Lily Chu

HOW TO UPEND YOUR LIFE: Get fired by gross, handsy boss Fail to do laundry (again) Be mistaken for famous Chinese actress Fall head-first into glitzy new world Gracie Reed is doing just fine. Sure, she was fired by her overly "friendly" boss, and yes she still hasn't gotten her mother into the nursing home of their dreams, but she's healthy, she's (somewhat) happy, and she's (mostly) holding it all together. But when a mysterious SUV pulls up beside her, revealing Chinese cinema's golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao, Gracie's world is turned on its head. The famous actress has a proposition: due to their uncanny resemblance, Fangli wants Gracie to be her stand-in. The catch? Gracie will have to be escorted by Sam, the most attractive--and infuriating--man Gracie's ever met. If it means getting the money she needs for her mother, Gracie's in. Soon Gracie moves into a world of luxury she never knew existed. But resisting Sam, and playing the role of an elegant movie star, proves more difficult than she ever imagined--especially when she learns the real reason Fangli so desperately needs her help. In the end all the lists in the world won't be able to help Gracie keep up this elaborate ruse without losing herself...and her heart.

The Stand-In

Jels

"I don’t need to share all my personal thoughts with the world.” He eyes me with amusement. “Do Canadian actors speak out against your own country’s abuses?” “Not often,” I admit after I think about it. “Did you ever think to ask why we’re responsible for answering for our government when they’re not responsible for yours?”

Kimmy Hobden

“There are enough people in the world ready to put you down. Do you need to join them?”

It wasn’t all that I expected and wasn’t the best book I’ve read

Madison tidwell

Cute but absolutely no reason for this book to be this long.

Deborah Kerr

Not what I expected but still a good read. This book is basically about a Chinese-Canadian woman who’s approached by a well-known Chinese actress who wants her to take her place during promo events while she takes time for her mental health. The story mostly follows the MC Gracie and her experiences stepping into her role as Wei Fangli while trying to take care of her mom who has dementia and creating a way for her to maintain herself after her contract is over. 

I think I wanted more drama especially with them almost getting caught or having more scandals and actually having the characters deal with these issues instead of their teams behind the scenes getting rid of the problems. I think the resolutions were just too quick.

I loved the budding romance between Gracie and Sam. It was subtle and slow to start. They went from hating on each other to Lowkey enjoying each other’s company which was nice. 

I also liked how mental health played a role especially with the characters trying to advocate for each other to get the help they need. 

Honestly this was a good story. I just think maybe there was too much content with not enough time to really see things through. I think it would have worked better for either a longer story or maybe multiple books focusing on different issues. Still a good read though! 

Nataly

Not what I expected but still a good read. This book is basically about a Chinese-Canadian woman who’s approached by a well-known Chinese actress who wants her to take her place during promo events while she takes time for her mental health. The story mostly follows the MC Gracie and her experiences stepping into her role as Wei Fangli while trying to take care of her mom who has dementia and creating a way for her to maintain herself after her contract is over. 

I think I wanted more drama especially with them almost getting caught or having more scandals and actually having the characters deal with these issues instead of their teams behind the scenes getting rid of the problems. I think the resolutions were just too quick.

I loved the budding romance between Gracie and Sam. It was subtle and slow to start. They went from hating on each other to Lowkey enjoying each other’s company which was nice. 

I also liked how mental health played a role especially with the characters trying to advocate for each other to get the help they need. 

Honestly this was a good story. I just think maybe there was too much content with not enough time to really see things through. I think it would have worked better for either a longer story or maybe multiple books focusing on different issues. Still a good read though! 

the miscommunication aspect was annoying but i liked the book otherwise 

Amanda

A fun little read. I enjoyed the fact that it was set in Toronto and I could recognize some of the places the characters went. The story itself isn't really anything new, but there was a bit of a twist at the end that I thought elevated the story overall. I could well imagine this as a movie or short tv series. A relatively light, fluffy, and quick read. I will definitely check out more books by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

Laura Webster

Christy Pigott

It started so slow and took me forever to even spark an interest. This was one of my first DNF’s. 🫤

Sara Carlson 

This was a cute, if rather staid, affair! I really liked Gracie’s voice & character — she was funny but in a matter-of-fact way — and her relationship with Sam (who was maybe just a teensy bit too good to be true) was an enjoyable slow burn. The plot fizzled out in the last third of the book — Gracie’s problems got solved with more of a whimper than a bang. & the plot twists were extremely obvious. Still, a cute fake dating/celebrity romance, if you’re in the mood!

The Stand-In

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