Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Counterfeit

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

13 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I thought this was fine. I did enjoy the twists and turns that this story took.

And thank god that Ava divorced her husband. Cutting off her credit card while she is abroad is financial abuse.

It was probably clearer in the book version, but I had a little trouble in the audiobook when the POV shifted. And I'm not sure if I was supposed to understand that

Ava was an unreliable narrator? I guess so, since she was talking to police. I think that wasn't the most clear because we couldn't be sure that Winnie was telling the truth either. And it wasn't about like one single thing, but details about several things.

Also, I thought the whole slowly circling around the issue of the SATs was a little dragged out. They talked about it so much in the book that I kept thinking that I missed what actually occurred.

Content Warnings

hmwoodward's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a very quick listen on audio with a solid narrator.

The story starts with a conversation that you quickly learn is the main character speaking to a detective about a counterfeit scheme gone wrong. So, you know it ends with her giving details to the authorities and don't know how it got to that point.

The book wasn't predictable and it does a great job of closing out loose ends. However, I think the last part moved way too fast - especially the last 10%.

Overall, it was a solid read but nothing spectacular that I feel the need to recommend it to others. You will be entertained the whole time you read it though! Great book for anyone who loves "women's wrongs" and "girl boss" types of stories.

Content Warnings

kyriannaj's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Part One of the book was a bit hard to get through, but as soon as Part Two started I was hooked. Ava and Winnie are incredibly complicated characters, and figuring out the truth of their story after finishing the book will have me thinking about it for days. It left me with questions and since I read this for a book club, the conversations we had about it were amazing.

Content Warnings

amberinpieces's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bek_p87's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

At first I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into - the first half of the book gave nothing away and presented itself as a very straightforward tale. But the twist was perfect, and came as a massive surprise. I couldn't help but root for the anti-hero in this surprising exploration of consumerism.

Content Warnings

jenn_reads's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny 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

Content Warnings

brandie_abbie19's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful medium-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? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

kalehouse's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

jencolumb0's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

An exceptionally clever exploration of the myth of the model minority and the American dream. I hope Ms. Chen gets a wonderful movie deal out of this (and that they do it well).

In addition to the content warnings, there are some passing descriptions of abusive labor conditions and post-op (elective) surgery recovery. And Ms. Chen’s research regarding US immigration law left a little to be desired.

Content Warnings

More...