Gemma Huang's dreams of becoming an actress appear to be coming true when she's cast as the lead in an update of M. Butterfly. The catch? Filming takes place in Beijing - a city her parents have forbidden her from setting foot in. Leaving behind her perfect-on-paper boyfriend and a trail of white lies for her parents (she is out of the country filming, after all) Gemma jets to Beijing for her big break. 

Full of romance, Chinese history and mistaken identities, Heiress Apparently was addictive, fun and impossible to put down. It's a feel-good read that will leave you smiling (and desperate to return to these characters in book two!) There are also plenty of twists and turns to keep readers turning the page.

As well as on-set drama, Gemma is thrown into a world of money and excess. As her acting career hangs in the balance, she uncovers family secrets, tries to right the wrongs of the past, AND has to choose between her long distance boyfriend and an attractive new acquaintance (who her family may be having a decades-long feud with...) If she's going to stop her time in Beijing from becoming a professional and personal disaster, Gemma will have to learn to speak up for herself and what she believes is important. 

Heiress Apparently is full of characters readers will immediately warm to, and I'm so pleased this is the first novel in a series as I can't wait for this storyline to continue. 


I was provided with an advanced copy of Heiress Apparently for review through NetGalley

This book wasn’t for me. I was really excited for it because it was another Royals type story. But I actually had to DNF this 🙃 The writing was just not very good. I couldn’t even get very far into the book just because I hated the writing and the style. I felt it was a lot of “tell” but no show. This just wasn’t for me, but I can still see people enjoying the content of the book.

While I liked learning more about Chinese history, that was about the only thing I enjoyed about the book. I didn't connect with any of the characters (especially Gemma, who I can't stand) and I found the plot to be breathtakingly unrealistic.

Heiress Apparently hit me when I was in the mood for a fun contemporary. And while I definitely think this book was entertaining and charming, but it also sheds light on the difficulties of representation of Asian Americans in Hollywood. Gemma wants to break into acting, despite her lack of parental support, and she deals with casting calls that type cast her - before she even steps in the room - and having to decide if she should take certain roles which may perpetuate stereotypes.

It's a question that other actors do not have to consider. Throughout Heiress Apparently Gemma has to make the tough decisions of whether to speak up about the representation and whether she should just say nothing because of her big role. Representation can change someone's life. The validation and possibilities when we see a figure like us on the screens. But in cinematic history there's been plenty of misrepresentation, as well as problematic role models

Heiress Apparently is a story about families reconnecting and coming together again after years. It was about working hard to do the things you love most and ending an old feud between two families. This coming of age book set in Beijing is interesting and captivating that I'm glad I pick it up.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I read this book but it was definitely a very fun and exciting read. For Gemma who just hit gold in the entertainment industry ignores her mother's request to step foot in Beijing, China. There, she discovers so many things about her ancestry, wealth and family. It kept me in the edge of my seat I went along with the characters as they slowly uncover lifelong secrets of the Chuas, Lius and Huangs.

Sure, this book was a bit draggy at certain parts but it was still an enjoyable read as I learnt more about history and visiting the famous attractions in Beijing. It feels like like I was there exploring the vast city again right in the comfort of my own home. In our situation right now, its impossible to travel to other countries but I'm so glad that reading books don't limit me to the many possibilities of the thrill of traveling into new territories.

All in all, this book was an engrossing read with a fresh take on Asian American women on Hollywood and the dramatic reveal on Gemma's family saga that stretches back to more than she could possibly ever imagined it to be. Full of drama, with a hint of romance and the overwhelming love you feel to finally be able to reconnect with long lost family.

I really appreciated the representation and background in this book, but it felt like the author and/or publisher just wanted to make it a multi-book series when it didn't need to be, and I wouldn't pick up multiple sequels since the first one didn't do a good enough job structuring the story. It's possible to burn more plot than this and still have enough for more than one book, but you have to have the plot there to burn and also better pacing. (As, for example, Tokyo Ever After or American Royals both do--although to be fair both of those, like The Vampire Diaries, are Alloy projects, and one thing Alloy knows how to do is the kind of narrative structure that this book also clearly needed.) Three stars because it's fine for what it is, I just wanted it to deliver more than it did.

Crazy Rich Asians meet the Princess Diaries. This book had just the right amount of cheesy romantic scenarios that you expect and enough surprises to the plot interesting. The ending wrapped up nicely and didn’t leave you guessing. I originally thought it was a stand alone but now think it may be part of a series. If so, I’m excited to see how the author continues the story. I also really liked how that included the reference to Netflix rom-coms with Asian leads. They are some of my favorite chick flicks and were a great way to connect to the reader.

Heiress Apparently follows Gemma who lands a lead role in a movie, whilst filming in Beijing she discovers her lookalike and unravels family secrets that her mother hid from her, all whilst acting in a movie with a bad script.

The book is very much focused on family and identity, it is a fast paced but heart warming story. I really liked Gemma and right from the start her personality shows in the book, she is passionate about acting and tries to stay positive with everything that she is dealing with. The start of the book does feel rushed with a lot happening and various characters being introduced which did make it hard for me to get into the book, but it does get a lot better and I loved the ending of the book. The plot focuses both on Gemma’s acting journey and her personal journey to discover her family secrets and why her mother will not visit Beijing, I liked how the two plot points were connected and how it impacted her.

I liked the various side characters introduced in the book and the general family aspect of the book, it was interesting to read about the family feuds and the pain they caused on the people impacted by them. I really enjoyed the writing style of the book especially how the characters were written and the tone of the book which was light-hearted but also addressed the heartache the characters had.

The book is fast paced and short and I wished it was longer just because everything felt rushed and I wanted to see the relationships in the book develop more especially between Gemma and Alyssa, I also wanted to see more of Gemma and the movie in the second half of the book because it was hardly mentioned.

3/5

Thank you to NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Diana Ma for sending me a copy of this book for review. This in no way effects my thoughts and opinions of this novel. They are all my own.

Gemma Huang has abandoned her plans for college in order to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now living in Los Angeles with her two best friends, auditioning for roles that hardly cover their rent. Gemma gets her big break when she is offered the role in a update of M Butterfly, filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives she is stopped by paparazzi at the airport she realizes she may as well be the twin of one of the young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from. 

I must say I like the concept of the story very much. I have weak spot of stories that have celebrity or royal attributes. No idea why but they have always appealed to me. So naturally I was more than happy to dive into the book.

I really enjoyed Gemma’s character. An ambitious, inspiring actress, I love her character growth through the book. I loved that she wanted to follow her dreams no matter how many times her parents and boyfriend try to get her to change her mind. 

My knowledge of Chinese history is very limited so I love how the history and traditions are woven into the story. However, the amount of information that is thrown at you can be very overwhelming at times. 
The pacing is very slow, especially in the start. That makes it a little boring. The plot bounces between Gemma wanting to make some major changes to the character and film that she is starring in and also trying to find out as much as she can about her mysterious heritage and the teenage socialite who looks exactly like her. The issue is that Gemma’s attention switches so passionately from one to the other without focusing enough on one of the other.  

Now…the romance. I didn’t hate it, in fact I found myself very invested in it by the end of the book, it is also a very big part of what would make me pick up a sequel (If there will be one). However, I do wish that it would have been more of a slow burn romance. 
 
The last third of the book is where I really got interested.  When we start to discover what I going on with Gemma’s history and all the strange coincidence surrounding the characters. For me it is the best part of the story.

I am struggling with this book. A part of me didn’t enjoy it, the pacing really drags the story down and I feel that the onslaught of information at time was a little much and could have been executed a lot better. However, on the other hand I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book. I love the way the story all came together and wrapped up. I was left wanting to know what would happen with most of the characters in the future so I will definitely be reading a sequel.

A very good addition to the YA Contemporary/Romance genre, this will be well received by many of my students in a similar vein to American Royals by Katherine McGee. Personally. I wish there was less reliance on stereotypes though.

I'm struggling to rate this book because, on the one hand, the concept, the cultural representation is everything I love, but this book also was bogged down with so many stereotypes and poor pacing that it was almost too hard to get through.

What did I like?
- I liked Gemma overall. She was a relatable, fun character and I really enjoyed reading from her perspective.
- I liked learning some of the histories of Bejing that was woven into this story and I really liked the overall representation of the Eastern culture.
- I think the way Diana went about exploring the other issues in this book was well done.

I think the overall issue for me here was the pacing. I don't think I have read a contemporary book quite so slow in my entire life. I found a lot of the book bogged down with unnecessary filler chapters and I was skipping a lot of it and still found I didn't miss anything from the story.
I also didn't care for the romance aspect at all, equally as much as I hated the Alyssa/Gemma thing. I just thought Alyssa would have spent more time explaining what happened between the families if she wanted to keep Gemma away more than she did. This part felt unrealistic to me.

Overall, I enjoyed Diana's writing and I would read something from her again. However, this book disappointed me.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a super fun, young adult read. I didn't really know what to expect while going into this one but it definitely exceeded these expectations. I liked that there was culture and history throughout the book as well. This helped me learn something and takeaway something while reading! I will be recommending this one to my friends and family!

Thank you to net galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was a great and fun YA novel! I really enjoyed the plot, but the pacing was a little off for me. It took me a while to get into it.

I can't wait to see where this series goes. I really enjoyed this book. It felt similar to Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl meets Parent Trap. It was put together wonderfully. My only hold back is that I found Gemma to be extremely unlikable a lot of the time and it put me off from her story line at times. Other than that, bravo.

This book was a solid three stars for me. There was plenty I liked but sometimes the pacing didn’t work.

I will say that if you liked American Royals, Loveboat, Taipei, or even Crazy Rich Asians this could be the book for you!

Pros:
I enjoyed the main character, Gemma Huang. She is spirited and what you expect from a MC in a contemporary YA novel. I thought enjoyed the setting and thought the concept was unique. With the mostly white contemporary section of our libraries and bookstores, it is nice to see other cultures explored and have new faces on our covers.

I also enjoyed learning more about Chinese culture and the author’s approach to sensitive issues like LGBTQ rights, and racism.

Cons:
Again, my major issue was that the pacing could be slow. The fact that Gemma was constantly questioning herself got old after a while. Characters like that always remind me of Hamlet and his "woe is me" soliloquy. After a while I just want the story to move on. But that is completely my personal feeling. 

Overall, I think that Heiress Apparently was a fun book that many readers will enjoy! I still want to read more books by the author because the plot and cultural elements were interesting.

Gemma Huang (ABC - American Born Chinese) graduated from high school a couple of weeks ago and since then, she's moved to LA (from Illinois) to take a gap year of acting (much to her mother's disappointment and her father's worry). 

After a few "hard" (note - me being sarcastic) weeks of trying out for parts, she manages to land the lead role in a redo of M. Butterfly. 

She plays Sonia, who dresses as a man (Song) to get a job with her ex-boyfriend. The script is awful but at least she gets to work with her dream director! 

She's whisked away to China to film BUT (and this is a big BUT), she hides it all from her parents. Her mother has expressly forbidden her from talking about what life was like for her parents in China. 

Gemma gets there and is immediately mistaken for Alyssa Chua - a wealthy socialite (19 yrs old). Turns out they're cousins and together they begin to unravel why Gemma's mom fled to America and has hidden their chinese heritage. 

So. On paper this one worked really well. 

I loved the concept - it seemed like it was going to be a YA Crazy Rich Asians…except…it flopped for me. 

There were elements that worked (LOVED the inclusion of Chinese culture and how the MC had issues trying to fit in with her American life and her Chinese heritage...but it felt like everything was handed to her. 

She was in LA for like a week working "very hard" and then lands a major role. She gets one hot boy, meets another and then dates the hottest/richest boy. 

She expresses the slightest doubt (despite having no movie experience) and she gets script changes. She learns that she's rich and eventually gets money.

 I wanted to watch her struggle and try and do her best and fail before hitting it big. 

In addition, there were elements that just didn't feel very well thought out.

If something is so serious that no one even talks about Tienanmen Square (and it's been erased from the history books) why is she constantly blabbing about it? Isn't she worried about consequences?

In addition, her mom told her that she couldn't go to China and that she would have no idea what will happen if she does go. 

To me...it clearly sounds crazy-dangerous to run to China and just talk to everyone she sees about her mom and Tienanmen Square but Gemma just barrels through. It felt like she needed more societal awareness.

Ultimately, there were elements that worked well but most of it just didn't work for me. I'm leaving off my rating on Goodreads cause I don't want people to be influenced by my interpretation.

A perfect read for fans of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I loved this story about Gemma, an up and coming actress, finding herself onscreen while also unravelling the mysteries of her family while filming onsite in Beijing (a place she's never been, and been forbidden to go by her mother). A wealthy socialite, Alyssa Chua, who happens to look almost exactly like Gemma provides some answers and also a fun Prince and the Pauper flavor to the story. Heiress Apparently is fun. exciting, and contains beautiful depictions of some of Beijing's most famous historical locations. I would have enjoyed more exploration of the city, as we're a little bit limited by the few places Gemma goes as a tourist and the upscale locations visited by Alyssa, but I found the descriptions of the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, and a handful of street markets to be lovely. The main draw here are the characters, who are rich and varied and delightful to get to know. A very fun escapist read.

I stayed up until after 3:00am reading this straight through. It's a fun rom-com that has a bit of a family mystery twist. The movie making aspect is interesting and the romance is sweet. It's the proper amount of unbelievable for a romantic comedy. A little bit, but not too much. It's a book that made me smile and decide that I didn't care if it was a little far-fetched.

This is a lovely summer read or book to pick up when you need a few giggles and sighs.

Overall I just couldn't get into this book. I found myself reading it but I was not connecting to the story or characters at all. Thank you for the chance to read it but it wasn't for me.

dnf @ 40 pages. I really felt no interest in continuing with this story. I predicted the entire plot within the first 15 pages. super basic story and premise. i'd rather watch Monte Carlo.