I read this novel courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

On occasion, I find a thriller soothing. The more terribly amoral its characters, the better. So this is how I approached Genuine Fraud: hoping for some terribleness and page-turning. And I got a little bit of both, but ultimately, the novel falls short of an ambitious goal.

This is a story of a girl told in reverse. We begin with a mysterious, Alias-like character, a chameleon putting on a mask, and gradually, a mystery unravels. Who is she? Who is her best friend? What really happened to make her this way?* What has she done? The clues are plentiful and every plot twist is properly foreshadowed and yet compulsion remains to at least see textual confirmation of one's theories. It works as a mystery, and there are flashes of interesting characterisation and both playing with genre tropes and with fictionality: the character imagines herself as a character; there's some intertextuality going on, too.

Unfortunately, the execution falls short of the promise of this premise. The most interesting questions either do not get answered or the answer is slight or cliched. The connection between Paolo and the protagonist, the ending: just doesn't seem big enough. There is just no big surprise left at the end: I reached the final page hoping for some properly jaw-dropping reveal only to find out that's it. Perhaps it's fitting - the book, in the end, cheated me, too.

*(view spoiler)

3 stars for compulsive readability and the first half of the novel. Half a star should be deducted for nonsense POV thoughts on ethnicity (what is it with guessing / describing everyone's origins? There's no facial shape that's recognisably ~Eastern European~, only some of us are graced with the magical beauty of the potato) and authorial decision to name a (very minor) Polish character Lita Kruschala. Seriously. Selecting a Polish name is not that difficult. Find a Polish soap opera on Wikipedia in English, scroll down the list, choose names, google pictures to check if gender and age is about right, build a database, mix and match. I don't know what tools people use to decide that "Kasha," "Ludo," "Gierek," "Lita" or "Roza" are Polish names, but seriously, this needs to stop. It's embarrassing. (And nope, choosing names of third generation immigrant people in the US is not the solution, they often have mangled and implausible names to give to a character who is first generation, Poland-born.)

I would probably give this book 3.5 stars in reality.

I'm not sure how to describe this book exactly. I had read We Were Liars and enjoyed it so I had requested this book from Net Galley and received it as an ARC (thank you Net Galley!).

It is definitely a page turner and a quick read; but I found it a little hard to keep up with the action since it was going back in time and I was reading on a kindle. I felt I needed to go back and reread but it was hard so I would suggest to read this book on actual paper.

The main character is definitely unique and the plot keeps moving and you are never sure what is going to happen next (or before?) since you are reading back in time. That keeps it interesting.
I found the ending a little abrupt and kept hitting the next page on my kindle because it took me a minute to realize it was finished!

If you are into thrillers and unreliable narrators and not upset by random violence I would recommend this book.

This is a genuine grab you by your collar and don’t move till you’ve finished kind of novel , greatly intense and gripping with a very clever story line and plot.
Would very highly recommend

This is a superb, intense page turner. A unique story which will leave you at the end of your seat. I highly recommend this thriller to everyone!

There are definitely comparisons to be drawn to The Talented Mr Ripley, just with main characters of the opposite gender.

I think at one point I lost the plot and wasn’t sure who was pretending to be whom. It was a wee bit confusing at times, which is probably what made this a less enjoyable read. Too disjointed, and not enough clarification.

We begin at the end and return to the beginning to understand how Jules and Imogen get to know each other, and how the two of them end up the way they do. The longing for a connection and a friendship leaves one of them dead and the other hiding.

It’s a story of lies, delusions and about the social status of each girl. How the desire to belong and be friends becomes an obsession, which culminates in an uncontrollable internal anger.

Personally I think the story was flighty and underdeveloped. It lacked clarity, and the characters were weak versions of what they should have been. It could have been so much more, despite the similarities to the aforementioned book.

An interesting idea. I usually love noir and this has a good go at bringing that genre and style to a new audience and tries to blend styles to allow for a feme fatale/comic styled heroine protagonist to carry the story.

The pace of the writing is enough to make this a book you can finish and one which doesn't linger long enough for it to be a complete write off. In fact, this book almost works, but it suffers from being too close in plot to 'The Talented Mr Ripley' and too close in style to 'Memento' without ever reaching the heights of the works it emulates and seemingly aspires to be.

I couldn't put the book down, even when I wasn't reading I was thinking about it. It was so intense and such an interesting plot. I really liked it and I hope it becomes a huge success. In the end we understand why the main character does what she does, I didn't agree though. In this book we are going to follow themes such as friendship, freedom, maturity, betrayal, family... The book is written backwards which is a bit confusing when I started reading, but after few pages I got used to the style. Plus, the book is full of crazy twisters and we can easily get shocked by the events. Anyway, I really liked the book, it was my second time reading a book by E. LOCKHART and I look forward to read other books from her.

The first thing you need to know about Genuine Fraud is it's reverse-chronological. So, it helps you to prepare your mind. The story starts with Jule on the run. She calls herself "Imogen" and escapes when her cover might have been blown. Then, we start to go backwards in time. I must say it's quite confusing, and it's definitely not at the level of "We Were Liars."
Another thing to know about the book is it's extremely similar to 'Talented Mr. Ripley', that you can't really call it an 'inspiration. If you haven't read that book, then it will feel more original. But, if you did, it's impossible not to have a deja vu. On top, I thought this book had a suspense content. It doesn't have that either. It's a very short book, where you'd expect the thrill of a fast pace and rising curiosity. On the contrary, it was even boring at times.
So, all in all, I'm sorry to say it was a bit of a let down.

I'm new to this author and I certainly enjoyed the unusual style of writing in working backwards. This was a refreshing style and, although it took some getting used to, was cleverly done and was well used to unravel the story.
I enjoyed the book. I'd heartily recommend it to others and would happily pick up another E. Lockhart novel.

Many thanks for allowing me to preview this.

I absolutely loved E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and was super excited to pick up her newest release, Genuine Fraud. And it didn't let me down. Just like We Were Liars I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it, and when I wasn't, I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. It's definitely a book that you can finish in one sitting on a lazy summer day. Perfect candidate for a beach book too! Especially for those who don't enjoy romance like me. It's best to get into it not knowing much about it, though... I'd even suggest not reading the synopsis of the book, if possible. HAPPY READING!

I really enjoyed the book, but it didn't give me what I was looking for - a deep, twisted mystery that took a long time to unravel and led up to an intense reveal. It was a fun, fast, short read.

This novel was so unexpected. The story so cleverly written, unlike the authors other books.

The story goes in reverse, taking you from present day, gradually back over months past, ending up back where it originally started. Sounds confusing right, well yes it was but in the best way.

How it is set out gives Genuine Fraud a really unique spin and by the end, as the reader you're left with a sense of openness, a freedom to decide how the characters tale might now play out.

My opinion, an interesting and refreshing read, well worth the pages turned.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I was thrilled to get a chance to read this because I've been a fan of this author (Emily Jenkins writing as E Lockhart) ever since I read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks which I really loved. That bought her a lot of good grace from me, but my results with her after that haven't been wholly positive. I did not like The Boyfriend List, and I detested We were Liars so much that I was moved to write a parody song about it as part of my review. It was titled "Purple Prose" and was based on the Prince song, Purple Rain! On the other hand, I really liked Dramarama so she was batting a .500 going into this.

This novel started out great and had me really hooked on this intriguing young woman who was strong, wealthy, and evidently hiding out from someone. When she fears she's been discovered, she acts decisively and leaves town, ruthlessly dealing with a guy from the hotel who is trying to extort money from her. The problem is that then it went into what appeared to be terminal flashback mode which frankly pissed me off. I detest flashbacks because they bring the story to a screeching halt while we get an info-dump. Not a good writing plan.

All I was getting was this boring history, which seemed irrelevant to the story I'd been reading - like it was a completely different novel. It was intended to explicate the beginning of the novel, but all it did was spoil it, and it was really confusing to me until I read some other reviews of the story and then it became clear that the tale was being told backwards! Sorry, but no.

Not only was it backwards, it was tediously mundane, and it felt like the Chinese water torture: this story was determined to punish me and it was going to take a mind-numbingly long time to do it. If the flashback material had been as gripping a the first chapter, that would have at least been something but the canvas this author was painting here wasn't a picture - it was merely a coat of gesso aimed at priming the surface, and I was not prepared to watch this pallid coat of paint dry.

Worse, I thought I knew already what was going on. I'm usually hopeless at figuring that out in a mystery novel, but in this case it seemed so obvious even to me. The main character is this girl named Jule, and she had a friend named Imogen who appeared to have killed herself, but no body was found which as you know means that the person ain't dead - or someone switched places with the victim. I left it to other readers to figure out which case this was. As for me, I couldn't have cared less by this point, which was about 60% in. The story was very short, but I have better things to do with my time than put myself through this kind of writing.

From some of those reviews I read, I also discovered that this was essentially the same story as Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. I haven't read that novel, so i can;t comment, and it's not relevant to me because I was judging this on its own merits - or in this case lack of same, but other reviewers seemed pretty adamant that if you've read Highsmith's novel, you really don't need to read this one.

What's relevant to me is whether a story moves me and keeps me interested, and this one failed. Like I said, I loved the opening chapter but after that, as soon as we began exploring the past, I lost interest because there was nothing in it to interest me that could remotely compare with the quality of the writing in that first chapter.

If the past had been at all revelatory or exciting, it might have been different, but it really was not. It was so predictable that it was tedious to read. There were no surprises. Worse, I went from liking the main character and admiring her smarts and pluck to detesting her as a complete idiot. I wish the author all the best, but I cannot recommend this one.

I’ve been given an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review. All of opinions in this post are my own.

I've never read a book from this author before but I did heard about her and her previous books.

So I was given an ARC to try it out this one and like any other mystery/suspense book it starts with the cliffhanger before going a bit backwards to show the story of before this moment.

Jule is our main character and she's running away. From who and what it's not entirely clear from the beginning until the middle of the book. The author gives you innumerable choices of storyline to keep you from finding out the whole truth. You learn a bit of Jule past or what you think her past is, it's all confusing mixing up with the stories she says in her mind going against the stories she tells the people she meets.

Imogen is the other main character since the story is based on Jule's POV you learn little by little about Immie (the way Jule calls her) until the moment where everything turns upside down in theirs lives. Imogen was supposed to be happy, to have a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend and job, but she's anything but happy. I feel sorry for her, for feeling so lost like she feels but I can't stop thinking there's more to it than we are lead to believe from the beginning of the book.

Until the middle is pretty much back and forth past and present, still confusing to everyone who they really are and what is happening around them. I confess I expected way more from the author from everything that I hear from her.

This book is basic, from the middle of the book I could already know where it was leading and to be honest she lost the hang of it, trying to make two flawed people innocent and villain at the same time. You get so confusing between the two of them that it gets tiring very quickly, the book started strong for me but after a few chapters going back to the story line of the past to bring the cliffhanger of the moment from the first chapter I was already like: Let's wrap this up cuz it's too much boring already.

The suspense was supposed to be good and thrilling and catching but it was anything but. Jule is so messed up and the things she does just can't be explained, the ending leaves everything open and you do get a sense of her real past but it's still not enough of an excuse for her acting just like Imogen.

Imogen having everything she has and using the poor excuse she's adopted to feel depressed and out of place it's ridiculous when she uses all the money from her family to just do nothing, literally nothing. Being a liar, a cheat, a pissy friend and all in between.

A book is supposed to have at least one main character where you can rely yourself on or else it gets too weak to keep on reading, it was only my stubbornness that kept me from leaving the book from the middle on, I heard so many praises from this author that I'm not sure I can trust.

The authors writing style is basic, it's a good fluid motion and not much complicated english slangs which is good but it fails you in getting you caught up with the story, for me she didn't attach herself to the book or its characters. I'd wished for something more, for something better.

Overall it was an OK book. It's not something that will change your life nor a really good suspense book because let's be honest you can guess everything that will happen by the middle of the book but it's a book you can read in between books you know it will get your mind and heart hooked up and you just need a light read between it.

I might give the author another chance and seek another book, but I won't get my expectations that high after this book which is not her first.

I found the main character quite unbelievable. She was savage in the way that characters are in crime thrillers and, yet, that savagery was never truly justified. I found the final reasoning for her violent behaviour too little to justify her character so it threw the whole book off for me.

Saying that, I did enjoy the format of starting at the end and working towards the beginning - that kept me reading until the end!

This is an interestingly layered novel, working back in time to explain the lives of Jule and Immie, interweaving identity to a degree that is confusing at the beginning of the book but, as it develops, becomes much easier to follow. As with 'We Were Liars', there is a complexity that keeps the reader engaged and seeking for an explanation of the initial events in the story. There is also the same sort of questioning of what it really means to fit in to the more prosperous section of American society. Who and what to you have to know, how easy it is to impersonate this social group, how easy is it to become part of it?

In addition to this complex plotting, the writing is highly visual, providing rapid pen portraits of a wide range of settings and scenarios, as well as deftly indicating how Jule changes her appearance to fit in and to escape, according to need. The violent action is also well conveyed, in a matter of fact manner which conveys the true, strange mental state, bordering on psychosis, that Jule adopts as a means of self protection. In a way this is the main difficulty in the novel overall, the fact that Jule is so intent upon survival and does not appear to ever question any of her actions or engage emotionally with the other characters. However, this is part of the reason why, in my opinion, this novel would easily translate into a gripping and visually appealing film,

Well written and enjoyable

I read this book through Netgalley, mostly because I was very curious what E. Lockhart would come up with after ‘We were liars’. And oh my, it’s quite something! It was definitely a quick read, it’s easy to read and it’s intruiging from the beginning. What has happened to Jule and Imogen and what’s the whole story about Jule are the main questions.

Well, I can already spoil that for you: you don’t find the answers in the book. ‘Genuine fraud’ has such a bizar ending that I double checked to see if I had the complete book or not. What didn’t help was that you read the story about Jule and Imogen backwards. You start at the ‘now’ point and E. Lockhart lets you go back in time, just by a few days or weeks. That makes it very confusing in the beginning, but at some point you’ll get used to that.

The fact that Jule’s story isn’t completely told bothers me the most. On Goodreads I read that people compared ‘Genuine fraud’ to ‘The talented Mr Ripley’, in not such a positive way. I can see that point but if it’s a bad thing or not, I’m not too sure about.

For me, E. Lockhart has written another book that confuses you the whole read and which does stick with you after you’ve finished it. Whether that’s positive or not, but I think that’s something else completely. I will definitely pick up another E. Lockhart book, just because I do believe the books are interesting.

Well, for me there’s not really a conclusion, as I’m still not sure what to think of this book. It’s one big mindfuck and that makes it special. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m still unsure about!

I want to start off by saying that I hate giving one star reviews but, I could not justify giving this book anything more. Why? Because I’m not really sure what this book was even supposed to be about.
The MC Jules is just strange AF there was nothing remotely likeable about her. She basically just went on about how she was like a super hero so that she can justify why she was a complete psycho. I don’t even know if the author wanted readers to like her. The secondary characters were all awful as well. I mean Imogen was just terrible I didn’t even feel the slightest bit sorry for her when Jules took over her life. Furthermore, this book contained a lot of flash backs but they just seemed so unorganised to the point that I was no longer even sure what the author was referring to. I feel like I wasted a lot of time on this book and would not recommended it to anyone, which is a real shame because I did like the concept of the story.

I'd been looking forward to this novel for ages. We Were Liars is one of my all time favourites books and this just didn't live up to expectation at all. I really liked the set up and thought Jule was a really unique character but the superhero/spy girl angle that was going on just didn't have me hooked.

I loved E Lockhart’s We Were Liars, it felt unique, both the writing style and the plot itself, so I was keen to read the author’s latest novel. Genuine Fraud is less original – the writer admits in the introduction that it draws inspiration from other novels, particularly The Talented Mr Ripley. It was a fast-paced, entertaining novel but lacked some depth and character development. There’s not really enough length for me to feel truly invested in the characters, and none of them were really likeable – although I think this was intentional.

Lockhart does tell the story well; starting in 2017 we meet Jule. 18 years old and staying in a luxury hotel Mexico alone, it’s clear she’s running from something. She has a selection of wigs and identities which she changes at whim, and when she suspects her cover has been blown, she quickly makes a run for it. The story unfolds backwards from there.

The story focuses on Jule’s relationship with Imogen – a spoilt, arrogant but charming girl who is used to getting what she wants. The two seem to have little in common, but we know they were once close. But where is Imogen? Through the clever, non-linear narrative, all is gradually revealed.

I enjoyed the unreliable nature and narrative technique – as the story unfolds backwards seemingly mundane details take on new significance; although there’s no big twist here, it’s more a gradual process as the pieces of the puzzle slowly slot into place.

While the short length meant a slight lack of character development, Lockhart covers a lot of ground in under 300 pages – spanning the globe and over a year in Jule’s life. It was fun, but not hugely memorable – and it didn’t quite live up to the promise of a high-octane suspense thriller.