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A review by onejadyn
The Stand-In by Lily Chu
1.75
This review has spoilers
I'm not going to lie—I read this book because it's set in Toronto. I also recently re-watched Scott Pilgrim for the same reason.
That said, it's a classic trope-y Wattpad-esque story, and I was looking for easy comfort reads. It was alright. Finished it in about 4 hours. The beginning set it up to be better than it was. Sam did a 180 switch from "can't stand you" to BFFs, with no casual awkward coworker stuff in between.
The ending felt rushed though resolved. I admittedly hate hate hate the misunderstanding trope. Gracie leaving them completely because she assumes she's being blamed for something she didn't do -- that's stupid. I don't know why she did that.
Overall, it was fine. Enjoyable enough as a quick read it and forget it comfort read. I wish there was more of a slow burn development in both Gracie and Sam's relationship, and in Fangli's mental health. I also wish they'd gone more in depth about Gracie's conversation with Sam about her previous Boss. It was oddly built up for something that was explained as "I told Sam what happened". I think hearing the story from her—at least parts of it—would've helped show where she is as a character when processing those sorts of challenges.
But hey, it took place in Toronto! They mentioned the Danforth, Bloor, the ferry, the CN Tower (never been), and even Kensington Market. And at the end of the day, that's basically why I read it.
That said, it's a classic trope-y Wattpad-esque story, and I was looking for easy comfort reads. It was alright. Finished it in about 4 hours. The beginning set it up to be better than it was. Sam did a 180 switch from "can't stand you" to BFFs, with no casual awkward coworker stuff in between.
The ending felt rushed though resolved. I admittedly hate hate hate the misunderstanding trope. Gracie leaving them completely because she assumes she's being blamed for something she didn't do -- that's stupid. I don't know why she did that.
Overall, it was fine. Enjoyable enough as a quick read it and forget it comfort read. I wish there was more of a slow burn development in both Gracie and Sam's relationship, and in Fangli's mental health. I also wish they'd gone more in depth about Gracie's conversation with Sam about her previous Boss. It was oddly built up for something that was explained as "I told Sam what happened". I think hearing the story from her—at least parts of it—would've helped show where she is as a character when processing those sorts of challenges.
But hey, it took place in Toronto! They mentioned the Danforth, Bloor, the ferry, the CN Tower (never been), and even Kensington Market. And at the end of the day, that's basically why I read it.