of_fantasy_and_fibre 's review for:

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

emotional funny reflective 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: No

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I thought I wasn't much of a mood reader but this book came as a break from a high fantasy series. The descriptions in this book do a wonderful job of showing us who Jenna is, from her artistic descriptions of everyday scenes and her inner monologues ranging from the broken systems we inhabit to the taste of an overpriced baked good. This body switch story takes a lot of the familiar tropes but infuses them with different layers from a middle class teen diaspora perspective, each which add their own complications and pressures. This was overall a wholesome story about what it takes to start on the road to self acceptance and self love. I do wish we could have seen Jessica's perspective a bit more, novella maybe? This one is for people who like coming of age and body swap stories and would like a whole slice of life view from an experience that might be different from their own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Death of parent

Minor: Bullying