so fun and twisted and fucked up!!! nick and amy are truly made for each other. they’re the couple who are absolutely horrible individuals yet have the best (worst) relationship ever and you know that nothing can tear them apart

Rating: 2.5⭑˚.⋆ Date: 01/06/26 Format: E-book and Audiobook

I Am Not Jessica Chen is supposedly a book centring around the cruel, rigorous academic systems that are set up in prestigious institutions and the mental toll this pressure takes on teenagers. I started this book with the expectation that I would be experiencing a story that’s profound and actually offers some meaningful commentary about how fucked up the education system has become, specifically for Asian students. The peril of choosing between studying for an otherwise irrelevant class test, or an hour’s worth of extra sleep because you’re completely drained. The dread when you actually choose to study for the test anyway because you can’t imagine the disappointment on everyone’s faces when you don’t get a perfect score. I wanted a book that would genuinely handle these very realistic scenarios with care and intention. Instead, we got a cheesy romance between two mediocre characters and a constant pity-party from Jenna simply because she didn’t get into an Ivy League.

I think this book would’ve genuinely been so much better if it had focused on the titular character, Jessica, as much as it did on Jenna. It felt like this ‘perfect, never faltering’ character was only brought up to make us feel bad for Jenna because she couldn’t compare to Jessica’s brilliance. I think the author tried to make it seem like Jessica’s life was also difficult but I feel like I don’t know her character at all! A dual pov, oscillating between Jenna and Jessica would’ve done this book wonders. This concept needed these two characters and their sisterly bond to be the at the centre of the story, but halfway throughout the book, it turned into a miscommunication romance book for no reason. Jenna’s entire internal monologue from the 60% point onwards was only about Aaron and how perfect he was, and how much she yearned for him. Jessica and the situation that brought them to this point seemed more like an afterthought.

I also feel like the book didn’t explore the concept of being trapped inside of someone else’s body to the fullest. There was a point in the story where it could’ve taken a more dreadful turn when Jenna realised that she was actually disappearing. The idea of her being stuck in Jessica’s body forever while Jessica’s consciousness is trapped inside her own body was so eerie yet Jenna didn’t give a damn 😭

A common issue I’ve encountered with Ann Liang’s books is that her character work is really weak. All her male leads are perfect and sarcastic and immensely in love with the female leads. They have basically no personality and all blend into one. What’s the difference between Aaron and Julian? Same goes for her female leads. They’re all always self pitying and hate their life. They all think they’re mediocre and lack confidence. Obviously, these are very common fears present in almost everyone but the way they manifest in different people is also very varied! I think the book also tried to make some racial commentary but once again, being restrained by its own attempt at being a romance before a fiction, fell short.

Overall, I expected a lot more depth and commentary from this book, and maybe even the experience of being raised in an Asian household where academic scores and your reputation in society matter more than your mental health.