finnickdeservedbetter 's review for:

The Stand-In by Lily Chu

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

For readers who like:

• celebrity romance
• fake identity
• dislike to lovers
• biracial (asian/white) MC
• first gen Canadian MC

The book was like a breathe of fresh air. I was kinda putting it off in favour of other books but I wish I hadn't. The characters are ao well-rounded and dimensional. They had flaws of course but I could relate to each one and honestly, see myself being friends with any of them.

This touched on a few big topics (like identity- being biracial and the child of an immigrant, mental health, and sexual harrassment to name a few) but all in a very accessible and approachable way.

The only reason I didn't give it 5☆ is the unnecessary (isn't it always?)

third act breakup paired with miscommunication 🤢

.

Other than that tho, I really enjoyed this book and got through it all in one sitting. This is my first book by Lily Chu but it definitely won't be my last.

Content Warnings