Book Review: “The Stand-In” by Lily Chu

Dec 2

Håfa adai! Welcome to my spoiler-free review of The Stand-In, by Lily Chu.

This book review consists of two parts: a brief plot summary and my thoughts of the story. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinion of the book and encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Romance bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

Things are not going well for Gracie Reed. She has just been fired from her job after not being open to her boss’ inappropriate advances and she has not been able to secure a position for her mother (who is suffering with Alzheimer’s) in the ideal nursing home. She’s feeling down in the dumps, but now she has time to work on her special passion project. But it feels nice to be mistaken for Wei Fangli, an internationally-recognized beauty in Chinese cinema, while minding her own business at a bakery, right? Wrong! Her resemblance to Wei Fangli is beyond uncanny. They are total doppelgängers! And word of this reaches a certain someone’s ear.

Wei Fangli herself and Sam Yao—a fellow Chinese film star and one of the sexiest men alive—approach Gracie with a strange yet lucrative offer: pose as Wei Fangli at public events for the next two months. The life and schedule of an international celebrity is intense. Saying yes to this deal would allow Fangli time to rest and would give Gracie the funds she needs to place her mother in the nursing home. But learning to mimic Fangli’s voice and have enough background information to confidently answer questions would take months! That is why Sam Yao must follow Gracie every minute of every day for the next two months, to handle all press communication. It’s too bad that Gracie finds him to be one of the most infuriating men alive. But their performative chemistry soon turns into something more, something real.

My Thoughts on The Stand-In: 3.75 stars

Lily Chu’s The Stand-In sheds light on experiences familiar to many—like workplace sexual harassment, racism, being seen as “passing” as a mixed race person, anxiety and depression, low self esteem, judging or making assumptions about others before getting to know them, and responsibilities placed on the adult children of parents with degenerative health conditions—while presenting a type of absolutely bizarre scenario that the giddy teenager living inside many of us has probably fantasized about at least once. Scenes of sex and physical intimacy in The Stand-In are not graphic, relying more so on the “cut to black” and metaphor techniques than literal descriptions, which makes the story appropriate for a wider age range of readers as well as for those who are not as comfortable with more literal/erotic depictions.

The Stand-In utilizes both the “makeover” trope—where a seemingly plain-looking person is given a new haircut, skin care routine, makeup regiment, wardrobe, etc. and is completely transformed into the most attractive person to have ever been born—and “fake relationship” trope of romance storytelling. I am not really a fan of the makeover trope. Gracie Reed is so identical to actress Wei Fangli that she is able to successfully replace her in public events. Using this as a measure, she is already beautiful! But I can understand not feeling confident in yourself when there are so many heavy things going on in your life and sort of needing that externally-driven boost to help your self image. But this is a trope I do not care for.

I give The Stand-In 3.75 out of 5 stars. Sure, there were several scenes where I rolled my eyes, it employed a trope that I am not a fan of, and the premise of Gracie Reed having to pose as Wei Fangli is kind of silly to me. That being said, The Stand-In held my attention throughout the entire story. It contains many relatable themes, is easy to follow along with, and is an enjoyable listen. Lily Chu is an amusing writer and Phillipa Soo, who performs the audiobook reading, gives a delightful performance. Yes, it is formulaic, but that is the mainstream nature of the genre. I was entertained throughout the almost 11 hours of the audiobook. I do not usually seek out romance, but The Stand-In left me wanting to listen to more from this genre and from Lily Chu.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of The Stand-In by Lily Chu.

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.

Post Date: 28 August 2024