I sat dawn and read this all in one single day. It's just so so nice to get Asian characters in contemporary fiction. I just loved reading this - highly enjoyable plot with acknowledgement of Chinese history and representation.

Heiress Apparently at its core is a story about family. From Gemma’s small 3-person family, to the wider family she chooses throughout the book, there’s always relationships being built upon throughout the book. The family dynamics felt real and were recognisable for how parents and adult children would act towards one another.

I loved Gemma as a character because she did not play into stereotypical Asian character traits, and the book even highlighted the problems with those stereotypes when it came to representation. Plus, Gemma as a character was a great protagonist to follow as she has flaws and makes bad decisions but learns from them and understands when she has done wrong. ­­­

The stereotype and representation topic is something that is explored throughout the book. From how Asian stereotypes are contributed to by media such as film by how they’re represented by those in charge of the production who aren’t Asian, to more nuanced “who am I” discussions of Gemma who is Chinese but also “not Chinese enough” when she’s in China, and American but “not American enough” when at home. It also touches on the dichotomy of “traditional” Chinese values that are assumed by western audiences and how Chinese people actually react to sexual identity, unisex dressing etc is very different and more relaxed than the assumption.

There are two stories that are being told in this book, one is Gemma trying to make it as an actress and improve Asian representation in film. Then there’s Gemma finding out why her parents forbid her from travelling to China, and the backstory of her family. Each of these stories could quite easily be in their own book, but the actress storyline is what forces Gemma to travel to China and for the second story to really start. Whilst both stories do wrap up by the end of the book, I did find it disappointing when a middle section of the book made Gemma lose a lot of focus on becoming an actress and being great at her job.

The romance of the book was cute but also predictable. The romance isn’t the central focus of the book, which I was expecting and so there’s not much attention relying on it. The romance is more of a need for someone to help Gemma navigate China, and to find a chosen family, I think. But overall, it wasn’t too much, and I was routing for the couple to be together because he was supportive and encouraged her to be herself rather than change.

Whilst I don’t often read contemporaries for the world building as they are set in the real world, I adored how the author wrote about China. As our main character was both Chinese and a tourist, we got to see/read about the tourist places as well as in depth knowledge of the food she’s always wanted to try. I enjoyed how we got to explore the city whilst it not being assumed that we have knowledge already like some American based books do.

Overall, Heiress Apparently was a sweet and fast read for me that I devoured in only a couple of days. I’d recommend it for anyone who loves romcoms, and I’m excited to see what happens in the next book as the ending wrapped most things up.

Positives of Heiress Apparently
Characters have a lot of depth, both individually and relationships
Chinese representation
Negatives of Heiress Apparently
Two stories that aren’t as linked as they could have been

Heiress Apparently was a one day read for me. Fun, light and engaging with a focus on family and repairing relationships and building new ones, set against the backdrop of Gemma visiting China for the first time to play the lead role in a film with some socially dodgy themes.

The main pull of this book is the mystery: why do Gemma's otherwise very nice seeming parents never want her to visit China, and definitely never Beijing? Why does she look so much like a very popular young Chinese woman called Alyssa? The book strings this all out a bit, which makes sense as it forms the biggest chunk of the book. The other chunk is Gemma's role in a film when she has struggled so hard to find decent roles, and now she finally has the chance to work for someone she really admires.

This is a fairly simple, fun romance read that was intriguing enough to get me flicking quickly through the pages, even though it left me with a slight feeling of "whaaat, that didn't really make a whole lot of sense but whatever" at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read any sequels that might come out down the line. I was sold just by the idea of Crazy Rich Asians meets The Princess Diaries, but there's also Chinese history! And art appreciation! And genuine conversations and musings about theatre and film, particularly about the struggles women of color face in the industry. And, of course, plenty of romance :)

Gemma, an up and coming actress, lands a breakout role in a film that brings her to Beijing. What she doesn't know is that she bears a startling resemblance to China's biggest (and richest) social media star and that there's more to her family history than she thought.

I'll start with the good, which is that I found the Chinese history, art, and culture to be really interesting. That aspect is unusual to see in a contemporary book and it was cool to learn about! The rest of the book?...it was honestly pretty disappointing. While I'll always appreciate Asian American representation, in this case Gemma's entire personality seemed to be that she was Chinese American. The books over-explained pretty mundane parts of being Asian, almost like it was trying to educate a non-Asian audience. One memorable part was when we were explained the meaning and use of 'Ni Hao' in excruciating detail. Characters did things to help the plot, not because it was in their nature to do so. And I'm sorry to say this: Eric, the love interest, is pretty bland.

I went into this story not know much about the plot and with an open mind. While this book definitely had a YA crazy rich Asians feel I just didn’t mesh with it. I found it just wasn’t keeping my attention and I wasn’t connecting with the characters. The writing style was okay and I can see how this would be a great book for people that like American Royals but it just wasn’t for me.

Enjoyable but I felt like it tackled too much and left a lot more questions unanswered than it could have. I actually enjoyed the romance aspect though, and the found family portion...although it felt that the parts that were lacking was the part I was most interested in—the history and the movie!

This book was a fun easy read about a girl who wants to break into the acting community that is #oscarssowhite while she is an Asian American woman. I kind of got a Lizzie McGuire vibe where she looks just like this other girl in their country when she travels there and people mistake her for that person. Overall, very enjoyable!

3.5 Stars

Heiress Apparently is the first book in a planned YA series following the fictionalized descendants of the only officially recognized empress regent of China. It’s a great concept that brings history right to the fore.

There’s a lot going on in Heiress Apparently. What you think is the main plot, is Gemma getting a lead role in a movie being filmed in China. Her parents don’t want her to go there, so she keeps them in the dark. But the acting part is more of a sub-plot that focuses on stereotypical casting of Asian actors as well as the stereotypical characters themselves. It was nice to see the author give these issues weight in a way that felt natural.

But while it’s acting that brings Gemma to China, it’s the things that take place there that really drew me in. It turns out Gemma’s long-lost extended family isn’t so long lost. And expectations and consequences of them run deep.

Gemma is a likeable character who comes across as a mixture of naive and self-assured. She knows what she wants. She knows her mind. But she can sometimes be more than a little clueless.

Author Diana Ma does a great job setting the scene, although her pacing can sometimes suffer from the details. And while this book is not perfect, it has me wishing the next installment would come out soon.

I really wanted to love this but I unfortunately did not. The writing felt very juvenile and the pacing was all off. The premise in itself was very interesting but I just did not care enough about Gemma to read the entire book to find out what happened. 

I really liked the look at Hollywood through the eyes of Asian Americans and Hollywood itself is interesting to me but the actual making of the movie seemed unrealistic. Two weeks after the lead role is cast, they are already on location and filming in hair and makeup? No rehearsals or line run throughs? Would a brand new actress really get that much say in a major motion picture with two renowned directors? 

I loved seeing Beijing as a setting and liked that the book talked about its history but it felt very forced and info-dumpy at times. 

Overall I'm glad this representation is out there but I think I would recommend other things to folks looking for that instead of this.

Okay, I have THOUGHTS. Let me just first say that I had the best of intentions going into this one. The premise sounded cool (going to Beijing to film a movie and finding out you look like a famous person?!) and I am ALL about more fun Chinese American stories in YA literature. However ... this was a flop for me. (Please, Diana Ma, do not read this!!! I feel bad about writing it already ... but I just need to verbalize my feelings somewhere 😩) Also, I recognize that this is a book written for teens and I am not one. For any reviews from Asian teens I come across, I will add links here [on Goodreads].

1. CLASSIC CASE OF TELLING, NOT SHOWING ... Yes, I want to know there were sparks between you and your love interest, but I want to SEE THEM too. When I can experience this alongside a character (the emotional connection, the feelings, the yearning, etc.), it adds to my level of investment and joy. I did not feel this with any of the "romantic" elements in Heiress Apparently. The insta-love was *so* bad—and usually, I don't mind this trope! IF I can see the chemistry. I don't care if he looks like Simu Liu and looks like a snack in a suit—GIVE ME GOOD BANTER AND CONVERSATION!!!

I also felt like all the Chinese history parts were presented in such a random way. There was a lot of it brought up towards the beginning of the book, when we don't know how it all connects to Gemma, so it was just ... a lot of info-dump. I know that it was intended to set up the mystery of ~why her parents don't want her to step foot in China~ but it was so out-of-place that I knew exactly the reason as soon as all this information dropped. And then Gemma spends the entire story trying to figure out this big secret while everyone dodges her questions, so it's not fun. I think it would've been much more interesting if she encountered some truths right away and confronted her parents about it. Then they could have a discussion of sorts ... Anyway, at least I figured out that one of my biggest pet peeves in books is when the plot moves from person to person saying, "It's a secret, I can't tell you ......." It just makes no sense to write in circles like this.

2. I *really* didn't like the way Gemma's white roommate, Camille, was written. First of all, there's not much that's said or described about her. But every single time Camille was brought up in conversation or thought, Gemma always had some back-handed comment or criticism about her, specifically as a white person. Ex: Their other roommate (part Japanese, part Samoan, part white) talks about a past girlfriend (who happened to be white) who secretly went around her apartment collecting her hair (which, by the way, truly what the heck?) Gemma responds with, "I do not understand white people's obsession with Asian women's hair," then looks at Camille and says, "No offense." And Camille says, "None taken ... On behalf of my people, I apologize." ???????

Another example: "Once Camille catches her breath, she asks, "Is Taiwan where your parents are from?" This is the kind of "where are you from" question that I don't mind. Camille's not asking because my Asianness makes me foreign in her eyes—she's just a new friend who genuinely wants to get to know me." I felt like Camille was written as a character to tell white readers, "Look—this is what you should and should not say to Asian people." And it just rubbed me the wrong way. Does it need to be spelled out this way, like, "This is right because ______ and this is wrong because _____"? I think the worst part about it is the fact that there is NO REASON to hate Camille. We literally don't know anything about her!!! I mean, it would be different if Camille was racist and rude to Gemma, but she's not.

One more: "And I don't want Camille to give me a knowing look and mentally file the information away in a "Gemma's tiger mom" file. I'm probably being unfair to her. Camille should get some credit for being the only white person in our little friend group."

3. The movie. Gemma is chosen to play the main character in this Americanized(?) version of M. Butterfly, which a distinguished Chinese actress (Eilene Deng) is co-directing. Basically, Eilene wants Gemma to help her change up the movie to play less on Asian stereotypes. Sounds good, right? But tell me why the making of this movie felt like a high school group project 💀 Do actors/actresses have this kind of power??? Like the way Gemma, a new actress, can make all these suggestions while they're filming? This was interesting though—when she brought it up to her boyfriend, he thought Eilene was using Gemma to "prop up her career." But Gemma believed Eilene wanted her to learn to fight for herself.

I know it sounds like I despised this book, but there were some good things ... it's just that I feel way more passionately about the things that bothered me lol. It was a good concept, but it was trying to do a lot of big things all at once (the romance with a boy she just met, her mom's secret, making the movie, etc.) and it fell flat.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for accepting my request to read and review an early copy of Heiress Apparently.

This one wasnt quite for me. the book fell flat for me and i dnfed it after a few chapters. Im sure its just the timing of reading this but i couldnt get into this book at all sorry

Thanks to Netgalley and Amulet for the advance Kindle copy of this book. It’s out tomorrow! All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I loved this one. Aspiring actress Gemma gets her big break - a role in a film, co-directed by her idol. The only catch? It is filming in Beijing, the one place her mother has expressly forbidden her from traveling. Gemma, curious about her parents’ home country and dying to accept the role, takes off anyway. There she finds that she is a dead ringer for a famous Beijing socialite, and has a family (and secrets) she never knew existed. Recommended for grades 8+.

4 stars!

This was highly entertaining, fun, past paced and very light hearted. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heiress Apparently follows Gemma Huang on a journey that takes her from living in LA with 3 roommates in a 2 bedroom apartment to her getting the lead role in a movie shooting in Beijing to her finally finding out why her parents are always so mysterious of their past. This is a whirlwind from the start and it quickly becomes addictive. 

I believe going into this without knowing much about it is the best way to do it. Let yourself be surprised and let yourself try to assemble the pieces of this story. This is a fast paced entertaining read that will make you feel as if you're watching a happy film. 

There are some really incredible historical parts in this book that provide authenticity to the story and just overall allow for the reader to learn more about China as a country and its culture. 

It is a sweet read about love, betrayal, family secrets and hope. For anyone in need of a pick me up, this is definitely it.

This book was just not my cup of tea.      

I don't believe it has anything to do with the writing style or premise, it just didn't capture my attention.

Once I passed 52% I had to DNF the book. I DO believe others will enjoy it.

Rating 3.5

I'm struggling on how to rate this book because while it is readable I'm not sure how enjoyable it is. I never once had a wow moment and I couldn't feel much emotion from the characters. The book felt very slow paced for me and the main character just fell flat. I was so excited to read this book based on the synopsis but the book overall didn't do anything for me. Who knows, it could have been me or when I read it so I will be giving it another try. I love the cover of the book though. 

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

What an intriguing story! Heiress Apparently follows Gemma as she pursues her acting career. She lands her first big break which leads her to Beijing, a place her mother has specifically forbidden her to go to. On her journey, she discovers many secret's about her family, her mother's past and forms a new future she never could have dreamed. I love the female relationships in this book, the healing that takes place and how they fight for one another in the end. This is a YA book centered around family drama with some interesting pieces of Chinese culture and history that I was really intriuged by. I appreciated that although there was romance intertwined in the story, that wasn't the main plot.  I'm really looking forward to reading more in this series.

I do really appreciate Diana Ma’s style, she has a really nice voice throughout this book and with this book being own voices, of course this book has references that make this book feel genuine and originally told with little things dotted in that make this book feel authentic and Gemma is introduced well along with her friends and date. 

However it does feel like everything is moving at a pace that feels strange. I do feel like in some aspects this book could be longer and sometimes it could be shorter - which is confusing I know! I feel like there’s no room for Gemma to grow and this book needs to explore that but also it move so fast in the first chapters with everything happening all at once. 

A book at the beginning of a series with a lot of potential, Heiress Apparently is a good read with a lot of care dealing with issues such as racism and LGBT rights and the history that weaves into the book is good, the history especially when it came to her family which I feel is where the book really got going.

I loved the language and personality in this story, and the perspective that the author writes from. The characters are very engaging, and it made the whole book exciting.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
- I’ve been in the mood for a fun, heartwarming contemporary in this, let’s face it, trash year and Heiress Apparently was absolutely perfect in that area.
- Gemma, the main character, was wonderful to follow. She’s an aspiring Chinese-American actress and manages to land an amazing role. The only problem? The filming location is in Beijing, a city her parents have forbidden her to go to for… aerm, a reason she can’t fathom. I have a weak spot for celebrities stories and… celebrities AND DRAMA? I’m SO in.
- I loved following Gemma’s adventures from the start and quickly grew fond of her as she grapples with her starting career, her family secrets and her own identity. I also loved seeing her grow thorough the story, speaking up for what matters and taking control of her own life and her own roles, too.
- Another thing I appreciated was the fact that Gemma is a recent high school graduate struggling with life after school. This book is classified as young adult, but with the main character’s age, it is more of an upper-young adult book and I’m always here for these stories!
- There is a whole mystery to this book that hooked me, right from the start. Why won’t Gemma’s parents let her go to Beijing? As we read on, we peel, little by little, family secrets, woven together with Beijing’s history itself and I loved that so much.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I unfortunately found the pacing of this book a little… off? I feel like a lot happened, but it took its sweet time happening, too, if you know what I mean. Still, I was entertained from page one and, despite the slow pacing at first, wanted to know what would happen next so… still all good here!

OVERALL
☂️
- If you’re looking for a lovely contemporary read with movie sets and family secrets, I’d definitely recommend giving Heiress Apparently a try. I had so much fun reading this book and apparently it’s a series and.. well I’m curious to see the book releasing next!