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.

Jenna is excited to open the email that will confirm that she's good enough and that means her acceptance into Harvard. Except it doesn't come but of course her perfect, smart, beautiful cousin Jessica got in. Jenna's embarrassment disappoints her parents and she cries herself to sleep only to wake up and realize that she's in Jessica's body.

What's it like to live Jessica's life? Live in her big house. Be popular. Have everyone fawn all over you. And Jenna isn't around, so it's a curious mystery as well as a weird experience to be living in the body of someone else learning lessons about perfectionism, motivation, and friendship.

There are a lot of teens who could relate to these pressures.

I was told that this book would hurt me but I didn't anticipate how much of myself I would see in Jenna's story. Going into this story, I knew it was going to be a favorite because the struggle of parental academic expectations combined with inspirations from The Picture of Dorian Gray pretty much summarizes some of my favorite things. The beginning honestly hit me pretty hard and watching Jenna grow as a character made me want to sob at multiple points. Definitely one of my new favorite Ann Liang stories!

I'm Not Jessica Chen completely stole my heart! Ann Liang has once again crafted a story that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable. Jenna is literally me—her struggles, insecurities, and the pressures she faces in an intense academic environment felt so real. I loved how the book explored the whole spectrum of students, from the overachievers to the ones just trying to survive, and how it highlighted the overwhelming, sometimes suffocating, nature of academic pressure.

And the romance?? Jenna and Aaron had such a great dynamic! Their relationship developed in such an organic way, and I loved how they balanced each other out. It wasn’t just a romance but also a story about self-worth, expectations, and figuring out who you are beyond grades and achievements.

If you love books that explore academia with nuance, feature a protagonist who gets it, and have just the right touch of romance, I'm Not Jessica Chen is a must-read. Ann Liang never misses!

4/5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jenna Chen is never enough. Her cousin, Jessica Chen, is always enough. Always having the right answer, always the prettiest, always the one everyone gets compared to. Jenna is tired. Tired of being the disappointment. As a shooting star flies over, she makes one wish.

"I wish I was Jessica Chen."

Jenna wakes up the next day realizing her wish came true. She is in Jessica's body, living in Jessica's house, has everything of Jessica's....and now that she has her wish, everyone is forgetting Jenna ever existed.

────୨ৎ────

₊⊹ I really enjoyed this. It definitely brought my back to my high school days of feeling pressured, always comparing yourself to everyone and 100% wishing you were in the popular crowd.

₊⊹ So many people can relate to this book. Anyone who has ever felt like they weren't enough, anyone whose parents have pressured them into being the perfect child, someone who has sat at the lunch table alone wishing they had a friend. I love that about this.

₊⊹ The characters were so relatable. The romance sub plot was a perfect touch. And that ending was worth it all. Some parts were slow for me, hence the 4 stars. But overall, I loved this and feel like anyone can benefit from reading a book like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I think what didn’t work for me was that a book so heavily about elite college admissions didn’t seem to have a good grasp on elite college admissions. Our MC, for example, wants Harvard, but does nothing to get Harvard. She doesn’t apply early, admits she avoids hard classes, isn’t social in school, etc. The problem: the book’s premise is about our MC wishing she was perfect like Jessica Chen. Now, Jessica has her insecurities and secrets, but she works hard. Even as our MC uncovers this to the extreme, her viewpoint doesn’t change much (and I found Jessica’s secret lackluster).

***Ann Liang's trading-places young adult story allows faulted, imperfect Jenna Chen to live as her perfect, beautiful, Harvard-bound cousin Jessica for a time, pressure and expectations and all--before having to choose which existence she wants to live out forever.***

In Ann Liang's newest young-adult novel, Jenna Chen has always been a disappointment, at least when compared to her perfect cousin Jessica.

Jessica is a top student, so beautiful that others stop to openly admire her, and the most high-achieving and most beloved student at a cutthroat high school. Jessica and Jenna's immigrant parents hope that their daughters will exceed all expectations, and Jessica always seems to. Meanwhile Jenna is artistic and average, and her desperate wish is to be Jessica.

When Jenna finds out she didn't get into Harvard (or any Ivy League schools--side note: her strong but not remarkable school performance doesn't seem to align with expectations around this) and suffers through a celebratory dinner for her cousin, who is Harvard bound, it feels like the last straw. Even Jenna's art--which is her escape and her gift--drives her crazy, and she destroys her self portrait in a fit of disappointment.

When she wakes, she finds to her confusion and elation that her wish has come true: Jenna has somehow taken over Jessica's body and life. But while she looks like Jessica, she has retained her own average academic abilities and her own thoughts and personality--and unlike Jessica, Jenna is not desperate to please others. She quickly realizes that being a top student at a competitive school and having others distracted by your good looks, desperate for your attention, and jealous of your achievements doesn't make for as joyful a life as Jenna would have thought. And while Jenna muddles through Jessica's carefully scripted and scheduled life, everyone seems to be forgetting that Jenna herself ever existed.

Then a boy from Jenna and Jessica's past returns to town, and he seems to realize "Jessica" is not herself--but is his interest in Jenna or in Jessica?

I really liked the revelations (which come through reading Jessica's diary, eek) regarding Jessica's frustrations and fears, as well as Jenna's acceptance of her own strengths. Because Jessica's body is usurped so quickly in the story, we don't get a chance until the very end to really grasp the cousins' dynamic together. Jessica isn't shown to be a complex, surprising character--more of a high-achieving, gorgeous robot.

And I wanted more conflict and more self-realization from Jenna than the clarification that she doesn't want to abandon her life forever (or abandon Jessica's soul; the essence of Jessica seems to disappear altogether during Jenna's body-swapping) by living as Jessica. Yes, the boy likes Jenna for Jenna, and they're adorable together--although the barrier to their being together left me wishing for more plausibility.

I found myself wanting to understand more about what shifted in Jenna's thinking about all of her long-held, outrageous aspirations, her parents' pressures on her (I found myself wanting more clarification around their constant, long-term, destructive comparisons of Jenna to Jessica), and her understanding of fulfillment and happiness for her.

But I love love love a trading-places premise and how it allows peeks behind the scenes at another life and the literal walking in the shoes of another person. And I love Ann Liang's writing and her books--I'll read every one.

I received a prepublication edition of I Am Not Jessica Chen courtesy of HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley.

More Ann Liang love

I fell in love with Ann Liang's fake-dating young adult novel This Time It's Real, read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year, Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading, and My Bossy Favorite Reads of Summer the year I read it. You can find that review, my review of Liang's great young-adult rom-com I Hope This Doesn't Find You, and my review of Liang's young-adult historical fiction fantasy novel A Song to Drown Rivers at Bossy Bookworm, the blog.

Thank you for the arc!
I had a lot of hesitations for this book after I read (and hated) A Song to Drown Rivers. However, this book blew me away. Jenna Chen was fantastic protagonist, one that can't see herself clearly. She is so kind, and she needed a reminder of everything good about herself. The love interest was incredibly thoughtful, and he felt like a proper character in his own right. All of the characters felt like young adults just doing their best to bend under pressure without shattering. I also loved Jenna's revelations throughout. If this is a marker of Ann Liang's young adult books, I am so excited to read her entire backlog!

OMG!!! I did not want this book to end and I am still thinking about this book long after I finished reading it.

How many times have you wished to be you could be someone else? That is what happens in this book but not in the way you think. Jenna Chen yearns to be like her successful and smart cousin, Jessica. Jessica Chen seems like her life is so easy and all the opportunities just come to her. Jenna makes a wish and wakes up shockingly the next day as Jessica....

At first Jenna as Jessica has no idea what to do. Everyone thinks she is Jessica. But as time goes on, people start to wonder what happened to Jenna Chen. Jenna as Jessica wonder how she will find Jessica and go back to her life. Does she even want to go back to life as Jenna Chen?

The other supporting characters in this book are so good too!

For example, Aaron. Jessica's family and his own think they are the perfect match. The real Jessica Chen has been accepted into Harvard Aaron is studying/is a doctor. However, Aaron actually has feelings for Jenna.

Jessica's various friends are interesting too.

I do not to reveal too much but this book surprised me. I thought this was going to be a mediocre teen/YA book and be predictable. This book had so much depth and conflict! It was also so relatable!

Definitely a recommended read for 2025.

THanks to Netgallet, Ann Liang and Harper Collins Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

already available

I am Not Jessica Chen is another beautiful story by Ann Liang. She’s seriously one of the best storytellers of her generation! She can tell such heartfelt stories while also being extremely concise. I love her books so much!!

Ann Liang is simply incapable of NOT hurting my feelings and reading me for filth…

while it didn’t hit quite five stars, i really enjoyed all tbe pain I am no Jessica Chen caused me and i’d definitely recommend it ㅠㅠ

This book is the EPITOME of "this is me trying." Jenna Chen is "good" but her cousin Jessica is GREAT. In a Freaky Friday style twist, Jenna becomes Jessica. And realizes Jessica has trouble of her own. Beautifully developed characters and an attention-holding story line made this such a fantastic read! You should definitely check it out.

I think this is the first book by this author that I didn’t love entirely. Maybe I’m too like Jenna in the first half of the book but I personally wouldn’t wanna go back either.

And then for her to crack and want to go back ONLY after Aaron forgets her? It would have been better if the final straw was the academic pressure or the racism at the college rather than a love she wasn’t aware existed before a week ago.

. Someone described this to me as a freaky Friday situation and listen the way I loved that movie had me ESTATIC to read this. I was expecting to laugh my ass off and see the weird stuff that she would get into. Jokes on me tho lol I really need to start reading the synopsis because this was literally the opposite of me laughing.

This book had me in tears. I wanted to hug her so bad! I’m really big on support systems, and she didn’t feel like she had that at first. She was doing all of this just to feel the support that she thought someone else had. It was really sad. And this may be a bit of a spoiler, but it was even more sad when she had the chance to change back and she still felt the same way as the beginning. I felt so bad for her. I just wanted to hug her and let her know they were hard on her because they cared, but they would much rather have her as herself. She deserved so much more.

Ann is normally a hit or miss for me. I’ve only ever read her romances, so this really lit a fire under me to read her other books. This was about a romance, but it was so much deeper than that. The love interest saw her before the change and even with telling her, she didn’t believe him. The self hatred was deep in this one. I think anyone, teen or not would feel this. I hated that she felt like she had to resort to this. I know I was deep into this book when I realized I was talking about the future of a fictional character. I found muself wishing that she got into therapy later on and really talked about these issues lol And while I would wish that for a person in real life I realize me wishing that for a character was a little weird lol

As someone who’s not a sci fi person, I thank you Ann Liang lol I am NOT science person so I always head into sci fi books hoping the science lingo isn’t too heavy or hard to understand. But in this one, it’s mentioned, but when explained it doesn’t go into too much detail and I loved that. And that’s as an adult. I know there are some teens who will be happy about this as well lol (And for those that aren’t I know some good sci fi titles that have plenty of science in them. Don’t try to put words in my mouth) This book is definitely a great example of fantasy/sci-fi. It has both because of the body switch aspect and the way the switch happened.

There is romance in this one, but I don’t think it was a huge part of it. I think I would classify this as a like second chance romance. They almost had a thing before, but they were teens and obviously didn’t communicate their feelings to one another. When everything came out tho it was head shake worthy. They should have talked a long time ago and they might have saved this whole fiasco. She just needed something to look forward to. he could have helped with that. But I also know that she wasn’t ready for anything and she wouldn’t have really listened to him. She didn’t in the first place lol However, I didn’t care for her decision making. She was content with not caring about anything, but she was mad about this one person not remembering her. And I get it, she’s a teen, but REALLY? LOL That’s what’s important to them. But as a mom, that made me shake my head a bit lol

This was a really great read and I can’t wait to share more about it. I will definitely be putting this book into the hat for my library system’s ToB titles next year. Not only is it entertaining, but it also brings to light some amazing conversations of grades and mental health. This is going to be a book I talk about for a long time coming. Thank you, Ann Liang.

Ann Liang’s I Am Not Jessica Chen is a very relatable and heartfelt YA contemporary novel that was able to explore identity, ambition, and the pressure of expectations. The way Liang was able to capture Jenna’s raw emotions and her struggles with comparison was amazing. Ann Liang never fails to draw me into every book that she writes and that’s why she is one of my favorite YA authors.

I have never felt so seen in a book. Reading this book through Jenna felt like I was reading my life. Always aiming to be perfect, to always make people happy, when in the process I was hurting myself. And every line in this book was written beautifully the quotes were so beauitful I want them tattoed on me. And can we speak about Aaron Cai. Like this man's quotes in this book. WHERE THE MOST HEART WRENCHING THING I HAVE EVER READ. Like most of my highlights were his quotes. If you want to start getting into Ann Liang read this, because this book will change your life.

Review: 4.5 stars

Ann Liang’s writing always comes from a magical place where she develops the most relatable Asian characters. I Am Not Jessica Chen is so relatable to Asian academics who were taught to strive for perfection.

Our protagonist, Jenna Chen, feels mediocre in every endeavour she strives for, especially compared to her perfect cousin, Jessica Chen. After being rejected by Harvard, the dream college she strived so hard for, she made a wish to become Jessica Chen, and in a freaky Friday moment, she became Jessica. And she got exactly what she wanted: respect, popularity, the brightest student in the academy and riding the success. However, one day, she receives a threatening message that alludes to something bad that Jessica did. Can she uncover Jessica’s secret before it threatens to ruin her life? What happened to the real Jessica Chen, and why is everyone forgetting who Jenna Chen is? Will the price of this wish she really wants pays off?

The character development is phenomenal! When Jenna finally got what she wanted, she was still always looking back as she was scared of being exposed as the fraud she was. She enjoys being Jessica Chen and struggles so much with her self-worth that she wants to stay being Jessica Chen! But, she finds that she has a supporter in her real self, Aaron Chai, her crush whom she has not seen for a year and who she thinks has a crush on Jessica.

In terms of the plot, I find the first part of the book somewhat slow as there were a lot of interludes of Jenna’s introspection as she adjusts to being Jessica. The plot picks up further with her interactions with Aaron. Their long-felt conversations, banter and heartbreaking moments Jenna and Aaron had together were amazing. Especially when we explore why Jenna relishes being Jessica more than being herself. I would categorize this as YA with a hint of fantasy. It also explores themes like filial piety, striving for perfection, the fierce and, at times, downside to intense competition as school academia and the messy journey to accepting who you are as a person and loving yourself first and foremost.

Big thanks to FrenzyBooks and HarperCollins for the eARC on Netgalley. I ended up purchasing a physical copy, knowing I was going to annotate it!

The story was very interesting from the beginning. I could feel the stress and unrealistic expectations that parents, school and society are placing on both of the characters in the story. To experience someone else's life and realize that everyone struggles was very cool. I had not had academic pressure placed on me to this extreme, so I appreciated being in the character's shoes. There was a little romance in the story which I enjoyed too!

Happy release day to this beautiful book!! Full review posted on Goodreads and Bookstagram @fadhee.reads 💕

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・“𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓼𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪 𝓼𝓾𝓯𝓯𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽—𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 .”・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

💌27/01/25
➸5 stars ~spoiler-free review💫~
Release Date: 28th January, 2025

First 5 star of this year!!😭✨ I can't believe this beautiful book is seeing the world tomorrow 🥹💖 OH MY GOD!! this book was—I don't know how to put this into words, no amount of words can describe how freaking relatable & raw this book was in every way. I SOBBED, I CRIED BECAUSE I FELT SEEN...SO SEEN...🥺❤️‍🩹 I always say that Ann writes one of the most relatable characters, but this one beats all her other FMCs. Every freaking line hit too hard home, I had to take breaks because at times I could see myself in both Jenna and Jessica's shoes 🫠 Let me tell you something, you all are not ready for this book!!😭✋🏻 (dw, it doesn't end on a sad note like ASTDR)

✨Let's meet our Academic Weapons✨

“I've always had this theory that if I want something badly enough, the universe will make sure to keep it just out of my reach—either out of boredom, or cruelty, like an invisible hand dangling stars on a string.”

Jenna Chen 👩🏻‍🎨~ Our striving burned-out academic victim, who has a passion for Art. She gets rejected by every Ivy League she has applied to, and feels like a shit person inside. She feels she's not good enough for anybody. Jenna is me, I am her. This book focuses on how striving to be successful in everything actually takes so much from you. The need to prove yourself to others because of the constant comparison with other children, your cousins, your friends, and even your own siblings sometimes....just makes things really hard. It's like you are never good enough for anything. Sometimes, you wish you were someone else. And this book was exactly that, Jenna wishing to be her smartest cousin—Jessica, the girl everyone loves, even her own parents. But jokes on her, she finds herself in Jessica's body one morning, and she doesn't know where her body or Jessica's soul is, and she slowly realizes everyone is forgetting the real Jenna.

“I'm a good student, a good daughter, a good example. But I've never been a good person. I don't know how to be.”

Jessica Chen 👩🏻‍🎓~ She's every Asian parent's dream child, the example, the picture-perfect model daughter and student, who is good in everything, and who is loved and envied by everyone. She's the definition of "academic weapon". She gets accepted to everyone's dream Ivy league, Harvard University. But she might not be that perfect "model" student as everyone sees her to be after all. She has her own shocking secrets to guard, one that Jenna unveils. I found Jessica also relatable because once you become that "top" student—your family, your teachers, and every person you meet expects you to be the best in everything. There is this constant pressure to be perfect. Otherwise, you have the fear of disappointing everyone. The glory of being a topper fades away with it. I have been there 2 years ago, and have done that. I "was" her, not anymore, because I learned my lesson very well of putting my mental health in jeopardy.

“The world just felt smaller without you.”

Aaron Cai 🩺~ Aaron freaking Cai, the man he is 😩💓 He is the definition of "quiet prodigy". How come a guy can be that perfect? I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, he makes me wish I had someone like him during high school aahhh. Even though everyone started forgetting memories of Jenna, he still recognized her in Jessica's body, he still looked out for her and missed her. 🤧 The romance is a subplot in this book, there is a hint of romance between Jenna & him, but don't let that stop you, bc this book is too GOOD to pass!!

“For anyone who's ever wished they could be someone else.”

From the moment I read this dedication & the author's note, I knew that I was going to freaking love this book to pieces. Ann really did it with this book, she portrayed the anxiety of her characters really well! I'm telling you now, right here, this second, that this is hands down the BEST BOOK OF ANN LIANG after "I hope this doesn't find you" 🙂‍↕️🙌🏻 RUN AND ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR BESTIES!!😌✋🏻

Read this if you like 💌:
🎀 Young Adult
🎀 Dark Academia
🎀 Artist x Muse
🎀 Asian Fiction
🎀 Students Burnout
🎀 "This is me trying"
🎀 Coming of Age

Thankyou to the author, the publisher & Netgalley for giving this incredible masterpiece ARC! I'm forever grateful🫶🏻💕