As an Asian American reader, I love getting the chance to read Asian authors' works. This was a fun story with lots of heart and entertainment.

Gemma is taking a gap year after high school to pursue an acting career, despite her parents wanting her to go on to college. Now she’s got the chance at a movie, but she has to go to China to film it, the place her mother has always told her to never go. On arriving, she is mistaken for the rich and famous Alyssa Chua. Now she’s trying to balance filming, her parents, and uncovering her family’s secrets. A fun story of family, fame, and romance with some serious messages entwined.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun read, nothing hugely compelling but it was enjoyable. 3 stars

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

Welcome Back!

I have been reading through my current nightstand stack pretty quickly and I am thinking I may get to make another new stack very soon! I have had some really amazing reads and some reads that were not my favorite but I am definitely enjoying reading through my collection. After reading Tokyo Ever After a few months ago I was really wanting to pick up another princess or heiress who did not know. So I took a look at my shelves (and highly considered re-reading Princess Diaries because that series is amazing) but I decided to give something new a try! So I put Heiress Apparently in my nightstand stack!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Gemma is trying to pursue her career in acting in LA, she only recently moved here and she really wants to get her career off the ground. Her parents are still in Illinois and call often (mostly worrying about her and checking to see how her career is going). When Gemma gets an audition and then lands the job for a big upcoming project she learns she is going to have to film in China. China is the one place in the entire world her parents have particularly forbid her from going ever. But Gemma is going, she needs this role it might kick start her career. So she goes to China, she just does not tell her family, however, when she gets there she quickly learns there is a celebrity who looks exactly like her. But it might be more than that, she might be her cousin? She might know why Gemma was forbidden from coming here?

I went into this book knowing it would give off Princess Diaries vibes but it definitely delivered! I loved the mystery around why Gemma should not go to China ever. I also loved seeing her meet her family, learn more about who she is and who her parents are, and the past. I believe the sequel for this book focuses more on Gemma’s mom’s story but I am definitely still interested to learn more about them! Let me know in the comments if you have picked this one up!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

Oh how I truly TRULY wanted to love this book!!!!! But the pacing was off and it just didn't give Heiress vibes. I honestly was expecting something close to Crazy Rich Asain in the scale of how Gemma would find out/navigate her new life through the rich. While it wasn't the best I will be super excited to read the next book in the series.

This was a cute read that reminded me a bit of Crazy Rich Asians. While I didn't really connect with Gemma, the main character, it was a fast-paced read and kept me interested enough to want to know what happens in the sequel. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Rating 3.75

I was completely entertained on a sunny Saturday reading this book. It is a page turner. I loved Gemma Huang. We witness her growth as a person and actress. Gemma finds her voice and her long lost family.

Although I found the story and characters entertaining, the story and plot were not without problems. The conversations with Gemma's white roommate were weird. I think I understood, but the responses were off. Many readers have already mentioned the telling without the showing. Also, the instalove with Eric didn't bother me as much as the weird insta-relationship Gemma had with Ken. WHY? She had much more in common with Eric and he actually cared about her.

All the information about China's history pertaining to the movie and Gemma's Beijing family dynamic was interesting. All in all I will read the next book about Gemma's parents and I do recommend this book.


Thank you ABRAMS Kids/Amulet Books for the eARC for review

It took me a long time to pick this one up, which is obviously on me, and I found that i wasnt really into it, I think I am finding YA is just not for me anymore.

There aren't many asian protagonists in YA literature - let alone books set in Beijing - so, I think this book is unique in its almost all Asian cast. It's felt like Crazy Rich Asians meets The Princess Diaries (though I am aware that is somewhat trite to say). I really appreciated what it was trying to do in challenging the pigeonholing/typecasting of Asians in the film industry, and popular culture generally, I just don't know if it paid off for me in terms of narrative pull and the execution.

Gemma Huang is taking a year out to pursue an acting career. As a young Asian-American, however, there isn't a lot of roles available to her beyond 'generic asian number one'. That is until a successful audition lands her the leading role in the re-adaptation of Madam Butterfly; the film will be filmed in Beijing and she will be flown over right away. The only catch for Gemma is, her mother has banned her from ever stepping foot on the motherland...but what she doesn't know can't hurt her, right? When Gemma arrives, she is bombarded by paparazzi. It turns out that Gemma's mum belongs to an uber rich dynasty and Gemma looks identical to her cousin - a successful influencer. Over the course of her stay Gemma must a) outsmart a smallminded director to be a role model for asian-american actresses, and b) figure out 'what the hell made her mother leave and never come back'?

So, first the positives! I loved the whole non-binary & queer themes that kept popping up. Most notably, the role Gemma has been hired to play requires her to dress as a guy (a bit like in She's the Man/Twelfth Night) and as she falls in love with the other lead character, there's elements of queer romance. Secondary to this is when Gemma's love interest takes her to a popular club to see a 'boy' band play...only to find out they're all girls and have a serious fandom. I thought it was really refreshing for the "real" unwesternised version of Beijing to come to the fore, like of course there's LGBTQ+ culture in Beijing. It pointed out what should be common sense; that modern chinese millenials are just as progressive as their western counterparts despite the west portraying otherwise. Linked to this is the integration of chinese modern culture, like references to Webo and the firewalls infront of high profile/undesirable information on things like the Tiananmen Square massacre. I think the integration of communism and political misdirection was delicately handled and didn't feel too heavy for younger readers.

Now, despite the above, I have to admit I just didn't gel with Gemma as much as I wanted to. I don't know if this is because it's YA, but the prose often felt like it lacked a bit of finesse. As a result, Gemma's inner dialogues started to feel repetitive and unfocused. One minute she's on set fighting racism, the next she's shopping and receiving gifts from her love interest and cousin. I know teenagers can be that flighty and materialistic, but I personally found it boring to read about - like who actually cares about new purses? Similarly, the lack of va va vum or unpredictability in terms of romance also meant the general plot dragged. Basically, some fantastic themes and much needed critique on Asian representation, but the general execution let it down. At least for me.

Not only was this book hilarious and fast-paced, I couldn't put it down! I was enamored by the character of Gemma and how she navigated being thrust into the spotlight. I'm excited for the sequel!

This was a cute book! I loved the story and it had a great twist at the end. The romance was a little predictable, but a strong novel for teens. I will order for my classroom library.

I am disappointed with this book. I was expecting one thing and received another. It had potential but it was not well written.

This was so fun to read and reflected relationship conflict that YA can relate to while at the same time pulling in cultural and socio-economic ideas. Love this.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book! This book was a little confusing but I think it just might have been my problem at the time of reading I want to give this book another chance!

This book was so cute, original, and fun! I was so happy to get to read it and it was a really fun spin. Reminded me a bit of Anna K!

This book was a fun, easy read.
I didn't expect much from the book, except to just enjoy it, and that's exactly what it accomplished.
I might read the second one, but I don't think I'd be missing much if I didn't.

gOSH if i could scream about this to everyone, i would! these days, asian representation has been at an all time high, and as i am glad this is so, i'm even gladder this book exists. it ticked all the right places, and made me feel like i just drank a bowl of comforting soup made by my mom.

This was such a fun book and I'm looking forward to the next in the series!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gemma Huang is an aspiring Chinese American actress who lands the lead female role in a modern movie remake of Madam Butterfly. This exciting achievement has some serious drawbacks, however. First, the director knows nothing about Chinese culture, rooting his vision of her character in stereotypes. Second, the movie will be filmed in Beijing, a city Gemma’s parents have long warned her against visiting. Nevertheless, Gemma chooses to go. Upon arrival, she is immediately mistaken for Alyssa Chua, China’s highest-profile socialite, who also happens to be Gemma’s cousin. During her time there, Gemma learns of the long-standing family feud that keeps the Huangs from returning to China. But on the positive side, Gemma falls in love, finds more family than she ever dreamed of, and discovers her own voice regarding her craft and her heritage. More than a cute rom-com, this novel highlights LGBTQ+ rights, contemporary attitudes held by Chinese citizens, Chinese history, Hollywood’s ethnic prejudices, and pride in culture and family. Despite some predictability, this is a fun start to a promising series.

This review originally appeared in Booklist magazine November 1, 2020.