A glittering, sharply observed YA novel about a biracial Chinese-American teen caught between two worlds—Hollywood fame and a secretive Hong Kong dynasty—and the high price of belonging.
Gemma Huang is living the dream: she's a rising starlet in Hollywood, navigating auditions and red carpets. The only problem? Her "dream" life is completely fake. She's not the glamorous, wealthy heiress her social media suggests. She's actually broke, crashing on couches, and one terrible audition away from giving up.
When a deep-rooted family secret surfaces, Gemma is whisked away to Hong Kong to meet the powerful, traditional family she never knew she had—a family descended from the last imperial dynasty of China. Instantly, she's thrust into a world of incomprehensible wealth, ancient expectations, and competitive, diamond-encrusted cousins. She is the Heiress Apparently, and everything is suddenly real.
As Gemma tries to find her footing in this demanding new dynasty, she must contend with a ruthless, politically-charged social scene and the charming, yet totally off-limits, boy who seems to be the only person seeing the real her. But the deeper she delves into her royal lineage, the more she realizes that her family's wealth comes with serious dangers.
To claim her place and understand her history, Gemma must untangle the truth about her past while facing the threat that her new life—and her family's legacy—might crumble around her.
Heiress Apparently is a glamorous, witty, and thrilling story about what it means to belong, the pressure of dynasty, and finding the courage to write your own destiny when the past keeps pulling you back.
Daughters of the Dynasty series:
Heiress Apparently
Her Rebel Highness
Praise
"Reminiscent of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Ma successfully creates vivid settings in Los Angeles and China as she uncovers important issues facing Asian Americans, including family expectations, identity, sacrifice, and honor."School Library Journal
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"More than a cute rom-com, this novel highlights LGBTQ+ rights, contemporary attitudes held by Chinese citizens, Chinese history, Hollywood’s ethnic prejudices, and pride in culture and family. . . this is a fun start to a promising series."Booklist
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