Daniel Balici's Reviews > Genuine Fraud

It seems to me that E. Lockhart endeavoured to write a novel completely different from her highly successful and critically acclaimed We Were Liars, which I read earlier this year and fell in love with. I thought that We Were Liars conveyed an atmosphere similar to the one I had experienced while reading On the Jellicoe Road and therefore it was easy for me to get absorbed in the purple prose, the enchanting setting, the mystery, the Sinclair family drama...

Genuine Fraud was nothing like We Were Liars, except maybe the cryptic blurb and title and the beautifully designed cover. In terms of the literary genres approached in this book, it is worthwhile to mention YA, psychological thriller, mystery and suspense, although it was not at all difficult to put almost the entire puzzle together. This novel was written employing the reverse chronology technique, which Megan Miranda utilized cleverly in All the Missing Girls. I presume that E. Lockhart opted for this story-telling method in order to gradually reveal the motivations behind the actions of one of the two protagonists (view spoiler)[Jule (hide spoiler)] and the chain of events in which she has been involved and resulted in her being under surveillance. To be honest, in the case of Genuine Fraud, the story told backwards didn't necessarily work for me.

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Genuine Fraud but, unfortunately, it proved an underwhelming and unsatisfactory read, far away from the greatness and exquisite execution We Were Liars has been known for. Halfway through the story, my interest already decreased and it was certainly not a positive and encouraging sign, considering that a novel of psychological suspense, as Genuine Fraud is being promoted, is supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last, in my opinion. While I will definitely read the next book E. Lockhart is going to write, Genuine Fraud remains a fast-paced and relatively short novel with a mediocre plot, underdeveloped characters and no surprising twists and turns.