Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read by Kristen Chen following the story of Ava who gets involved in the world of counterfeit handbags through an old college roommate, Winnie. I enjoyed the story as told by Ava as she explains the situation to a detective and the intrigue and emergence of the unreliable narrator as I read on. It was also very interesting to get an insight into the world of counterfeit items.

This was an intriguing and entertaining read.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I've been trying to open this book for a few days but with no success.

An Engaging and different read but an amazing one at that.

Ava and Winnie, once friends at college re-meet as adults. We see Ava is struggling with a child and a husband who is away most of the time working, here is where Winnie will come in and has a plan to change Ava’s life but is it for the best?

Definitely a unique read, as someone who knows nothing about the world of expensive handbags this put my insight into that read and it was different. I also like how we were introduced to Chinese and the Chinese American culture which was really nice to read.

The ending was a wham moment but I really did think it was a clever ending, this book is a must for a beachside read. I really enjoyed it and look forward to what the author next comes out with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

The story is told in the way of Ava telling her story to a detective. And what a story it is.
Ava would seem to have a perfect life drom the outside. A perfect surgeon husband and adorable young son. However, in reality her husband spends lots of time away from home. The adorable Henri is a screaming, whaling monster. So when Winnie a woman she was at college with Ava’s like takes a turn.
We are taken on their lives of counterfeiting. The hassles, the money the glamour.
However, how will the story end.? You’ll have to read and find out. I certainly spent a thoroughly enjoyable day finding out.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC.

In 'Counterfeit' by Kirstin Chen, Ava Wong (an American Lawyer on sabbatical) becomes embroiled in her ex roommates, Winnie Fang's, handbag counterfeiting scheme. Lonely, bored, and doubtful about her parenting skills to a difficult toddler, she is susceptible Winnie's charms. Together they find a way to use China's trade in fake handbags to defraud the designer stores out of thousands of dollars.

Told as if to a police detective, this novel is both a crime story and an exploration of the fake handbag industry. Ava's experiences as a mother to a child whose development isn't typical felt very believable, and times when others were less than sympathetic were heart-breaking. Winnie's wish to be American, but anger with American's, was apparent throughout, and fed her criminal activities in a believable way.

For me the difficulty with this novel is partly in the marketing. I didn't find this 'a glittery blend of fashion, crime and friendship' as described in the blurb. In fact, I often found it quite sad and the characters isolated, rather than true friends. This wasn't something that caught me up in gloss and glitz, and whilst others have found this to be fast paced and a quick read, that wasn't my experience. In fact I at times had to force myself to return to it. This clearly wasn't really the novel for me.

A quirky story, following 2 main characters who come up with a plan to deal in counterfeit handbags, but who is telling the real story. Grounded in reality yet the tale is very unusual. An interesting read.

I loved reading about the exploits of Ava and Winnie. Here are two women with their own agency, living life on their own terms. I started reading, expecting thrilling heists and daring-do, whilst there was some element of this, and some very tense moments (plus a brilliant plot twist that made me drop my jaw), but it is largely the amazing characterisation and descriptions of day to day life that had me hooked.
Each woman sheds expectation of their role in society; as female entrepreneurs in the masculine world of counterfeit goods, and in their refusal to adhere to the discrimination that expects each to be deferential and controllable. Whilst I may not agree with their business model, I loved their audacity and they way that each learned to trust her instincts and find her truest self.

It's a brilliant read that I am still thinking about and I would like to thank the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Fabulous read, set in the world of counterfeit high end goods. Two Asian American friends band together to build a global knock-off fashion business . It's funny, feminist and a good escapist read.

Ava and Winnie, briefly friends at college, get back in touch as adults. Ava is struggling with a difficult toddler and a husband working away all week. Winnie has a plan to change Ava's life....

The plan is lucrative, foolproof. Buying genuine designer handbags from shops and then returning high quality fakes for a full refund. A victimless crime, right? But what happens when it all comes apart at the seams - literally?

I loved how this story raised the question of value and worth - both in terms of physical items and in terms of how the characters were viewed by their families in connection with their career success, or lack thereof.

I also appreciated the insights into Chinese and Chinese American culture.

I would just have liked a bit more depth to the book. For example, domestic issues provided the catalyst for Ava's involvement in the scam, but for some reason, they felt a bit separate from the main plot (that may just have been me though).

The ending felt a bit abrupt, but I did think it was clever though. I would happily have read a longer version of the book.

Thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and Net Galley for the eARC of this book.

Ava Wong, Asian American lawyer, has the appearances of a perfect life. Sure hasn’t worked since having her son, Henri, now two years old. Her husband Oli is a renowned transplant surgeon and everything should be rosy. So why does she feel so flat? Well Oli spends too long either at work or travelling to and from it and Henri is a very difficult child who cries at every opportunity. In fact Ava would be completely lost without her nanny, Maria.

Then one day her college roommate, Winnie Fang, appears out of the blue. Winnie is colourful and exuberant and appears to be doing so well for herself. She soon confides her daring money making arrangement to Ava - because of course she wants to recruit Ava. And stupidly Ava gets sucked in. At first it’s “just this once” but once Winnie has her hooks into you it’s very difficult to escape. Soon the two are running a massive business in flogging counterfeit designer handbags. Personally I don’t get it, I don’t get why anyone would drop thousands of dollars on a bag!

But inevitably, things don’t go quite according to plan and much of the narrative is Ava telling her story to the police - willingly in an effort to avoid jail time. You soon get used to the lack of quotation marks.

Unfortunately this book was so not for me. I thought the characters were pretty one dimensional and lacked nuance. They were also mostly unlikeable. The nicest character was the nanny. The plot was pretty thin - cheating rich folks into shelling out big bucks for knock-off handbags, that was about it! And while it may have been supposed to be funny in places it lacked any sort of humour for me. It also did nothing to dispel any negative stereotypes about Asians. I simply did not enjoy it! I am, however, grateful to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

When two old friends bump into each other for the first time since college, Ava, a rule abiding lawyer who has ticked all of life’s boxes, finds herself sucked into the glamorous world of counterfeit designer handbags and discovers that crime does indeed pay.

Initially I found it hard to get through the first chapter because of the way Ava’s character was written. I felt it was hard to identify with a character that seemed to passive in her own life. I also felt there was a more telling than showing in this book and this made parts of it feel lackluster. However, upon reaching Part 2 of the novel I was completely blown away by the turn of events and I was desperate to know how it ended.

The premise of this book is unique and was what interested me from the start, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed delving into the world of counterfeit designer goods and learning more about the process. (Something of which I previously had no knowledge of)

The ending was simply perfect, I could not predict the outcome and was glad to catch up with my two favourite counterfeiters and discover that they were up to.

Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who wants a refreshing, easy read. The ideal book to take away on holiday.

2.5

I really appreciated the unique subject. Loved learning about the world of the counterfeit handbags, but the narrator was too whiny. I get why it had to be like that but still it grated on my nerves.

Counterfeit is an interesting, easy read and covers what happens when two women decide to go into business selling counterfeit designer bags. Ava, a Chinese American lawyer, is explaining her part in the heist to a detective after being drawn into the illegal and lucrative scheme by Winnie, a former college inmate, who has now disappeared. I enjoyed this romp and hoped Ava would come out of it unscathed. A good beachside read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins/The Borough Press for the opportunity to read and review Counterfeit.

Despite living perfectly law abiding lives themselves, there is something about a heist novel that has readers rooting for fictional criminals who in real life they would condemn. And 'Counterfeit' is essentially a form of heist novel, albeit it a sophisticated, slow burn version. Most of the story is narrated by Ava, a Chinese=American lawyer who is talking to a police detective. Ava tells the story of how her former college roommate drew her into an illegal but lucrative scheme involving counterfeit handbags.. The former roommate, Winnie, has now disappeared and Ava is left to answer to the law.

It's a very readable book that I finished more quickly than I expected. Interesting from the start, the pace is good and it never lags. Rather than a single big theft, as you'd get in a heist story, this story involves a longer term scheme with multiple lower=risk interactions. The story plays out cleverly - firstly you read in order to understand exactly what crime(s) Ava might have committed, and why, then you read to find out whether Winnie will be found and whether Ava will have to take the blame.

I knew very little about the world of expensive handbags - I was astounded by how expensive some actually are. So it was quite interesting to find out a bit about it. I was also fascinated and horrified to read about the process for getting toddlers into high-end American nursery schools. The scene where children were effectively audtiioned for preschool seemed every kind of wrong to me, but I assume is something that does happen in real life.

Ava is an interesting character and reasonably sympathetic narrator. Her descent into criminality is driven by factors such as a controlling husband who cancelled her access to their joint account as a punishment, grief for her deceased mother, and concern over the development of her two year old son Henri. As she incrementally gets in deeper and deeper she realises she can't get back out. But on the other hand, as a very wealthy, intelligent woman she should have found better alternatives to her problems than turning to crime. So you never feel completely sorry for her. But there is still that strange sense you get with heist stories that you would like the criminals to succeed.

Overall, 'Counterfeit' is a well written novel that is absorbing and well paced. I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out and I found it a bit different and interesting, without going too far from known genres. If you like 'heist' stories I think you will also enjoy this, and likewise psychological thriller fans should give it a try. I'd certainly read another book by the author.

Really easy quick read that held my attention right till the end. I enjoyed the way the story was portrayed through a police interview and I found the counterfeit business idea really clever.

One of the highlights for me was the ending which isn't what I saw coming. Ava's choices at the end threw me which I like - none of those happy ever afters that are typical. Refreshing!

I really wasn’t sure this book was for me when I started, but somehow I just had to keep reading to find out where the book was going. It is certainly a different story, well away from the usual run of the mill. It is fun to read and the characters are quirky. I read it very quickly which says a lot for its entertainment value.

Ava Wong hasn’t heard from Winnie Fang for over twenty years, in fact since Winnie hurriedly left Stanford. What does Winnie want? Ava‘s life hasn’t panned out the way she hopes and she’s dazzled by the wealth, beauty and confidence Winnie displays. An added bonus if she is very good with her two year old son Henri who has the most spectacular of tantrums. Oh boy, does Eva ever get lured into a Winnie web, a con involving counterfeit designer handbags which are so good they are the creme de la creme of counterfeits they could be the real thing. It becomes intoxicating as common sense flies out the window until it all crashes to earth.

This is a great easy read, it’s clever and fun but with dark undertones as it shines a light on things such as Chinese factory conditions. I really like the way it’s written with the saga unfolding as Ava tells the tale to Detective Georgia Murphy. The tone is so good you almost feel as if Ava is right in front of you.

The characterisation is really good with Ava and Winnie being chalk and cheese. Ava‘s portrayal is especially strong, she is not happy in her current life and plays it safe until she doesn’t. Winnie is smart, clever and duplicitously successful.

The well thought out storyline packs a lot into its short lengths (roughly three hours reading time) with secrets, multiple lie upon lie, some shocks, corruption and blackmail. It’s very easy to read, darkly funny and one you might consider taking as an entertaining beach read .

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for inviting me to read this novel (which gave me “Good Girls” kind of vibe)! Great use of the unreliable narrator. It was easy to read. Kirsten Chen clearly did a thorough research with this one (I had no idea all these bags have different names). Personally, I’m not a fan of dialogue having no proper punctuation, HOWEVER there is a smart creative reason behind it here and I stopped noticing it after a few pages. I really enjoyed this novel, the only thing that felt slightly odd in the end was *spoiler* Ava divorcing her husband and remaining friends with Winnie. As in, it was as if she chose Winnie over Oli, and I think it’s due to the unreliable narration in the first part of the book that you kind of stick with; this impression that her marriage could’ve lasted. Also *spoiler* SAT thing - it wasn’t clear until the end, but I figured that it was Winnie who passed exams for other people, not the other way around. Her character was just too smart for that. All in all, wonderful read!

For me, this was an OK(ish) and easy read but nothing spectacular. I wasn’t gripped or enthralled or particularly interested, mainly because I didn’t like any of the characters involved. I didn’t like the writing style, and at times found it difficult to follow the narrative. What’s wrong with using speech marks so we know what’s what? Ava is on extended maternity leave to look after her son Henri – but she doesn’t do much looking after him, does she?! Maria, the well-paid nanny, seems to be the only person who can control (or even like) him! A bit of a silly and highly implausible story, and I hope other readers enjoy it more than I did. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy, and sorry my review is negative.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. As another reviewer hinted at: it’s a bit like Kevin Kwan meets Chris Brookmyre. It’s so different from anything I have read before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very readable with well drawn main characters. Kirstin Chen is definitely an author I will seek out again - highly recommend.