Ava left her high powered legal career to be a dedicated wife and mother. She feels like she is failing at both and struggles to keep up within her social circle. Then she reconnects from Winnie, an old friend from college who seems to have it all. It isn't long before Winnie offers her a chance at excitement and and purpose. In a world full of excessive wealth and obsession with status, what harm is there in exploiting that system and making some money? After all, Winnie reassures Ava, it's not like anyone is going to get hurt.

And so Ava sets off into the world of counterfeit handbags, becoming powerful within the industry and making good money on the side. Doors are opening for her and she feels good again. Until she doesn't.

This was a fast=paced thriller of a book. It was well written and the characters came to life on the pages. I enjoyed it and even though you knew what these women were doing was wrong, it was hard to see them as villains. I would have given this book a solid five stars if it had not been for the ending. Some people are going to love this ending and completely disagree with me.. I saw it going a different way and would have been more satisfied by an alternate conclusion. I can see why the author chose to end the book this way however so it really comes down to a matter of personal preference.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the copy of Counterfeit. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I knew I would love the writing because I loved Soy Sauce For Beginners. I wasn’t disappointed! I loved the way this book was written with Ava telling the story to a detective. It was a great way to understand the reasons a privileged suburban mom might be lured into the world of counterfeit designer bags. Ava was a great character, and between her mom-worries and her criminal enterprise she was surprisingly likable and sympathetic. Winnie was also a great character but I’m not sure I liked her or was able to relate to her. I did respect her because she was smart and savvy, which is why she was great. If you want a smart, funny beach read, this book is for you, especially if you love designer goods.

Sometimes you root for the “bad guys” in a story, because even though they’re criminals, they have some moral reason, or redeeming qualities in spite of their actions. I didn’t get that here, and felt that these characters were essentially unlikeable, and purely motivated by greed. This is not to say that I wasn’t entertained by this book, I was. But I found the ending unsatisfying and a bit hollow. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first reading of this author and I wasn't disappointed. For the first half, I thought I knew what I was reading....a fun book about a woman who gets caught up in a scheme she has no control over. Then the twists and turns come in. I was pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended.

This is a story of American greed, envied by the whole world, and two women who can’t resist “playing the game.” We all know people like this, line cutters, rule breakers, skirting the line of what’s legal and what’s right, both in business and in personal life.
I found this book very enjoyable, a quick read, and an interesting story.

A pair of Chinese-American women team up to launch a manufacturing and distribution business for counterfeit luxury handbags. Counterfeit is a highly entertaining crime caper novel, filled with complex get-rich schemes, shady mob-like bosses, and a pair of anti-heroines who would fit right in with Thelma and Louise and the women of Oceans 8. I want the Netflix adaptation of this novel, and even though Ava Wong and Winnie Fang are in their 30s, I'm totally already fan casting Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh in this buddy dramedy. How incredible would that movie or mini-series be?!

Former corporate lawyer, wife of a wealthy doctor, and mother of a son about to begin pre-school, Ava is a fairly typical, slightly bored, suburbanite. When her old college roommate, Winnie, reappears in her life with an invitation to join her lucrative counterfeit handbag business, Ava declines at first. Until a fight leads her husband to freeze her credit cards while Ava's in China, and smuggling counterfeit handbags seems much more appealing than admitting to her gossipy relatives that she needs help. 

We learn all this from Ava herself, who, when the novel begins, is in an interrogation room telling a police detective how she managed to get roped into Winnie's criminal enterprise. Winnie's the mastermind whom the detective is after, yet she has gone MIA, leaving Ava behind to face the consequences. As the story unfolds, we see the scheme get more elaborate and ambitious, and the story is just an absolute delight of a crime caper romp.

I absolutely love how much Chen reclaims, challenges and subverts Asian and Asian American stereotypes, not just by presenting more nuanced depictions, but also by having her characters use these stereotypes to their advantage. For example, the stereotype of Asian women being meek, submissive, and, well, harmless, plays a key role in the success of Ava and Winnie's tactics. In one subtle yet brilliant moment, Ava walks into a department store to request a refund on a (counterfeit) luxury handbag, and immediately heads to the white saleswoman instead of the Asian one. A story Ava tells the detective about the factory in China they use to manufacture the counterfeit bags -- cramped, humid, with a net at the top of the staircase blocking the elderly workers from escaping -- plays into stereotypes as well, as does Ava's absolute horror as a woman who'd been born and raised in America, Asian heritage notwithstanding. Ava's story includes an encounter with a tween girl with missing fingers who works at that factory, and the way that detail is subverted later in the novel is just masterfully executed.

Even the scheme at the core of this novel -- counterfeit luxury goods! -- is itself an industry very much associated with China. Winnie's scheme is both realistic (in this case, there's truth to the perception), and a sly wink at anyone who may think it's too on-the-nose to be believable. Of all the cons they could have pulled, counterfeit handbags are probably the most obvious choice, and that makes the satire particularly incisive and effective.

+

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is SUCH a fun book. Seriously - I haven't read something quite like this in a while. The author's use of POV and withholding of information makes for a twisty and wild ride that had me racing through the pages. I read it one sitting on a flight! Just so good. And the use of designer label knowledge elevated the reading experience - it all felt so real.

This is one you definitely don't want to miss!

This was one of my most anticipated books this season but it didn't live up to my high expectations. While it was a thrilling crime drama, Ava was not a relatable character. She had an exteme level of privilege that she didn't acknowledge and seemed to take the easiest solution presented to her. I actually would ha e liked this story more if it was told by Winnie.

Counterfeit, Kirstin Chen's new novel about the world of knockoff upscale handbags, is a total guilty pleasure read! When Ava Wong, who is failing at life as a wife and mother, reunites with her old college roommate Winnie Fang, she is soon coerced into joining Winnie in a business partnership. The only problem is that Winnie's business dealings are not exactly legal. See, she is involved in a luxury handbag counterfeit scheme, and Ava is soon in deep with her. Ava knows that she and Winnie are playing with fire, but the payoff is too sweet to let go of ... and frankly, the adrenaline rush that Ava gets every time she gets away with swapping a pricey handbag for a "superfake" is hard to beat, but at what cost?

Having only a vague knowledge of the counterfeit handbag industry before reading this novel, the material covered in this book was completely new to me, which made it as informative as it was entertaining ... and it was quite the enjoyable read! I devoured this book and looked forward to picking it up each day; in a world where our attention is being pulled in a million different directions every second, I always take that as a sign of a good novel.

There are several things that make this book so appealing. First is its confessional tone. Counterfeit reads as if you are being let in on a scandalous secret. The plot is set up by Ava telling her clandestine story to the audience. We learn how she gets involved in Winnie's illegal handbag ring and how exactly the women manage to get their fake designer handbags on the market. I won't reveal any spoilers here because I personally had a lot of fun trying to figure out how Ava and Winnie were going to get away with the scheme. Suffice it to say, I did not come up with the same plot that they did (guess I will never be a criminal mastermind!) Chen keeps her writing distinctly intimate and lets readers experience the chills and thrills that accompany pulling off a ruse of this magnitude.

Learning about the counterfeit luxury handbag market was also entirely intriguing! I loved the parts of the book where Ava described how exactly superfakes are produced and sold as the "real thing." Chen also introduces us to a wide variety of high-end handbags, and you can rest assured that I Googled every bag mentioned in the book so that I could feast upon these luxury goods in all their "un-counterfeited" glory. This story is as sumptuous as the handbags at the center of its plot, and will delight those who have even a vague interest in the industry.

Chen has written an alluring novel of fashion and deceit that never gets bogged down or boring. Moving at a fast pace, Counterfeit will appeal to readers who enjoy books that show the dark, insidious side of everything glittering and gold.

I loved this book! It was the perfect balance of salacious, satirical, wry, and real. It was well written, the shifting perspectives made sense, and the gimmick was deployed well.

How awesome is this cover?! 🤩 Two Asian-American women fabricate the most elaborate scheme selling counterfeit designer handbags. This is the story of how they met and how their operation tuned into a global enterprise. Will these con artists be able to elude the investigators who are hot on their heels? Read if you enjoy crime, glamour, fashion and friendship!

Great job @kirstin.chen ! 👏🏻 I could totally see this book play out as a movie!

Thank you to @harpercollinsca and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Counterfeit comes out June 7, 2022!

#booksofhcc #bookadoration #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #canadianlit #counterfeit #kirstinchen

High stakes con - Yes!
Luxury designer handbags - Yes! Yes!
Friends with secret agendas - Yes! Yes! Yes!

Ava and Winnie are paired as roommates at Stanford. Ava an American-born Chinese woman and Winnie, born in China. The pair couldn’t be more different and when Winnie leaves in a scandal after only two months Ava never thought she’d see Winnie again.

20 years later, Ava is an ex-lawyer, married to a doctor homebody with a tantrum-ready two-year-old. Ava and Winnie’s reunion story is told through Ava confessing to a detective about how Winnie came back into her life and how they created a lucrative, illegal business selling counterfeit handbags.

Throughout the confession, Winnie is made to be the pack leader, the influencer, but looks can be deceiving depending on the point of view.

A witty, interesting deep dive into the world of high-end handbags with a pair of talented con artists that even fool the reader into believing their lies. Lots of thrills and international travel with two characters I loved, but kind of disliked at the same time.

“Winnie’s the one who showed Ava her country for what it truly is: a wildfire, a head-on collision, a spooked horse that’s thrown off its rider, a motherfucking driverless car. It’s the only place for freaks like them, hucksters, con men, unicorns, queens. Winnie is the American dream, and that’s what drives everyone mad, mad, mad-that she had the gall to crash their game and win it all.”

These two unicorns, queens, conwomen made for an entertaining fun thrilling novel with a kickass cover!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harpercollins for sharing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Counterfeit was a thoroughly entertaining read! The story follows two main characters: Ava and Winnie and the counterfeit luxury handbag scheme they embark upon. Easy to read, fast-paced, and full of light humor -- I fairly flew through this novel!

I'm not sure I've read a book without quotations before, and I found that it oddly worked. While the character of Ava was annoying at times, by the end, you realize that this was intentional for the overall plot. There were some definite twists in the storyline that I wasn't expecting, making for a fun and enjoyable read!

DNF - unfortunately, I didn't realize going into this that this is one of those books where the author does not use quotation marks to denote speech. This is very much personal preference but it's one of my biggest pet peeves and makes it really difficult for me to read a book. I may have to give this one a go on audio once it's released (if there is an audiobook release as well), but it just doesn't work for me physically.

Fast-paced, well-researched, and a fun way to skewer the model minority myth. Plus, handbags! I enjoyed every moment of this book.

This was a great fast paced read that hooked me instantly. The characters were really the driving force to bringing the plot together. The climax came and went so fast that by the time the big twist took place, the story was over.

Counterfeit
by Kirstin Chen
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
William Morrow

Thanks to the author, William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Great fun and a quick read! I have never thought this much about high-end purses before. The characters are well-developed and the author does a great job of capturing the malaise of being a high achieving woman who has gotten what she thought she wanted and, yet, it isn't as satisfying as she was promised it would be.
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.
4 stars

Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit is a quick, engaging, and fun read. Recommended for fans of Crazy Rich Asians.

Great fun and a quick read! I have never thought this much about high-end purses before. The characters are well-developed and the author does a great job of capturing the malaise of being a high achieving woman who has gotten what she thought she wanted and, yet, it isn't as satisfying as she was promised it would be.

Just absolutely loved this! A tale of friendship, crime, and FASHION! I could not put this story down. It took me to the same place I got to go when reading Crazy Rich Asians, which is one of my all time favorite series.