This is my third Ann Liang read and I believe her second dark academia book.

What I really liked about Ann Liang first is her writing style. Accessible writing style is difficult to achieve especially when it revolves on a plot that blends modern contemporary setting and magical realism. And I can say that Ann managed to deliver the expected voice of Jenna Chen.

Storyline is also a strong point to discuss since this novel promises a discussion about comparison and pressure that is normalized in most, if not all, Asian families. Jenna Chen, our MC, has been doubtful of her hardwork right from the very first chapter as she can’t seem to attain the level of success that her cousin, Jessica Chen, is enjoying.

What Jenna doesn’t know is that her random wish upon a star will suddenly come true and she will assume the life of her beloved cousin Jessica but at what cost?


This is borderline dark but not as dark with Ann Liang’s debut. I like the discourse about familial expectations that pushes kids to the point of no return, in this case, Jenna and Jessica share the same school and same family but never the same level of success hence imagine the comparison.

There is also a romance element in here that somehow became a major element at the end and as usual, I enjoyed how the author balanced the mystery of Jenna/Jessica and the romance without overshadowing each other.

One thing that I noticed in my experience reading IANJC is that I was expecting more but nothing too surprising came. I think it was more of a me problem since I put too much expectations.

Rated this one 4stars. If you enjoyed IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN, there’s a high chance you’ll love this one as well.

DNF at 33%

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc but this one…. Was not for me.

I am SO incredibly surprised by Ann Liang disappointing me in her YA contemporary. I loved her other 3 books… but this one did NOT hit right and she has gone from an auto-buy author to a “I will be avoiding her” author for me now.

This book… is basically a mix of Wish Upon a Star (the DCOM movie) and Mean Girls. Jenna wishes on a star to become her cousin and wakes up the next morning as her - exactly the same as the movie. Except that Jenna’s real body is completely GONE? (Wtf) And her mom is like “she left for that trip… but I don’t remember the details” (WTF) And Jessica’s soul is also gone. (Ummmm) This just makes ZERO sense in the world of magical realism. Why didn’t she go with either full body swap or a world where Jenna doesn’t exist??? Like what is with this half-assed “she’s away” crap???? 💩

So why do I mention Mean Girls? This is like if Regina were outwardly “nice” and Cady replaced her body instead of her completely. Jessica even has two friends: a faker and a slacker. Both of whom are horrendously MEAN.

This is honestly a chore to read and I hated everything I read so far. There are some tiny bits that have promise but most of this is overwhelmingly bad.

Also Jenna’s parents just SUCK. I hate when YA parents suck.

5 stars <𝟑
⤷ this is a literal masterpiece. im in awe ꨄ

💌 ”maybe a miracle will happen. maybe the universe will be kind for once, and when i reach up, the stars will fall into my palms. maybe…”💌

ohmygosh. this hit too hard. ann liang truly never misses with these incredible standalones— never ever. jenna chen is the representation I needed. the neglected daughter that can never be quite enough for her parents. its nice to be acknowledged, despite how much this book hurt bc i felt it on an insanely deep level that i needed to step away and wipe my tears.

🥀”the books i find myself thinking about long after turning the last page are not necessarily the ones that say “here’s how to stop feeling like this,” but instead, “you’re not alone in feeling this way.” W whether you find yourself relating more to jenna chen or jessica chen, i can only hope that’s what this book does for you.” 🥀

I truly hope anyone that ever feels like they’re not enough, or feel so jealous of someone else’s achievements that you don’t even wanna be you anymore— please, pleasee, read this book. I it healed me like no other book has before. because there is always someone who’s proud of you and sees you as the most precious thing in the world <3 never compare yourself!

📖 plot:

jenna chen is sick and tired. tired of never being enough to please her parents. tired of never being smart enough, or good enough, to receive the offers and awards her cousin jessica so easily does every single day. when she gets rejected for her dream ivy league college, harvard, and finds out jessica got accepted— it’s her last straw. she feels so ashamed, so embarrassed that her cousin can receive everything so easily, and she continues to be a failure. so she wishes. she closes her eyes and wishes with all want and desperation.

”I wish I was Jessica Chen.”

she goes to sleep sad. knowing it will never happen— that she’ll never be anything like her successful cousin. but when she wakes, <u>in jessica chen’s body</u>, she thinks she’s got everything she ever wanted. she can finally be seen— recognised for her talents, praised, adored. it’s everything she ever wanted.. right? but when everyone else starts forgetting jenna chen, she wonders, was this all worth it?

🫶🏼 characters:

🎨jenna chen. she was so easy to relate to. I saw a lot of me in her, as im sure many will, and im sure reading this will help a lot of people realise they’re not alone in feeling not good enough, or finding that you compare yourself to others from time to time. it’s completely normal, but i want you to know that you are enough, you are perfect <3 im happy to see her character develop when she realised sometimes it’s okay to not excel at everything, and that things have a way of working out in the end… (i did sob violently when i came to this conclusion last night)

🩺 aaron cai. ahh new book bf alert!! whilst romance was not exactly the main focus of this story, i still adored him so much. ann’s fictional men never ever fail me. they’re always so sweet, so romantic, so adorable!! and when he was telling jenna how incredible and talented she was, I literally wanted to cry for her because that’s all she ever wanted. he’s a cutie pie for sure.

☄️ jessica chen. i literally don’t know why i used that emoji but whatever. seeing jenna live her life made us see how much she struggles— the way she’s so harsh on herself because everything is expected to be perfect from her. her grades, her mannerisms, her accomplishments. and if she fails, the disappointment just hits even harder bc no one expects it. so I really feel for her even though i admit i have a few ‘jessica chens’ in my life that i wanted to be like.

🧸 quotes i loved:

ᯓᡣ𐭩 this is a book about wanting. wanting to be prettier, smarter, cooler, more popular, more confident, more talented. wanting someone so desperately down to your bones that you fear and hope they’ll be the end of you. wanting to scrub your insecurities away and try on another life like a brand-new dress.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 i’m simply not that good. not in academics. not in extracurriculars. not as a student, or a daughter, or a human.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 “..you hate me.” his brows drew together. “No,” he said firmly, despite his confusion. “I could never hate you.” “Really?” “I swear it.”

ᯓᡣ𐭩 “You’re so talented you don’t even have to try, while all i do is try,”

💐 conclusion:

sorry for the yap overload, but this book just means sooo much to me, I can’t even explain how healing and beautiful and helpful and amazing this was. i’m omw to preorder it rn bc I need this in my possession the second it comes out!! so, so good. pls go read it <3 ann liang i love you so much.

thank you to harpercollins publishing and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

You know those kids who were told they were Gifted & Talented at a very young age and now they’re dealing with crippling emotions and expectations? Enter Jenna Chen. Because that’s the vibe she’s giving. I’ve two of Liang’s YA contemporaries and she is a wizard at writing teen angst and all those complicated feelings hormones give us in high school. I loved the magical realism aspect to this one. The writing as beautiful, as to be expected from Liang, the message was powerful, and Jenna’s growth was perfectly executed. I have no notes. I enjoyed this as an adult but I would’ve made this my whole personality if I was a teenager. Perfect song pairing is lacy by Olivia Rodrigo.

ann, write me a biography next please. this book is practically one already! i had the privilege of interviewing ann a couple days ago and hearing about the writing process behind iamnjc. i am so wowed by the character jenna and how liang turns the metaphorical into literal, it helps the reader feel vividly. i think students across the world who are going through a tough academic process right now can find comfort within these pages, the author's writing helps us realize that perhaps wishing to be another person does have its side effects after all. you never know what someone's going through, be grateful for yourself.

This is the book I needed when I was a teenager who wanted to be perfect and struggled to balance it all before I knew what really mattered. This is the book I needed when I was in college and wanted so badly to do something meaningful with my life while trying to ace the academic system that was never accommodating for someone like me. This is the book I needed now, when I still have no clue what to do with my life. I Am Not Jessica Chen is a young adult magical realism book with deeply moving and inspiring themes. The main character wants to be her perfect cousin so badly that she wishes she was her. And her wish comes true. She quickly finds out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. As she lives the life of her cousin, she starts to unravel the secrets hidden beneath the perfection. It’s not hard to relate to Jenna who is so afraid of failure that she is extremely stressed out and starts to crack under the weight of the pressure. The author pitched this book as this is me trying and I couldn’t have put it better myself. If you relate to that song in any way, I highly recommend this book. The friends to lovers romance was so sweet and genuine. I think the romance made this such an amazing well-rounded standalone that ended perfectly. This book was so vivid and raw and real and vulnerable and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

*4.5 Stars*

I really liked this one. I really like how it used something fantasy-like happening to really talk about every day things. It was really captivating and I really liked getting to know the characters. I liked getting to know Jenna and Jessica through Jenna. I really loved how Jenna grew and how she changed through the book. She was a very layered main character, it was frustrating at times, to be in her head, but it really made for a great read. I also enjoyed the side characters and how they added to this whole world.
Basically, I loved the concept and all the little things that made this story what it is. It made me want to read more books by Ann Liang!

ann liang did what she does best, which is make the most achingly relatable fmcs. jenna chen has always desired to be better. she’s constantly lived in the shadow of her cousin, jessica chen, who happens to excel at literally everything offered. she’s smart, athletic, beautiful, rich, well-liked.. and after jenna is rejected from every ivy league, she makes a ridiculous wish: to become jessica chen.

somehow, jenna wakes up jessica’s body. now, she seems to have the entire world at her fingers. ann liang’s writing style is so captivating & it’s so easy to get hooked onto her books. i didn’t feel like the plot was rushed or dragging at any time during the story, everything was just balanced and easy to grasp. (literally read it in one day lawl)

i could go on about how jenna is the realest fmc to ever fmc, but that would be no fun. i absolutely adored her character. ann liang does an amazing job at portraying asian family dynamics. it all felt so real, at some point i was convinced the author went into my mind and turned some of my thoughts into a book. i would give jenna a hug if she was real, i would in fact give her the whole wide world!

aaron cai has quickly become my fav mmc! his relationship with jenna had me on the floor sobbing. he also deserves the biggest hug ever, deserved so much better than what he was given. i know this book doesn’t focus on romance but i would loved to see more of jenna and aaron together & explore their relationship, because there is a very interesting point in the book which i will not name.

this book made me feel so many things, and is probably my favorite from ann liang yet. jenna’s story is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and i’m so excited for the book to come out so i can cry about her with everybody!

This book is a love letter to the burn-out overachievers out there and academic validation-seeking pessimists who constantly feel like they’re never enough.

The premise of this was so unique, interesting, and I could not put this book down. I literally inhaled this in under 24hrs.

Jenna was such a realistic and relatable character on so many levels. She was so well written and her development from start to finish was absolutely amazing as she loved her true self and worth. I had the strongest urge to wrap her up into a hug! That obsession of wanting success and perfection to the point where it’s deeply messy and human – it was captured so well through the writing and characters.

Ann Liang truly understands and she was a genius for writing this book. The writing was addictive and the effortless switch between genres was just *chefs kiss*. This story hit hard because of its relatability on a personal level.

I love everything in the Liangverse (if that’s what it’s called) and this is truly my favorite book by her so far. The romance was absolutely heartwarming and sweet as well.

Aaron Cai is such a green flag and the best book boyfriend ever! I adored his growing relationship with Jenna. I also enjoyed the pacing of the plot, the mystery elements, the cultural background, and Jenna’s bonds with both Jessica and her parents.


I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to read an early copy of this gem. A million thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

many thanks to the publisher HarperCollins for the e-arc.

i can't believe it but Ann Liang does it again for the fifth time in a row. i just love the way she writes, in a way that i can only describe as simple yet heavy. the way she pieces words together always makes everything so profound and hits hard. this one in particular stuck with me because of just how well she writes Jenna's voice that as someone who was once a burnt out chinese student i felt every single bit of.

like many others i'm sure, i saw myself in Jenna. i saw myself in her, in the way she tries so hard she feels like drowning, in the way she never feels good enough, in the way the race for success and whatever it is she needs to achieve never ends. i felt that in every B and C i got in school even though i was always the first to get started on the assignment, even though i put in all the time and effort for it and still didn't manage to even do as well as someone who started a week before the deadline. truth is when i was in school, i never felt good enough. and that was the part of Jenna i understood the most. the worst part is that i understood how it felt to be in someone's shadow, to want to blame someone else for this. sometimes i felt so flat that i was just a cardboard cut out that no one would even assign a role at a table read. the moment when Jenna mentioned being left out when picking groups also made me remember that vividly. like no one would even notice if i was gone.

and somehow i saw myself a little in Jessica as well, if that was possible. no, not in being so perfect and talented all the time at all, only the pressure that comes with it. despite dismal grades, i was always touted as being 'smart and quiet' (typical asian i know) and it felt so hard to live up to that all the time when deep down i knew i wasn't. okay, maybe that's not to much Jessica as i thought it would sound.

(spoilers ahead!)

once again, i loved the chinese whole family dynamic portrayed in here, with the subtle nod to classism in the difference between Jessica and Jenna's households, even within the family. though honestly i would have liked to see more explored in the relationship between Jenna and Jessica since that was so crucial to the story. i felt like i needed more than one scene of them together before Jenna took over to really be convinced of their bond.

but of course Ann Liang writes spectacular romance, and i loved the slow burn childhood friends to lovers thing going on with Jenna and Aaron, and how he was the only person to eventually piece together that she was Jenna and not Jessica. okay, him flying to Paris to run from his feeling from her was a little dramatic. but he's a teenager with talent and money so i can't say much. but still, the tension between them is always sizzling on the page and i love how they are always there for each other. and the banter. god. the scene where Jenna calls Aaron on the anniversary of his mother's death to distract him and lets him yap for two hours on medical stuff? hot damn.

and the art stereotype, the painting, the pressure cooker education portrayed? phenomenal.

i can't wait for this book to be published so i can own a physical copy.

3.5 ☆ i am not jessica chen follows a young chinese girl, jenna chen, who often feels overshadowed by her smart and successful cousin, jessica chen. after receiving her rejection letter from harvard, she believes that all hope is lost. but who does get into the ivy league? jessica, of course. as they're all gathered that night, a shooting star passes through the sky and jenna makes a wish to be jessica. the next morning, she wakes up in a different body - jessica's body. she's forced to go through life as a top student who participates in all the extracurriculars, gets all the good grades, wins all the awards, and sweet talks all the teachers. but is this the life she really wants to live?

growing up in a chinese family, the feeling of being compared to your relatives and parent's friends is honestly something you just... live with. because of this, i resonated with jenna's story of feeling lost and hidden. this brought back a lot of anxiety, not gonna lie! this was extremely relatable and i actually enjoyed the touch of magical realism within the story. however, i felt like there were some missing pieces in all of this. i think the romance with aaron was pretty much forced - he was kind of a side character and i honestly could have gone without him. this book didn't need the romance at all! the mystery element was also fun, but was resolved too quickly in my opinion and didn't end up being of much importance to the book. however, ann liang did such a great job at instilling that fear and anxiousness in the reader through jenna. i also loved the different chinese elements and the mandarin speaking!

Very obvious 5 stars from the start, after all who can expect less from the very best? This was intricaticly written showing Jenna's jealousy and wishfulness in the beginninng began to ebb and fade away as she learns how truly lonely a successful life was. We see her character developement as she learns the dark truth about Jessica's acceptance into Harvard and how Jessica feels about her life through a series of diary entries. Despite all this, Jenna still continues to live in Jessica's body, until something unexpected happens, and her life-long love finally forgets her. This starts to worry Jessica "Jenna" and she promtly make the wish to return back. In the end we see her wish fulfilled, and she now shows more apprecciation to her life. Thank you to NetGallery for the early version of the book!!!
Review on Goodreads -> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6515133188

A stunning and heartfelt work. I enjoyed this book so, so much. The romancea nd themes it was all so good. Can't wait to read everything Ann writes!

I’m mean duh we see this coming didn’t we ?!
first the writing is my favorite thing about the book because Ann liangs writing is my favorite thing !!! I noticed that Ann Liangs FMMs at first are quite insecure and closed up and they have A LOT of similarities in different aspects of life but then they improve as the story goes on which I love because you notice the character development. And Arron boy oh boy this guy had me questioning who is my favorite Ann linag MMC (which I still don’t know the answer to ) he is very expressive of his emotions and didn’t hide that he cared about her ( which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED ) his confession had me KICKING MY FEET especially that the romance isn’t the main plot so you eat it up so much and I absolutely did . I had questions about how the love story is going to be since she is in someone else’s body but don’t worry guys it’s good and I had another question about where is Jenna’s body since Jenna was in Jessica’s body but this was also solved . Overall so so so good per usual mother Ann Liang does not disappoint would happily volunteer to read everything she puts out

This hit a lot harder than expected. Jenna was so relatable because which Asian kid hasn't been compared to their superior relative or parent's friend's daughter/son? This is a shared experience, almost a rite of passage, might I say, when the downtrodden low achievers must overcome self-hatred and envy. There is so much to love within ourselves, and we must search and embrace the positives and hopes in our lives, which can not be defined by others' expectations. I wish I had learned that lesson sooner, too. Growing up in America, it was not always a welcoming place for Asians in academic, workplace, and community settings. People stereotype us, undermine our efforts, and ridicule our culture. But sometimes, we are our own enemy when it comes to striving for a better life. IANJC shows how toxic it is to be competitive and pitted against each other instead of united in our struggles. Ann gets it.

Jessica Chen is the perfect student – beautiful, top in all her classes, in every club and she even got into Harvard. Her cousin Jenna Chen is blurry, never popular, never as good, and didn’t get into Harvard cousin. Jenna wishes to become her Jessica and surprisingly she wakes up in her life – all the adulation but also all the hard work. Jenna becomes addicted to it.
A good story that I had a lot of empathy and understanding of looking at that greener grass but I think it just didn’t go far enough. The what happened to Jessica part was weak and Jenna didn’t really feel like someone who loved art.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this DRC.
#IAmNotJessicaChen #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I liked how the book dove into themes of insecurity, jealousy, and mediocrity. On the other hand, I also loved how it explored what it's actually like to be "perfect", along with the burden that comes with it—the dissatisfaction. When you set the standard for everyone else, what is there left to strive for?

I loved how the book portrayed the intoxicating feeling of finally getting what you want, and never wanting to let go of it. It captures selfishness in its rawest form. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be raw, with Jenna’s unfiltered thoughts and emotions laid bare for us.

The premise is intriguing and really drew me in, and the execution of the body swap was interesting. However, it felt a little underdeveloped towards the end. I wanted to see more of Jenna’s overall growth. I wish there had been more focus on Jenna’s artistic path, because the end didn't feel satisfying enough for a conclusion. Additionally, from the middle to the end, some parts felt a bit repetitive. The inner monologues get a bit tiring because they all practically say the same thing, so there were times when it felt a bit shallow. Don’t get me wrong—a lot of the lines hit hard—but I hoped the later part would have more substance. Overall, it was an enjoyable read; I just think it could've been better with a little more character development.

I loved Ann Liang’s I Hope This Doesn’t Find You, so I was over the moon when I got the ARC of I Am Not Jessica Chen. And it didn’t disappoint!

Sometimes, I like magical realism, and sometimes, I don’t, but this story was so well done. I love harder-hitting stories, and this one sometimes tore me apart, so it was good! There’s a lot of character development, and I love to see a character grow.

Be aware that the romance, childhood friends to lovers, is just a B-plot, but it is a sweet one.

Overall, it's a great story!

Jenna was so relatable I was tearing up in certain parts, it just felt so good to not be the only who feels like you are never enough. I loved the story, Ann Liang prose was beautiful and eloquent. She is one of my favorite authors after reading this books.


Jenna's character development had my tearing up at the end 😭. I just wish I could give her a hug. Everyone can relate to this book at some point.

Aaron was amazing. He was just perfect but perfect in a way that is good, comfortable, like a warm hug. I don't know how else to describe him. L loved how he supported Jenna throughout the story, he is a gigantic green flag. The way the book shows Jenna gradually losing pieces of her identity is both haunting and beautifully written. Her internal conflict, as she realizes that perfection isn’t everything, is so real and raw that it leaves a lasting impact.



I love this book to bits, I want to go back and read it all over again. I will think about the characters and story a lot. Definitely a six star read for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

P.S I sincerely would like to thank NetGalley and HaperCollins for the e-arc.

I have loved all of Ann Liang's books so far, and I'm so glad she keeps writing! I liked the premise of this story - the magical realism aspect of it. I did not like the main character, Jenna, as much as I hoped, and I didn't get to know Jessica well enough to feel invested in her as a character. It might have worked better for me if Jenna's self-realization was drawn out a bit more. That being said, the book is incredibly readable and I loved the romance between Jenna and Aaron.
I will definitely recommend this to readers of YA fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!