ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
Well this was cute. Gracie is approached by a legendary Chinese actress named Fangli. Gracie is her doppelganger and she asks her to stand in for her at different events, she will of course compensate her. Sam is also a famous Chinese actor and Fangli's best friend. This new arrangement doesn't sit right with him but he sees his best friend struggling and goes along with it. Along the way, he befriends Gracie and soon falls for her. Gracie takes the job to save up for a nice nursing home room for her mother that has alzheimer's. Towards the end we discover a secret that Gracie's mom has kept from her that connects her to a new family member. The characters were likeable and the story held my attention.

"The Stand-In" is a sweet and charming romantic comedy that will make you smile from beginning to end. The story follows the character of Gracie, a struggling actress who takes on the role of a famous movie star's stand-in. Gracie is initially hesitant to take on the job, but she quickly finds herself falling for the charming and handsome leading man, Cooper.

The author, Lily Chu, has a talent for creating relatable and likable characters. Gracie is a lovable and quirky character, and readers will easily empathize with her struggles to make it in the competitive world of acting. Cooper is charming and swoon-worthy, and their chemistry is delightful to read.

The plot is fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of humorous moments and unexpected twists. The story also touches on deeper themes, such as the importance of staying true to oneself and the power of following your dreams.

Overall, "The Stand-In" is a fun and heartwarming romantic comedy that is perfect for fans of the genre. The writing is witty and engaging, and the characters are lovable and memorable. If you're looking for a lighthearted and enjoyable read that will leave you feeling good, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Reading this book was fun, especially when Gracie was pretending to be the superstar. The plot was predictable though so I was able to guess what was going to happen next, which lessens the excitement of anticipation. However, overall, it was really a fun story with a heartwarming twist. Thank you, Lily Chu, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, and NetGalley for the ARC. I understand that I am to give my honest review.

until this book I didn't know I loved a celebrity doppleganger trope and now I do. It was fun and the leads were well drawn and developed

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!