Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Stand-In by Lily Chu

36 reviews

finnickdeservedbetter's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For readers who like:

• celebrity romance
• fake identity
• dislike to lovers
• biracial (asian/white) MC
• first gen Canadian MC

The book was like a breathe of fresh air. I was kinda putting it off in favour of other books but I wish I hadn't. The characters are ao well-rounded and dimensional. They had flaws of course but I could relate to each one and honestly, see myself being friends with any of them.

This touched on a few big topics (like identity- being biracial and the child of an immigrant, mental health, and sexual harrassment to name a few) but all in a very accessible and approachable way. 

The only reason I didn't give it 5☆ is the unnecessary (isn't it always?)

third act breakup paired with miscommunication 🤢

. 

Other than that tho, I really enjoyed this book and got through it all in one sitting. This is my first book by Lily Chu but it definitely won't be my last.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Child abuse

_alyssar_'s review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Dementia, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol

Minor: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Cancer, and Death of parent

juliacsmith's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Mental illness, and Sexism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Grief, and Xenophobia

mariyah_reads's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Dementia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness

Minor: Racism

emfass's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Philippa Soo is DELIGHTFUL as the narrator. Lily Chu's writing is so entertaining, fresh, invigorating, and just so so good. The dialogue sparkles.

This was a closed-door romance which I usually do not go in for (personal preference only, happy for those that like it/don't mind it!), but the writing was so freaking great.

I had some issues with parts of the plot

(how one-dimensional the sexually harassing boss was, the mother leaving her daughter in another country and never ever begin in touch, I mean UGH)

, but overall really enjoyed this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, and Dementia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Death of parent and Miscarriage

tea_rea's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Racism, Dementia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Miscarriage, Cancer, Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Child death, and Pregnancy

daniellekat's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

It has been a long time since I last stayed up all night reading, but this was worth it. I was in desperate need of something light and fluffy and this did the trick. The writing is simple but smooth, and the plot was realistic. The author did a good job of creating believable motivations for the characters. The ending was meh, the

long lost sister

plot line was a little weak and silly for me. I loved the way she wrote about Toronto though, enough specifics that had me and I'm sure other locals smiling, but non-local readers won't be drowning in details. Overall, I found it to be little on the long side but a solid PG romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Alcohol and Cancer

lara_r's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Dementia, and Grief

Moderate: Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol and Stalking

sdupont's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a solid book. I feel like the romance took the back burner for most of the story. This slow burn didn’t really take flight until maybe 2/3 of the way in.The pacing for this book was quite slow, it would have benefitted from a faster pace and slightly shorter length. Often I found myself thinking I’ve read so much of this book but not much has happened. I liked Gracie, Sam, and Fangli. They were all characters you could relate to in some way. This book focuses a lot on Gracie’s internal thoughts and growth which leads to less of a romance feel and more of a contemporary fiction feel. I would still recommend this book though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

paneblue's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism and Abandonment