Genuine Fraud

Genuine Fraud by E Lockhart seems to be an experiment in writing. The whole book keeps going back to the past. It's like running a race in the opposite direction. E Lockhart brings some interesting characters to the fore but on the whole the storyline seems unappealing. There was no mystery to figure out, the book is a story of how a woman manages to impersonate her friend and how she is able to get away with it by showing her fighting skills. The book has not much to offer to mystery lovers , neither does it offer any suspense. It is best a simple sleepy read.

The media could not be loaded.  I really don't know should I replace or return or keep as it is .

Do you think a person is as bad as her worst actions?...I mean, do our worst actions define us when we're alive? Or, do you think human beings are better than the very worst things we have ever done?....A psychological thriller laced with a quick hearterd non coherent alliteration of words and an unique view point.....It's been long since I got head on with a 5/5.So much for my happy ending?

This book is about a girl name Jule who is a spy. She has a best friend named Imogen. Both of them are orphans, but nobody knows what Jule is. She changes her style so that people can’t recognize her. She has many names, passports, and IDs. To some, she is Jule and to some she is Imogen. Jule has murdered many, was in a relationship with two or three. But, what is she escaping from? Does Imogen exist? Read this book to find out!So, I’m kind of disappointed with this book. The plot was strong and interesting, but the story kept revolving around the past. The suspense and mystery were great. But, the past and present were not even connecting! There were many loose ends in the story. The main character, Jules is shown great, but if the story would have revolved more around the present it would have been a hit! The thing I LOVE about E. Lockhart’s writing is that she expresses emotions and feelings in a metaphoric format!

3 Stars🌟🌟🌟"Were people all like that, with no true self?"In Genuine Fraud, we follow the character, Jules, and her story, which is told to us in reverse. I was very confused for about the first fifty pages of the book, even though it was written in a way better manner than We Were Liars. The chapters are in reverse so there was no “Aha” moment like there is in a thriller, because everything was disclosed to us before-hand.Jules herself was a bit of a complex character and her best friend Imogen too. Apart from them, it seemed like all the other characters were around just to serve a purpose, and were very very flat. Even the story line, revolves around Jules and her budding friendship with Imogen.The plot is very confusing, and takes heavily from a major Japanese movie. There are too many characters, with too little purpose, and a lot of emotions just running wild, with no cohesive base. Most of the book I was like: ???. And the other half I was wondering what could be the cause behind the book."(She was) that type of girl who blew off studying, yet filled her favorite books with sticky notes."It isn’t a bad book, it is just very non-thriller-y. You know about the murders before hand, and unlike Dostoyevsky’s redeemable Raskolnikov, you really don’t see the point of explaining the murder. So there is no actual mystery to discover and really nothing strikingly suspenseful taking place. The real mystery was how could Jules so foolishly commit every sort of theft and not be discovered(???), has the world gone backwards, where there is no technology and everyone just relies on information passed down by word of mouth?The thing I did like though was the impressive dialogues that circled around society and its hypocrisies. Imogen is mostly the bearer of such wondrous thoughts, but here’s the thing, to me the Imogen in the first scene to the one in the last, are really poles apart. There is a completely different character that stands at the end, even though the end is supposed to be the beginning (???). It really is confusing. So my question is what happened to character consistency, or even character growth?Writing style is pretty immersive, and detailed. You can really understand the situation and environment of the character. Then again, how much can environment help when the characters are flat. In the end note, the author explains a few of the influences for this novel, and let me say they don’t just seem like influences. The novel has no ending, again makes me think of Crime and Punishment. But C&P is a social-realist novel, this is a YA-thriller, the same tropes cannot, and should not be applied.To conclude I would again like to say, that this wasn’t bad, it was just plain dull, and even though it is unpredictable, it is still very dull. That is some art, right there.-Samidha.

About the only similarity between Genuine Fraud and We Were Liars, the author's well received previous release, is that part of the story takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. Whilst I didn’t find either of these novels suspenseful, Genuine Fraud was the more entertaining read and my interest in seeing the story through increased exponentially from the halfway point. Even though I felt the outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion from the early chapters, I was interested in seeing what tactics Lockhart would employ along the way. In many ways this is a modern retelling of the Patricia Highsmith novel, The Talented Mr Ripley, and whilst I have not read that novel, the plot is widely known. The concept of reinventing oneself is nothing new, but this updated version of Lockhart’s is given a contemporary spin and is filled with cultural and literary references.This is a story told in reverse and with each consecutive chapter taking the reader back through the incremental stages of one feisty female going all out to fulfil her ambitions. This unusual construction added to my enjoyment and keeps the reader on their feet and this was a story which I only fully appreciated as the denouement moved closer. Summarising the plot will be of little value to potential readers, but the story centres around two eighteen-year-old friends, both white, both orphans and girls who share similar looks although their backgrounds and circumstances are worlds apart. Jule West Williams has made fighting, impersonating accents and assuming disguises her way in the world, whilst charming runaway heiress Imogen Sokoloff has been brought up in privileged surroundings with a distinguished educational background. Whilst neither of these central protagonists are easy to warm to, one is assiduously plotting an ingenious reinvention and morphing into the other and the story sees her assume a variety of roles along the way to blur the boundaries between the two.Although there are deeper concerns behind this entertaining romp, largely centred around identity and it's place in society, others expectations of an individual, right the way through to the symbolism of the great white heterosexual action hero, this is a story that can be enjoyed by a younger audience p purely for the entertainment aspect. However, even for younger readers Genuine Fraud is definitely a novel with a thought-provoking line on friendships, a lesson in investing everything in a single friend and the heartbreaking realisation that some people are nothing more than shapeshifting opportunists. An amusing and succinct take on taking control of ones own destiny and overturning the preconceived outcomes that status, wealth and class typically dictate.Review written by Rachel Hall (@hallrachel)

This is a gripping YA thriller, starting of in the present tense and working its way back through time as each chapter relays another recent event. Every chapter starts of with a date so you can tell its working backwards chronologically - which is great, but I'll admit I was confused at some points.I've read quite a lot of E. Lockharts work and many other books and I can honestly say this is one of my FAVOURITES of the year. Originally chose to read this book specifically because of the author but as soon as I'd read the blurb I couldn't shake the feeling of "I HAVE TO READ THIS" and I'm so glad I did.Hooked from the very first page, I couldn't put it down, I needed to know what happened next so much. The characters are portrayed so well and the story line flows nicely. This read is a total roller coaster and wonderful thriller - highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA and is looking for something a little different - you will not be disappointed!

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity.E Lockhart is famous for her acclaimed book, We Were Liars, but not having read this I wasn’t sure what to expect. The book starts at the end and gradually works backwards. As a fan of Memento I was intrigued by this, and fell quickly into the rhythm. The main character, Jule, was elusive. At times I felt I’d worked her out only to find a chapter or two later that I’d got her all wrong. By the end of the book I felt almost as far from knowing her as at the beginning. I still don’t know what motivated her actions, other than money. There is a level of violence in the book that is never really explained. Some readers can deal with that, for others this will leave them feeling unsatisfied.This book get its hooks you in quickly. At times I would stop and wonder if I actually liked it, but I was going through it so fast that I just couldn’t stop. Written in short snappy scenes you race through this book like a runaway train always hurtling on to the next (or actually previous) piece of action, reassembling your insights and expectations with each chapter.If you are looking for a book that will play with your mind, this is definitely the one for you, but clear your schedule first because once you step on this train, you won’t want to get back off till the journey is done.

The sample was captivating and made me want to read more, so I purchased the book but was very disappointed. The story is written backwards and although it’s an interesting concept, it wasn’t well executed and lost my interest. I persisted in finishing the book, I thought there must be a point to all this, but little satisfaction came, I really felt this book was a waste of my time. The character is not the movie star, she’smessed in the head and constantly reading her views and thoughts became boring. It might suit some but for me, it didn’t capture anything great or interesting, didn’t move me at all.

I really enjoyed We Were Liars so was excited to read another novel by this author. The reverse timeline was ok but I kept waiting for the story to start but I’m not sure there was ever really a conclusion. Generally disappointing.