bones_jackson's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Nossa que livro horrível, a história é muito sem graça, a personagem principal é uma péssima esposa e mãe. A estrutura do livro é horrível, não tem aspas nem travessão e tem que dar graças se a autora pula parágrafos pras falas, coisa ruim.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Deportation, and Toxic friendship
matcha_pages's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Started off with a bang, but much like a counterfeit purse it didn't hold up toward the end. It was an easy read yet didn't deliver like I hoped it would. Even though Ava and Winnie are unreliable narrators and unlikeable characters, they're the portrait of modern scam artist. They ruthlessly used Asian/Asian American stereotypes to their advantage and weren't afraid to use people to get ahead.
I wanted more scam artist and less angry mother. I get that motherhood plays a big part in Ava's life, but the book leaned toward that side too much for my preference. There's a lot of telling not showing, which I think is due to the POV choice. The ending felt rushed and I think it was it a miss to not mention the scale of their operation.
I wanted more scam artist and less angry mother. I get that motherhood plays a big part in Ava's life, but the book leaned toward that side too much for my preference. There's a lot of telling not showing, which I think is due to the POV choice. The ending felt rushed and I think it was it a miss to not mention the scale of their operation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Xenophobia
brandie_abbie19's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Addiction, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Xenophobia
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This story follows Ava and her college roommate Winnie as they create a counterfeit luxury handbag business.
This book is split into two parts. The first half sees Ava being interviewed by the police as to her involvement in the business. We see a bored and bitter housewife who gets manipulated by an old friend. She comes off as the innocent party who was completely taken advantage of.
Then we get to the second part which is from Winnie's POV and the entire story shifts. I liked the shift in the story. The second part was much more interesting than the first.
I really liked that this story focused on a strong female friendship and the drive of these women. Winnie and Ava are both extremely hardworking and driven women who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
I really enjoyed the audio version.
This book is split into two parts. The first half sees Ava being interviewed by the police as to her involvement in the business. We see a bored and bitter housewife who gets manipulated by an old friend. She comes off as the innocent party who was completely taken advantage of.
Then we get to the second part which is from Winnie's POV and the entire story shifts. I liked the shift in the story. The second part was much more interesting than the first.
I really liked that this story focused on a strong female friendship and the drive of these women. Winnie and Ava are both extremely hardworking and driven women who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
I really enjoyed the audio version.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Racism, and Toxic friendship
kalehouse's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
(audio book) this was very middle of the road, nothing was super compelling characters or plot. actually, i really hated eva at first and the only thing that kept me listening was the hope that she couldn’t possibly be *that* annoying. she was redeemed towards the second half! still, this was pretty slow and i couldn’t relate much to eva.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, and Alcohol
venetiana's review against another edition
Nothing wrong with the book!
It just turned out to be not what I was looking to read.
It just turned out to be not what I was looking to read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Toxic friendship
nataliesophia's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
lovetlr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite audiobooks of the year! This book was so entertaining; the characters were fun and morally gray, and I love a good "listen as I tell my side of the story, Detective" framing. Ava was sometimes frustrating but you had to respect her hustle, and I loved how the dynamic between Ava and Winnie evolved as time went on. Since the focus was mainly on these two women, they were solidly fleshed-out and I could relate to different elements of their lives and histories without supporting all of their decisions. There was a twist right at the point where the story starts to lag, so that was perfectly timed.
My one issue is that I don't understand how they made any money from the central scam of the book... how is it profitable to return an exact dupe and then sell the real handbag online and retail? It might be less risky but you're not making any additional money. Honestly, I mostly overlooked this detail because the storytelling was engaging and I was along for the ride!
My one issue is that I don't understand how they made any money from the central scam of the book... how is it profitable to return an exact dupe and then sell the real handbag online and retail? It might be less risky but you're not making any additional money. Honestly, I mostly overlooked this detail because the storytelling was engaging and I was along for the ride!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Terminal illness
just_one_more_paige's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The combination of this cover and the vibes of the book made me think this was going to be a cross between Portrait of a Thief and the Crazy Rich Asians series, both of which I found pretty entertaining, solid reads, so I had this one on my shortlist when I was next looking for a lighter/fun type read. And with a lot of driving for work to close out the year, and access to the ALC for this from Libro.fm, the time for a "keeps your attention and doesn't require too much mental investment" read was nigh.
Ava Wong is a little stuck in life right now, having taken a long break from her high key job as a lawyer to raise her young son, who is struggling through a period of major temper tantrums, while her husband works long hours as a surgeon. When an old college friend, Winnie Fang re-enters her life, with a proposition to get involved in her luxury handbags counterfeit scheme. Winnie is looking for help from someone like Ava, who can travel back and forth to China with her US-passport and fly under the radar. Though Ava originally balks at the illegal activity, she finds herself in a tough spot and ends up taking the plunge. This partnership takes some major leaps, unexpected turns, and offers some comically insightful commentary on the production and economics of these designer handbags and the way Asian/Asian-American women are viewed in the world.
Well, this was the entertaining read I was looking for! I personally have no earthly idea about luxury handbags or any other designer sh*t , so all of the details and specifics about the products themselves went mostly over my head. I just accepted it as "that's fancy, got it" and moved on. Haha. That being said, that did nothing to dampen my overall enjoyment of the read. It opened with Ava essentially giving evidence to, being interviewed by, detectives about Winnie (who seems to have fled the country) about how she got trapped in this scheme (listening to her describe it is like watching a "can't tear your eyes away" accident situation) - getting in over her head and not knowing how to get out without damaging her family. An interesting narrative device, to be sure.
The way Ava tells it in this first part, this is a manipulative (charming and ruthless) level of “friendship,” in the vein of Wahala and Tangerine. There is also a definite vibe, throughout, that Ava's narration is not entirely reliable...and I do love an unreliable narrator, so I was very interested to see where that vibe went. And then we get to part two, which flips everything Ava was saying on its head (as I was hoping!). It's cunning and creative and takes advantage of so many widely held (in the Western world) Asian/Asian-American women stereotypes, reclaiming them for their own benefit. I don't want to say too much, so as not to give away the "twist," as it were. But suffice it to say that I was here for it, this take on the glorified "mobster" mentality/stereotype with a wry and feminine twist, was a great vibe.
There was also some present, if light, recognition of the dark side of these luxury items, highlighting the horrific working conditions of the international factories where these handbags are made. I actually really appreciated the interrogation of what makes one of these bags "authentic" versus "fake," if both are being produced in side-by-side factories owned by the same conglomerates. And the mark-ups?! Unbelievable. For essentially the exact same product! Anyways, like I said, not a super deep look at these issues, but a recognition and awareness of their presence/role in the industry at least. There was also a look at the ridiculous expectations on parents of young children, and the anxiety-producing competitiveness for kids as young as pe-school aged - yeeeeesh, count that among the many reasons I don't plan to parent. It was horrible to read about.
If you're looking for something not too deep, fairly fun, a bit unexpected, with a snarky "darker side of feminism" vibe that gives a truly diverting reading experience, this is a solid choice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Terminal illness