The Rom-Com Problem

The Stand-In by Lily Chu

So. One of the things I feel we NEED in rom-coms is sequels and/or happy endings. Have you ever read a book (any book, really) and felt that you wanted to see more of the characters who ended up together? I adore series’ (books or movies) where you have sequels highlighting the different way the main characters managed their relationship and the problems they faced.

I just finished listen to The Stand-In by Lily Chu, which follows Gracie Reed, who is hired to act as a double for Wei Fang Lee, a Chinese actress, who she looks shockingly alike to. That’s not important, though. She meets Sam, who is another famous actor, and, naturally, falls for him.

The Ending Dilemma: Spoiler Ahead!

There is a misunderstanding where Gracie thinks that Sam thinks that she sold the story of her being Fang Lee’s double, but in reality Sam does not think so. Gracie leaves and finds out she is actually Fang Lee’s half sister (I was expecting that, honestly) and Fang Lee and Gracie’s mom have a reunion.

Gracie is obsessed with to-do lists and can’t manage to find the right one. Same and Anjali, Gracie’s best friend, convince her to make her own to-do list app, which she calls Eppy. Sam tweets about Eppy, (this happens after Gracie leaves) and it gets global recognition. This (and some other things) convince Gracie that Sam still cares about her.

When Sam and Gracie finally reunite, we are given only one chapter, and only one brief conversation about how they both will try out the relationship. And then you have a very brief epilogue about how things are going, but with no actual detail.

After reading this, I don’t see how any sane person doesn’t wonder what happened with Gracie’s life, and how Fang Lee manages to visit her mother (who is also Gracie’s mother) in Canada while she is in China. It begs the question of did Gracie and Sam manage their relationship? Are they happy? Did Gracie go to China? What happened with Eppy? How do you maintain a high-profile long-distance relationship?

My brain goes into overdrive and the only thing I can think of is what happens next?

I cannot be the only one who feels this way. I love books where they get together somewhere in the middle and we see their relationship dynamics. I’m yet to find a book where this happens, and I would love to know if anybody else finds one.

If you liked this book, you would totally LOVE: Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter It’s a series and you can see the problems Wes and Liz go through, but manage to make it work (mostly)