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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Entertaining read. Despite the books light nature, the main character, Imogen, has some depth and was very relatable.
This is a well written book for the genre it is written for. It is not 5-star classic literature, but a witty reflection of our 24/7 tech culture. Maybe because I am the same age as Imogen Tate and feel a deep kinship with her reaction to a changed workplace, I found this is a fun and moving book. I listened to the audio book which I think is the absolute best way to experience this story.
*Sigh* I enjoyed this book more than it deserved. The writers have a fun voice, and it was amusing. However, it was also infuriating. It felt like the authors read one of those "OMG Millenials are monsters who are going to destroy life as we know it!1!!11" "think" pieces that come along every so often in the New York Times or the like, and, having never had any other interaction with someone of that age group, decided to turn that already ridiculous depiction into an actual alien species. I'm solidly a peer of the young women represented in this book, and they certainly don't bear any resemblance to anyone I've ever met (and, quite possible, to any human being that has ever existed). They were the most obnoxious group of characters, even the supposedly sympathetic ones, and had the social skills of a baboon. I understand that it was meant to be a parody, but a parody must at least have some relationship to its subject matter for it to work.
Equally infuriating was the depiction of the main character. She's shown as a 42 year old, out of touch "dinosaur," and is written more like someone who's on their last legs of life than a 42 year old. She supposedly has no idea how to use technology, even the most basic of basics . But Gen X invented the internet, and were the early adopters of it. I would imagine any real 42 year old would be insulted by the assumptions the authors are making about their complete cluelessness. My baby boomer parents are more competent than she is with technology, and they're self-admittedly not good with it. Additionally, she's the editor in chief of a major magazine, but has absolutely no sense of assertiveness or the ability to stand up for herself. She's also shocked that her new 26 year old coworker would try to stab her in the back or treat her poorly, but there's no way a woman works her way up to that level of power in any industry without other people trying to tear her down. It's like the authors expect us to believe that Imogen became powerful simply on the power of niceness - hers and other's.
I was also extremely disappointed by the way the authors handled the subplot about the main character's daughter and her cyberbully. That had the potential of serving as an interesting foil to her mother's work drama, and actually saying something about the similarities and differences between generations with regards to our use of and experience with technology - and bullies. Instead, the authors ended up making the least interesting choice imaginable, one that ends up making absolutely no meaningful point whatsoever.
So why the three stars? Because there was a lot of fun and potential here, and I actually would recommend it to people who take their fiction less seriously than I do. In fact, I'm so angry only because this could have been an wildly interesting and powerful book (see The Royal We for a much more successful, nuanced, and thoughtful version of this type of genre), but instead falls flat at every available opportunity.
Equally infuriating was the depiction of the main character. She's shown as a 42 year old, out of touch "dinosaur," and is written more like someone who's on their last legs of life than a 42 year old. She supposedly has no idea how to use technology, even the most basic of basics . But Gen X invented the internet, and were the early adopters of it. I would imagine any real 42 year old would be insulted by the assumptions the authors are making about their complete cluelessness. My baby boomer parents are more competent than she is with technology, and they're self-admittedly not good with it. Additionally, she's the editor in chief of a major magazine, but has absolutely no sense of assertiveness or the ability to stand up for herself. She's also shocked that her new 26 year old coworker would try to stab her in the back or treat her poorly, but there's no way a woman works her way up to that level of power in any industry without other people trying to tear her down. It's like the authors expect us to believe that Imogen became powerful simply on the power of niceness - hers and other's.
I was also extremely disappointed by the way the authors handled the subplot about the main character's daughter and her cyberbully. That had the potential of serving as an interesting foil to her mother's work drama, and actually saying something about the similarities and differences between generations with regards to our use of and experience with technology - and bullies. Instead, the authors ended up making the least interesting choice imaginable, one that ends up making absolutely no meaningful point whatsoever.
So why the three stars? Because there was a lot of fun and potential here, and I actually would recommend it to people who take their fiction less seriously than I do. In fact, I'm so angry only because this could have been an wildly interesting and powerful book (see The Royal We for a much more successful, nuanced, and thoughtful version of this type of genre), but instead falls flat at every available opportunity.
Full review: https://bookevin.wordpress.com/
Having loved The Devil Wears Prada, I had really high hopes for Techbitch as it sounds like it’s along the vein of the former and I couldn’t resist indulging myself in a delicious story like the one in Techbitch as it satisfied my craving for something with bite and sass. Techbitch, the brainchild of Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza, had me either laughing out loud (or what Eve and the gang would say: LOL!) or snapping my fingers in approval. It is written with such charm and wit that you couldn’t possibly pass this gem up. Techbitch is the definition of delicious and sharp fiction with bite!
Having loved The Devil Wears Prada, I had really high hopes for Techbitch as it sounds like it’s along the vein of the former and I couldn’t resist indulging myself in a delicious story like the one in Techbitch as it satisfied my craving for something with bite and sass. Techbitch, the brainchild of Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza, had me either laughing out loud (or what Eve and the gang would say: LOL!) or snapping my fingers in approval. It is written with such charm and wit that you couldn’t possibly pass this gem up. Techbitch is the definition of delicious and sharp fiction with bite!
Predictable and fairly unrealistic but fun and satisfying. I agree with all the reviews that Imogen is written more like 75 than 42 years old. Eve is an absolutely intolerable antagonist which makes it all the more satisfying to reach the end of the book. I ate this up. The audiobook was delightful.
a cute, easy read! it started out a bit clichéd, but once you get into the story, you're really rooting for the main character.
Great fun. The Knockoff is women's fiction set in the world of fashion magazines. It sort of felt like the Devil Wears Prada meets All About Eve, with a dose of satire directed at millennials.
It's funny because I am both a millenial and notirious for giving low reviews but I don't know. I found this book hilarious. Maybe it's because I have a parent who has worked in fashion, but I really enjoyed this.
Quick, cute, and fun. The audio is a joy to listen to as well!
Quick, cute, and fun. The audio is a joy to listen to as well!
Fashion, fun, frenetic, this story made me anxious in the most amazing way!
I wasn’t looking for a serious, well thought out plot, or intricate characters, I was looking for a way to get back into reading and this book delivered the job! I won’t talk too long about this story because I don’t think it warrants that much time from me, but I did have a few points to share;
1. The characters;
I think the characters are just like a classic Instagram profile. Maybe that was the point. Polaroids, black and white, vanilla-esc characters was what we got. Eve Morton, a bully and someone who should have gone to jail, Imogen Tate, our victim but amazing and successful mother, and a few supporting characters that got lost. The characters were VANILLA, and that’s okay. However, I loved how we did see some changes and character growth within some of the main characters and supporting characters. Enough said .
2. The plot
I think the plot was fun, however, the “high point” should have had more attention and some non important scenes which were honestly just excessive to me should not have been included. Like honestly, more legal things should have happened to Eve at the end. I think the ending was rushed and should have had more detail, because I did feel exhilarated, but I didn’t feel satisfied. The high point was only 20-30 pages and had no development. But that’s okay, I wanted fun and I got it.
I think this is a book great for having a good time and expecting nothing less! I haven’t found many novels about fashion and this is definitely a good one to feed that craving, just know what you’re walking into. Enough said. :)
I wasn’t looking for a serious, well thought out plot, or intricate characters, I was looking for a way to get back into reading and this book delivered the job! I won’t talk too long about this story because I don’t think it warrants that much time from me, but I did have a few points to share;
1. The characters;
I think the characters are just like a classic Instagram profile. Maybe that was the point. Polaroids, black and white, vanilla-esc characters was what we got. Eve Morton, a bully and someone who should have gone to jail, Imogen Tate, our victim but amazing and successful mother, and a few supporting characters that got lost. The characters were VANILLA, and that’s okay. However, I loved how we did see some changes and character growth within some of the main characters and supporting characters. Enough said .
2. The plot
I think the plot was fun, however, the “high point” should have had more attention and some non important scenes which were honestly just excessive to me should not have been included. Like honestly, more legal things should have happened to Eve at the end. I think the ending was rushed and should have had more detail, because I did feel exhilarated, but I didn’t feel satisfied. The high point was only 20-30 pages and had no development. But that’s okay, I wanted fun and I got it.
I think this is a book great for having a good time and expecting nothing less! I haven’t found many novels about fashion and this is definitely a good one to feed that craving, just know what you’re walking into. Enough said. :)
With an interesting insight into digital publishing. Made me laugh a couple of times and smile mostly throughout. I guess that if you like fashion and/or social media, you'll get more into it than I did. The expertise of the writers shines through tho.