Author: Ann Liang
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Publication Date: January 28, 2025
Jenna Chen and Jessica Chen are cousins; Jenna can never seem to get anything right and Jessica is the perfect daughter, student and friend. Jenna gets rejected from every Ivy League college she applied to meanwhile Jessica is Harvard-bound. One night, Jenna becomes overwhelmed with her shortcomings and wishes to be Jessica. The next morning, she wakes up and her wish has come true.
As Jenna navigates her new life as Jessica, she starts to realize that being top of her class comes with more effort than she originally thought. As her classmates, friends and parents begin to forget Jenna ever existed, she must determine if staying Jessica forever is worth it.
Ann Liang excels at writing contemporary fiction, and academic tension with a hint of magic. After her poorly executed foray into fantasy with “A Song to Drown Rivers,” I was excited to see her return to her typical genres. She navigates the high school landscape so well and stories like this are her bread and butter.
“I Am Not Jessica Chen” is darker in tone than Liang’s other works. It explores the consequences of never being satisfied and getting so caught up in perfection you can’t recognize the amazing aspects of your life. Jenna holds so much resentment toward herself for never being as good as Jessica. She is constantly wearing herself out trying to achieve greatness and never feels like the results are good enough. Even when her parents forget they have a daughter, she still can’t let go of the power she feels as Jessica.
This novel is a deep dive into Jenna’s psyche which means not all the side characters are fleshed out because the plot doesn’t rely on the ensemble. There were also some unresolved issues I would have liked to see addressed. Jenna’s parents put pressure on her to achieve great things and also ridicule her at times. This contributes to Jenna’s perfectionism, and they are never held accountable for failing to support her.
