When I first started this drama, a couple of things felt familiar to me (the ML's cunningness, the FL's wild ways, ensuing hilarity, etc), and when I looked at the synopsis again I saw that the novel it's based on is a familiar author! While fans are still translating this particular novel by Yue Xia Die Ying, I've read her other works which have similar elements, so it's no surprise that this premise drew my attention and I ended up loving the drama (even with differences from the original novel).

PROS
❀ Powerful female lead + calculating male lead = complementary romance | Huahua takes no prisoners and goes after what she wants. She's brash, straightforward, and protective (especially when it comes to her family). I absolutely LOVED her character as a female lead as she goes against the grain of society. She can do anything (archery, sword-fighting, etc) EXCEPT the virtues of women during the time, including calligraphy and poetry. But that's all good, because the male lead Rong Xia balances her out. He's the hottest scholar of the nation, a gentleman through and through who knows poetry and calligraphy. He also has a calculating side, as he's trying to figure out the mystery behind his family's death. HH and RX worked so well together and I loved their mutual respect and admiration towards one another. They accept each other, flaws and all, and stay supportive, loyal, and protective. HH's rambunctious family takes in RX as one of their own, as well, and it's really endearing to see her protect him after all his years of solitude. Truly, a match made in heaven. While their romance starts out with mistrust and hidden motives, it progresses into a pretty honest and open relationship (for the most part, other than when they're trying to protect one another lol).
❀ MOST WONDERFUL loving family | I can't gush enough about the Ban family... from the silly dad, playful son, fierce mom, and dedicated maids, the Ban family really made this drama shine. Their family dynamics were written so well and made for some wonderful comedic scenes. And while the drama is mostly light-hearted, there's some pretty dramatic moments when it comes to the plot. It's not exceptionally intense, but it's still there.
❀ Despite being 40 episodes, I looked forward to each ep | I'm the type to struggle through anything over 30 episodes, but A Girl Like Me never dragged, and I ended up binging it in one weekend. Each plot addition was exciting and I was never bored, even when watching the leads fall in love towards the middle (in fact, those were my fave scenes hehe). I definitely applaud the drama for keeping watchers on their toes and keeping the pace going.
❀ Beautiful sets and gorgeous costumes | Wow, Huahua's outfits were always STUNNING. The lead couple looked gorgeous in every frame (in fact, the ML looks exactly how I picture a ML in Yue Xia Die Ying's books look like, lmao) and the supporting cast also looked amazing. I was impressed with some of the set choices, such as the ice skating scene and the ones that took place in a cave (both very romantic scenes). Maybe this is a translation of the show's budget, but it made for some very captivating moments.
❀ While the villains weren't the best, they made for some intriguing court politics | I don't think the antagonists were super smart but the actors conveyed their desperation (especially the female scholar) pretty well. The second prince also had some entertaining scenes, although he stayed immature and whiny until the end. But like I said, they kept the plot moving and in the end had a super satisfying comeuppance.

CONS
✕ Sometimes the editing got weird... | I feel like there were scenes that were cut out so the transitions were odd/jarring. But this happened only a handful of times so it wasn't a big deal, just something I noticed.
✕ The ML was so beautiful but also so stoic | I'm not sure if this was just a part of his character, but the acting felt a little stilted towards the first half. After the main couple's love gets solidifed, I definitely felt more emotion from him, but his stoic, expressionless face is one that I saw often. Gorgeous actor, a little questionable acting.
✕ Veers away from the original story | I'm not sure how involved the novel author was in the script, but I'm pretty sure it divulges story-wise and the ending is different. Although I'm immensely happy with the drama ending, I think the novel ending would have been more triumphant to see (lol). You can probably find the ending in the reviews for the novel in NovelUpdates.
✕ There's a bit too much back-and-forth | It seems like it's for the sake of adding drama so I was fine with it, but this back-and-forth is definitely exacerbated by the antagonists and pushing the main couple in tough positions which kept happening, lol.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 4/10 | They happen, BUT I think the writing doesn't let it drag on. The leads are both quite smart so it doesn't mar their relationship in a significant way and instead allows them to grow closer. I didn't think they were too annoying and while some of them weren't necessary, they also didn't bog down the story.

OVERALL
The refreshing and intelligent female lead made me fall in love with this drama! This hit all the right notes (and tropes) for me and I ended up loving it. Definitely recommended if you love headstrong FLs and MLs that are supportive partners.

(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)