I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang *****

 I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

Jenna & her cousin Jessica attended a competitive private school. Rich, beautiful Jessica won all the awards, got accepted to Harvard, & was lauded by everyone. Jenna, the proverbial poor relation, wished she could be Jessica. Her wish was granted.

The differences between the cousins were stark. Jessica Chen’s family was rich. They lived in a big house, and Jessica’s mom gave her hundred-dollar bills for lunch money. Jessica had a closet of expensive clothes. Everyone expected her to pair up with future doctor, Aaron Cai, the boy who matched Jessica’s achievements, poise, and good looks. Jenna Chen said, “I look like the dollar-store version of Jessica Chen.”

One fateful day, Jessica was accepted to Harvard, Jenna was rejected, and Aaron returned from a “fancy medical youth program in Paris.” Jessica’s family hosted a big celebration. Everyone was happy except Jenna. Jenna couldn’t avoid these celebrations because Jessica was her cousin, but they depressed her and reminded her of her unlucky fate. That night, Jenna and Jessica saw a shooting star and made wishes. Jenna’s was, “I wish I were Jessica Chen.”

From that wish, the book follows the expected story arc until (not really a spoiler) Jenna sees the error of her wish and returns home.

Regardless of the cliched story arc, the book offers a fresh look at the “there’s no place like home” theme.

Aaron’s mother died when he was young, and his father was an absentee parent. Jenna’s mother stepped into the vacancy. As a result, Jenna and Aaron grew up together. Like The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks, this situation produced a strong attraction, an awkwardness from familiarity, and an almost-kiss when puberty and romance approached.

The private school, Havenwood Academy, was divided. “An invisible line runs down the classroom. On one side, you have the legacies, the broad-shouldered boys and sun-kissed girls, the wealthy sons and daughters of law firm owners and university professors and construction magnates. On the other side, you have the Asian kids.”

The book contains a lot of Chinese cuisine and phonetically spelled Chinese with immediate translations.

An easy-to-read YA romance and “there’s no place like home” fable.

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