5 shining, glittering stars for this book. Ann Liang you did it again! Oh how much do I love your dash-of-supernatural-element books. The way I am Not Jessica Chen unearthed several of my thoughts that I was not ready to process in writing felt like listening to a brand new Taylor Swift song and instantly relating to it on a personal level. The moment I read the opening sentence should've made me realize that the book I'm about to read was going to be a menace and proceed with caution. I was able to feel how much Jenna yearns for literally everything that Jessica has and it hurts my heart. This book gave me a whiplash because I was crying one chapter and then giggling and kicking my feet by the next.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for my gifted e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgally for providing me with this ARC!

⊹ ࣪ ˖ 4 starssss ⊹ ࣪ ˖

This book. This BOOK. THIS BOOK!!!!
I was actually crying because this book was SO FREAKING RELATABLE!!!

I am literally a mix of Jenna and Jessica! I just felt so seen whilst reading about them!!! 😭

And the ROMANCE!!! Omg it was SOOOO CUTE!!! 🥰

I throughly enjoyed this and honestly I would 100% recommend this to anyone I know, I loved it SO SO SO MUCH!!! ♥️

“This book is for anyone who’s ever wished they could be someone else” - Ann Liang

This is one of those books that I will think about for a long time. First of all, the cover is stunning. Whoever designed it deserves a forehead kiss and a raise! The story itself was beautiful and really spoke to my soul. It changed how I think about myself and how I think of others.

I Am Not Jessica Chen is about wanting. Wanting so desperately to be enough. To be perfect. It’s about wanting what you don’t have and not noticing/ appreciating what you do. It’s about learning to love yourself and see the experiences of others.

Jenna Chen was such a relatable character and her personal journey was so beautiful. I want to give Jenna, Jessica, and Aaron each a hug, but especially Aaron. The romantic subplot of this book was phenomenal as well.

I can’t wait for this book to come out so that everyone else can experience it!

*I received this book as an ARC but the opinions are my own- posted to netgalley website, goodreads, and instagram

I Am Not Jessica Chen introduces the character Jenna Chen who has always been in the shadow of her much more successful cousin Jessica. After wishing on a shooting star, she finally gets to see what life is like to like as Jessica, and ultimately discovers that Jessica's charmed life may not be all it's cracked up to be. The author does an excellent job at making her characters come to life, and Jenna's story is incredibly relatable.

as a loyal ann liang fan and enthusiast, this book is amazing! a quick bittersweet, relatable, and heartwarming read. I absolutely LOVED aaron and jenna <3 I can't wait for everyone to read this! <3

This book was so relatable on such a personal level, I feel so seen. This is the reason I love Ann Liang’s books so much. She gets it. She understands. And I think she writes these books so that her readers know they’re not alone. Like Ann said in her authors note, sometimes it means the most just to know other people are going through it too. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate this gorgena cover?? I loved how it talked about Jenna actually painting it in the book, that was so cool! I can’t wait for I Am Not Jessica Chen to be officially released into the world, so everyone can experience this freaking masterpiece.

5 Stars
This is my new favorite book and I am a different person after reading it.

WOWWWW this book was just incredible and I felt like so many times I was being straight up called out (in a good way). I’ve never seen myself more in a book until now. When I said I was a different person after reading it, I was being so serious. I feel like after reading it I’ve just started looking at things in a whole new perspective. I loved every single aspect of this book and I think Ann did a phenomenal job at pulling it all together. Ann Liang just keeps outdoing herself and I can’t wait for her next book!

thank you again to harpercollins and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 ☆

ann liang the writer that you areeeeeee

this book was perfect in every possible way. it pulled at my heartstring in a way that i find myself struggling to put into words. it was like seeing a part of my soul poured into the page, a kind of understanding so deep i can't believe it comes from someone who doesn't even know me. it made my heart ache, but in a good way, if you can believe it.

her writing got possibly even better than her previous books, it is simple yet so beautiful and moving. and don't get me started on the romance! probably my favorite couple and love interest of hers (sorry henry i still love you!) loved it so, so bad.

i'd been waiting for this book for a couple of years and i am so glad to say it did not disappoint one bit!

thank you to harpercollins and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own!

4.75 rounded up
wow wow wow
This book is freaky friday for all of the lacy girls out there. This story is not only entertaining but also important. The feeling of wanting to be anyone other than yourself is something that everyone has experienced and this book is a love letter to anyone who has ever felt inferior to other people. I think everyone should read this book and that’s not something I throw around casually. Jenna’s experience when it comes to feeling second best to her cousin Jessica is something almost too relatable. The lessons that Jenna learns in this book are things that I honestly still need to learn. I kind of don’t want to say too much because we are still months out from this book officially being released and I want ever to experience it the way I did. No one is perfect and this book perfectly highlights that in the perfect way. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3YnEMjTmoq7wQp8KqexoKK?si=BWrTvEC3RR6g26VICU1kJw&pi=u-NG-Gh3rGQSO2
That’s my playlist for the book if anyone is interested! To wrap this all up let me just say that I cannot wait for everyone to get a chance to read this book and experience the things it has to offer.

I loved reading this book! As a Chinese-American daughter of immigrants myself (and an only child, just like Jenna and Jessica), reading this book was like looking in a mirror. At several points, I had to stop reading and just process the feelings and memories that became unburied because of what was happening in Jenna's life. I don't think I've ever had a more intimate experience with a book, I've never felt this represented before.

I initially wanted to pick up this book because the premise feels similar enough to my current writing project to use as a comparable title, and I thought that I might be able to learn something from it. It did not disappoint. From start to finish, it was gripping read. So gripping, in fact, that a few chapters in, I pretty much forgot about my original purpose of wanting to read it from a writer's lens and simply consumed it.

“I used to have this theory that if I wanted something badly enough, the universe would make sure to keep it just out of my reach. Like a cruel joke, or a trick. But . . . maybe the cruelest trick the universe can play on us is to give us exactly what we wish for.”

ann liang, i am awed by your ability to seamlessly switch between genres while maintaining your expertise storytelling.

this is for everyone who's struggled trying to attain perfection, and those who've suffered reaching it.

Success is only meant to be rented out, borrowed in small doses at a time, never to be owned completely, no matter what price you’re willing to pay for it.

jenna chen is not the model student, the perfect daughter, the girl everyone loves - but her cousin, jessica is. jessica has it all - the mansion, the doting parents, the perfect grades, she never even needed braces. what jenna would give to be her...

until she becomes her.

It was perfect. For those first ten minutes, everything was perfect. And now I’m up here alone in my room, the same as always, and the thrill has faded, and I know it sounds awful and so very ungrateful, but all I can think is: that’s it?

an emotional story about the fallacy of perfection and success, the ever-moving marker post for it and its inevitable fruitlessness and inescapable dissatisfaction. it's also about our inability to see ourselves how those who love and really see us, with our perfectly imperfect flaws and all.

“You make me feel the same joy just by looking at you.”

the romance subplot was also surprisingly breath-taking; ms liang pls give me more fictional men with this devotion 😩

i can't wait for you all to enjoy this.

It’s my life, I think with amazement, and it’s beautiful, and I can paint it any color I want to.

an honest arc review <3

ann liang genuinely has such a way of perfectly capturing so many feelings i've had for years (as a hard-worker desperate for validation) -- if it wasn't already evident i will read any and everything she publishes

miss liang writes it, i'll read it. and i'll automatically rate it 5 full fucking stars!!

on my tbr. to read soon :)

thankyou netgalley and ann liang for the advance reader's edition. #NetGalley

Miss Ann Liang has done it yet again! I genuinely don’t think she’s capable of writing a bad book. I have read and enjoyed every single one of her books thus far and she has exceeded my expectations every time. This book was no exception. She has such a talent for writing the most real and relatable characters. The entire time I was thinking is this book about….me? I related so much and so hard with Jenna that I had to physically put down the book several times. Anyway as hard as it was being inside her head, I also felt so seen ? Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend for all the “this is me trying” girlies out there. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley, Ann Liang, and the publisher for this eArc!! I cannot even begin to express how elated I felt when I got the notification that I had been approved for this book. Some screams were screamed...

But anyways I am easily one of Ann Liang's biggest fans, like everything I have read of hers is so enjoyable and relatable on some level. This book is no different, I loved it!

Jenna and Jessica as characters are both so relatable, I feel as if somehow, I am both of them. I liked the premise of the book, although sometimes the execution felt a little weird. One thing I love about Ann Liang's books are that her characters are always so real and relatable. Jenna wishes she were Jessica, because Jessica is the perfect everything in her mind. Jessica is the embodiment of what Jenna wants to be.

This book is not a romcom, and in fact the romance was more of a sideline part of the plot. I think that was a good decision and I liked having the focus being on the issue of wanting.

I liked Aaron but as I already said this book does not focus on romance like at all so at times, I just wished a had a bit more context surrounding Aaron and Jenna. However, I still liked their relationship.

There were some things that I felt could have had more detail or explaining and that is why I gave a star reduction; however, the book is still one I would highly recommend!

I am not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

5/5 stars

for all my girls who feel like they're always looked over, constantly trying to hold themselves to some impossible standard, or if you feel scared to be yourself because you don't want to disappoint others, this book is literally meant for you. I don't think I have ever related to a character quite as immediate as I related to Jenna - being compared to cousins or friends was definitely a thing that haunted my late night study sessions, and to this day, I still have to stop myself from comparing my success to others.

Jenna Chen hates how perfect her cousin, Jessica Chen, is compared to her. Jessica is one of the prettiest girls in school, is known for being the smartest girl in their classes, and seems to be perfect in every regard. Jenna, on the other hand, feels like she's the "walmart" version of Jessica, complete with a similar name.

Ann Liang perfectly captured the feelings of immense pressure and desperation that you feel as a teen and that I even feel now - wanting to impress the people who sacrificed so much for you, but never seeming to measure up to it, despite your best efforts. I loved seeing the peek behind the curtain at what Jenna had previously thought was Jessica's perfect life, but was just as flawed as her own.

The romance was a subplot in this book but it was so beautifully done, in my opinion. (although the MMC has my brother's name so I couldn't reaaaallly get into it,) I thought it was very well written and I loved the way Aaron helped Jenna see how amazing she was from someone else's perspective, even when she struggled with her own self worth. I do think that the romance - although very well done - could have used a little more build up. I didn't mind the sublety of it, but it felt like it was meant to be in the background of the plot, but then happened very suddenly, and was a big part of the second half of the novel.

I truly DEVOURED this book and cannot wait for it to be published. Thank you NetGalley, Ann Liang, and Harpers Collins for this amazing ARC!

“i am not jessica chen” was with no surprise at all ANOTHER amazing read from ann liang and it’s definitely one of the best books i’ve read so far this year!

jenna chen, the protagonist, was so incredibly relatable to the point where i even felt a little nauseous at times. being the same age as her and from an asian family, i could easily relate to her distress in never being good enough and her low self confidence. her pains and desires were so understandable and i adored following her character development throughout the book.

and speaking of her development, one thing that i really appreciated about this novel was that the main focus was not romance but in fact jenna’s character and her journey to finding peace in who she is. i love a good romance story as much as the next person (and aaron cai, the eventual love interest, was so so great! i loved him SO MUCH) but in a story about a teenage girl coming to terms with who she is, i loved that it focused mostly on her!

also, without giving away spoilers, i loved the way ann liang told this story; the concept of body swapping has been a interest of mine within different medias and i love the way she pulled it off here!

personally, throughout my life i’ve had different issues regarding my self confidence. whether it’s my academics or something else, there’s been a constant soft voice in the back of my mind telling me that “i’m not good enough.” and while i’m not one to get super private on goodreads dot com, i thought that i should mention that since this book comforted the emotions that resulted from those nagging cries deep in my subconscious. ann liang’s writing within this book invigorated so many feelings in me whether they were anxiety induced or full of joy and i genuinely recommend everyone to check this out for themselves!

In I'm not Jessica Chen, Ann Liang perfectly captures that feeling of desperation, that you want something so badly, it is almost a need that you might die without. I found Jenna to be such a relatable character, it is so easy to put those around you on a pedestal when you don't know the kind of work they put into their studies, or themselves, and have such a strong belief in your mediocrity. It felt almost validating to read about Jenna's experience, almost giving the book a coming-of-age feeling.

I love the magical realism twist this book takes, it allowed Ann Liang to creatively explore themes of academia, the true value of prestige, and many more. I especially enjoyed reading about the cost of perfectionism, and how Ann Liang idea of leaving a legacy or impact, and just being okay with yourself and your abilities. However, I felt there were minor details, such as the lack of attention paid to Jenna's return to her original self, and weeks-long disappearance, which left me a bit confused and felt like a small plot hole to be filled.

Despite the romance only being a subplot, I found it quite compelling. I only wish there had been more build-up to Aaron's confession to Jenna, or hints of his inclination towards her. Even though we see memories of moments between Aaron and Jenna, since he had left for a year and returned, I wished they'd had a moment before she turned into Jessica to more effectively hint at their romance later in the book.

Overall, this book is fun (unless you find the premise of waking up in somone's body distressing), and almost felt like some kind of mystery-thriller-magical realism-subplot of romance amalgamation of a book. for anyone who has fallen into the pits of academic pressure, I hope you enjoy too.

OH MY GOD !! this one hit home.

this one was written for those people who always felt like they weren't good enough, who no matter how hard they tried always came up short, constantly wishing that they could be better and knowing they somehow can't.

'I Am Not Jessica Chen' follows seventeen year old Jenna Chen who after being rejected by every Ivy League school and disappointing her Asian immigrant parents, wishes to become her smarter, more successful cousin, Jessica Chen. When her wish miraculously comes true, Jenna finds herself living Jessica's life at the prestigious Havenwood Private Academy. However, Jenna soon realizes that being the top student at such a competitive school is far from ideal. As people, including her own parents, begin to forget Jenna ever existed, she must decide if living up to the perfect daughter and student image is worth sacrificing her true identity.

This one was written for those people who always felt like they weren't good enough, who no matter how hard they tried always came up short, constantly wishing that they could be better and knowing they somehow can't. Jenna Chen my relatable queen, constantly wanting and wishing to have what she cannot have, and when she finally does get it . . . she doesn't feel instant regret !! nope, my girl enjoyed her time.

thank you to net galley for this arc <3

This book is for all the girlies who feed on academic validation as if its necessary for survival. It's for those who feel like they're not ever enough. And for those who feel average but crave so, so desperately to be much, much more than that.

When Jenna Chen wishes on a shooting star to be her perfect-in-literally-every-way cousin Jessica Chen, she doesn't expect the universe to actually listen and for the wish to actually come true. But despite all scientific reasoning, it does and she wakes up in perfect Jessica's life. It's all perfect, like a dream come true, except that Jenna is slowly disappearing away.

In a world where human connection is so important to our wellbeing and livelihood, being able to gather the praises and accolades and admiration from other people seems almost vital to life itself. What are we if we aren't recognized by other people? Don't we always want to meet and become this standard that others have set? But to what extent do we finally stop and ask what our expectations and desires for ourselves are? And has that become muddled with what others expect and place on us? I give out five stars very often to books because I just love how the story is told in this exact, specific way that can't be replicated by any other book. Isn't this the same with people too? Yes, but also no, because it doesn't often feel that way. No matter how much someone tells you that you are on your own path and your own timeline, you can't help but compare yourself to someone else, to someone better, to someone who seemingly lives that ideal life that you so desperately wish you are living right now. This book captures that feeling. It tells you that it's okay to feel this way. It's okay that you are jealous, it's okay that you want to be like this person, it's okay to hate yourself. And it sounds so terrifyingly cruel and sad to say that it's okay to feel all of this, but in a world where we do not know a cure to all these feelings, it is wonderful to feel seen and feel the connection to others in knowing that you are not alone in all of this.

And honestly, maybe we're all Jenna Chens and we're all Jessica Chens at the same time. We don't feel enough, but we may be these shining idols for other people. I know the main part of this book isn't the romance, but it reads so much like a romance to me. Sometimes, you really do feel the most loved when someone recognizes you and tells you that you are good enough. Even if all the compliments slip away quickly, forgotten and covered by all the subsequent failures, sometimes that one person's words will seep through continuously, carving a picture until you can see yourself in that way too.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC!