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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
A fun summer read that's a little more engaging than the usual chick lit. Almost on par with The Devil Wears Prada.
3.5. Slower but came around to it in the end. Very typical arc
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it - especially the descriptions of the mad worlds of fashion and technology - and raced through once I got started properly. But I just couldn't love it in the way I do 4/5 star books.
I think part of the problem was that while Imogen was likeable - even fabulous - she just wasn't always believable to me. She and her family seemed near-flawless - apart from Imogen & Alex sometimes getting home past the kids' bedtime and Imogen's lack of tech knowledge. And sadly, just a little too often I felt like I was being told how awesome she was - I got the point without that!
Her technological ineptitude/lack of knowledge (and blossoming) also felt slightly unbelievable considering her age (and the fact that she'd only been away from the industry for six months, not six years).
I would also have loved to read more from Ashley's perspective (in fact, I'd love to hear more voices in general, it did feel a little like they were just added where convenient rather than properly part of the storytelling).
But all that said, it was an enjoyable read. I particularly loved the supporting characters in Imogen's friends, old and new.
The perfect holiday/lazy day read if you fancy an addictive, relatively light-hearted dip into the fashion (or tech start-up) world.
Disclaimer: I received this book free from the Goodreads First Read programme. This has not effected my review.
I think part of the problem was that while Imogen was likeable - even fabulous - she just wasn't always believable to me. She and her family seemed near-flawless - apart from Imogen & Alex sometimes getting home past the kids' bedtime and Imogen's lack of tech knowledge. And sadly, just a little too often I felt like I was being told how awesome she was - I got the point without that!
Her technological ineptitude/lack of knowledge (and blossoming) also felt slightly unbelievable considering her age (and the fact that she'd only been away from the industry for six months, not six years).
I would also have loved to read more from Ashley's perspective (in fact, I'd love to hear more voices in general, it did feel a little like they were just added where convenient rather than properly part of the storytelling).
But all that said, it was an enjoyable read. I particularly loved the supporting characters in Imogen's friends, old and new.
The perfect holiday/lazy day read if you fancy an addictive, relatively light-hearted dip into the fashion (or tech start-up) world.
Disclaimer: I received this book free from the Goodreads First Read programme. This has not effected my review.
First I like to say I'm 18 while reading this and uses all those social media. If I EVER become like Eve please be generous enough and slap me. I do not want to become like that 3.5
This was a quick, enjoyable summer read! I liked the old vs new and print vs tech part of the story. Unlike most fun beach reads this was actually written well with good character development. Slightly predictable but definitely enjoyable!
Originally reviewed at Books Etc.
Looking for the next The Devil Wears Prada? Authors Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have you covered. Their new novel The Knockoff is a hilariously addictive novel that is similar to Weisberger's but with its own twist on the world of fashion magazines. It's such a delight to read!
The Knockoff (known as Techbitch in the UK and, I think, Australia) was one of those books that I enjoyed more the more I read. I found this novel a bit hard to get into, in part, I think, because I had some issues with the way the story was being told. Imogen is the main character but every once and awhile the story is told from another character's point of view. It was a bit jarring and it threw the flow off a bit. I liked having another side of the story explored but it just kind of hopped around with no real sense of whose POV we'd see next. I also sometimes felt it was very clear there were two authors...it's hard to explain but it goes back to the flow and there were times everything just felt a little off.
I went into reading this one expecting Imogen to be like Miranda Priestly. Personality-wise, Imogen is nothing like the aforementioned Devil. She's actually a nice person, someone you want to work for not just because she's a smart, savvy businesswoman, but because she's so lovely. I totally fell in love with Imogen. I liked that Sykes and Piazza made her so relatable, even to me, a twentysomething. I couldn't relate to Eve because, well, she's a psychotic bitch (and that's kind of the whole point to Eve...she's a hilarious parody and totally nuts). Imogen tries so hard to keep up with the tech world and does pretty well for someone who had had her head in the sand. It was actually pretty fun to read as she discovered Twitter and Instagram (she fails at one and is obsessed with another) and learned how to use them properly.
The Knockoff isn't a book about romantic relationships or family. It's about careers and the workplace and I found it refreshing. Bonus: the American/Canadian cover totally nails that feeling. I would have been upset if the designers had made it light and feminine. The UK cover is a bit softer but the title, Techbitch, creates a nice contrast.
Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have written such a fun novel. The Knockoff should be put in everyone's beach bag (or on their ereader which will then go in their beach bag) because it is a book you need to read this summer. The characters are both relatable and extreme and the glimpse into the world of fashion is awesome.
*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Random House of Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*
Looking for the next The Devil Wears Prada? Authors Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have you covered. Their new novel The Knockoff is a hilariously addictive novel that is similar to Weisberger's but with its own twist on the world of fashion magazines. It's such a delight to read!
The Knockoff (known as Techbitch in the UK and, I think, Australia) was one of those books that I enjoyed more the more I read. I found this novel a bit hard to get into, in part, I think, because I had some issues with the way the story was being told. Imogen is the main character but every once and awhile the story is told from another character's point of view. It was a bit jarring and it threw the flow off a bit. I liked having another side of the story explored but it just kind of hopped around with no real sense of whose POV we'd see next. I also sometimes felt it was very clear there were two authors...it's hard to explain but it goes back to the flow and there were times everything just felt a little off.
I went into reading this one expecting Imogen to be like Miranda Priestly. Personality-wise, Imogen is nothing like the aforementioned Devil. She's actually a nice person, someone you want to work for not just because she's a smart, savvy businesswoman, but because she's so lovely. I totally fell in love with Imogen. I liked that Sykes and Piazza made her so relatable, even to me, a twentysomething. I couldn't relate to Eve because, well, she's a psychotic bitch (and that's kind of the whole point to Eve...she's a hilarious parody and totally nuts). Imogen tries so hard to keep up with the tech world and does pretty well for someone who had had her head in the sand. It was actually pretty fun to read as she discovered Twitter and Instagram (she fails at one and is obsessed with another) and learned how to use them properly.
The Knockoff isn't a book about romantic relationships or family. It's about careers and the workplace and I found it refreshing. Bonus: the American/Canadian cover totally nails that feeling. I would have been upset if the designers had made it light and feminine. The UK cover is a bit softer but the title, Techbitch, creates a nice contrast.
Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza have written such a fun novel. The Knockoff should be put in everyone's beach bag (or on their ereader which will then go in their beach bag) because it is a book you need to read this summer. The characters are both relatable and extreme and the glimpse into the world of fashion is awesome.
*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Random House of Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*
Perhaps unfairly, I expected this to be *perfect* chick lit/light reading. Like The Royal We, maybe. (It was recommended highly!) Instead, it was fine. Not amazing, just...good enough. I do recommend it, if you think you'd like it, but don't expect too much.
If you can get over the initial shock of how implausible the premise is (a 42 year old is gone from work for 6 months and returns to find that technology has advanced significantly - and she doesn't even know how to use email), then you might find this to be nice, light summer reading.
While I was skeptical at first, the story line pulled me in and I enjoyed this book. It touches on themes of generational differences in the work place and being a working mother. I would recommend it as a good beach book.
While I was skeptical at first, the story line pulled me in and I enjoyed this book. It touches on themes of generational differences in the work place and being a working mother. I would recommend it as a good beach book.
I love love loved this book. It was humorous, timely, and just plan fun. I picked this book randomly without looking at it. (A library game I play.) A few chapters in I looked at the authors and realized they had written another book crush of mine, Fitness Junkie.
Fashion magazine queen, Imogen comes back to work after a 6 month leave to find her magazine turned into an app and her former assistant, Eve is running things. Eve is a nightmare. Imogen has to learn a whole new world of tech and millennials in order to survive.
Like I said, this is so much fun. From watching Imogen's learning curve to the nightmare that is Eve. Loved. It.
Fashion magazine queen, Imogen comes back to work after a 6 month leave to find her magazine turned into an app and her former assistant, Eve is running things. Eve is a nightmare. Imogen has to learn a whole new world of tech and millennials in order to survive.
Like I said, this is so much fun. From watching Imogen's learning curve to the nightmare that is Eve. Loved. It.
I picked this up because it looked like a good summer read. I think I read about it in a magazine before it was published, then I placed a hold at my library so that I could borrow it as soon as it came out. Isn’t it cool that you can do that?
In this novel, Imogen Tate is the Editor-in-Chief of a popular women’s magazine titled Glossy. When the book begins, Imogen has recently taken a leave of absence due to health issues. When she returns to work, she finds that things have completely changed as her magazine tries to compete in the digital age. What’s most surprising to Imogen is that her former assistant Eve is now calling the shots (has anyone seen All About Eve?). Will Imogen adapt to the new regime, or will she become extinct?
Clearly this is very of the moment, as several print magazines are shuttering or scaling back. Lucky Magazine recently announced that it would no longer have a print component and Women’s Wear Daily moved to weekly issues. I’ve always loved fashion magazines, so I appreciate that the authors wanted to comment on a current phenomenon. Naturally, I loved all of the fashion bits, from the descriptions of the clothes characters were wearing, to the somewhat exaggerated portrayal of what it’s like to work at a magazine. I even heard that one of the characters was based on Eva Chen, who I absolutely adore and stalk on all forms of social media.
Overall, I enjoyed the subject matter and felt that this was an entertaining read. I do wish that the characters had been a bit more developed. I found it a little hard to believe that Imogen could be 100% clueless when it comes to technology in the year 2015, but perhaps that’s a function of the fact that I grew up with computers. I guess I wanted more from this book, but I did like reading it. It’s light and easy and would be a good beach read pick for those who are interested in fashion.
In this novel, Imogen Tate is the Editor-in-Chief of a popular women’s magazine titled Glossy. When the book begins, Imogen has recently taken a leave of absence due to health issues. When she returns to work, she finds that things have completely changed as her magazine tries to compete in the digital age. What’s most surprising to Imogen is that her former assistant Eve is now calling the shots (has anyone seen All About Eve?). Will Imogen adapt to the new regime, or will she become extinct?
Clearly this is very of the moment, as several print magazines are shuttering or scaling back. Lucky Magazine recently announced that it would no longer have a print component and Women’s Wear Daily moved to weekly issues. I’ve always loved fashion magazines, so I appreciate that the authors wanted to comment on a current phenomenon. Naturally, I loved all of the fashion bits, from the descriptions of the clothes characters were wearing, to the somewhat exaggerated portrayal of what it’s like to work at a magazine. I even heard that one of the characters was based on Eva Chen, who I absolutely adore and stalk on all forms of social media.
Overall, I enjoyed the subject matter and felt that this was an entertaining read. I do wish that the characters had been a bit more developed. I found it a little hard to believe that Imogen could be 100% clueless when it comes to technology in the year 2015, but perhaps that’s a function of the fact that I grew up with computers. I guess I wanted more from this book, but I did like reading it. It’s light and easy and would be a good beach read pick for those who are interested in fashion.