Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Una doble de cine by Lily Chu

83 reviews

emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There is a strong romance plot, but I think this is more of a contemporary fiction than a romance novel. The story addresses some heavier themes, but is overall light and fun. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that encouraged me to stay up far too late to finish. 

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Stand-In is dressed up as your typical switcheroo story - it has all the elements of a tried and true Hollywood romcom: the rich and famous look-alike, the sexiest man in the world, and the ordinary girl caught in the mix. However, underneath the guise of an outrageous plot, we get these incredibly real interactions between the characters. In fact, the most wild part of the book is the decision to switch places - everything that follows is made up of quiet, sincere moments between the three main characters. 

My favorite parts of the book were the discussions and the development between the three main characters that felt really genuine. Although written as a rom-com, I loved that the book gave equal weight to Gracie’s relationship with Fangli as much as her relationship with Sam. This book takes on mental health, Alzheimer’s, and workplace harassment, and instead of using them simply as plot devices or mere footnotes, they’re grounded and discussed with sincerity and honesty. In no way did Gracie’s struggle with her identity as half-Chinese half-Canadian in the light of pretending to be Fangli, a Chinese superstar, ever feel forced. Especially when these doubts and insecurities played a part in her growing relationship with Sam, Fangli’s best friend and sexiest man alive. 

My only issue with the book  came in the beginning and the end. With any switcheroo plot, there’s always going to be an underlying doubt/skepticism of how realistic it really is. Although we did have Gracie questioning the whole thing, the buildup to the meeting was lil too far-fetched. As for the ending, I think it could have been more developed - I wish we had more information on what happens with Gracie, Fangli, Sam, and Gracie’s mom in the aftermath.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

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hopeful fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

After losing her job, Gracie Reed accepts to work for a celebrity (Wei Fangli) as her dopplegänger since they look extremely alike. As she dives into the world of fashionable events and famous people, Gracie finds herself falling for Sam Yao, Fangli’s friend and co-star. 

This story was a cute rom-com with a nice message. It was a fun read, but I had a bunch of issues with how some things were handled.
The slow-burn relationship wasn’t as slow as I would have hoped, but it wasn’t bad either. The story was mostly focused on more serious issues such as depression, anxiety and sexual harassment and I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. I would have loved to have less clichés and a pinch of originality, but the story was cute nonetheless.
Overall I do believe that this novel was exactly what I needed in order to get out of my awful reader’s block, but I also think that it could have been a bit better.

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