Thanks to Harper Collins Children’s for letting me read this book early. All thoughts are my own! 

I Am Not Jessica Chen is a book for those of us chasing academic validation. Jenna is an extremely complex character, who needs to learn and accept that she has value outside of what she accomplishes at school. Following her point of view was extremely relatable as an eldest daughter.  She’s an only child, but her reaction to her circumstances is relatable regardless. 

You can definitely tell Jenna is an artist, especially living in her head for this book. She’s so descriptive and thorough in her observations of the world around her. She’s sees the world through a very specific lens. Her growth through this book into accepting herself is the best part of this book. 

Both Jenna and Jessica are complex characters, and I loved learning about Jessica while following Jenna in her body. I really enjoyed the different perspective we get from that. Their interaction at the end was really sweet, and I love how Ann closed out this book. 

Big fan of the romance being a subplot. I’m someone who strongly prefers romance in my books when I read fiction, but I loved how this romantic plot was on the back burner for this book. I still liked that it was there. I just liked that the focus was on Jenna and Jessica as they are the central characters in this book. I had gone into this with the expectation that the romance would be heavier based off some of the marketing I had seen for this book, so I was glad to see how it actually worked out. 

Can’t wait to read more from Ann Liang soon!