knitterscasket's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allisonmarie223's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, I finished it in a day. I'm a big fan of the author's writing style and how the story was framed. The narrator is answering questions from a detective the reader cannot hear. I do think the book relied on a lot of racial stereotypes, which obviously I didn't love, but it caused me to question things more often. Throughout the novel, characters argue against the value of luxury items and materialism in general but their arguments don't really hold water because of how much they care about money. There were a couple of interesting twists that I didn't expect but at the end of the day, I wasn't completely sold on the ending.
andimontgomery's review against another edition
2.5
COUNTERFEIT provides a unique perspective on the counterfeit purse industry, with two former college roommates who enter into a partnership focused on buying and selling knockoff luxury purses.
The story alternates between Ava’s (the lawyer-homemaker) and Winnie’s (the mastermind) perspectives. It is a compelling story, and I had a hard time putting it down. But there were far too many political statements and racial stereotypes interjected throughout the story.
Neither character is likable, either. Ava initially comes across as a naive counterfeit fraudster, but later seems to be more of a mastermind herself. Her family life is a mess, with a mostly absent transplant surgeon husband and a two-year-old son who is unable to verbalize appropriately, resulting in significant behavioral issues.
Winnie is no better. While she abruptly left Stanford without completing her degree, she’s very smart and calculating, and bases her entire financial success on defrauding others. She’s utterly despicable.
And then comes the ending, which frankly, I despised. Overall, despite its compelling writing, I disliked how COUNTERFEIT glamorizes fraud.
lfbennett407's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-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? No
4.25
krismjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
This book was out of my norm genre. It was an easy read and kept you on your toes. I feel like it went down some rabbit holes at times but still good to read
snsuwage's review against another edition
4.0
I just love unreliable narrators but with the book being described as having a lots of twists and turns, I expected one more double crossing.