I Am Not Jessica Chen

📘 About This Book

Jenna Chen has spent her life in the shadow of her flawless cousin. Jessica Chen is so smart she gets the top score on every test. Jessica Chen is so beautiful people stop in the hallway to stare at her. Jessica Chen is so perfect she got into Harvard. And Jenna Chen will only ever be a disappointment. So when Jenna makes a desperate wish to become her cousin, the last thing she expects is for it to come true—literally. All of a sudden she gets to live the life she’s always dreamed of . . . but being the model student at cutthroat Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she’d imagined. Worse, people seem to be forgetting that someone named Jenna Chen ever existed. But isn’t it worth trading it all away—her artistic talent, her childhood home, even the hope of golden boy Aaron Cai loving her back—to be Jessica Chen? * Kids' Indie Next Pick *

📖 Summary

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang is a captivating young adult contemporary novel published in 2025 that explores the heavy burden of comparison, identity, and the perils of getting exactly what you wish for. Spanning 242 pages, the story introduces readers to Jenna Chen, a young woman who has spent her entire life living in the giant shadow cast by her flawless cousin, Jessica. To Jenna, Jessica is the embodiment of perfection. She is exceptionally smart, consistently securing the top scores on every academic test. She is breathtakingly beautiful, possessing a grace that makes people stop and stare in the hallway. Most intimidating of all, Jessica is so accomplished that she secured a coveted spot at Harvard. In contrast, Jenna views herself as a perpetual disappointment, unable to measure up to the impossible standards set by her family and peers. Driven by insecurity and a longing for validation, Jenna makes a desperate, impulsive wish to become her cousin. To her utter shock, the wish actually comes true in a literal, magical sense. Suddenly, Jenna is thrust into the life she has always dreamed of living. She occupies Jessica's space, inherits her accolades, and navigates the cutthroat environment of Havenwood Private Academy as the model student everyone admires. At first, the upgrade feels intoxicating. She no longer has to deal with the nagging feeling of inadequacy, and she is finally experiencing the adoration and success she believed would cure all her self-doubt. However, Jenna quickly learns that perfection comes with a devastatingly high cost. Navigating the intense academic and social pressures of Havenwood is not quite what she had imagined, and the gleaming surface of Jessica's life hides its own suffocating constraints. The situation escalates from challenging to terrifying when Jenna notices a dark side to her transformation: people around her are actually forgetting that someone named Jenna Chen ever existed. Her true identity, her unique artistic talent, her childhood home, and even the cherished hope of golden boy Aaron Cai ever noticing or loving her are all slipping away. Jenna is forced to confront a harrowing dilemma. Is trading away her authentic self, her genuine passions, and her past truly worth living a life that was never genuinely hers to begin with? Ann Liang delivers a sharp, emotional, and thought-provoking narrative about self-acceptance, the illusion of perfection, and the courage it takes to reclaim one's true identity.

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