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 am not Jessica Chen is an academics nightmare, since we see so much of our present and past selves within the story. This is something my own sister resonated with. I saw so much of my young self in this book, as will so many young readers. Our main character Jenna is surrounded by the best of the best. Her cousin is the golden star of the family, smart, beautiful and well loved by the masses. Jenna? Jenna believes she’s anything but. After getting rejected from Harvard but being forced to accept that her cousin, Jessica, has gotten in, it does nothing but further dampen Jennas view on life and school. What’s the point if I can’t be Jessica? Well that’s easier done than said. After a desperate wish among the stars, Jenna wakes up in Jessica’s body. The catch? Nobody knows what happened to the real Jessica and Jenna has all but disappeared. We watch Jenna struggle with her inner demons, yearning to be validated like Jessica but wanting to be Jenna. This was an emotional read, especially as Jenna learns that Jessica may not be as perfect as she shows to be. I cried reading this, since so much of this story is focused on familial bonds but bonds with one self too. The struggle with self love and discovery and the desperate need for academic validation from those you yearn it from. I loved everything about this book and I can’t wait to see what Ann liang puts out next.

FIVE STARS. Such a nostalgic and beautiful book! I felt like I was right there with Jenna all the way. My emotions literally fluctuated with each plot twist (transitions were smooth and fairly paced, although Jenna's initial reaction and the the reason provided for Jessica's disappearance was a little suspect) SUCH a ride regardless, though. When Aaron of all people began to forget her too-- I literally wanted to DIE. GOODBYE this could not have been more of a rollercoaster... thank you Ann for pulling at my heartstrings for four hours and counting ONCE AGAIN. Flawless writing, with no technical critiques. TYSM!!

This is a beautifully written book. Jenna is tired of falling short of her cousin Jessica's success. She got into every Ivy League school she applied for, wins every award, earns top marks in all her classes, and is surrounded by wealth. Jenna makes a wish to become her more successful cousin, which is granted. Jenna wakes up in Jessica's body, and as she lives her cousin's life, she realizes it's not as perfect as she thought. What's worse, is that everyone has forgotten who Jenna is - except for Aaron, whom Jenna has had a crush on for half her life.

Ann Liang tackles feelings of not being good enough, jealousy, wanting, and dissatisfaction with poignant honesty and stunning language. "Maybe the universe will be kind for once, and when I reach up, the stars will fall into my palms." One of my favorite reads so far this year.

This book felt like a love letter or maybe an overdue hug to every overachieving kid who clung to validation like it was oxygen, only to crash and burn sometime after uni (myself very much included T_T). Or that one kid who avoided every CNY family gathering like it was the plague because the moment your parents tried to flex one single accomplishment, your cousins had already done something ten times more impressive. Like okay, we get it, you’re in med school and also started a non-profit. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to finish a to-do list without crying. Anyway… I digress, haha.

Out of the three Ann Liang books I’ve read so far, I Am Not Jessica Chen is hands down my favourite. There’s something magical (and slightly traumatic lol) about a book that manages to hit so close to home that you can feel all your repressed resentment bubbling back up like an uninvited guest at a family dinner.

Jenna and Jessica are two sides of the same coin, both trapped in the exhausting race for perfection, in academics and in life, to the point where even existing feels like a performance. I felt Jenna’s desperation to finally be seen for something, anything, and equally understood Jessica’s fear of losing the only identity she’s ever known: being “the best.” That fear of messing up even once? Whew. Too real.

If I had one teeny-tiny wish, it would be for a dual POV. I would’ve loved to be inside Jessica’s head and hear her take on everything going down. Still, the emotional core of this story landed beautifully. That final message? That you don’t have to be perfect, that you don’t have to measure your worth by the unattainable standards of others? A gentle reminder that just being you is enough. Mistakes, imperfections, all of it.

Thank you HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books, author Ann Liang, and NetGalley for providing me the eARC. The following review reflects my honest opinions and ratings.

3.5 STARS

Jenna Chen is an Asian American high school senior who's freaking out over her academic performance, in particular her rejection from Harvard admissions. She constantly compares herself to her cousin, Jessica, the overachieving family darling who DID get accepted into Harvard. Jenna makes a desperate wish that comes true. All of sudden she's living in Jessica's body and living Jessica's so-called "perfect" life. As time goes on, Jenna learns some hard lessons. Perfection is a lot of pressure. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

I feel very mixed on this book.

First of all, the writing is good. Ann Liang caught my attention with her last book, A Song to Drown Rivers, an historical fiction set in ancient China that earned 5 stars from me.

The author provides a realistic feeling journey living the life of a melodramatic, woe-is-me teenager. The realism, for me, was both a negative and positive.

Who was this book for? I am past the age of high schoolers and was not interested in being emotionally bogged down by reminders of stresses I've already lived. You get the whole gamut of emotional insecurity, academic stress, self-destructive comparisons, and puppy love woes. Those experiences would be more directly relatable for someone of the age of the heroine, except that I don't think someone going through those negative emotions and experiences in real time would appreciate being mired in the fictional misery either. The overall arc didn't feel satisfying because the epiphany for the main character and resolution of the book did not equal the interminable suffering and whining of the main character for the first 90 percent.

The book felt liked it dragged. Such a fantastic plot device like switching lives should be met with high camp, wit, or at least inventive execution. The story greatly suffered from predictability and lack of entertainment value or creativity in the plot,

I Am Not Jessica Chen plays on the Freaky Friday model where a young woman makes a wish to be someone else and wakes up in that person's body. Jenna Chen is Jessica Chen's cousin. Both girls attend an exclusive private school where academic excellence is at the forefront. Both girls are only children of Chinese immigrants, and both feel extraordinary pressure to succeed. The problem for Jenna is that, while Jessica is the perfect daughter and student, Jenna herself struggles to meet her parents' expectations. She feels invisible. On the evening Jenna finds out that she doesn't get admitted to Harvard and Jessica does, Jenna wishes on a shooting star to be her cousin. She wakes up the next day in Jessica's body, but Jenna's own body has disappeared along with Jessica's soul. As the story goes on, Jenna as Jessica finds that all aspects of her old life as Jenna are slowly disappearing--people's memories of her fading as the days go by. The story deals with teens' struggles to perform as well as how they find their place in a precarious world. The author does a really nice job with the twist, and I'm excited to add this title to my library.

I Am Not Jessica Chen has been on my TBR since I first heard about it and it did not disappoint. It is a story about Jenna Chen, a girl who feels like she does not measure up to her "perfect" cousin, Jessica. They are the same age and it always seems like Jessica excels and makes her parents proud, while Jenna struggles and feels like her parents are in a constant state of disappointment. One night, she wishes that she could be her cousin and the universe answers her. The rest of the book is about learning to accept oneself, appreciating the differences between individuals, realizing that no one is perfect. There is a romance and a happy ending for everyone. I would recommend this book for teens on up..

I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I adored I Am Not Jessica Chen! Jenna Chen is always being compared to her seemingly flawless cousin Jessica, and when she makes a wish on a shooting star that she could become her cousin, her wish comes true. At first, Jenna is thrilled to live her cousin's life, but slowly comes to realize that Jessica's life has its own set of challenges, because she's constantly a target for jealousy and competition from the other students at their private school. Jenna says she hates herself and would rather stay as Jessica forever, but eventually she realizes that even her "perfect" cousin faces discrimination, like the director of the school getting her name wrong, and a fellow student discriminating against her for an award that she wins. Jenna eventually comes to the realization that she would rather have her own life back even if she doesn't get as much recognition as Jessica does. The book explores the concepts of being satisfied with your life, self love, and not comparing yourself too harshly against others. I would definitely recommend it!

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

I Am Not Jessica Chen is the latest YA novel by Ann Liang. Last year I fell in love with Liang's I Hope This Doesn't Find You as well as her first adult novel, A Song to Drown Rivers. Liang released another banger with I Am Not Jessica Chen. It's similar to her earlier YA books, with the focus on the character's school life at the front and center as well as exploring deep emotional issues through her female protagonists.

Liang is a master at creating characters that feel so realistic to me. These characters struggle with real-life emotions that make me feel so seen, because I've dealt with them before in my life. I Am Not Jessica Chen explores jealousy and self-loathing. I found the novel to be an interesting juxtaposition to R.F. Kuang's Yellowface. They explore similar desires, however Jenna is nowhere near as despicable as Kuang's protagonist in Yellowface.

I Am Not Jessica Chen was pretty short. I always able to breeze through it in about 6 hours. I think that's both a positive and negative. In typical Liang fashion, the romance is delightful with the male protagonist being unproblematic and a sweet cinnamon bun of a character. It's YA so it's way more focused on the emotional side of romance and there's like zero spice. But I wish there was a little more to the romance. It was missing that extra little touch that I became addicted to in I Hope This Doesn't Find You. But it's close to being a 4.5 star+ read for me.

In the end, I've decided to give I Am Not Jessica Chen a strong 4 out of 5 stars. If you're a fan of adult romance, I definitely would recommend Liang's books (even though they're marketed YA). Her characters are the epitome of three-dimensional and the romances are a great time.

Ann Liang has once again delivered a story that feels deeply personal, sharp, and thought-provoking. I Am Not Jessica Chen takes the classic body swap trope and turns it into something far more profound. It became a heartbreaking journey of identity and self-worth. It’s the perfect lens through which to explore what it truly means to be enough in a world that constantly demands more.

Jenna is the kind of protagonist who is so easy to connect with. She's ambitious, hardworking, and exhausted from the weight of expectations. She has spent her whole life trying to meet impossible standards, only to feel like she’s falling short. Her story encapsulates the experience of working so hard to achieve success that you lose yourself in the process. So many of her thoughts would make my younger self feel incredibly seen.

Jessica, on the other hand, is the girl everyone admires. She's the successful golden child who handles everything effortlessly. But under the polished exterior, there is a person carrying her own burdens that are not so obvious to others. She is the one who has everything Jenna thinks she wants, but at a cost that isn’t immediately visible. Jessica stands for the silent battle to maintain the appearance of perfection and the tremendous pressure that comes with being held to such a high standard. Both Jenna and Jessica are incredibly well-developed, making their stories feel painfully real.

Ann’s writing is stunning. It balances humor, romance, and heartache in a way that feels effortless. The themes of self-worth, comparison, and the psychological costs of perfectionism hit especially hard. At times, it felt like Ann had opened my own mind and put it on paper. This is why I love her books so much—she just gets it and knows how to make her readers feel less alone.

For anyone who has ever wondered where they fit in, felt overshadowed, or been told that their value is determined by their accomplishments, I Am Not Jessica Chen is for you. It’s a deeply resonant read that lingers long after you’ve finished.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ann Liang for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ann Liang delivers ONCE AGAIN! Who's surprised? Not me that's for sure! I am in awe of Ann Liang's ability to drawn out the most tender parts of the Asian immigrant experience and lay it out so beautifully.

Jenna Chen has always fallen short. Never the first rank in school, never the one winning awards, and now, not the one heading to an Ivy League college in the fall. She's not perfect, like her cousin Jessica, and all she wants is to be her. And then one day, she is her. Literally, she wakes up in Jessica's body. And with each day wearing Jessica's face, she learns more and more about her cousin... and that her perfect cousin's perfect life isn't so perfect after all.

I remember too well what it felt like opening my Harvard admissions result; reading "We had an unprecedented number of applications," and the subsequent, inevitable, "unfortunately...." I actually couldn't read past the first few pages of this book, because Jenna's disappointment, Jenna's anger at herself while reading that letter, were painfully familiar. And even though I'm on the other end of it now, closer to my college graduation than my high school one, her feelings were too much for me to handle. So I put the book down, and started a different one. Once I had finished that book, I returned to I Am Not Jessica Chen. And this time, I was ready.

What I appreciated the most in this book, more than Jenna's character development and the heart-breaking romance, was Jessica herself. We only get glimpses of her character, her emotions, since she's not actually present for most of the book, but somehow Ann creates a well-rounded and complicated character with only her shadow. I loved how she subverted certain tropes. Her and Jenna's relationship felt like the true core of this story. The romance was of course amazing; Aaron might be the greenest flag that Ann Liang has written, and that's saying something given she wrote Henry Li.

If you're a grieving gifted kid, read this book. If you want to believe in love again, read this book. And most importantly, if you want proof that you're good enough, read this book.

And I just finished reading I Am Not Jessica Chen a few days ago and omg I still can't get over how amazing this one was! It's no secret that I'm an @annliangwrites fangirl but I think this one is my newest fave from her!😍 Books like these are the reason why YA is still one of my favorite genres!

They always say be careful what you wish for and Jenna Chen experiences this in real time after wishing to become her cousin - Jessica Chen.
Jenna has always been overshadowed by her perfect cousin and when it comes to college applications, she's no match either. Jenna ends up being rejected by every Ivy League school that she's applied to - much to her parents' disappointment, while Jessica is accepted by all including Harvard. After a family dinner that leaves her feeling despondent, Jenna desperately wishes to become her cousin and taste the feeling of success and her wish is granted.
She wakes up as Jessica the next day and after a huge shock, she's able to fit herself into this new life and enjoy it a little while wondering where the real Jessica went. And just as she's beginning to realize that her cousin's life wasn't as perfect as she'd imagined, she also finds out that everyone is slowly beginning to forget about Jenna - it's like she never existed!🫥 Now, Jenna must decide whether living the life that she'd envied all along is worth giving up her true self.

This one pulled me in from the first line itself - it's been a while since a book did that! I was unable to put this down for a single minute and I felt Jenna's longing for everything deep in my bones too. What surprised me was that every character was so relatable - I saw facets of myself in all of them and I found myself wanting to give both Jenna & Jessica a hug! And omg Aaron Cai - he's the only one that remembered Jenna even when she hated herself 🥹 I loved the romance here - though it was a subplot.

More than everything I loved how this book reminded me that not everyone sees us the way we view ourselves - and how terrifying and wonderful that is at the same time!❣️✨

The message was entirely relatable and very powerful, but the plot felt somewhat unsophisticated. It just kind of an academic Freaky Friday. I certainly enjoyed it, and heavily related, but it felt like there was a higher level it just didn’t reach, if that makes sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Am Not Jessica Chen is a socially relevant YA book that I highly recommend for teenage girls.

This book tells the story of Jenna Chen, a teen girl who lives in the shadow of her "perfect" cousin, Jessica Chen. Jessica gets the best grades, Jessica is flawlessly beautiful, Jessica got into Harvard and turned down other Ivy League schools. But Jenna just feels like she is a disappointment. One night Jenna makes a wish to become her cousin, and to her surprise, it comes true. She wakes up the next day in Jessica's bedroom and realizes she has just gotten everything she's always dreamed of. But as Jenna lives the life of Jessica - attending school at the cutthroat Havenwood Private Academy, hanging out with Jessica's friends, living with Jessica's parents - she discovers that maybe Jessica's life isn't as perfect as she thought it was. And, if it also means throwing away her artistic talent, her childhood home, and her crush Aaron Cai, will it be worth it to be Jessica Chen?

I Am Not Jessica Chen has themes of family, self-discovery, building self-confidence, self-image, and believing in yourself. The main character Jenna is a strong female protagonist from start to finish. Ann Liang's writing gets the reader thinking what it would really be like to live in someone else's shoes; someone we have always felt was better than us in some way. But Liang also shows us that things are not always what they appear and that everyone, no matter how perfect they seem, has problems of their own and doesn't have it all together.

When Ann said "one's the angsty kind of sad and one's more the stare-at-a-wall kind of sad" regarding ASTDR and IANJC I was scared for this one after my experience with ASTDR, all I can say now is leave me alone, once again I am not okay but... maybe I will be in a while this time? This book took my heart, ripped it to pieces, and then sorta put it back together again. Floored by Ann's ability to write so eloquently about the things that churn inside my head as if she's in my mind, another special special book.

*thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review*

The emotional damage this book inflicted on my soul… I do not have words. This story reached into chest, grabbed my hopes and fears, and plunged them into a story where Freaky Friday meets The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Jenna’s story is all-too-relatable, bringing the stereotypical Asian desire for success to the front of the class, and making us acknowledge the reality of how painful it is, even when we choose it for ourselves. It is, at its core, a sad story. But Ann Liang gives us hope, too. It’s not just a reality check for how we approach success. It’s also a sweet love story and a generous call to see all the good things around us that make life beautiful.

The end of the book had me SOBBING, and I think it will be a long time before I get over it. Catch me annotating my physical copy of this book for the foreseeable future.

I Am Not Jessica Chen" by Ann Liang is a thought-provoking novel that delves into the pressures and expectations faced by high-achieving Asian American students, specifically those vying for Ivy League spots. Jenna Chen, a talented but struggling student, discovers she's body-swapped with her perfect cousin Jessica, allowing us to see firsthand what it's like to live in someone else's life. Through Jenna's experiences, we're introduced to the complexities of academic pressure, perfectionism, and the blurred lines between self-worth and achievements.

Ann is a true artist when it comes to writing from an emotional place. She always finds a way to capture my heart. What I loved most about this book is its nuance and depth. Liang masterfully crafts a relatable protagonist in Jenna, who embodies the insecurities and struggles many students face in high-pressure environments. The romance between Jenna and Aaron is a lovely addition, with their relationship developing organically and providing a beautiful contrast to the academic focus of the story. Overall, "I Am Not Jessica Chen" is a must-read for anyone interested in stories that explore academia, identity, and self-worth with sensitivity and nuance. Liang's writing is both deeply personal and universally relatable, making this book a heartwarming and thought-provoking read.

I adored IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN, so I couldn't wait to read another speculative book from Ann Liang. This book follows teenager Jenna Chen, after she makes a wish and discovers she has woken up with her mind in her cousin Jessica's body. Jenna begins to discover that Jessica's life is less than perfect, and must figure out how to return to her own body before its too late. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. Each character was well thought out and interesting. I loved the family dynamics. The romance element was well integrated into the story. Of course, I loved the speculative elements. This is one that I will definitely be recommending! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc!

I Am Not Jessica Chen takes a close look at the lives of successful Asian American students and what they have to give up for Ivy League schools though speculative fiction. Jana Chen body swaps her cousin the perfect, Harvard-bound Jessica Chen. The story explores family and friend dynamics against the central theme of school while also examining mental health of these students. Fascinating read that is meant to shed light on the pressures of school on "perfect" students.