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Counterfeit
The Reese's Book Club hardcover edition can be found here.
For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise--an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners.
Money can't buy happiness... but it can buy a decent fake.
Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home--she's built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava's world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn't been used in years, and her toddler's tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point.
Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business--someone who'd never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences.
Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life.
For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise--an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners.
Money can't buy happiness... but it can buy a decent fake.
Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home--she's built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava's world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn't been used in years, and her toddler's tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point.
Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business--someone who'd never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences.
Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
About the author
Kirstin Chen
7 books1,033 followersKirstin Chen is the New York Times best-selling author of four novels. Her latest, Tech Wives, is forthcoming in April '27. Her third novel, Counterfeit, is a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, a Roxane Gay book club pick, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Counterfeit has been translated into eight languages and is being adapted for the screen. Her previous novels are Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,140 reviews
August 23, 2022
I have picked up this book to read only because it was a selection in a book club with some great previous picks that I really loved reading.
The story of this novel can be easily described in a single line. It is the story of two ladies of Chinese ethnicity who try to fool Americans with fake luxury goods.
The topic the author is trying to discuss has already been discussed multiple times by other authors like Kevin Kwan. We have read this story many times, and it now seems boring to hear it again. But there are many other problems associated with this book that needs much more serious discussion.
The biggest problem with this book is excessive use of racial stereotypes. The way in which the author describes a few of the stereotypes seen in this novel are -
Chinese - People who are only interested in manufacturing fake products. All the factory owners never acknowledge the worker's rights. They don't even allow them to go to the washroom.
Italians - People who are very greedy for money. They cheat the customers by selling luxury items, always overpricing them. They will just manufacture the handle of the luxury bags in Italy, make the rest in China, and put made in Italy over their products.
Americans - People who are foolish enough to develop a fetish for these overpriced luxury products.
There are indeed some real people like this in our real world. But the problem arises when we start seeing every person from a specific country with a certain ethnicity only in this way.
I have been reading about the verbal battle regarding exotic writing between Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie in the book Joseph Anton: A Memoir. I found it interesting when I started reading this book after reading what Salman Rushdie had written about this topic. It seems some authors like Kirstin Chen are never planning to change this writing style, which is dangerous to many people in different ways.
It is sad to see the author of this book promoting racial stereotyping by creating various characters precisely according to the stereotypes. Racial stereotyping is considered politically incorrect as it is distorted, devaluing, limiting, and hurtful to others. This stereotyping in literary creations can foster hate and aggression, leading to a false sense of entitlement.
If you closely observe racial stereotyping in literary works, we can see that most of them are written by people from the same ethnic group settled in places abroad like America, Europe, or even Singapore (in the case of PRC (Peoples Republic of China)).
We have seen some amazing works of fiction from expatriate Asian authors. The amount of support these Asian-American Writers got recently was a really praiseworthy one. But a few new generation authors who are running behind instant fame through their galling creations are trying to belittle the brilliant work done by other authors from the Asian diaspora. A few Chinese authors living in America, Europe, Singapore, and a few Indian authors residing in America and Europe who write exotically about their race are adding oil to the racial stereotyping.
It seems much easier to make a novel a global success if the authors cater to the needs of readers from other countries according to their misconceptions. These authors are not ready to put in the extra effort to break these stereotypes by removing the misconceptions.
There are many other problems associated with this book, like the problems with the narration and the way the character's arc was created. There are problems with even the basics, like the author’s usage of quotation marks in this novel.
It is more disheartening to see many famous book clubs picking these literary works with exotic writing as the book of the month picks. I think they should be more careful while selecting the books as they have the power to influence a lot of readers.
This book was a massive disappointment for me, especially after hearing a lot of good news about it. It is high time that the authors stop going after racial stereotyping and create some unique literary creations with pure content that will genuinely excite the readers.
The story of this novel can be easily described in a single line. It is the story of two ladies of Chinese ethnicity who try to fool Americans with fake luxury goods.
The topic the author is trying to discuss has already been discussed multiple times by other authors like Kevin Kwan. We have read this story many times, and it now seems boring to hear it again. But there are many other problems associated with this book that needs much more serious discussion.
The biggest problem with this book is excessive use of racial stereotypes. The way in which the author describes a few of the stereotypes seen in this novel are -
Chinese - People who are only interested in manufacturing fake products. All the factory owners never acknowledge the worker's rights. They don't even allow them to go to the washroom.
Italians - People who are very greedy for money. They cheat the customers by selling luxury items, always overpricing them. They will just manufacture the handle of the luxury bags in Italy, make the rest in China, and put made in Italy over their products.
Americans - People who are foolish enough to develop a fetish for these overpriced luxury products.
There are indeed some real people like this in our real world. But the problem arises when we start seeing every person from a specific country with a certain ethnicity only in this way.
I have been reading about the verbal battle regarding exotic writing between Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie in the book Joseph Anton: A Memoir. I found it interesting when I started reading this book after reading what Salman Rushdie had written about this topic. It seems some authors like Kirstin Chen are never planning to change this writing style, which is dangerous to many people in different ways.
It is sad to see the author of this book promoting racial stereotyping by creating various characters precisely according to the stereotypes. Racial stereotyping is considered politically incorrect as it is distorted, devaluing, limiting, and hurtful to others. This stereotyping in literary creations can foster hate and aggression, leading to a false sense of entitlement.
If you closely observe racial stereotyping in literary works, we can see that most of them are written by people from the same ethnic group settled in places abroad like America, Europe, or even Singapore (in the case of PRC (Peoples Republic of China)).
We have seen some amazing works of fiction from expatriate Asian authors. The amount of support these Asian-American Writers got recently was a really praiseworthy one. But a few new generation authors who are running behind instant fame through their galling creations are trying to belittle the brilliant work done by other authors from the Asian diaspora. A few Chinese authors living in America, Europe, Singapore, and a few Indian authors residing in America and Europe who write exotically about their race are adding oil to the racial stereotyping.
It seems much easier to make a novel a global success if the authors cater to the needs of readers from other countries according to their misconceptions. These authors are not ready to put in the extra effort to break these stereotypes by removing the misconceptions.
There are many other problems associated with this book, like the problems with the narration and the way the character's arc was created. There are problems with even the basics, like the author’s usage of quotation marks in this novel.
It is more disheartening to see many famous book clubs picking these literary works with exotic writing as the book of the month picks. I think they should be more careful while selecting the books as they have the power to influence a lot of readers.
This book was a massive disappointment for me, especially after hearing a lot of good news about it. It is high time that the authors stop going after racial stereotyping and create some unique literary creations with pure content that will genuinely excite the readers.
August 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this fun, smart book about two women who create a business counterfeiting designer handbags. I didn't realize how complex that world is. There is also a fascinating twist toward the middle of the novel that shifts the tone and energy and much more. The two women at the center of this novel are well-drawn and compelling though I wish Winnie had been given as much attention as Ava given how central she is. The secondary story about Ava's dissatisfaction with her personal life was actually not that secondary. Overall, this is a smart, intriguing and really well conceived novel.
June 7, 2022
In a Nutshell: A quick and easy women’s fiction, though stereotypical in some parts. Read with your analytical glasses kept aside to enjoy it better.
Story:
Where the book worked for me:
✔ The book is divided in various parts. The first part is written in Ava’s first person perspective, whereby she is narrating her experiences with Winnie and also her personal issues to the detective handling the case. After a while, it became very clear that Ava was quite self-centred and whiny, and her insecurities had been manipulated by Winnie, thereby making her an unwilling participant in her nefarious business. And then comes Part II, where you are forced to question whatever you read till then. I liked Part I but it is Part II and what came beyond that enhanced the book from a 3 star to a higher rating.
✔ The story offers some interesting insights into the luxury handbags business (both genuine and counterfeit). I am the “Jon Snow” of luxury brands; I know nothing! So reading this fun take on the overpriced goods market and also seeing the companies getting a bit of comeuppance was enjoyable.
✔ I loved the main character development (though you need to have a lot of patience to discover the development.) Neither Ava nor Winnie function on a WYSIWYG model – they are complex, sometimes irritating and sometimes vulnerable. Henri the toddler is l’enfant terrible. While I don’t enjoy children being portrayed in such a way, Henri’s behaviour adds a further layer of complexity to Ava’s arc as her parenting skills depict her attitude towards life.
✔ The story takes an almost satirical look at modern day consumerism, including the use-and-throw culture and brand fetishes.
✔ It is a very quick read, and not at all taxing on the brain.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ Other than Ava and Winnie, the characters don’t stand out. Most are quite flat and come on a need-be basis into the story.
❌ There are no quotation marks for dialogues in Ava’s narration to the detective. I don’t like this writing style.
❌ There’s too much of talk and too little action, especially in the first half. The second half is much better.
❌ While the “whats” of the story are detailed out, the “whys” aren’t. The motivation/rationale behind most character decisions isn’t explained at all.
❌ It is somewhat stereotypical of Chinese-Americans and the Chinese. (A part of the stereotypical thinking is what Ava uses to gain sympathy in the eyes of the detective. I am not sure if this is a stereotypical portrayal of the culture or Ava’s attempt to capitalise on white people’s stereotypes about her culture. But even otherwise, there are a few clichéd ideas about Asians.)
All in all, this is a nice chick-lit kind of mystery-drama. It is light and relaxing fun, not to be read too analytically and not to be taken too seriously. It has its share of appealing and irritating moments, but overall, it is a decent entertainer.
3.5 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “Counterfeit”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
Thirty-seven year old Chinese-American Ava, ex-lawyer, married to a French-American surgeon, mother to a toddler Henri, living a picture-perfect life at least in theory. But Ava knows the cracks in the façade and is dissatisfied with the status quo. She has been contacted after about two decades by her college roommate Winnie, who was awkward and shy then but is evidently a successful businesswoman now. Winnie asks Ava for a favour involving her counterfeit luxury handbag trade, but soon the “favours” turn more frequent and Ava finds herself caught in the shady activities.
Where the book worked for me:
✔ The book is divided in various parts. The first part is written in Ava’s first person perspective, whereby she is narrating her experiences with Winnie and also her personal issues to the detective handling the case. After a while, it became very clear that Ava was quite self-centred and whiny, and her insecurities had been manipulated by Winnie, thereby making her an unwilling participant in her nefarious business. And then comes Part II, where you are forced to question whatever you read till then. I liked Part I but it is Part II and what came beyond that enhanced the book from a 3 star to a higher rating.
✔ The story offers some interesting insights into the luxury handbags business (both genuine and counterfeit). I am the “Jon Snow” of luxury brands; I know nothing! So reading this fun take on the overpriced goods market and also seeing the companies getting a bit of comeuppance was enjoyable.
✔ I loved the main character development (though you need to have a lot of patience to discover the development.) Neither Ava nor Winnie function on a WYSIWYG model – they are complex, sometimes irritating and sometimes vulnerable. Henri the toddler is l’enfant terrible. While I don’t enjoy children being portrayed in such a way, Henri’s behaviour adds a further layer of complexity to Ava’s arc as her parenting skills depict her attitude towards life.
✔ The story takes an almost satirical look at modern day consumerism, including the use-and-throw culture and brand fetishes.
✔ It is a very quick read, and not at all taxing on the brain.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ Other than Ava and Winnie, the characters don’t stand out. Most are quite flat and come on a need-be basis into the story.
❌ There are no quotation marks for dialogues in Ava’s narration to the detective. I don’t like this writing style.
❌ There’s too much of talk and too little action, especially in the first half. The second half is much better.
❌ While the “whats” of the story are detailed out, the “whys” aren’t. The motivation/rationale behind most character decisions isn’t explained at all.
❌ It is somewhat stereotypical of Chinese-Americans and the Chinese. (A part of the stereotypical thinking is what Ava uses to gain sympathy in the eyes of the detective. I am not sure if this is a stereotypical portrayal of the culture or Ava’s attempt to capitalise on white people’s stereotypes about her culture. But even otherwise, there are a few clichéd ideas about Asians.)
All in all, this is a nice chick-lit kind of mystery-drama. It is light and relaxing fun, not to be read too analytically and not to be taken too seriously. It has its share of appealing and irritating moments, but overall, it is a decent entertainer.
3.5 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “Counterfeit”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
June 7, 2022
This sadly wasn't very interesting or entertaining. I think I'm going to have to think twice before reading Reese's book club titles anymore.
May 5, 2022
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.
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.
June 22, 2022
I was predisposed to like this. I spent years as a lawyer focused on brands. In addition to negotiating manufacturing contracts in China I did anticounterfeiting work. I spent a LOT of time in Shenzhen. And also I am a person who stopped practicing law not long after becoming a mom and who had to acknowledge that I did not want to be a lawyer for reasons having nothing to do with being a parent. It has been a lot of years since that was my life but still there should have been a lot to relate to here in this story of a lawyer who "took a break" from practicing law to parent and had to come to grips with the fact that she was dreading returning to practice -- and who ended up becoming part of a luxury counterfeiting ring operating between the US and China.
And yet...I did not like this. To start, I did not think the writing was particularly good. The bigger issue though was that I don't think Chen knew what she wanted to say. It is hard in one story to take on the patriarchy, the invisibility of Asian women in the US, American exceptionalism, inauthentic authenticity (see e.g. most everything on Social and of course the bags), tech bro "ethics", consumer culture, and the way in which we in the West make villains of the Chinese businesses that thrive by ignoring intellectual property rights when in fact most counterfeits were historically made at the behest of Westerners for purchase by Westerners. (Though it must be said that at this point Chinese businesses and purchasers have beaten us at our own game.) All of that gets blended with the 30-something lament of women who did all the right things, went to the right schools, got the jobs our parents wanted us to get, married the right person, had the healthy though imperfect children, and then found ourselves trapped in a world we hate because we met everyone else's expectations and never created expectations or goals of our own. Chen tries to pack all this in, but the whole thing collapses under the weight of her vision and her indecision and her mediocre prose.
Postscript: By coincidence I was reading this side-by-side with Nightbitch (so far it is much better though still flawed.) Both are both books which start with well-educated women who leave the workforce to parent and become less than desirable beings as they struggle with the dissonance of having a developed brain and being expected to easily adapt to the brainless work of early stage child-rearing (they try to make it an intellectual pursuit, but its not.) This is a subject near and dear to my heart, and I think there is more to be written here, but I have to say that both of these books are insanely whiny and privileged. I don't usually call books out for that, I am whiny and privileged so that would be unbecoming, but even to my eyes this was off-putting here.
And yet...I did not like this. To start, I did not think the writing was particularly good. The bigger issue though was that I don't think Chen knew what she wanted to say. It is hard in one story to take on the patriarchy, the invisibility of Asian women in the US, American exceptionalism, inauthentic authenticity (see e.g. most everything on Social and of course the bags), tech bro "ethics", consumer culture, and the way in which we in the West make villains of the Chinese businesses that thrive by ignoring intellectual property rights when in fact most counterfeits were historically made at the behest of Westerners for purchase by Westerners. (Though it must be said that at this point Chinese businesses and purchasers have beaten us at our own game.) All of that gets blended with the 30-something lament of women who did all the right things, went to the right schools, got the jobs our parents wanted us to get, married the right person, had the healthy though imperfect children, and then found ourselves trapped in a world we hate because we met everyone else's expectations and never created expectations or goals of our own. Chen tries to pack all this in, but the whole thing collapses under the weight of her vision and her indecision and her mediocre prose.
Postscript: By coincidence I was reading this side-by-side with Nightbitch (so far it is much better though still flawed.) Both are both books which start with well-educated women who leave the workforce to parent and become less than desirable beings as they struggle with the dissonance of having a developed brain and being expected to easily adapt to the brainless work of early stage child-rearing (they try to make it an intellectual pursuit, but its not.) This is a subject near and dear to my heart, and I think there is more to be written here, but I have to say that both of these books are insanely whiny and privileged. I don't usually call books out for that, I am whiny and privileged so that would be unbecoming, but even to my eyes this was off-putting here.
May 13, 2022
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.
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.
October 14, 2022
Who knew the knockoff luxury handbag business was so lucrative? This was a fun look into the world of luxury handbags and their super fakes, traditional Chinese customs and expectations, and a little bit of how the wealthy deal with the struggles and stresses of an expected lifestyle like choosing the right preschool or maintaining the perfect image.
I liked the way the story was told and the direction it took each time it turned a new way. The details regarding the production of handbags and the handling of business transactions were interesting and enlightening; I feel knowledgeable enough to be successful in my own importing and trickery business!
There were several ways it could have concluded and the ending chosen seems cunningly appropriate. A quick, enjoyable story that isn't as improbable as it may seem.
I liked the way the story was told and the direction it took each time it turned a new way. The details regarding the production of handbags and the handling of business transactions were interesting and enlightening; I feel knowledgeable enough to be successful in my own importing and trickery business!
There were several ways it could have concluded and the ending chosen seems cunningly appropriate. A quick, enjoyable story that isn't as improbable as it may seem.
June 18, 2022
Yes, another scam story — Ava Wong reconnects with her college roommate, Winnie Fang, and unexpectedly joins Winnie in her counterfeit handbag scheme, going as far as traveling to China to visit business partners and the factories where their fakes are made. This is very out of character for Ava who has always played it safe but with things falling apart at home, it’s a risk she is willing to take. When their scheme is threatened and Winnie bolts, Ava is forced to face the consequences and must decide how to best play her hand.
I can’t say I really liked Ava or Winnie, but my indifference toward them didn’t stop me from quickly reading this light, entertaining story. Counterfeit is a fast read with the ebook less than 200 pages.
I can’t say I really liked Ava or Winnie, but my indifference toward them didn’t stop me from quickly reading this light, entertaining story. Counterfeit is a fast read with the ebook less than 200 pages.
October 2, 2022
Hmm... What can I say about Counterfeit? There was just something about this book that I didn't quite like.
This is the story of Ava Wong and her college friend Winnie Fang, who go into "business together" selling luxury designer counterfeit handbags. Winnie knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Her personality is such that she could convince anyone to do anything and she does just that by convincing Ava to join her counterfeiting scheme. Ava started off as a weak character and became stronger throughout, with Winnie's "help."
An entertaining, well-written, quick read that kept me engrossed, I found the relationship between Ava and Winnie to be intriguing. Unfortunately however, there was just something about this book that I didn’t love and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Thank you to Libro.fm for the alc.
This is the story of Ava Wong and her college friend Winnie Fang, who go into "business together" selling luxury designer counterfeit handbags. Winnie knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Her personality is such that she could convince anyone to do anything and she does just that by convincing Ava to join her counterfeiting scheme. Ava started off as a weak character and became stronger throughout, with Winnie's "help."
An entertaining, well-written, quick read that kept me engrossed, I found the relationship between Ava and Winnie to be intriguing. Unfortunately however, there was just something about this book that I didn’t love and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Thank you to Libro.fm for the alc.
June 12, 2022
4.5 stars
I started Kirsten Chen’s new novel Counterfeit on Friday and it was so engrossing that I nearly finished it in one sitting. Well-written and cleverly-structured, the story revolves around two Chinese-American women, Winnie Fang and Ava Wong, who become involved in a scheme selling counterfeit luxury handbags. As the story opens, it quickly becomes apparent that Ava is confessing her role in the scheme to a detective, while Winnie is somehow missing in action. Through Ava’s confession, we learn both her backstory as well as Winnie’s, with each chapter revealing more and more clues that help us eventually understand the course of events that led up to that moment. Later on however, the story switches to Winnie’s perspective and I will admit that, when I read her chapters, I started second-guessing some things that had been revealed earlier (and that’s all I’m going to say about it — you will need to read the book for yourself to find out what I’m talking about). The way the story was structured, plus the fast pace of the plot, definitely made for a fascinating read!
With all that said though, this wasn’t just a superficial story about a counterfeit handbag business gone awry. It actually went much deeper than that, as it also explored recent social, political, and economic issues such as anti-Asian sentiment, immigration and the American Dream, racism, the strained U.S.-China trade relationship, etc. It also dealt with Chinese cultural elements (as well as stereotypes) in ways that were insightful and respectful, yet not heavy-handed. Despite some of the serious themes, there was a lightheartedness to the story that made this a well-balanced read.
In terms of character development, I feel that Chen did a great job with both Winnie and Ava. Even though I disagree with their actions and the decisions they ultimately made, I was able to relate to the struggles they went through as Chinese women who grew up in traditional Chinese families. Ava especially resonated with me, as I recognized so much of her family dynamic in my own — i.e.: the pressure to choose a “prestigious” career path that ultimately leads to wealth, even if it’s not a career that I would want for myself (this quote sent shivers down my spine because it’s almost verbatim what I experienced: “…in my family there were only a few acceptable paths—law, medicine, engineering. Law was the one I’d disliked least. From the very beginning, I’d known my lot in life: to be good enough at my job, and to tolerate it until retirement.”); the expectation to be an overachiever in school (anything less than straight A’s was frowned upon) and maintain the image of the “good Chinese daughter” so as not to disappoint my immigrant parents who sacrificed so much for their children to have such opportunities; the cultural significance of “face” and the huge impact it has on how, as a Chinese woman, I’m supposed to live my life (another quote that applies almost verbatim to my own situation: “…but when you grow up as I did, schooled in the supremacy of “face”—the figurative face, the image, reputation, honor that must be fought for and preserved at all costs—breaking free from constraints to think for oneself becomes a Herculean task.”). One of the things I love about the reading experience is coming across characters whom I am able to relate to in some way (even if our life circumstances are completely different) and that certainly was the case here — this makes the time and effort spent reading this all the more worthwhile.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this “fun” and engrossing read, but more than that, I also appreciated the fact that it was a welcome departure from the “heavier” books that I’ve read lately. Immediately after finishing this one, I put both of Kirsten Chen’s previous books on my TBR, though of course, I also look forward to what she might have in store next.
Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.
June 14, 2022
Counterfeit was a breath of fresh air type read. That sounds a bit weird to say because the story revolves around a counterfeit luxury handbag operation, but the plot paired with the writing style of the author led to a great reading experience. Definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a binge type read but one that isn't lacking in substance.
Ava Wong is close to her breaking point. She put her career as a lawyer on hold be a stay at home mom for her young son who is a bit of a handful. Her surgeon husband is always working and their marriage is suffering to be blunt. Ava's college roommate, Winnie Fang, pops up in her life again. Winnie grew up in China and went to Stanford with Ava before abruptly dropping out. Ava is now running a scheme in which she imports near perfect replicas of luxury handbags to the US. Winnie could use Ava's help with her business. Totally illegal stuff. Let's see how things play out for Ava.
It didn't take long for the story to hook me. I was already having an enjoyable time when the author shifted gears somewhat and that just took the book to the next level. Clever writing for sure. My only wish is for the ending to be more fleshed out. Small gripe though as overall it was a good summer read.
Thank you to William Morrow for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Ava Wong is close to her breaking point. She put her career as a lawyer on hold be a stay at home mom for her young son who is a bit of a handful. Her surgeon husband is always working and their marriage is suffering to be blunt. Ava's college roommate, Winnie Fang, pops up in her life again. Winnie grew up in China and went to Stanford with Ava before abruptly dropping out. Ava is now running a scheme in which she imports near perfect replicas of luxury handbags to the US. Winnie could use Ava's help with her business. Totally illegal stuff. Let's see how things play out for Ava.
It didn't take long for the story to hook me. I was already having an enjoyable time when the author shifted gears somewhat and that just took the book to the next level. Clever writing for sure. My only wish is for the ending to be more fleshed out. Small gripe though as overall it was a good summer read.
Thank you to William Morrow for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
September 27, 2022
So much to say about this book...
First of all, it had all the winning elements to charm me. I love books set in Silicon Valley. I love luxury items and used to frequent r/Repladies (rip) so I was familiar with the setting and the descriptions. I was ok with Crazy Rich Asians and I loved Hustlers (the movie), this novel was described as a mix between the two. It was not. It was not at all.
The novel starts out well enough. We are introduced to Ava, the main character, who struggles as a new mom to a (I think?) developmentally challenged son and her husband (a cardiac surgeon), while they somehow have money problems. Already, this is drastically unrealistic but alright... go on.
Then, she gets manipulated into joining her friend Winnie's scam of basically returning 1:1 replicas to fashion establishments and keeping the original copy, then selling it on Ebay.
The novel is written as an interview between Ava and the detective, which we are only reminded of every 50 pages or so. It's peculiar. It's sort of supposed to be a conversation, but there isn't one.
Throughout, it's just Ava's monologue. I was bored out of my mind.
But then the narrative changes. And we get Winnie's perspective. I was getting ready for some action!
Then we have to decide which point of view is correct.
The one Ava is telling the detective?
Certainly not.
Or what her narcissistic friend says?
Certainly not.
And so here we are. With two untrustworthy characters as flat as a year-old opened forgotten LaCroix can. To put it bluntly, the story began to deteriorate after the author's dedication.
So quickly, the entire plot becomes implausible. The ending is even more unfathomable, in the worse possible way.
𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼:
- Loved Crazy Rich Asians, but wished the writing was at a first grade level
- Love wordy and completely unnecessary descriptions of outfits instead of having an actual plot
- LOVE flat characters
- Love racist commentaries
- Want a bedtime story to rapidly fall asleep
First of all, it had all the winning elements to charm me. I love books set in Silicon Valley. I love luxury items and used to frequent r/Repladies (rip) so I was familiar with the setting and the descriptions. I was ok with Crazy Rich Asians and I loved Hustlers (the movie), this novel was described as a mix between the two. It was not. It was not at all.
The novel starts out well enough. We are introduced to Ava, the main character, who struggles as a new mom to a (I think?) developmentally challenged son and her husband (a cardiac surgeon), while they somehow have money problems. Already, this is drastically unrealistic but alright... go on.
Then, she gets manipulated into joining her friend Winnie's scam of basically returning 1:1 replicas to fashion establishments and keeping the original copy, then selling it on Ebay.
The novel is written as an interview between Ava and the detective, which we are only reminded of every 50 pages or so. It's peculiar. It's sort of supposed to be a conversation, but there isn't one.
Throughout, it's just Ava's monologue. I was bored out of my mind.
But then the narrative changes. And we get Winnie's perspective. I was getting ready for some action!
Then we have to decide which point of view is correct.
The one Ava is telling the detective?
Certainly not.
Or what her narcissistic friend says?
Certainly not.
And so here we are. With two untrustworthy characters as flat as a year-old opened forgotten LaCroix can. To put it bluntly, the story began to deteriorate after the author's dedication.
So quickly, the entire plot becomes implausible. The ending is even more unfathomable, in the worse possible way.
𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼:
- Loved Crazy Rich Asians, but wished the writing was at a first grade level
- Love wordy and completely unnecessary descriptions of outfits instead of having an actual plot
- LOVE flat characters
- Love racist commentaries
- Want a bedtime story to rapidly fall asleep
June 14, 2022
i picked up this audiobook via LibroFM on a whim after seeing it as a Reese book club pick for June. boy did it deliver (do her picks ever steer us wrong?!?!) and i finished it in 24 hours (and if you know me… you know audiobooks take me WEEKS to finish!!). i couldn’t get enough—highly recommend the audio version!! the narrator was fabulous.
it was quick, engaging and told in an interesting way. the conartist theme is so hot right now (think COVER STORY, THE LIES I TELL) and i was here for the mysterious world of counterfeit luxury handbags (LV, Chanel, Birkin, etc).
the two female MCs were clever and strong. one of the female MCs is recounting the entire story to a detective so you know something goes wrong… but do they get away with it? what happens? how does it all go down? some people don’t like the “telling” vs “showing” trope of a book (think BLOOD SUGAR) but i didn’t mind it one bit.
my main complaint was i wanted a bit more shocking of a twist/ending. it was a bit buttoned up and i felt it could have used a jaw dropping moment to seal the deal.
overall: i definitely recommend! it’s the perfect length and very interesting 🤓
thank you LibroFM for the gifted ALC 💙
it was quick, engaging and told in an interesting way. the conartist theme is so hot right now (think COVER STORY, THE LIES I TELL) and i was here for the mysterious world of counterfeit luxury handbags (LV, Chanel, Birkin, etc).
the two female MCs were clever and strong. one of the female MCs is recounting the entire story to a detective so you know something goes wrong… but do they get away with it? what happens? how does it all go down? some people don’t like the “telling” vs “showing” trope of a book (think BLOOD SUGAR) but i didn’t mind it one bit.
my main complaint was i wanted a bit more shocking of a twist/ending. it was a bit buttoned up and i felt it could have used a jaw dropping moment to seal the deal.
overall: i definitely recommend! it’s the perfect length and very interesting 🤓
thank you LibroFM for the gifted ALC 💙
June 9, 2022
This was about as commercial fiction as commercial fiction gets. To some that might be what deters them from reading, or maybe, like me, it'll be how slender the book is. The audiobook was under 8 hours and the physical clocks in at under 300 pages, and to some that might be an indicator that the book is going to take some shortcuts and leave the reader wanting more.
In fact I was pleasantly surprised by how detailed the book was, how much story and explanation we got. Unlike my usual habits I did find myself skimming other reviews while I was taking in this story, and while I can see what some people saying about the secondary characters coming off as flat... I don't think that was at all the point of the story. I was here for Ava and Winnie and the web of deceit they wove for themselves. I think on that level the book delivered exactly what it set out to do.
While many books boast beach read status, are tauted by reviewers and publications, this is actually a book I can see someone lounging around the house or pool side or an actual beach and devouring. The prose was compulsively readable and Chen never tried to outsmart the reader. The developments that left me gagged were all logical, so close that I was simply blind to them. Ava an Winnie each compelling. Though they are also archetypes in a type of story that I routinely seek out, and so Chen didn't really have to do a lot of heavy lifting to get me on board.
Ultimately I had a great time watching the narrative unfold. It ticked off every one of my boxes and I cannot recommend this book more highly if I tried.
In fact I was pleasantly surprised by how detailed the book was, how much story and explanation we got. Unlike my usual habits I did find myself skimming other reviews while I was taking in this story, and while I can see what some people saying about the secondary characters coming off as flat... I don't think that was at all the point of the story. I was here for Ava and Winnie and the web of deceit they wove for themselves. I think on that level the book delivered exactly what it set out to do.
While many books boast beach read status, are tauted by reviewers and publications, this is actually a book I can see someone lounging around the house or pool side or an actual beach and devouring. The prose was compulsively readable and Chen never tried to outsmart the reader. The developments that left me gagged were all logical, so close that I was simply blind to them. Ava an Winnie each compelling. Though they are also archetypes in a type of story that I routinely seek out, and so Chen didn't really have to do a lot of heavy lifting to get me on board.
Ultimately I had a great time watching the narrative unfold. It ticked off every one of my boxes and I cannot recommend this book more highly if I tried.
August 22, 2022
Ava Wong has always followed the rules. She appears to have achieved the perfect life. She married a Doctor, Oli, she’s a corporate lawyer, a graduate of Stanford, and has a 2 year old son, Henri. They live in San Francisco.
The reality is much different and her life is coming apart at the seams. Her son has constant tantrums, Ava hates being a lawyer and has taken an extended break, her husband works non-stop and doesn’t even live in the same residence, and she feels a little bitter she did everything she was supposed to and ended up here. If she is living the Asian-American dream, she is waiting for someone to wake her up from it.
Enter, Winnie Fang, her freshman roommate she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Winnie imports top notch counterfeit designer handbags. She runs a thriving business and wants Ava to come on board. Ava decides she is in and starts to work with Winnie. Who would ever suspect her of doing anything criminal?
This is a fun book and a quick read. I really enjoyed it. The play on crazy consumerism in American culture is funny. The need for ‘The Right Bag’ will drive some people mad to have the latest one. Clearly, this leaves a nice door open to make a lot of money. Will Ava stay in this life or go back to her comfortable family? This was just great to find out and definitely worth a read.
I read part of this book and listened to part on Audio 🎧. I thought this worked out really well.
The reality is much different and her life is coming apart at the seams. Her son has constant tantrums, Ava hates being a lawyer and has taken an extended break, her husband works non-stop and doesn’t even live in the same residence, and she feels a little bitter she did everything she was supposed to and ended up here. If she is living the Asian-American dream, she is waiting for someone to wake her up from it.
Enter, Winnie Fang, her freshman roommate she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Winnie imports top notch counterfeit designer handbags. She runs a thriving business and wants Ava to come on board. Ava decides she is in and starts to work with Winnie. Who would ever suspect her of doing anything criminal?
This is a fun book and a quick read. I really enjoyed it. The play on crazy consumerism in American culture is funny. The need for ‘The Right Bag’ will drive some people mad to have the latest one. Clearly, this leaves a nice door open to make a lot of money. Will Ava stay in this life or go back to her comfortable family? This was just great to find out and definitely worth a read.
I read part of this book and listened to part on Audio 🎧. I thought this worked out really well.
April 4, 2024
This was an interesting friendship. 🥸 There were some loose ends that didn’t quite wrap up for me. 🤷🏼♀️ It was entertaining. 👍
April 7, 2022
At first you may think you know Ava and you may think you know this book. But don't worry, the book is a few steps ahead of you and it is more than meets the eye. This isn't really a spoiler at all, after all, a book all about counterfeiting can't be exactly what it claims to be on the surface, can it?
It is not quite what the marketing copy claims, not glitter and diamonds, it is much more rooted in realism and the everyday, even if Ava has a charmed (but miserable) life. Ava has money, a career, a husband, a child, but Ava has hit a wall after spending her whole life doing everything she is supposed to. She's unhappy but can't admit it. It is no surprise that she can't avoid getting involved with her one-time college roommate Winnie when she suddenly reappears. Winnie left school in scandal and though Ava doesn't admit it, this is part of the attraction.
As Ava is roped into Winnie's world of counterfeiting, the focus isn't on heists and scams as much as it is on a marriage going sour, the tedium of parenting, and the joy of a secret. There is a lot about what it is to move in the world as a wealthy woman, a white woman, an Asian woman and all the big and small differences between them.
It's worth sticking with it to really dive into how Ava and Winnie justify their crimes and their choices. Just frothy enough to be fun, but has enough meat on it that it's still in my mind weeks later.
It is not quite what the marketing copy claims, not glitter and diamonds, it is much more rooted in realism and the everyday, even if Ava has a charmed (but miserable) life. Ava has money, a career, a husband, a child, but Ava has hit a wall after spending her whole life doing everything she is supposed to. She's unhappy but can't admit it. It is no surprise that she can't avoid getting involved with her one-time college roommate Winnie when she suddenly reappears. Winnie left school in scandal and though Ava doesn't admit it, this is part of the attraction.
As Ava is roped into Winnie's world of counterfeiting, the focus isn't on heists and scams as much as it is on a marriage going sour, the tedium of parenting, and the joy of a secret. There is a lot about what it is to move in the world as a wealthy woman, a white woman, an Asian woman and all the big and small differences between them.
It's worth sticking with it to really dive into how Ava and Winnie justify their crimes and their choices. Just frothy enough to be fun, but has enough meat on it that it's still in my mind weeks later.
June 22, 2022
When it comes to Reese Witherspoon, there’s only one gif that will do . . . .
Selections like Counterfeit are the reason why. Now don’t get it twisted and think this is some Pulitzer caliber lifechanger of a story because it most assuredly is not. What it ended up being, however, is exactly what I was hoping when it was first announced by Reese over on the ‘Gram.
The story here is all about a criminal mastermind who deals strictly in . . . . .
And I was like STAHP. IT. Oh how I love a handbag. Since I am poor I have even purchased MANY a phony myself. I just never bought any that were such good fakes they could be returned to Neiman Marcus for cash dollahs granting myself a lifestyle which I truly deserve of jetsetting around the globe and having a nanny to care for my heathen two year old. Ava and Winnie sure figure out how to corner the market here, though. That is, until the reader comes upon the story which is being narrated by Ava while she’s spilling her guts to the detective who has sniffed out the scheme.
This is what I call a summer read. Pure fun that had me channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw . . . .
In reality, I think this is something I might treat myself to . . . .
Selections like Counterfeit are the reason why. Now don’t get it twisted and think this is some Pulitzer caliber lifechanger of a story because it most assuredly is not. What it ended up being, however, is exactly what I was hoping when it was first announced by Reese over on the ‘Gram.
The story here is all about a criminal mastermind who deals strictly in . . . . .
And I was like STAHP. IT. Oh how I love a handbag. Since I am poor I have even purchased MANY a phony myself. I just never bought any that were such good fakes they could be returned to Neiman Marcus for cash dollahs granting myself a lifestyle which I truly deserve of jetsetting around the globe and having a nanny to care for my heathen two year old. Ava and Winnie sure figure out how to corner the market here, though. That is, until the reader comes upon the story which is being narrated by Ava while she’s spilling her guts to the detective who has sniffed out the scheme.
This is what I call a summer read. Pure fun that had me channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw . . . .
In reality, I think this is something I might treat myself to . . . .
August 28, 2022
My thanks to the author, Kristin Chen, and the publisher, William Morrow, for the ebook if this novel. This is the story of two buck the system young women of Chinese descent, developing a system to pass off counterfeit handbags as originals. The story is good but the characters felt shallow and focused on problem solving that didn't involve morals in the solution. This was a fun story from the perspectives of two very different young women and that, perhaps, is how it should be. This is a good, quick read. Enjoy!
June 30, 2022
QUICK TAKE: I really loved this soapy caper about two Asian American friends who build a global counterfeit purse ring, This is THE USUAL SUSPECTS meets HUSTLERS, full of escapism and wish fulfillment, but it is also a grounded exploration of motherhood and culture and class., and Kirstin Chen’s plays with reader expectations and unreliable narrator tropes in such a fun, provocative way.
Read
July 14, 2023Oh I liked this a LOT. This starts as the confession to police of Ada, an ex-lawyer / SAHM / second generation Chinese American who has been drawn into a web of crime by an old friend involving a scheme to sell counterfeit designer handbags. Then it goes places.
I really liked the way this messes with perspectives. The protagonists both play heavily on stereotypes to get away with a lot, because they supply the kind of narratives people expect to hear (just as they supply the handbags people expect to see). The Good Immigrant, the American Dream, the loving family, the corrupt foreigner. Apparently obvious moral truisms flip unexpectedly. We maintain that the designer handbag industry is a racket, but we do start asking ourselves who the racketeers are.
It's cleverly told, hugely intelligent, and raises a lot of extremely sharp points about the kind of narratives people tell and believe and expect. Also about the high fashion industry, and the lives of the wealthy upper middle class and how impressively they obliterate their potential for comfort with greed for more. Compelling stuff, I enjoyed every word.
I really liked the way this messes with perspectives. The protagonists both play heavily on stereotypes to get away with a lot, because they supply the kind of narratives people expect to hear (just as they supply the handbags people expect to see). The Good Immigrant, the American Dream, the loving family, the corrupt foreigner. Apparently obvious moral truisms flip unexpectedly. We maintain that the designer handbag industry is a racket, but we do start asking ourselves who the racketeers are.
It's cleverly told, hugely intelligent, and raises a lot of extremely sharp points about the kind of narratives people tell and believe and expect. Also about the high fashion industry, and the lives of the wealthy upper middle class and how impressively they obliterate their potential for comfort with greed for more. Compelling stuff, I enjoyed every word.
February 28, 2024
My introduction to the fiction of Kirsten Chen is Counterfeit. Published in 2022, this novel was mentioned by a literary agent--not Chen's--I'm submitting my work to as being an example of the type of "secrets and lies" suspense novel she loves, so I wanted to read it. Upmarket fiction, complicated women, suspense where you get to know the characters, all of these boxes check what I plan to submit.
I abandoned this one on page 50/274.
Summarization vs. dramatization. The author tells the reader everything. We're told about a law school grad living in San Francisco who's given up her career to raise her tyrannical two-year-old with her nanny while growing distant from her surgeon husband. We're told about the reunion with a mysterious college roommate who invites her to join her operation in trafficking counterfeit luxury goods. We're not shown anything. The telling is so overwhelming that Chen doesn't even use quotation marks for dialogue. The novel is just a run-on recap of action or dialogue.
Several days after the Neiman's fiasco, Winnie called me to apologize. She said she hadn't been thinking straight. Dealing with Guangzhou remotely was such a colossal headache that the stress had gotten to her. She was about to pay top dollar for a shipment practically sight unseen--she cut herself off then. You've made your views clear, she said, so that's the last thing I'll say about your work. But, Ava, I want you to know that I've loved spending time with you and Henri. I hope we can remain friends.
I don't want to read Cliff Notes, I want to read the original version.
Foreshadowing indicates the main character is being questioned by police, but is glib beyond the point anyone being questioned by a detective would be, especially if she'd committed a crime. I generally dislike foreshadowing due to how amateurish it often feels, and unnecessary.
70% of the first fifty pages involves the tantrums the main character's infant is throwing. No judgment here, but I lost interest in the main character due to how incompetent she appears to be in parenting, requiring a full-time Mexican nanny to help her not quell her son's outbursts.
First World problems: Main character unfulfilled giving up a legal career to be a mother and wife, as well as grow distant from her surgeon husband, who's working surgeon hours to give them the lifestyle she covets. Can authors either pretend not everyone graduates from Stanford, marries a doctor, and hires a nanny to help them manage the household, or, make me care?
Through fifty pages, Counterfeit isn't suspenseful, so to call it a thriller would be a stretch. It doesn't present a crime or a puzzle to be solved, precluding it from mystery. It isn't funny, so it's not comic. There aren't any aliens, robots, or time travelers, so it's definitely not science fiction. What is this? Boring.
This is not a debut, it just reads like one, so I'll have to give it my usual rating when I abandon a book. This is an unpopular opinion. Chen has drawn admiration from a top literary agent who probably wishes she represented her, as well as selection for Reese's Book Club, so, more power to her.
I abandoned this one on page 50/274.
Summarization vs. dramatization. The author tells the reader everything. We're told about a law school grad living in San Francisco who's given up her career to raise her tyrannical two-year-old with her nanny while growing distant from her surgeon husband. We're told about the reunion with a mysterious college roommate who invites her to join her operation in trafficking counterfeit luxury goods. We're not shown anything. The telling is so overwhelming that Chen doesn't even use quotation marks for dialogue. The novel is just a run-on recap of action or dialogue.
Several days after the Neiman's fiasco, Winnie called me to apologize. She said she hadn't been thinking straight. Dealing with Guangzhou remotely was such a colossal headache that the stress had gotten to her. She was about to pay top dollar for a shipment practically sight unseen--she cut herself off then. You've made your views clear, she said, so that's the last thing I'll say about your work. But, Ava, I want you to know that I've loved spending time with you and Henri. I hope we can remain friends.
I don't want to read Cliff Notes, I want to read the original version.
Foreshadowing indicates the main character is being questioned by police, but is glib beyond the point anyone being questioned by a detective would be, especially if she'd committed a crime. I generally dislike foreshadowing due to how amateurish it often feels, and unnecessary.
70% of the first fifty pages involves the tantrums the main character's infant is throwing. No judgment here, but I lost interest in the main character due to how incompetent she appears to be in parenting, requiring a full-time Mexican nanny to help her not quell her son's outbursts.
First World problems: Main character unfulfilled giving up a legal career to be a mother and wife, as well as grow distant from her surgeon husband, who's working surgeon hours to give them the lifestyle she covets. Can authors either pretend not everyone graduates from Stanford, marries a doctor, and hires a nanny to help them manage the household, or, make me care?
Through fifty pages, Counterfeit isn't suspenseful, so to call it a thriller would be a stretch. It doesn't present a crime or a puzzle to be solved, precluding it from mystery. It isn't funny, so it's not comic. There aren't any aliens, robots, or time travelers, so it's definitely not science fiction. What is this? Boring.
This is not a debut, it just reads like one, so I'll have to give it my usual rating when I abandon a book. This is an unpopular opinion. Chen has drawn admiration from a top literary agent who probably wishes she represented her, as well as selection for Reese's Book Club, so, more power to her.
June 28, 2022
This was fun but dragged on a little longer than necessary
July 28, 2023
Well if this is supposed to be a satire, then it failed miserably to make me laugh.
Anyways, perhaps if this book was written before 2009 the stereotypes would have been more acceptable and considered funny, but nowadays, I don’t think so.
I didn’t find the story that interesting or original, and the writing did not impress me. As a matter of fact, I had to switch to the audiobook because I couldn’t stand any longer the lack of quotation marks.
As for the two main characters, both were too shallow and hard to sympathize with.
The book is divided into two POV. The second starts at 59%.
I should have stopped at 30%, when I realized that I’m not the right target for this book. But I read the whole thing, therefore I can be honest.
At least it is a very small book.
Some authors are very lucky.
Hardcover (William Morrow): 288 pages (19 chapters)
e-book (Kobo): 235 pages, 64k words
Audiobook narrated by Catherine Ho: 7.3 hours (normal speed)
Anyways, perhaps if this book was written before 2009 the stereotypes would have been more acceptable and considered funny, but nowadays, I don’t think so.
I didn’t find the story that interesting or original, and the writing did not impress me. As a matter of fact, I had to switch to the audiobook because I couldn’t stand any longer the lack of quotation marks.
As for the two main characters, both were too shallow and hard to sympathize with.
The book is divided into two POV. The second starts at 59%.
I should have stopped at 30%, when I realized that I’m not the right target for this book. But I read the whole thing, therefore I can be honest.
At least it is a very small book.
Some authors are very lucky.
Hardcover (William Morrow): 288 pages (19 chapters)
e-book (Kobo): 235 pages, 64k words
Audiobook narrated by Catherine Ho: 7.3 hours (normal speed)
September 19, 2026
3.5: There’s something very recognisable underneath all the handbags and international fraud: looking at someone else’s life and thinking, why does she get to have all of that while I’ve got this fucking mess?
Ava's done everything right. She went to the right school, got the right career, married the right man, made the right sacrifices, followed all the rules, and still ended up miserable.
Which is actually a pretty interesting premise.
Unfortunately, Ava's also about to spend 300 pages making me listen to her complain about it.
I flew through this book in about 2 hours. It’s ridiculously readable. The prose isn't anything spectacular, but there's something addictive about it. I kept thinking I'll just read another chapter and then suddenly I was finished.
I had fun. I also wanted more of the fun bits.
🚨 Huge spoilers for the entire book ahead 🚨
The books split into two parts, and Part One's Ava telling her story to the police after everything's gone to shit. And she spares no details. She's essentially holding the detective hostage.
I imagine the conversation's basically go like:
Detective: What time did you leave the house on Tuesday the 19th?
Ava: Around 6pm
Detective: And did you meet Winnie?
Ava: Well, Tuesday was actually quite a difficult day for me because Tuesdays were always difficult after my mother died. She used to make shepherd's pie on Tuesdays, although technically it was cottage pie because she used beef, and I didn't realise there was a distinction until I was 23...
Detective: …It's literally a yes or no question.
Ava: I made a chicken pie instead. My husband doesn't like chicken very much, actually. He's a surgeon, so he's very particular about food. He's always been like that. I remember when we were dating, he...
Detective: closes notebook and stares through the two way mirror The Office-style
Nothing like a captive law enforcement audience to trauma dump about your childhood. College. Your mother. Your marriage. Your career. Winnie. Handbags. Motherhood. Dinner. Her feelings about dinner. The emotional significance of handbags. Your husband. Your nanny. Your devil child. All while the detective's slowly decomposing in the corner. That poor detective deserves a raise.
And this is part of why the first half dragged for me. There’s a lot of telling and it's very passive. Ava tells me how she feels, tells me what she thought, tells me that she’s conflicted, tells me she’s going to stop, tells me that she knows something is wrong, and then tells me what she did anyway.
The counterfeit handbag plot could have been so tense. I wanted to experience their rise and subsequent fall from grace. I wanted increasingly unhinged schemes and to see things unravel in real time as the lies catch up and they begin to panic when they realise they fucked up. Leave me sitting there like, oh no no no no what have you done?? 😱
By the time the big reveal came I was kind of bored of Ava. Which is a shame because she's got the potential to be a really interesting character.
This is a woman who's spent her entire life ticking boxes. A woman who's spent 37 years doing everything right suddenly realising she followed every rule and she's still miserable?
Yesss. But SHOW ME the journey from nervous little rule-following accomplice to international handbag crime mastermind. Give me cracks.
Let me see Ava do something mildly selfish pre-Winnie. Let her accidentally walk out of a shop with an item and feel a little thrill when she realises. Lie about something inconsequential. Not tip. Give me evidence that there's a rebellious little goblin somewhere under the Stanford-educated-lawyer-surgeon-husband-full-time-nanny respectability.
Instead, Winnie turns up and Ava's transformation is basically:
Winnie: Let's commit fraud
Ava: Absolutely not. How could you say that?
Winnie: 🥺
Ava: …fine. But just this once
Winnie: Let's commit more fraud
Ava: omg nooo not again
Winnie: 🥺
Ava: Fine. But REALLY this is the last time
Girl. STAND UP. It makes her look less like a woman fighting against decades of conditioning and more like a woman who has no thoughts until Winnie puts them in her head.
The book keeps telling me Ava’s conflicted without giving me enough of that conflict happening on the page. But perhaps we would have more time for inner turmoil and character growth if less time was allocated to her home life, because the book's 90% domestic disaster and 10% women being chaotic. I wanted those statistics swapped.
Pages and pages of Ava being annoyed with her husband. Even more pages about the nanny. And then a dozen more pages about hellspawn Henri.
Every time Henri appeared, I could feel my heart rate increase because he's truly the worst.
Am I reading Counterfeit or The Babadook?
There's also a lot of book in this book. Patriarchy. Race. Racial stereotypes. Motherhood. Class. Privilege. Authenticity. Consumerism. Western ideals. Midlife crisis. Guilt. Identity. And handbags. And there are some seriously sharp observations.
So while it has a lot to say, it's sometimes so terrified that we'll miss its themes that it doesn't always give each idea enough room to breathe. Occasionally it collapses under its own weight.
The second half of the book is where I went from fuck's sake Ava to 😲🫢 because now we're looking at Ava througu a new lens.
That entire sad, pathetic, poor little me monologue that had me ready to scream? The performance of the century.
Give this woman an Oscar.
Oh, Ava. I wasn't familiar with your game.
And suddenly so much of what annoyed me about Ava became much more interesting. Because there's another Ava underneath all that helplessness. Assertive. Calculating. Manipulative. Confident. And, crucially, driving the operation.
Winnie may have manipulated Ava into joining in, but Ava didn't stay her little pawn. She took the whole thing to another level. And THAT is the Ava I wanted.
Winnie's manipulating Ava. But Ava's manipulating Winnie. And Ava's manipulating the police. And they're both manipulating me. At that point I was ready to hand them both a handbag and let them get on with it.
But even then, it remains passive. Everything that happens gets a short summary before we move on to the next thing. There's no build up or time to let the dust settle, it's essentially Cliff Notes of a crime. Because the book basically goes, so yeah Ava was behind it all.
I wanted to watch Ava take the reins. I wanted to see the moment where the woman who spent her entire life supposedly terrified of doing the wrong thing discovers that, actually, she’s pretty damn good at doing very, very wrong things.
I think scattering some of Part Two into the earlier narrative would have done the book a huge favour. Give me moments where I think hang on… rather than saving the entire recontextualisation for later.
A fun read that had all the ingredients for a fantastic little thriller. It just spent far too much time telling me about it instead of letting me watch it happen.
Ava's done everything right. She went to the right school, got the right career, married the right man, made the right sacrifices, followed all the rules, and still ended up miserable.
Which is actually a pretty interesting premise.
Unfortunately, Ava's also about to spend 300 pages making me listen to her complain about it.
I flew through this book in about 2 hours. It’s ridiculously readable. The prose isn't anything spectacular, but there's something addictive about it. I kept thinking I'll just read another chapter and then suddenly I was finished.
I had fun. I also wanted more of the fun bits.
🚨 Huge spoilers for the entire book ahead 🚨
The books split into two parts, and Part One's Ava telling her story to the police after everything's gone to shit. And she spares no details. She's essentially holding the detective hostage.
I imagine the conversation's basically go like:
Detective: What time did you leave the house on Tuesday the 19th?
Ava: Around 6pm
Detective: And did you meet Winnie?
Ava: Well, Tuesday was actually quite a difficult day for me because Tuesdays were always difficult after my mother died. She used to make shepherd's pie on Tuesdays, although technically it was cottage pie because she used beef, and I didn't realise there was a distinction until I was 23...
Detective: …It's literally a yes or no question.
Ava: I made a chicken pie instead. My husband doesn't like chicken very much, actually. He's a surgeon, so he's very particular about food. He's always been like that. I remember when we were dating, he...
Detective: closes notebook and stares through the two way mirror The Office-style
Nothing like a captive law enforcement audience to trauma dump about your childhood. College. Your mother. Your marriage. Your career. Winnie. Handbags. Motherhood. Dinner. Her feelings about dinner. The emotional significance of handbags. Your husband. Your nanny. Your devil child. All while the detective's slowly decomposing in the corner. That poor detective deserves a raise.
And this is part of why the first half dragged for me. There’s a lot of telling and it's very passive. Ava tells me how she feels, tells me what she thought, tells me that she’s conflicted, tells me she’s going to stop, tells me that she knows something is wrong, and then tells me what she did anyway.
The counterfeit handbag plot could have been so tense. I wanted to experience their rise and subsequent fall from grace. I wanted increasingly unhinged schemes and to see things unravel in real time as the lies catch up and they begin to panic when they realise they fucked up. Leave me sitting there like, oh no no no no what have you done?? 😱
By the time the big reveal came I was kind of bored of Ava. Which is a shame because she's got the potential to be a really interesting character.
This is a woman who's spent her entire life ticking boxes. A woman who's spent 37 years doing everything right suddenly realising she followed every rule and she's still miserable?
Yesss. But SHOW ME the journey from nervous little rule-following accomplice to international handbag crime mastermind. Give me cracks.
Let me see Ava do something mildly selfish pre-Winnie. Let her accidentally walk out of a shop with an item and feel a little thrill when she realises. Lie about something inconsequential. Not tip. Give me evidence that there's a rebellious little goblin somewhere under the Stanford-educated-lawyer-surgeon-husband-full-time-nanny respectability.
Instead, Winnie turns up and Ava's transformation is basically:
Winnie: Let's commit fraud
Ava: Absolutely not. How could you say that?
Winnie: 🥺
Ava: …fine. But just this once
Winnie: Let's commit more fraud
Ava: omg nooo not again
Winnie: 🥺
Ava: Fine. But REALLY this is the last time
Girl. STAND UP. It makes her look less like a woman fighting against decades of conditioning and more like a woman who has no thoughts until Winnie puts them in her head.
The book keeps telling me Ava’s conflicted without giving me enough of that conflict happening on the page. But perhaps we would have more time for inner turmoil and character growth if less time was allocated to her home life, because the book's 90% domestic disaster and 10% women being chaotic. I wanted those statistics swapped.
Pages and pages of Ava being annoyed with her husband. Even more pages about the nanny. And then a dozen more pages about hellspawn Henri.
Every time Henri appeared, I could feel my heart rate increase because he's truly the worst.
Am I reading Counterfeit or The Babadook?
There's also a lot of book in this book. Patriarchy. Race. Racial stereotypes. Motherhood. Class. Privilege. Authenticity. Consumerism. Western ideals. Midlife crisis. Guilt. Identity. And handbags. And there are some seriously sharp observations.
“A Harvard degree is not so different from a designer handbag. They both signal that you’re part of the club, they open doors.”It's basically the entire book in a single paragraph. The things we accumulate are more than just objects or qualifications; they're signals. They tell other people what sort of person we are and whether we fit in their club.
So while it has a lot to say, it's sometimes so terrified that we'll miss its themes that it doesn't always give each idea enough room to breathe. Occasionally it collapses under its own weight.
The second half of the book is where I went from fuck's sake Ava to 😲🫢 because now we're looking at Ava througu a new lens.
That entire sad, pathetic, poor little me monologue that had me ready to scream? The performance of the century.
Give this woman an Oscar.
Oh, Ava. I wasn't familiar with your game.
And suddenly so much of what annoyed me about Ava became much more interesting. Because there's another Ava underneath all that helplessness. Assertive. Calculating. Manipulative. Confident. And, crucially, driving the operation.
Winnie may have manipulated Ava into joining in, but Ava didn't stay her little pawn. She took the whole thing to another level. And THAT is the Ava I wanted.
“This, Winnie always knew, was Ava’s superpower—her ability to make people want to take care of her. She projected such harmlessness, such innocence, and that rendered her lethal.”I actually loved learning that she was running a whole separate psychological operation on the reader. It made me want to go back and reread to look for all the little places where Ava was manipulating the narrative. Because suddenly I'm wondering, how much of this did I just believe because Ava wanted me to? And how much of Winnie's POV is her manipulating me?
Winnie's manipulating Ava. But Ava's manipulating Winnie. And Ava's manipulating the police. And they're both manipulating me. At that point I was ready to hand them both a handbag and let them get on with it.
But even then, it remains passive. Everything that happens gets a short summary before we move on to the next thing. There's no build up or time to let the dust settle, it's essentially Cliff Notes of a crime. Because the book basically goes, so yeah Ava was behind it all.
I wanted to watch Ava take the reins. I wanted to see the moment where the woman who spent her entire life supposedly terrified of doing the wrong thing discovers that, actually, she’s pretty damn good at doing very, very wrong things.
I think scattering some of Part Two into the earlier narrative would have done the book a huge favour. Give me moments where I think hang on… rather than saving the entire recontextualisation for later.
A fun read that had all the ingredients for a fantastic little thriller. It just spent far too much time telling me about it instead of letting me watch it happen.
August 23, 2022
Maybe 4.5 (I know, unpopular opinion apparently because so many people have rated this book within the 2 to 4 star range lmfao)
Telling her story of how she got embroiled into a counterfeit bag selling scheme while being a dissatisfied housewife to a surgeon and mother of a toddler, Ava attempts to clear her name with law enforcement— specifically, the FBI. Regaling the detective with her story of being at Stanford and her fobby and irritating roommate Winnie, we follow the trajectory of her life and family background, Ava’s position as a hard-working, straight laced daughter of Chinese immigrants adjusts to the ruthless business of producing, exchanging, and selling counterfeit superfake designer bags. I absolutely adored the change in perspective and the twists and turns of this wild ride. It was absolutely addictive from the start, and the use of the framing device and teetering characterizations of Ava and Winnie delighted me and gave me whiplash. I think any spoilers would ruin this book, but I think a central theme of this novel is the struggle of motherhood and the reality of upper middle class working American life, the many realities of the Ivy League graduates: the ultimate scammers. This book can be compared to Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch for its themes of gendered division of labor in child rearing, and Like A House On Fire by Lauren McBrayer for the exploration of how one woman can totally disrupt another woman’s life, upending her comfortable but unsatisfying Bay Area life for more illicit dealings. There were moments throughout the novel that felt like liberal Americanism, and other moments that attempted to confront the American perspectives of Chinese people; all in all however, I was gripped, seated, giggling. Would recommend!
Telling her story of how she got embroiled into a counterfeit bag selling scheme while being a dissatisfied housewife to a surgeon and mother of a toddler, Ava attempts to clear her name with law enforcement— specifically, the FBI. Regaling the detective with her story of being at Stanford and her fobby and irritating roommate Winnie, we follow the trajectory of her life and family background, Ava’s position as a hard-working, straight laced daughter of Chinese immigrants adjusts to the ruthless business of producing, exchanging, and selling counterfeit superfake designer bags. I absolutely adored the change in perspective and the twists and turns of this wild ride. It was absolutely addictive from the start, and the use of the framing device and teetering characterizations of Ava and Winnie delighted me and gave me whiplash. I think any spoilers would ruin this book, but I think a central theme of this novel is the struggle of motherhood and the reality of upper middle class working American life, the many realities of the Ivy League graduates: the ultimate scammers. This book can be compared to Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch for its themes of gendered division of labor in child rearing, and Like A House On Fire by Lauren McBrayer for the exploration of how one woman can totally disrupt another woman’s life, upending her comfortable but unsatisfying Bay Area life for more illicit dealings. There were moments throughout the novel that felt like liberal Americanism, and other moments that attempted to confront the American perspectives of Chinese people; all in all however, I was gripped, seated, giggling. Would recommend!
July 10, 2022
3.5
A fast read/listen, about two Chinese women who met at college (university) in the US. They reconnect two decades later and expand a counterfeit luxury handbag business.
The most interesting aspect of this novel was learning about counterfeit luxury handbag operations. I had no idea about it, although we've all seen the ubiquitous fake brown Louis Vuitton handbags. Not all fakes are the same. Some counterfeits might have been originals, they were so close to the genuine ones, that not even the people selling the genuine items could tell the difference. I confess, my moral compass needle barely moved, the "crime" was bloodless, and those cheated didn't know their luxury item wasn't genuine. They're all made in China, by very skilled people.
Anyway, this was enjoyable enough, but no great literature. There was something missing, I can't quite put my finger on it.
A fast read/listen, about two Chinese women who met at college (university) in the US. They reconnect two decades later and expand a counterfeit luxury handbag business.
The most interesting aspect of this novel was learning about counterfeit luxury handbag operations. I had no idea about it, although we've all seen the ubiquitous fake brown Louis Vuitton handbags. Not all fakes are the same. Some counterfeits might have been originals, they were so close to the genuine ones, that not even the people selling the genuine items could tell the difference. I confess, my moral compass needle barely moved, the "crime" was bloodless, and those cheated didn't know their luxury item wasn't genuine. They're all made in China, by very skilled people.
Anyway, this was enjoyable enough, but no great literature. There was something missing, I can't quite put my finger on it.
June 16, 2022
sorry i genuinely didn’t get it
June 2, 2022
My thanks to Harper Collins/The Borough Press for an invitation to read this book via NetGalley.
When I first read the description of this book in my mail—the story of a lawyer who meets an old college roommate who involves her in a shady business, it didn’t really sound my type, but since I was offered a chance to read it, I decided to give it a go, and I’m glad I did because this turned out a fun and entertaining read and a nice change from my usual picks.
Ava Wong is thirty-seven, a Stanford-educated lawyer who worked at a high-flying job at a law firm but is now on an extended maternity break with her difficult toddler Henri. Born to Asian–American immigrant parents, she has tried all her life to meet their expectations, doing well at school and going on to Stanford, selecting law as that is least offensive of the choices available to her. She is married to French–American Olivier Desjardins, a successful surgeon and has a nanny, Maria whom she finds indispensable. Life seems picture perfect on the surface but things are falling apart behind the scenes. She has recently lost her mother, her marriage seems to be developing cracks, little Henri is impossible to handle, and she finds the idea of eventually returning to work unbearable. Amidst this, an old college roommate, Winnie Fang contacts her seemingly out of the blue. Winnie who had left Stanford under a shadow around her SATs is now much changed—glamourous, dripping with designer accessories. At first, she seems to just want to reconnect, providing some respite to Ava for she is able to calm Henri down, something only Ava’s mother could do. But soon, Ava learns what Winnie really does—deals in counterfeit luxury handbags—passing them off for the real in luxury stores. Initially horrified, slowly, she becomes drawn into this world (one filled with designer handbags—in all shapes, sizes, and labels) and part of Winnie’s business. But all of this is destroying her relationships, and all she has built so far. Where will it all lead?
This is a quick, light and enjoyable read which also throws a fair few surprises in one’s way and which turned out to be far more fun than I’d expected. The story opens with a first-person narrative from Ava, which we learn is her recounting her experiences with Winnie to the police. Clearly whatever scam Winnie has involved her in has been found out and Winnie has vanished, while Ava is left to explain what really took place. This takes us back to their college days, Ava’s first meeting with Winnie and reluctance to befriend her; her resurfacing after all those years; also Ava’s own life—her living out dreams that were always someone else’s—her parents’, her husband’s, now Winnie’s—always seeking approval but never perhaps even considering what she herself wanted. We hear of how she gets sucked deeper and deeper into Winnie’s business despite her reluctance. We wonder where all this is going. But then there is a twist, and we begin to wonder once again, and read on a little more closely, as the story takes a turn we weren’t expecting!
Ava isn’t the most likeable of characters, and seems almost too insecure with regard to almost everything, even giving into Henri’s tantrums much too easily. (On a related tangent--one can understand her apprehensions over cut fruit when in China but to chuck them in the bin—waste perfectly good food—made me want to smack her). But one can sympathise with a lot of what she has to go through in terms of family expectations, the inclination to always do things to please, and perhaps understand how she loses herself in the process. But with the twists in the story, we begin to question. Is she really who she makes herself out to be? Winnie too, has her own secrets and her story mostly revealed through Ava’s narrative shows her to be perhaps more true to herself, living as she wishes to and unapologetic about what she does. Our look at other characters like Ava’s husband Oli and Maria the nanny or even the people whom Winnie works with is through Ava’s account as well, so one feels one doesn’t really get to know them.
The book is light reading for the most part, and while it brings up more serious issues from unreasonable family expectations to consumerism and the reasons we buy ‘labels’, sweat shops and labour exploitation, these mostly come up at surface level. And this is also the case for our characters, for while we do see the stories of our main characters, we don’t really delve into or get to understand their motivations.
But this lack of depth does not take away from one’s enjoyment of the book which makes for a great palate cleanser between heavier reads.
3.75 stars
When I first read the description of this book in my mail—the story of a lawyer who meets an old college roommate who involves her in a shady business, it didn’t really sound my type, but since I was offered a chance to read it, I decided to give it a go, and I’m glad I did because this turned out a fun and entertaining read and a nice change from my usual picks.
Ava Wong is thirty-seven, a Stanford-educated lawyer who worked at a high-flying job at a law firm but is now on an extended maternity break with her difficult toddler Henri. Born to Asian–American immigrant parents, she has tried all her life to meet their expectations, doing well at school and going on to Stanford, selecting law as that is least offensive of the choices available to her. She is married to French–American Olivier Desjardins, a successful surgeon and has a nanny, Maria whom she finds indispensable. Life seems picture perfect on the surface but things are falling apart behind the scenes. She has recently lost her mother, her marriage seems to be developing cracks, little Henri is impossible to handle, and she finds the idea of eventually returning to work unbearable. Amidst this, an old college roommate, Winnie Fang contacts her seemingly out of the blue. Winnie who had left Stanford under a shadow around her SATs is now much changed—glamourous, dripping with designer accessories. At first, she seems to just want to reconnect, providing some respite to Ava for she is able to calm Henri down, something only Ava’s mother could do. But soon, Ava learns what Winnie really does—deals in counterfeit luxury handbags—passing them off for the real in luxury stores. Initially horrified, slowly, she becomes drawn into this world (one filled with designer handbags—in all shapes, sizes, and labels) and part of Winnie’s business. But all of this is destroying her relationships, and all she has built so far. Where will it all lead?
This is a quick, light and enjoyable read which also throws a fair few surprises in one’s way and which turned out to be far more fun than I’d expected. The story opens with a first-person narrative from Ava, which we learn is her recounting her experiences with Winnie to the police. Clearly whatever scam Winnie has involved her in has been found out and Winnie has vanished, while Ava is left to explain what really took place. This takes us back to their college days, Ava’s first meeting with Winnie and reluctance to befriend her; her resurfacing after all those years; also Ava’s own life—her living out dreams that were always someone else’s—her parents’, her husband’s, now Winnie’s—always seeking approval but never perhaps even considering what she herself wanted. We hear of how she gets sucked deeper and deeper into Winnie’s business despite her reluctance. We wonder where all this is going. But then there is a twist, and we begin to wonder once again, and read on a little more closely, as the story takes a turn we weren’t expecting!
Ava isn’t the most likeable of characters, and seems almost too insecure with regard to almost everything, even giving into Henri’s tantrums much too easily. (On a related tangent--one can understand her apprehensions over cut fruit when in China but to chuck them in the bin—waste perfectly good food—made me want to smack her). But one can sympathise with a lot of what she has to go through in terms of family expectations, the inclination to always do things to please, and perhaps understand how she loses herself in the process. But with the twists in the story, we begin to question. Is she really who she makes herself out to be? Winnie too, has her own secrets and her story mostly revealed through Ava’s narrative shows her to be perhaps more true to herself, living as she wishes to and unapologetic about what she does. Our look at other characters like Ava’s husband Oli and Maria the nanny or even the people whom Winnie works with is through Ava’s account as well, so one feels one doesn’t really get to know them.
The book is light reading for the most part, and while it brings up more serious issues from unreasonable family expectations to consumerism and the reasons we buy ‘labels’, sweat shops and labour exploitation, these mostly come up at surface level. And this is also the case for our characters, for while we do see the stories of our main characters, we don’t really delve into or get to understand their motivations.
But this lack of depth does not take away from one’s enjoyment of the book which makes for a great palate cleanser between heavier reads.
3.75 stars
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