Name: Vero Flowers's review of The Stand-In by Lily Chu
Item: The Stand-In
Rating: 3.5
Author: Vero Flowers

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?”

Vero Flowers

this author is severely underrated !! this is my second book from her and i’m having the best time. lily chu saving me from this reading/life slump. i love her writing where it goes from cute romcom vibes to thoughtful discussions on important topics such as asian racism. the duality

the life of a showgirl by taylor swift (fangli's song)

this is such a fun romcom read - switching identities with a famous movie star plot with the added romance with her costar that starts off as enemies !! i also appreciate the discussions of serious topics such as mental health, asian racism, and workplace harassment.

my favs gracie and sam!! the romance was serving!!! enemies to lovers vibe with normal girl and celebrity trope aka my fav trope

also love the microtrope of serious guy becoming more carefree for the girl - “It’s like everything I thought was serious becomes less so when you’re around.”

my one qualm (aka why this isn't five stars) is the ending felt so abrupt and i wish we got to see more of gracie and sam together as well as gracie and fangli's friendship

besides the romance, i also enjoyed the female friendships in this one especially between gracie's friendships with fangli and anjali!! the way they uplift and cheer each other on!! “To turtles. Long may we prosper.”

i also want to note that gracie's character felt so real to me!! gracie's character insecurities was so relatable as well as her inner dialogue. truly makes you root for her growth and happy ending

i love the discussion of mental health and depression in this one. depression is often viewed as a taboo topic especially among the asian community specifically the older generation. i applaud the author for depicting her asian fmc leading the discussion of how depression/panic attacks are common way of life (bc life is stressful), how they should not be ignored, and the importance of therapy/ssris - refreshing to read!!

what I also love most about this book is that the author wasn’t afraid to talk about the racism that asians often experience especially the micro aggressions towards our appearance

“It’s only been the last few years that people have decided to make a fuss about how attractive multiracial people are, as if admiring our appearance makes up for their unnecessary need to talk about how we look at all.”

lastly, the discussion of sexual harassment in the workplace especially as an asian woman. this is sadly such a common occurrence in the workplace and i appreciate the author for bringing light towards it. also appreciate how the discussion later opens up to the inclusion of men being victims of harassment as well. sexual harassment is often overlooked in the workplace and that it is mainly all about power.

[ okay the third act breakup was interesting bc the conflict is basically the entire plot thrown towards the couple - an interesting role reversal. i understand that sam was mad like he’s so valid but also he doesn’t understand what having a parent with alzheimer's is like. he should’ve understood gracie’s position and why she was asking. gracie could’ve asked in a better way but also it was her mom tho so I understand her mindset and why she asked.

this author is severely underrated !! this is my second book from her and i’m having the best time. lily chu saving me from this reading/life slump. i love her writing where it goes from cute romcom vibes to thoughtful discussions on important topics such as asian racism. the duality

heirloom pain by niki
honey by taylor swift
the life of a showgirl by taylor swift (fangli's song)

this is such a fun romcom read - switching identities with a famous movie star plot with the added romance with her costar that starts off as enemies !! i also appreciate the discussions of serious topics such as mental health, asian racism, and workplace harassment.

my favs gracie and sam!! the romance was serving!!! enemies to lovers vibe with normal girl and celebrity trope aka my fav trope
also love the microtrope of serious guy becoming more carefree for the girl - “It’s like everything I thought was serious becomes less so when you’re around.”
my one qualm (aka why this isn't five stars) is the ending felt so abrupt and i wish we got to see more of gracie and sam together as well as gracie and fangli's friendship

besides the romance, i also enjoyed the female friendships in this one especially between gracie's friendships with fangli and anjali!! the way they uplift and cheer each other on!! “To turtles. Long may we prosper.”

i also want to note that gracie's character felt so real to me!! gracie's character insecurities was so relatable as well as her inner dialogue. truly makes you root for her growth and happy ending

i love the discussion of mental health and depression in this one. depression is often viewed as a taboo topic especially among the asian community specifically the older generation. i applaud the author for depicting her asian fmc leading the discussion of how depression/panic attacks are common way of life (bc life is stressful), how they should not be ignored, and the importance of therapy/ssris - refreshing to read!!

what I also love most about this book is that the author wasn’t afraid to talk about the racism that asians often experience especially the micro aggressions towards our appearance
“It’s only been the last few years that people have decided to make a fuss about how attractive multiracial people are, as if admiring our appearance makes up for their unnecessary need to talk about how we look at all.”

lastly, the discussion of sexual harassment in the workplace especially as an asian woman. this is sadly such a common occurrence in the workplace and i appreciate the author for bringing light towards it. also appreciate how the discussion later opens up to the inclusion of men being victims of harassment as well. sexual harassment is often overlooked in the workplace and that it is mainly all about power.

[ okay the third act breakup was interesting bc the conflict is basically the entire plot thrown towards the couple - an interesting role reversal. i understand that sam was mad like he’s so valid but also he doesn’t understand what having a parent with alzheimer's is like. he should’ve understood gracie’s position and why she was asking. gracie could’ve asked in a better way but also it was her mom tho so I understand her mindset and why she asked.

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

Christy Pigott

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

Vero Flowers &
The Stand-In by Lily Chu

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Vero Flowers &The Stand-In by Lily Chu

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Vero Flowers &
The Stand-In by Lily Chu