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!

Gracie Reed glumly sits in a coffee shop contemplating a sexual harassment suit against her boss and what to do about her mother, who suffers from dementia, when suddenly the flash of a camera interrupts her somber thoughts.

The photographer is chased away by an employee, and an unnerved Gracie puts it out of her mind until the next day, when a luxury SUV pulls up beside her on the Toronto street and her doppelgänger peers out. It’s Wei Fangli, Chinese A-list movie star, who, in perfect English, says she wants to chat. Next to Fangli is actor Sam Yao, dubbed Sexiest Man in the World by a celebrity magazine.
Fangli saw the coffee shop photo of Gracie online, taken by a paparazzo who thought she was the actress. Fangli presents her with a proposition: Pretend to be the star for two months for a huge amount of money. Overwhelmed and suspicious, Gracie tells them she’ll think about it.

Unfortunately, the next day Gracie gets fired by her slimy boss. With no job, and also needing money to move her mother to an expensive private-care home, Gracie calls Fangli.


During a meeting with Fangli and Sam, the plan is laid out. While the stars are in town for a project, Gracie will be the double at public appearances for the overworked actress. Sam, who clearly is against the plan but is supporting his friend Fangli, is to act as her escort.

After much preparation, and upgrades in wardrobe and makeup, Gracie starts playing her part and discovers the vastly different lifestyle of the rich and famous. She realizes that she likes her role, no matter that the smoking-hot Sam is so surly.

As she grows more comfortable, she also becomes more assertive in her own life. She confronts Sam about his behavior, and they make peace.

Working together with the stars draws Gracie and Sam closer, and attraction grows. It also reveals a stunning secret about Fangli.

While snarky fun, The Stand-In also touches upon some heavier topics, such as class and racial prejudice and the stigma surrounding mental disorders. But they don’t detract from the entertainment and the satisfaction of seeing Gracie start to shine her own light.

whenever I leave a bad review for a book I feel bad but this is beyond that. I HAD HIGH EXPECTATIONS !! and they were not met at all... I was struggling with the book for about 70% of it. the closer to the end I was, the happier I felt.

Gracie felt like an alien to me at all times, she (and most of the characters) felt to me like an empty potato and I couldn't connect with her at any point in the book. what also annoyed me about her was the whole "impostor" syndrome which felt more like taken straight out of fanfiction. "Of course I'm nothing but a temporary person in his life, nothing special." booooring and annoying.

something also didn't sit right with me about Sam. everything about him seemed too fake and forced which ruined the whole book for me. Fangil was probably the only character that made me not put the book down. (Also I figured out the plot after like 60% of the book.)

I was hoping that Lily Chu would take the workplace situation and depression more seriously but it kind of felt to me like it was only put into the book to make it more "woke".

Absolutely loved this book. Gracie, Fangli and Sam all of them are so wholesome and funny. I liked Fangli and Gracie the most, they just grew as characters and showed woundreability and strength. Sam was funny, smart and interesting too. It kind of broke my heart how Gracie & Fangli`s mother had Alzheimers and made it so hard for them all...

I loved the premise of the book. I think I was expecting something different. It was a bit heavier than I thought it would be. It was still well-written and I read it pretty quickly. The story was cute and the characters where lovable.

this was so adorable, such a fun read!! it reminded me of a movie i watched a few years back about a doppelgänger standing in for a queen, but this book was waaay cuter. i highly recommend it!

I loved the premise of the book and all my expectations were met! Loved the anxiety and mental health topics and how easy it was to root for the main characters.
I only felt a bit lack of plotting in the last part of the book, but apart from this, it is a quick and fun read!

I thought The Stand-In was fun and original. It was such a unique premise and I love when a book jumps right into the plot and gets going right away!

Gracie was such an adorable, likable character - flawed, yet relatable, and I really enjoyed her story arc and her interactions with Sam, Fangli, and Anjali - who were also all likable, sweet characters.

I loved the Chinese and biracial representation, struggles with identity, mental health rep, even the inclusion of sexual harassment - while icky - it was so believable and I appreciate it woven into the story because it's SO common and often glossed over. And the best part - watching a character figure out what they want from life and ultimately, going for their dreams.

Super cute - can't wait to read what comes next for Lily Chu!

This premise was a lot of fun and the main character and her situation were easy to root for. However, the last quarter of the book with the reveal seemed a bit far fetched. There could have been better plotting and pacing to get there.

This book was heavier than I expected!! But in a good way.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I was positively surprised by this book! The Stand-In is a charming read and I loved the anxiety and mental health representation.

The plot to this book was pretty unique and I really enjoyed the character development and seeing Gracie grow.

I loved that the story took place Toronto and that the authour is also Canadian.

I loved this book! I read this one after a few heavier reads and it was completely perfect for what I needed at the time. It was swoony and fun but had the right amount of heart and emotional depth. It’s a story about finding yourself and being comfortable in who you are, whether or not that’s the person that you are expected to be on the outside. While I of course loved the love story between Gracie and Sam, I also really loved the friendship that developed between Gracie and Fangli, and how that was just as important a feature of the story as the romance. Sure, it’s a little over the top and the premise is quite absurd, but since when does that mean that it can’t also be enjoyable? It made me laugh out loud, I was hanging on the narrator’s every word and it left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I also really liked how it addressed mental illness, especially burn out. It was a little bit The Princess Diaries, a little bit Crazy Rich Asians and a little bit The Parent Trap and I very highly recommend! I need someone to make this into a movie ASAP with Henry Golding as Sam please and thank you

Don’t let the gorgeous cover fool you, this book is deeper than think.

I loved the anxiety and mental health representation and that this book didn’t just focus on lighthearted topics. Those are great and all, but sometimes you need that depth and this book definitely had that. Fast paced and definitely binge-worthy. I read it all in one go. I highly recommend this one, but suggest checking the trigger warmings before reading this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this on some friends' recommendation and what I lovely read it turned out to be!
Cute and light-hearted but also examining some serious issues - mental health (and the stigma around it), anxiety, sexual harassment at work
I found so much about Gracie relateable - she is neurotic and anxious, has a hard time making/keeping friends. At the same time I love how determined she was, she went back and forth on following her dreams but ultimately found her way forward.

Complex family relationship (lots of stress and family secrets), real and pretend personality, learning to open up and trust.

CW: depression, anxiety, sexual harassment at work (mostly off page), parent with Alzheimer's in care home,

I think I was expecting something different with this book, but I still enjoyed it. It was a cute quick read that I enjoyed enough but it left me wanting something different from it.

I really enjoyed this book. I should have seen the plot twist earlier but I didn't and that just made me enjoy the book. I didn't have to be disappointed with the plot twist. Plus I liked how this book doesn't focuses on the romance but the friendship between everyon involved in their plan, except to one. I am now adding Lily Chu to my go-to authors (currently reading The Comeback).

This was a really good book! It was a good mix of light-hearted rom-com fun with the sprinkling of more serious topics and mature themes. It was pretty PG for the most part, no explicit sexual scenes in case you are looking to avoid them. Overall, it was pretty wholesome and a fun read, I liked the main characters quite a lot. Each character had their own strengths and struggles.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.