Welcome to Litsy!

I finished the Uncorked Librarian Reading Challenge.

Isn‘t this the truth?!?

#BookReport
Finished the book I have to lead the discussion on at work so that was nice. I've made some progress in my current reads as well though not as much as I'd have liked.

#WeeklyForecast
My goal this week is to finish book two of OaFK and maybe finish listening to Hench now that I've replaced the earbuds I lost.

This book felt very Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girl Boss in the best way. I enjoyed watching the narrative unfold especially after the subtle twist is revealed in the midway point. I feel like this is a commentary on the American Dream and what it means to be successful.

I really didn‘t like the book and the ending even less. I can‘t really say more without ruining it if you want to read it; I never did figure out why there was a bunch of hoopla about it being so good. 2 woman run a business based upon counterfeit high end bags. Cleverly written though.

Clever, cunning and concise. This was a great story about counterfeit luxury goods and the immensity of the market through which they‘re passed.

This was kind of a fun listen…. Not super dramatic or tension-filled…. The majority is told as a confession, but there is a twist to the story and that was cool. #bookspinbingo #bingo #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

Slow to start, but this one picks up a quarter of the way through, and then flies. Counterfeit can apply to more than handbags; it can apply to people, too. (Though high-quality fake or not, I‘d still love a Birkin bag.)

This was a fun audiobook listen! It was fast paced and I liked the narrator. Certainly not a deep book but I enjoyed it. I also borrowed it in print from the library but mostly did the audio while driving and walking.

Not quite what I was expecting but in a good way! Winnie reaches out to her former college roommate, Ava, after many years of not speaking. Winnie runs a counterfeit ring oh high-end luxury handbags and ropes Ava, a former tax lawyer, into her scheme. The twist about halfway through was unexpected - let‘s just say neither character is quite what they seemed! A decent quick read.

#bookspinbingo
#RushAThon

Kind of a disappointing read. Found this on a list of books to read in a day and didn‘t find the story that compelling. Two former college roommates reconnect and and become involved in a wide-ranging scheme with counterfeit luxury handbags. Most of it is told via a confession to a detective. Parts of it were fun but overall didn‘t feel invested or any real tension. I do love the cover.

I expected to love a book about the thing I love the most ( 👜) a lot more.

#oneword #temptingtitles @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

3.5 out of 5

I wouldn‘t recco - even as a quick read. The pacing is really its shortcoming because the way the plot is laid out is entirely lopsided. Without giving it all away, appearances are deceiving.

Great!

Meh. Just wasn't that great.

I am loving this one at the moment #reesebookclub

Good audiobook. I was surprised by the twist!

oooh this was a great binge listen :))

Enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, it surprised me in a lot of ways and created a world I didn‘t know much about.

3.5⭐/5⭐

Bumped this one up the list after @squirrelbrain 's review. First work trip since the before times. Or as I like to call it, free reading time.

I loved this book, about two people who set up a fake handbag business. I like it when characters don‘t act like you expect them to and that is certainly the case here. (Me, trying not to be all spoiler-y!)

Thanks for sending it to me @Caroline2 - it was the perfect blend of fun and malevolence!

Also, it‘s a good job that Henry isn‘t camera-shy - he‘s in nearly every book photo these days! 🤣

I really did not understand the hype about this one while I was in Part 1. Sure, it was fine but it was nothing special. Then I got to Part 2. Nice work, Ms. Chen.

I enjoyed this crime caper all about deep fake handbags. A Reese‘s book club pick that delivered for me!

I‘m at #NatBookFest at the DC Convention Center and was at this panel earlier with Counterfeit author Kirsten Chen, Katie Gutierrez, and author of The Lifeguards, which I want to check out now, Amanda Eyre Ward.

I have had a fab reading week reading all these fantastic thrillers on my kindle! I loved em all and highly recommend if you want a decent thriller that is more than dodgy husbands and drunk women. 😆 #bookreport #weeklyreport

Hmmm. My opinions cycled through a variety of emotions as I was reading... Empathy, understanding, judgement, distaste, criticism, hatred, flip flopping as more and more of the story unfolds. I'll never look at designer bags again without thinking of this story.

This is a story about a goody goody gone wrong.

Well written crime caper to girlfriends a scam to make money selling high end counterfeit purses.Really well written perfect fora tv movie.

I read this on my kindle but I loved it so much I want to get the hardback! A super fun caper story like Good Girls. I didn‘t want it to end and I really hope there‘s going to be a sequel….! 😁

I don‘t often sing Amazon‘s praises BUT my reading floatie popped yesterday and Amazon had a replacement here by noon

29 Jul-7 Aug 22
Rather lightweight but enjoyable and quick to read.
The story of two women who one way or another find themselves importing counterfeit designer bags from China and employing young shoppers to dupe department stores into accepting these bags as authentic returns.
It did cause me to question why I value designer goods and why counterfeits appeal to some but not others. Maybe if I were a handbag person this would have appealed more.

First off, I have always loved luxury goods, especially handbags so the premise of this book was right up my alley.

Plot-wise, the twist halfway through was so smart and I did not see it coming. As soon as I got to the twist, I thought to myself, “This book is brilliant.” I won‘t say much about the twist but I will say that it kept the book interesting.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/review-counterfeit/

2.5/5 ⭐

This book is about Ava perspective on what happened with Winnie, an old friend from University.
She writes a letter to a police officer telling the story of how and why she accepted Winnie's offer to bring fake purse/bags to America.
It wasn't to best book I read this year. I found the story to be forgettable. I preferred reading about Ava and her family but the rest of the story wasn't that good.

A fun book told from Ava‘s perspective of how she got into the counterfeit ring and met Winnie. Even though they were doing bad things, I was still rooting for them. I enjoyed it as something different.

Now reading: Counterfeit. 📚
This is book #32.
I ordered so many books this year, it's embarrassing.
I know y'all understand and won't judge me. ❤️

I listened to this on audible. Not a bad story but also not quite the thriller I expected. It‘s well written interesting and entertaining. The audible presentation was excellent.

"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."

Catching up a little on things I've finished the past couple weeks. Switching to one book at a time has really helped while taking care of a 5 week old. This was interesting but slow at the same time, and wasn't what I thought it would be but in a good way!

#StoryGraph: fiction contemporary emotional lighthearted medium-paced
288 pages | first published 2022

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.

I love a great purse and a fun story so combining the two has to be a win for me. I do feel like this was only the introduction to Ava and Winnie and there‘ll be more antics to come. I think the reader needs to be in the mood for rich people problems to really enjoy this one. But if your emotions are there, you might want to drop this book in your (designer) bag!

Books 62 and 63 of the year.

Tonight, I attended the Reese‘s book club discussion of this book. So good! Loved both authors and the discussion!

I had an absolute blast reading this book. As someone who follows the rules 98% of the time, I really felt for early book Ava who was horrified with Winnie‘s counterfeit empire. The degradation of her morals as she fell further into the scheme was somehow all justifiable. Kirstin Chen did a great job of building sympathy for business partners despite the obvious legal trouble they eventually found themselves in.

This is a top-tier popcorn read. The ending requires a suspension of disbelief, but it was pretty fun overall, so I'm willing to go along with it. I very much enjoyed the bits that went deeply into the luxury bag industry & its shadow industry, the counterfeit business. There are LEVELS to this fake. I found the characters both relatable & unbelievable, which works for this story. Also, this is probably a way more common story than people realise.

Just what @Cinfhen said, a light read and still makes you think.

If you need a #PalateCleanser that's not a romance or cozy mystery, give this one a try.

#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65

#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65

I saw @Cinfhen review it a few weeks ago, so thought to give it a go.