Genuine Fraud gets 4.5 Stars {mystery, thriller, ya lit}

I like E. Lockhart's books.  I'm a sucker for contemporary fiction, and if you add a mystery aspect to it I am sold.  I loved The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and thoroughly enjoyed We Were Liars.  

Lockhart's latest book, Genuine Fraud, was published last fall, and I'm a fan.  I give Genuine Fraud 4.5 out of 5 stars in my book review. 

I thought the layout of the story, told backwards, hence the story starting at chapter 19, was interesting, fun, and is what made it a mystery.  Sure, this was probably the most confusing story layout I've read.  The book started on chapter 19, next came 17, and then it was down from there.  Chapter 18 finally appeared at the end of the book which told you what happened.  This layout definitely made the book unpredictable, and kept you, as the reader, involved in the story.  Overall, the layout was confusing, but it worked really well with this story.  

I thought the main characters Imogen and Jule especially showed a lot of depth.  However, the reason the story didn't get the coveted 5 star rating is b/c I didn't care for any of the characters.  I know, I don't have to like the characters and Lockhart wrote Jule that way for a reason.  However, for ME to LOVE the book and give it 5 stars liking the characters is definitely a big deal. What about you?  Does it matter if you care for the characters at all?   

Genuine Fraud reminded me more of We Were Liars than The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.  Both stories are mysteries and have a definite shock/surprise factor at the end.   Personally though, if you liked Lockhart books then you should definitely give Genuine Fraud a checkout... then tell me what you thought. 

Happy Young Adult/Teen Mystery/Thriller reading!


Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Best For: 14 - 18 year olds, 9th grade and up.
Clean Read: No, there is murder, alcohol, sexual assault, and language
Worth a Check Out: Yes
Buy It or Not: Not for a personal library
Read Aloud: No. 
Lesson Ideas: Mental illness. Sexual Assault. Story layout- in reverse order.