(13)The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

Friday, February 5, 2016



Imogen Tate returns to work as the Editor-In-Chief of Glossy magazine after beating cancer she is shocked to see how much changed in her absence.  Familiar faces have been replaced by fresh faced sorority-type girls who jump to do the bidding of Eve Morton, Imogen's former assistant.  Eve has returned to Glossy after finishing Harvard Business School with the mission of turning Imogen's beloved magazine into an app.  It feels like Imogen has entered another world where she is the alien.  She can barely manage Facebook, still uses an AOL account and has no idea what Instagram is. But now she must adapt or die.  Even though Eve was once her assistant she now rules the office with an iron fist.  She demands perfection from those around her.  Late nights, juice cleanses, and nap rooms are now common things around the office.  As Imogen struggles to keep up with terms like "Conversion Rates" and "Content Producers" she realizes that the fashion industry is evolving faster than she can keep up.   Now Imogen has to decide just how much longer she can keep taking Eve's abuse.

Imogen Tate is one of those characters that just radiates patience and kindness.  No matter what kind of pressure she is under she always exhibits grace to all those around her.  Whether they deserve it or not.  And that is what makes Imogen such a great character and  why it makes Eve such the perfect villain.  Imogen is just so easy to like and collects friends wherever she goes.  Whether it be tech conventions where she is completely out of her element or with her new assistant at the office.  Eve is just so easy to hate.  She is rude and hateful and runs her staff like a dictator runs a third world country.   There was a titch of predictability, but that is okay.  One thing I found a bit annoying was just how illiterate Imogen was when it came to tech.  I am fairly close in age to Imogen and consider myself pretty hip to all things tech. Like during the photoshoot and the cell phone.  I don't want to give anything away, but I was screaming "DROPBOX!!!" at the book. Her level of incompetence would be more comparable to somebody in their seventies.  My parents are in their sixties and navigate technology better than Imogen.  In the end, things worked out the best way possible for Imogen, but you need to read the book to figure out what that means.

Bottom line - The Knockoff is an absolutely delightful read.  There is some serious "girl power" in The Knockoff that will leave you feeling like you could go out and conquer the world.  Or at least a fashion magazine.

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