Americans - People who are foolish enough to develop a fetish for these overpriced luxury products. There are no quotation marks for dialogues in Ava’s narration to the detective. I don’t like this writing style. Example #1: Side-by-side comparison of an original and a counterfeit. The item on the right has a different color tone: A startling, gleeful look at the American Dream and what counts as real in a world obsessed with image, this caper story follows two very different Chinese American women as they build a fake fashion empire that then threatens to come crashing down. Chen’s use of story structure is masterful, as are her complicated, compelling characters.” — Grace D. Li, The Washington Post Their dynamic is compelling—and we soon learn that maybe they have more in common than expected. Counterfeit Purses

Counterfeit – HarperCollins

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. As Ava is roped into Winnie's world of counterfeiting, the focus isn't on heists and scams as much as it is on a marriage going sour, the tedium of parenting, and the joy of a secret. There is a lot about what it is to move in the world as a wealthy woman, a white woman, an Asian woman and all the big and small differences between them. In an interview on the podcast Editors Unedited, Chen said she came up with the idea for the novel while doing research for her second book, Bury What We Cannot Take, a historical novel.In this delicious romp about a counterfeit bag scheme, you’ll get “Hustlers” meets “The Bling Ring” meets “Molly’s Game.” . . . This one is so fast-paced and bingeable that it’s already been scooped up to be turned into a TV show.” — theSkimm, Buzzy Beach Reads of 2022

The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook The Counterfeit Candidate (The Reich Trilogy Book 1) eBook

Width. Counterfeit textbooks often don't have the same width as the authentic ones, as illegal producers College roommates Ava Wong and Winnie Fang were never close—but now they are literally partners in crime, with a designer handbag scam as brazen as it is foolproof. Clever, catty fun.” — People , Best Books of Summer 2022

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But then the narrative changes. And we get Winnie's perspective. I was getting ready for some action! While no one is physically hurt, it’s still a crime. And that’s something that Ava starts to wrestle with. Verdict It is sad to see the author of this book promoting racial stereotyping by creating various characters precisely according to the stereotypes. Racial stereotyping is considered politically incorrect as it is distorted, devaluing, limiting, and hurtful to others. This stereotyping in literary creations can foster hate and aggression, leading to a false sense of entitlement. Example #2: Counterfeit item on the right has a different color tone and is narrower (a fake book cover):

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen | Goodreads Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen | Goodreads

There are indeed some real people like this in our real world. But the problem arises when we start seeing every person from a specific country with a certain ethnicity only in this way. It didn't take long for the story to hook me. I was already having an enjoyable time when the author shifted gears somewhat and that just took the book to the next level. Clever writing for sure. My only wish is for the ending to be more fleshed out. Small gripe though as overall it was a good summer read.The story of this novel can be easily described in a single line. It is the story of two ladies of Chinese ethnicity who try to fool Americans with fake luxury goods. What makes a fake bag fake when it’s indistinguishable from the real thing? What gives the real bag it’s inherent value?”