
Member Reviews

Right out of the gate I'm going to say that I'm a very biased individual. I have a preference about books like this one. I like narratives that follow regular degular people like Samantha trying to scheme their way into high society. I will say that Samantha was at least doing it for a job; sure there were perks like clothes and access that came with it, but Samantha was just trying to secure the bag so that her and her mother could stop grinding and that added an element to the story that I thought was universally relatable. I also just have a soft spot for authors that have written for magazines turning to write books. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about the writing, but there's something. It's a little secret sauce that really adds to my general enjoyment of the text.
As for the book itself. I really like Samantha. I liked what was happening with her and Timothy and Anya's plan to get her into the society pages to boost her career prospects. I liked her regular friend Raina that was battling her jealousy but also trying to be the voice of reason. Daisy as a socialite friend that Samantha made along the way, all very strong characters that I enjoyed getting to see on the page.
My biggest issue was how time was handled. At some parts of the book the narrative started to feel a little choppy and less cohesive. The romance arc between two characters definitely wasn't giving... If anything it was serving made for TV movie realness, so on a certain level it was charming? When I read those scenes from the angle of the story being adapted it definitely felt cinematic, but in the context of the book it did throw me. Not only because had I deluded myself into thinking that there would be a love triangle with a different character, but it did just kind of feel like the romance became a focal point without the buildup I would require.... The book quickly returned to focusing on Samantha's aims and less on the romance, and when we got to the third act I could see why Zhao had built that up.
I will say the end of the book really did gag me. As a person that has made it my goal to read this story so many times, a lot of the socialite, messy rich people problems did feel a little been there done that, but the third act? I was gagged. The execution of that trope? Excellent.
I think this book dropping in the middle of the winter is the wildest thing ever, but I guess when that seasonal depression hits and you're aching for something that you can devour that will be a good time you'll have this to pick you up. I had a good time, I think that when the book finally comes out a lot of other readers will also have a good time and really that's what matters.

The Fraud Squad was an interesting, light read. I enjoyed the draw to socialite status and lifestyle, but didn't always buy into the successes Samantha won. The "true confession" moments, after the Gala from those who had worked behind the scenes against Sam were a bit too much honesty from those who had been anything but honest. Still, the fact that it was a look at a life far from my own made it a fun page turner. I was glad I read it. It is an impressive work from a very young author. I suspect she will follow with even better reads in her future works.

I’d love to do an interview with Kyla for pop culturalist. This book is perfect for fans of The Devil Wears Prada x Crazy Rich Asians. It’s a fun, fast paced novel and I absolutely love the vivid descriptions in it.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this one prior to release!
Fraud Squad caught my eye: the life of high society, ‘the infiltrator,’ and journalism mixed it - sign me up.
I think for me I would have preferred this book to be character-driven rather than plot-driven simply because even by the end of the book I still didn't know who our characters really were. Sam and the team felt 2D with unclear motivations and unestablished values. I believe the only character I felt for and actually got to know was Sam's mother who barely appears in the book yet still felt more like a real character than all of them.
It was a quick read and I appreciated the concept but I think it lacked execution for me.
Thank you,

Wow! Such a great start and fascinating debut! It presents great portraits of Singapore’s high society. The angsty romance between Tim and Sam and the outcome of their story also made me turn the pages faster, getting easily connected with those characters.
The dues you have to pay to be the part of socialite scene may cost more than Samantha Song has imagined. She comes from poverty, burying her head into magazine pages to forget the meaning of debt. And now she’s trapped in a PR job, barely making her ends meet as her poor mother still works in a nail saloon even though she still suffers from illness affecting her ability to use her hands properly.
When Samantha’s posh colleague Anya Chen invites her a trendy restaurant that you have to wait for months to have reservation, she sees this invitation as an opportunity. They’ll meet Anya’s wealthy and broken hearted friend Timothy and help him to get over his problems with his girlfriend.
When they meet at the place, Sam realizes Timothy comes from one of the most powerful and elegant families. But he detests to work at family business. His father let him have one year sabbatical. He decides to use this opportunity to work in another industry, creating something meaningful and artsy. There is still three months to end of his sabbatical but his family already started putting pressure on him to go back to family business and his traitor girlfriend supports his family’s decision.
Sam listens Tim’s predicament and remembers how she wanted to have a career as a writer reporting high society’s life style. She makes an offer to Tim that they can get both benefited.
Tim wants to convince his family that he shouldn’t be determined by the background he was born just like Sam who comes from working class needs to have a chance to turn into a socialite. They have only three months to achieve their goals.
Pretending a socialite may be more challenging than Samantha expected especially a secret gossip columnist is out there to dig out more dirt, watching her as a vulture, waiting for her to make a mistake.
Overall: this is fast pacing, captivating, easy read for me! I loved the way how the author wrapped things up. I’m looking forward to read more works of the author in near future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Yes, I read this in a day! Yes, I am now obsessed with Sam. The fashion and the food and watching Sam find out who she wants to be. It was pure fun. And I'm in love with the ending. ❤️

Calling all fans of "Counterfeit"! "The Fraud Squad" is.a deliciously scandalous story of high stakes that oozes drama. A must read - well done Kyla Zhao!

This book is set in Singapore and the author has described it and the people beautifully. This book contains romance. This is a great first novel from Kyla Zhao and I hope she continues to write so I can continue to read her novels!

I wanted to like this book but I just really didn’t. I think the characters seemed so nieve about the real world. While I understand I needed to suspend some reality but I just couldn’t get into it