The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Plazza | Rating: ★★★☆☆

As a note, a printed galley of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Oh, I was so looking forward to The Knockoff but felt let off short at the end of the day. Lucy Sykes and Jo Plazza’s novel was good–it really was, and HILARIOUS about 98% of the time but the truth is I wanted to love it more than I actually did. I don’t want to say it was forgettable but it wasn’t as high on my list as I thought it’d be.

It was a solid 3.5 on my scale which is a pretty damn good rating. I just wanted more from it, I guess. The Knockoff simply wasn’t my favorite read of the year nor was it my least.

Where do I begin? Lucy and Jo write stylishly. Oh, this is SO undeniable: quick wit and descriptive and indulgent and fashionable. I’d like to see more fiction penned by them because I have a feeling it will just keep getting my better.

Standouts! There so much humor in it that it’s going to appeal to a lot of women (and men) who may not typically read beyond magazines. The Knockoff has a lot of things going for and against it (sometimes it felt like it was going in circles) but its humor and style is the biggest standout of it all.

Did I mention it’s hilarious?


I did? Well…

Characters then.

Imogen is likable.

Not a lot to her beyond generic characteristics but she isn’t bad to read about. I do think there should have been a bit more to her (and the rest of the characters) and thought there was a lot that didn’t quite fit but she’s easy to like. You want to root for her and wish her the best but sometimes it gets a little boring because her backbone isn’t quite there for much of the novel.

Ultimately I enjoyed seeing the inner workings at the magazine she has worked at for years and really felt for Imogen as things began to really, really change for the worst at work. It was fluffy in some ways, dramatic and realistic in others which is going to appeal to its audience, I think.

Eve is horrendous (love to hate!) and it was awful seeing her attempts to try and knock Imogen out of Glossy. I mean she was an awful, awful character. I’m not even being dramatic about this. Eve is insufferable and you’re going to want to knock her down multiple times.

And sometimes it felt so one dimensional I couldn’t help but to cringe. I wanted to like her in the way I often like some villains but there wasn’t much to like. She was a bit too cartoon villain, self-involved bitch than I’d like.

Overall there’s a lot of charm to it. A lot of flaws, too. It is very much so a typical chick lit release but that isn’t entirely bad.

All the nods to generational gaps and the prospect of getting fizzled out at a career you’ve known for so long are startling and realistic. The Knockoff’s biggest accomplishment outside of humor is capturing the emotion of this particular topic. I thought it was refreshing to have a lead in the novel who didn’t know what she was doing re: the internet.

Sure, in this day and age it’s not all that common. But for a lot of people, there’s that wall that separates them and their friends/family when it comes down to social media. And it’s nice to see that as a characteristic. I thought it was kind of adorable how clueless she was about the internet.

The Knockoff is perfect for chick lit fans looking for something with roaring, over the top/exaggerated comedy.

Power struggles, fashion references and general heart are what will make this an easy and fun read for you. You may not fall in love with it or learn much from it, but it’s definitely amusing and a feel good novel if ever there were one. Perfect for fans of the genre.