The first thing you need to know about Genuine Fraud is it's reverse-chronological. So, it helps you to prepare your mind. The story starts with Jule on the run. She calls herself "Imogen" and escapes when her cover might have been blown. Then, we start to go backwards in time. I must say it's quite confusing, and it's definitely not at the level of "We Were Liars."
Another thing to know about the book is it's extremely similar to 'Talented Mr. Ripley', that you can't really call it an 'inspiration. If you haven't read that book, then it will feel more original. But, if you did, it's impossible not to have a deja vu. On top, I thought this book had a suspense content. It doesn't have that either. It's a very short book, where you'd expect the thrill of a fast pace and rising curiosity. On the contrary, it was even boring at times.
So, all in all, I'm sorry to say it was a bit of a let down.

I'm new to this author and I certainly enjoyed the unusual style of writing in working backwards. This was a refreshing style and, although it took some getting used to, was cleverly done and was well used to unravel the story.
I enjoyed the book. I'd heartily recommend it to others and would happily pick up another E. Lockhart novel.

Many thanks for allowing me to preview this.

I absolutely loved E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and was super excited to pick up her newest release, Genuine Fraud. And it didn't let me down. Just like We Were Liars I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it, and when I wasn't, I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. It's definitely a book that you can finish in one sitting on a lazy summer day. Perfect candidate for a beach book too! Especially for those who don't enjoy romance like me. It's best to get into it not knowing much about it, though... I'd even suggest not reading the synopsis of the book, if possible. HAPPY READING!

I really enjoyed the book, but it didn't give me what I was looking for - a deep, twisted mystery that took a long time to unravel and led up to an intense reveal. It was a fun, fast, short read.

This novel was so unexpected. The story so cleverly written, unlike the authors other books.

The story goes in reverse, taking you from present day, gradually back over months past, ending up back where it originally started. Sounds confusing right, well yes it was but in the best way.

How it is set out gives Genuine Fraud a really unique spin and by the end, as the reader you're left with a sense of openness, a freedom to decide how the characters tale might now play out.

My opinion, an interesting and refreshing read, well worth the pages turned.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I was thrilled to get a chance to read this because I've been a fan of this author (Emily Jenkins writing as E Lockhart) ever since I read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks which I really loved. That bought her a lot of good grace from me, but my results with her after that haven't been wholly positive. I did not like The Boyfriend List, and I detested We were Liars so much that I was moved to write a parody song about it as part of my review. It was titled "Purple Prose" and was based on the Prince song, Purple Rain! On the other hand, I really liked Dramarama so she was batting a .500 going into this.

This novel started out great and had me really hooked on this intriguing young woman who was strong, wealthy, and evidently hiding out from someone. When she fears she's been discovered, she acts decisively and leaves town, ruthlessly dealing with a guy from the hotel who is trying to extort money from her. The problem is that then it went into what appeared to be terminal flashback mode which frankly pissed me off. I detest flashbacks because they bring the story to a screeching halt while we get an info-dump. Not a good writing plan.

All I was getting was this boring history, which seemed irrelevant to the story I'd been reading - like it was a completely different novel. It was intended to explicate the beginning of the novel, but all it did was spoil it, and it was really confusing to me until I read some other reviews of the story and then it became clear that the tale was being told backwards! Sorry, but no.

Not only was it backwards, it was tediously mundane, and it felt like the Chinese water torture: this story was determined to punish me and it was going to take a mind-numbingly long time to do it. If the flashback material had been as gripping a the first chapter, that would have at least been something but the canvas this author was painting here wasn't a picture - it was merely a coat of gesso aimed at priming the surface, and I was not prepared to watch this pallid coat of paint dry.

Worse, I thought I knew already what was going on. I'm usually hopeless at figuring that out in a mystery novel, but in this case it seemed so obvious even to me. The main character is this girl named Jule, and she had a friend named Imogen who appeared to have killed herself, but no body was found which as you know means that the person ain't dead - or someone switched places with the victim. I left it to other readers to figure out which case this was. As for me, I couldn't have cared less by this point, which was about 60% in. The story was very short, but I have better things to do with my time than put myself through this kind of writing.

From some of those reviews I read, I also discovered that this was essentially the same story as Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. I haven't read that novel, so i can;t comment, and it's not relevant to me because I was judging this on its own merits - or in this case lack of same, but other reviewers seemed pretty adamant that if you've read Highsmith's novel, you really don't need to read this one.

What's relevant to me is whether a story moves me and keeps me interested, and this one failed. Like I said, I loved the opening chapter but after that, as soon as we began exploring the past, I lost interest because there was nothing in it to interest me that could remotely compare with the quality of the writing in that first chapter.

If the past had been at all revelatory or exciting, it might have been different, but it really was not. It was so predictable that it was tedious to read. There were no surprises. Worse, I went from liking the main character and admiring her smarts and pluck to detesting her as a complete idiot. I wish the author all the best, but I cannot recommend this one.

I’ve been given an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review. All of opinions in this post are my own.

I've never read a book from this author before but I did heard about her and her previous books.

So I was given an ARC to try it out this one and like any other mystery/suspense book it starts with the cliffhanger before going a bit backwards to show the story of before this moment.

Jule is our main character and she's running away. From who and what it's not entirely clear from the beginning until the middle of the book. The author gives you innumerable choices of storyline to keep you from finding out the whole truth. You learn a bit of Jule past or what you think her past is, it's all confusing mixing up with the stories she says in her mind going against the stories she tells the people she meets.

Imogen is the other main character since the story is based on Jule's POV you learn little by little about Immie (the way Jule calls her) until the moment where everything turns upside down in theirs lives. Imogen was supposed to be happy, to have a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend and job, but she's anything but happy. I feel sorry for her, for feeling so lost like she feels but I can't stop thinking there's more to it than we are lead to believe from the beginning of the book.

Until the middle is pretty much back and forth past and present, still confusing to everyone who they really are and what is happening around them. I confess I expected way more from the author from everything that I hear from her.

This book is basic, from the middle of the book I could already know where it was leading and to be honest she lost the hang of it, trying to make two flawed people innocent and villain at the same time. You get so confusing between the two of them that it gets tiring very quickly, the book started strong for me but after a few chapters going back to the story line of the past to bring the cliffhanger of the moment from the first chapter I was already like: Let's wrap this up cuz it's too much boring already.

The suspense was supposed to be good and thrilling and catching but it was anything but. Jule is so messed up and the things she does just can't be explained, the ending leaves everything open and you do get a sense of her real past but it's still not enough of an excuse for her acting just like Imogen.

Imogen having everything she has and using the poor excuse she's adopted to feel depressed and out of place it's ridiculous when she uses all the money from her family to just do nothing, literally nothing. Being a liar, a cheat, a pissy friend and all in between.

A book is supposed to have at least one main character where you can rely yourself on or else it gets too weak to keep on reading, it was only my stubbornness that kept me from leaving the book from the middle on, I heard so many praises from this author that I'm not sure I can trust.

The authors writing style is basic, it's a good fluid motion and not much complicated english slangs which is good but it fails you in getting you caught up with the story, for me she didn't attach herself to the book or its characters. I'd wished for something more, for something better.

Overall it was an OK book. It's not something that will change your life nor a really good suspense book because let's be honest you can guess everything that will happen by the middle of the book but it's a book you can read in between books you know it will get your mind and heart hooked up and you just need a light read between it.

I might give the author another chance and seek another book, but I won't get my expectations that high after this book which is not her first.

I found the main character quite unbelievable. She was savage in the way that characters are in crime thrillers and, yet, that savagery was never truly justified. I found the final reasoning for her violent behaviour too little to justify her character so it threw the whole book off for me.

Saying that, I did enjoy the format of starting at the end and working towards the beginning - that kept me reading until the end!

This is an interestingly layered novel, working back in time to explain the lives of Jule and Immie, interweaving identity to a degree that is confusing at the beginning of the book but, as it develops, becomes much easier to follow. As with 'We Were Liars', there is a complexity that keeps the reader engaged and seeking for an explanation of the initial events in the story. There is also the same sort of questioning of what it really means to fit in to the more prosperous section of American society. Who and what to you have to know, how easy it is to impersonate this social group, how easy is it to become part of it?

In addition to this complex plotting, the writing is highly visual, providing rapid pen portraits of a wide range of settings and scenarios, as well as deftly indicating how Jule changes her appearance to fit in and to escape, according to need. The violent action is also well conveyed, in a matter of fact manner which conveys the true, strange mental state, bordering on psychosis, that Jule adopts as a means of self protection. In a way this is the main difficulty in the novel overall, the fact that Jule is so intent upon survival and does not appear to ever question any of her actions or engage emotionally with the other characters. However, this is part of the reason why, in my opinion, this novel would easily translate into a gripping and visually appealing film,

Well written and enjoyable

I read this book through Netgalley, mostly because I was very curious what E. Lockhart would come up with after ‘We were liars’. And oh my, it’s quite something! It was definitely a quick read, it’s easy to read and it’s intruiging from the beginning. What has happened to Jule and Imogen and what’s the whole story about Jule are the main questions.

Well, I can already spoil that for you: you don’t find the answers in the book. ‘Genuine fraud’ has such a bizar ending that I double checked to see if I had the complete book or not. What didn’t help was that you read the story about Jule and Imogen backwards. You start at the ‘now’ point and E. Lockhart lets you go back in time, just by a few days or weeks. That makes it very confusing in the beginning, but at some point you’ll get used to that.

The fact that Jule’s story isn’t completely told bothers me the most. On Goodreads I read that people compared ‘Genuine fraud’ to ‘The talented Mr Ripley’, in not such a positive way. I can see that point but if it’s a bad thing or not, I’m not too sure about.

For me, E. Lockhart has written another book that confuses you the whole read and which does stick with you after you’ve finished it. Whether that’s positive or not, but I think that’s something else completely. I will definitely pick up another E. Lockhart book, just because I do believe the books are interesting.

Well, for me there’s not really a conclusion, as I’m still not sure what to think of this book. It’s one big mindfuck and that makes it special. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m still unsure about!

I'd been looking forward to this novel for ages. We Were Liars is one of my all time favourites books and this just didn't live up to expectation at all. I really liked the set up and thought Jule was a really unique character but the superhero/spy girl angle that was going on just didn't have me hooked.

I loved E Lockhart’s We Were Liars, it felt unique, both the writing style and the plot itself, so I was keen to read the author’s latest novel. Genuine Fraud is less original – the writer admits in the introduction that it draws inspiration from other novels, particularly The Talented Mr Ripley. It was a fast-paced, entertaining novel but lacked some depth and character development. There’s not really enough length for me to feel truly invested in the characters, and none of them were really likeable – although I think this was intentional.

Lockhart does tell the story well; starting in 2017 we meet Jule. 18 years old and staying in a luxury hotel Mexico alone, it’s clear she’s running from something. She has a selection of wigs and identities which she changes at whim, and when she suspects her cover has been blown, she quickly makes a run for it. The story unfolds backwards from there.

The story focuses on Jule’s relationship with Imogen – a spoilt, arrogant but charming girl who is used to getting what she wants. The two seem to have little in common, but we know they were once close. But where is Imogen? Through the clever, non-linear narrative, all is gradually revealed.

I enjoyed the unreliable nature and narrative technique – as the story unfolds backwards seemingly mundane details take on new significance; although there’s no big twist here, it’s more a gradual process as the pieces of the puzzle slowly slot into place.

While the short length meant a slight lack of character development, Lockhart covers a lot of ground in under 300 pages – spanning the globe and over a year in Jule’s life. It was fun, but not hugely memorable – and it didn’t quite live up to the promise of a high-octane suspense thriller.

This was my first E. Lockhart book, but I am pretty sure it won't be my last. Genuine Fraud was an intense read, and I whizzed through it as I just could not put it down. I had so many questions, and a burning curiosity to understand what was going on... and just who Jule and Imogen are. This is a book filled with twists and turns and surprises just around the corner: while definitely enjoyable, that makes it incredibly hard to review this book without spoilers, which is why this review will probably be much shorter than usual.

I deeply enjoyed reading this book: it was fast-paced and full of suspense, and even though I had suspected a few of the twists from fairly early on, it kept me guessing myself right up to the end. The narrator is deeply unreliable, and none of the characters can be trusted, which makes this read even more delicious to devour in few sittings if (like me) you like working your brain to understand twisted relationships.

I have to admit, none of the characters were particularly (read: at all) likable: most of them are spoilt rich kids who do little more than travel, shop and enjoy themselves, while complaining about how miserable they are. They were, however, extremely well drawn, and while I disliked them profoundly, I found them to be very believable. Most of the stuff that happened appeared to me fairly unrealistic anyway, but overall worked well within the novel, so that I almost never questioned how a particular thing could be happening.

One thing I wasn't too convinced by was the way in which it was narrated. The story is told almost entirely backwards, starting with an event and working our way to how it all started. I thought this was a brilliant and very original way to tell a story, until I actually got into the book. While I liked the theory of it, I found reading backwards to be much too complicated for me, and I soon started feeling slightly confused and ended up losing track of some details. This was entirely me, though, and you might enjoy it greatly and not feel confused at all!

Overall, this was a very entertaining read, and would have been perfect if it hadn't managed to thoroughly confuse me after a while.

E. Lockhart has done it again! Genuine Fraud is a refreshingly different kind of YA novel.

The book opens on Imogen in some type of bizarre escape scenario. A bit confusing at first, but as I continued reading, I realized that the story is told chronologically backwards. It's an interesting way to tell a story, especially since from time to time I wouldn't know where exactly we were in the narrative, and assuming the wrong time frame would drastically change the story.

As the story unfolds, many things are not as they seem and I found myself surprised around every corner. I didn't like Jules, but I also didn't think it was necessary to like her to enjoy the story. She is obviously a deeply troubled girl and although she seems crazy messed up, sadly there are people like that in the world.

If you are an E. Lockhart fan, definitely check this one out. It's a great read from beginning to end (or is it end to beginning) and even when you think none of it is going to come together..well..just read it!

What a trip. If you are expecting this to be anything like "We Are Liars" then you shouldn't read it until you have zero expectations.

Your not going to have fond feelings for any of the characters. This story is told in 3rd person but seems to feel even more distant than 3rd person feels.

Its told backwards which was a little jarring until I figured out the pattern. Its the kind of book you are going to want to read in as few sittings as possible so you don't forget all the information you have learned in the previous chapters. Its fast paced so that helps.

By the time you make it to the end everything comes together is a beautiful tangled mess.

Locked we were liars ans expected this to be along the same lines but was so out of sync and hard to follow. Not enjoyable.

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity.

E Lockhart is famous for her acclaimed book, We Were Liars, but not having read this I wasn’t sure what to expect. The book starts at the end and gradually works backwards. As a fan of Memento I was intrigued by this, and fell quickly into the rhythm. The main character, Jule, was elusive. At times I felt I’d worked her out only to find a chapter or two later that I’d got her all wrong. By the end of the book I felt almost as far from knowing her as at the beginning. I still don’t know what motivated her actions, other than money. There is a level of violence in the book that is never really explained. Some readers can deal with that, for others this will leave them feeling unsatisfied.

This book get its hooks you in quickly. At times I would stop and wonder if I actually liked it, but I was going through it so fast that I just couldn’t stop. Written in short snappy scenes you race through this book like a runaway train always hurtling on to the next (or actually previous) piece of action, reassembling your insights and expectations with each chapter.

If you are looking for a book that will play with your mind, this is definitely the one for you, but clear your schedule first because once you step on this train, you won’t want to get back off till the journey is done.

Genuine Fraud was an okay read. I didn’t love nor absolutely hate it.

I should probably mention I wasn’t much of a fan of We Were Liars so i was a bit hestiant to read this book.

It was better than We Were Liars. It had some good plot twists and did surprise me throughout. The ending did disappoint me but wow was it a wild ride throughout the book.

Thank you for sending me this to review :)

Unfortunately, I found Genuine Fraud to be in the same vein as Lockhart's previous novel, We Were Liars. While the story was interesting and gripping, I felt it borrowed its style from Lockhart's previous novel We Were Liars, specifically the switching of chronology from present tense to past. The story however does flow very well, although I found the characters to be unlikable, which made it difficult to invest in their storylines.
Nevertheless, fans of We Were Liars would definitely enjoy this novel.

A good read but you need to be on the ball as it works backwards!