A review by giulsfloris
The Stand-In by Lily Chu

hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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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