@romanticismofmania i'm a huge fan of ann liang's books/writing style in general so I would say that I liked it! it was a short read imo and i found it very engaging BUT there are some pros and cons:
cons:
- I didn't connect with Jenna as much as I have other MCs she's written. she doesn't grow a lot imo
- the romance is NOT as developed as AL's other couples - aaron isn't in it enough imo BUT when he is it's very enjoyable
- ann did do the thing she always does where she cuts off the book a bit early so a few loose ends are not resolved so i always go in expecting this - it was much less egregious than in this time it's real and i hope this doesn't find you tho
- jessica isn't in it enough despite her being the namesake
pros:
- plot and conflict was interesting to me
- i love this particular take on body swapping where Jenna is slowly disappearing
- i think overall it's really good IF you connect/relate to Jenna and her constant comparison to her cousin and her flaw of want something until she has it, as well as her constant desire for academic validation in a family and culture that values university prestige (some of the goodreads comments critique her for being fixated on going to an Ivy League so much and say that there's nothing wrong with it, but as someone who went to a HS where going to an ivy was EVERYTHING i understood her lol).
if that's an experience you can relate to then it's enjoyable. but it does bank heavily on that - if you can't relate to that stuff specifically for whatever reason then it'll defs fall flat.
if you read quickly i'd say go for it, if you're a slow reader i think it's alright to pass on. if you really liked her other books then you'd probably like this one but if you didn't then i'd also pass on it - ranking wise it's i am not jessica chen < this time it's real < i hope this doesn't find you. i borrowed this copy (anna's archive lol) and didn't buy it. i don't think i'd buy this one.
