Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - Counterfeit

Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

16 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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hmwoodward's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a very quick listen on audio with a solid narrator.

The story starts with a conversation that you quickly learn is the main character speaking to a detective about a counterfeit scheme gone wrong. So, you know it ends with her giving details to the authorities and don't know how it got to that point.

The book wasn't predictable and it does a great job of closing out loose ends. However, I think the last part moved way too fast - especially the last 10%.

Overall, it was a solid read but nothing spectacular that I feel the need to recommend it to others. You will be entertained the whole time you read it though! Great book for anyone who loves "women's wrongs" and "girl boss" types of stories.

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kyriannaj's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Part One of the book was a bit hard to get through, but as soon as Part Two started I was hooked. Ava and Winnie are incredibly complicated characters, and figuring out the truth of their story after finishing the book will have me thinking about it for days. It left me with questions and since I read this for a book club, the conversations we had about it were amazing.

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hmetwade's review

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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caroline_333's review

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3.75

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jencolumb0's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

An exceptionally clever exploration of the myth of the model minority and the American dream. I hope Ms. Chen gets a wonderful movie deal out of this (and that they do it well).

In addition to the content warnings, there are some passing descriptions of abusive labor conditions and post-op (elective) surgery recovery. And Ms. Chen’s research regarding US immigration law left a little to be desired.

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siobhanward's review

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tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Reese's Book Club Pick 61/68

This was a fun read. Has it been done before? Yeah, probably, but I haven't read anything on the topic. Ava and Winnie were both incredibly frustrating but I couldn't bring myself to hate them. Honestly, Winnie was by far the more interesting character and I would have loved to have spent time inside her POV, rather than Ava's.

The characters felt well developed and the secondary plot about Ava's dissatisfaction with her personal life was well done. Overall, this was an interesting read that kept me engaged - who knew there was so much depth to the world of counterfeit handbags?

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thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favorite audiobooks of the year! This book was so entertaining; the characters were fun and morally gray, and I love a good "listen as I tell my side of the story, Detective" framing. Ava was sometimes frustrating but you had to respect her hustle, and I loved how the dynamic between Ava and Winnie evolved as time went on. Since the focus was mainly on these two women, they were solidly fleshed-out and I could relate to different elements of their lives and histories without supporting all of their decisions. There was a twist right at the point where the story starts to lag, so that was perfectly timed.

My one issue is that I don't understand how they made any money from the central scam of the book... how is it profitable to return an exact dupe and then sell the real handbag online and retail? It might be less risky but you're not making any additional money. Honestly, I mostly overlooked this detail because the storytelling was engaging and I was along for the ride!

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just_one_more_paige's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The combination of this cover and the vibes of the book made me think this was going to be a cross between Portrait of a Thief and the Crazy Rich Asians series, both of which I found pretty entertaining, solid reads, so I had this one on my shortlist when I was next looking for a lighter/fun type read. And with a lot of driving for work to close out the year, and access to the ALC for this from Libro.fm, the time for a "keeps your attention and doesn't require too much mental investment" read was nigh.

Ava Wong is a little stuck in life right now, having taken a long break from her high key job as a lawyer to raise her young son, who is struggling through a period of major temper tantrums, while her husband works long hours as a surgeon. When an old college friend, Winnie Fang re-enters her life, with a proposition to get involved in her luxury handbags counterfeit scheme. Winnie is looking for help from someone like Ava, who can travel back and forth to China with her US-passport and fly under the radar. Though Ava originally balks at the illegal activity, she finds herself in a tough spot and ends up taking the plunge. This partnership takes some major leaps, unexpected turns, and offers some comically insightful commentary on the production and economics of these designer handbags and the way Asian/Asian-American women are viewed in the world.

Well, this was the entertaining read I was looking for! I personally have no earthly idea about luxury handbags or any other designer sh*t , so all of the details and specifics about the products themselves went mostly over my head. I just accepted it as "that's fancy, got it" and moved on. Haha. That being said, that did nothing to dampen my overall enjoyment of the read. It opened with Ava essentially giving evidence to, being interviewed by, detectives about Winnie (who seems to have fled the country) about how she got trapped in this scheme (listening to her describe it is like watching a "can't tear your eyes away" accident situation) - getting in over her head and not knowing how to get out without damaging her family. An interesting narrative device, to be sure.

The way Ava tells it in this first part, this is a manipulative (charming and ruthless) level of “friendship,” in the vein of Wahala and Tangerine. There is also a definite vibe, throughout, that Ava's narration is not entirely reliable...and I do love an unreliable narrator, so I was very interested to see where that vibe went. And then we get to part two, which flips everything Ava was saying on its head (as I was hoping!). It's cunning and creative and takes advantage of so many widely held (in the Western world) Asian/Asian-American women stereotypes, reclaiming them for their own benefit. I don't want to say too much, so as not to give away the "twist," as it were. But suffice it to say that I was here for it, this take on the glorified "mobster" mentality/stereotype with a wry and feminine twist, was a great vibe.

There was also some present, if light, recognition of the dark side of these luxury items, highlighting the horrific working conditions of the international factories where these handbags are made. I actually really appreciated the interrogation of what makes one of these bags "authentic" versus "fake," if both are being produced in side-by-side factories owned by the same conglomerates. And the mark-ups?! Unbelievable. For essentially the exact same product! Anyways, like I said, not a super deep look at these issues, but a recognition and awareness of their presence/role in the industry at least. There was also a look at the ridiculous expectations on parents of young children, and the anxiety-producing competitiveness for kids as young as pe-school aged - yeeeeesh, count that among the many reasons I don't plan to parent. It was horrible to read about.

If you're looking for something not too deep, fairly fun, a bit unexpected, with a snarky "darker side of feminism" vibe that gives a truly diverting reading experience, this is a solid choice.

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