly at times, but did not shy away from tackling real life issues such as mental health, professional failure and complex family dynamics.

The only (very minor) issue I had with the story was that it felt slightly slow to start but it quickly changed pace which I enjoyed.

I would read this book a million times over and I am 100% buying a physical copy next week when it releases.
4.25 OUT OF 5 STARS!!!!


Thank you immensely to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for my open and honest review.

I liked the premise of this book. Who doesn't enjoy a good switching places story?
I really enjoyed the friendship between Fangli and Sam.
It was fun to see Gracie, a normal person, adjust to the life of superstardom in a short period of time. (Was it a bit unrealistic? Of course! That's what escapist fiction is for!)
The romance fell a little flat for me. The transitions from enemies, to friends, to lovers didn't feel clear to me. What prompted the increased intimacy? It's hard to say. Their conversations never seemed to go particularly deep and nothing major prompted a change from lesser to stronger feelings. They ended up with a nice rapport, but they didn't make me all warm and fuzzy.
Things got a little convoluted in the last quarter of the book. All sorts of drama kicked in and it felt like a bit too much all at once given the slower pace of the rest of the book.
One unique factor that I was pleasantly surprised to see was Gracie's relationship with Anjali. As Gracie tells us, she reads about the do or die female friendships, but that wasn't her reality. It was a nice touch of realism that not everyone maintains close contact with a group, or even one particular friend throughout their life. It was nice to see Gracie and Anjali's friendship progress too.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I would definitely read more by this author.

I don’t usually read romances, and I’ve been over chick lit for a couple of years, but I really enjoyed this book. I loved Gracie, who I found to be a very Sophie Kinsella-ish heroine (Kinsella being an exception to my no-romance, no-chick-lit policy).

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

4.25 stars for this debut rom-com.

This one was a super cute, clean, slow burn celebrity story that was a hoot.

Gracie is being harassed at work by her boss, Todd. She's having trouble standing up to him, so she reaches out to a lawyer, but she doesn't have the proof he needs to take Todd down. Then she gets fired and starts to worry about how she'll pay for the care her ailing mother needs.

Fangli is a famous actress in China, but is currently working on a play in Canada with her famous bff, Sam. She's getting worn out and really needs a break. She seeks out Gracie, who happens to resemble her greatly. They form a 2 month agreement where Gracie will go to events with Sam and pretend to be her.

Sam is totally not on board with this arrangement at all and thinks it's going to backfire. They basically just tolerate each other until, eventually, after getting to know each other, they form a bond and begin to enjoy each others company.

I love that she created EPPY when she wasn't getting the results she needed with the programs that are available for life planning.

I liked all the characters and the book was well written. Except, at times, Gracie did bother me with always finding it hard to believe Sam really could like her for her and not when she was pretending to be Fangli. I enjoyed watching Gracie and Fangli's friendship develop.
There were elements of depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer's that were realistically written.

Overall, this was a solid debut novel and I'd read her work again.

This was such a fun read!

Gracie has a lot on her plate. Between dealing with her sleazy ex-boss and scrounging up enough money to get her mother into a prestigious care facility which will assist with her worsening Alzheimers, being mistaken for Chinese actress, Wei Fangli is just the cherry on top. After being given an offer she can't refuse--150K-- Canadian ;), Gracie finds herself impersonating the Chinese actress at events all around Toronto while on the arm of Chinese heartthrob Sam Yao.

This quirky romcom has a great representation of children of immigrants, biracial and multiracial representation, depression and anxiety. And while this book is very lighthearted, it does manage to cover quite a bit of heavy subject matter, like sexual harassment, mental health, and toxic family.

I enjoyed reading this one. My only qualm was that the pacing was a little off. By the book's final quarter, I started to get a little bored, and the conflict didn't draw me in the way I'd hoped it to. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of The Princess Switch, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, or The Princess Diaries, I'd give The Stand-In ago!

this was super cute. i loved the progression between gracie and sam. it was pretty predictable but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

My book club reads theme based books, and I requested this book upon discovering our theme for the month of April was theatre/acting. I had very limited expectations or prior knowledge of The Stand-In before reading. This inevitably meant that The Stand-in was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the fast pacing of The Stand-In, and I was equally delighted to discover a fun and engaging read. The story line is such a cute twist on the trading places trope. I found all the characters endearing and I loved the way each character’s relationship with Gracie evolved as the story progressed. Gracie, in particular, was my favorite. I am a classic to-do lister, and I loved the way planners and bullet journals were sprinkled throughout. I almost felt like I’d found my kindred spirit in her character. I also loved the way Mandarin and various aspects of Chinese culture wove it’s way into the story. The predictability of the plot completely added to the charm of the book and the characters. I wholeheartedly recommend this one to anyone looking for an extremely quick, incredibly cute read on the beach this summer. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy for an authentic, honest review.

TW: depression, dementia

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The premise of this story looks like-hearted - a down on her luck but enterprising woman bears a striking resemblance to a movie star who asks her to be a stand-in for her at public events for a couple of months. But there is plenty more to this book.

We see Grace find her way through obstacles and realise her true calling - it's uplifting and poignant and funny. And her love interest, Sam, is also more than he initially appears to be (also really hot).

There's not a lot of steam but plenty of chemistry between Grace and Sam, as well as real depth to the other characters (shout out to Anjali, Grace's best friend - the kind everyone needs)

I like that the book didn't fall into stereo-types and highlighted some of the unconscious (an conscious) bias that multi-cultural people encounter on a daily basis.

It starts off pretty heavy with Gracie involved in a sexual harassment dilemma at work and a mother with Dementia. if these subjects. as well as anxiety/depression elements, then exercise caution.

In saying that, the fairy-tale style ending was very satisfying and, surprisingly, in keeping with the realism of the rest of the book.

A really fun read.