Summary: Imogen is an orphan, a runaway heiress, and a girl who wants to escape life’s expectations. Jule is an athlete, a loyal friend, and a girl with a hidden history of her own. Romance, disappearances, and more takes place in E.Lockhart’s latest thriller, Genuine Fraud.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I was fortunate enough (and survived the line) to receive an ARC of Genuine Fraud at Book Con 2017. I loved E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars when I read it back in 2015, so it was super exciting to get an early copy of her latest release and meet E.Lockhart herself.Like We Were Liars, Genuine Fraud is a thriller that makes readers question every twist and turn and like WWL, I recommend going into Genuine Fraud without knowing too much.

What makes Genuine Fraud such a unique read, especially in the young-adult lit world, is that it is told from end to beginning. The book begins on Chapter 18 with Jule’s latest whereabouts, and with each chapter, we go back in time and trace Jule’s own origin story and her relationship with Imogen. I really enjoyed going back in time, except for the fact that it was easier to predict certain plot details, especially when it came to the murderous rendezvous the book’s blurb promotes.

One of the best elements of Genuine Fraud is E. Lockhart’s social commentary about male and female roles. From reading books to watching movies, Jule realizes that women weren’t the stars in most action-filled stories, usually being upstaged by the masculine “great white hetero hero”. It’s interesting to see Jule take on this role as a hero, especially as she creates her origin story (a background something to what you expect of superheroes). However, you know from the beginning that Jule isn’t the hero of this story: she’s the antihero, and one who has to watch her every move.

I’ll be leaving this review spoiler-free in hope that you’ll pick Genuine Fraud and due to the fact that it’s best to go into this one blind! As you’ll see up top, I’ve rated the book four out of five stars, but as I think about it more and more, I might have to bump up my rating at some point.

If you’ve read or planning to pick up Genuine Fraud, share your thoughts in the comments!