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acoldbreeze's review
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Sexual assault
trix_lyn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
End of the book really saved the rating on this. A lot of it made me keep going “girl, you don’t seriously believe this fin bro do you?” At least she gets it in the end. Last part of the book is really emotional too and took me by surprise. Over all it was an alright listen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Eating disorder
maddy_brown99's review
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
This was a solidly interesting memoir about the inner workings of a private equity firm and the author’s experience within it. Maybe this is me wanting the book to be a thing it isn’t, but because a big part of the thing that made this big company Bad was its lack of transparency and its coldness, I wanted the style and tone of this book to be really raw and personal and no holds barred. That’s not quite what I got. Though it was personal, it always felt like some details were just a little out of reach (we never, for instance, learned Carrie’s salary). It felt at times like we were given just enough to get the point, but not enough for me to really live in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
cqs's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
5.0
As a fellow traveler in this professional space, I felt so many aspects of the author’s story in my body. Grateful to have read this work
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Domestic abuse
thebookwormkatie's review
challenging
informative
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Carrie Sun, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, is no newbie when it comes to hard work, corporate ladders, and striving for the “American dream”. As the assistant to a billionaire inside one of Wall Street’s top firms, Carrie descends down her own path of self-discovery as she is thrusted into investments, weatlth, and a hustle work culture.
I have absolutely no background in finance, and my knowledge of stocks is minimal, but that did not deter me away from reading this novel. Carrie Sun writes in a way that is matter of fact. So much so, that some things written in her memoir will make you cringe, yet other things are written so beautifully you want to go back and read the sentence again.
I really enjoyed her deep self-reflection woven within the events happening throughout her life. The timeline would often jump back and forth, but I never felt confused. I do wish she would have dropped her unhealthy significant other way earlier than she did, but alas, that’s just part of her story.
I think you’d enjoy this memoir if you are interested in hedge funds, self-discovery journeys, or simply a good memoir. I enjoyed Carrie Sun’s writing greatly, and I would easily pick up something else she’s written just on her writing alone.
Favorite Quote: “Lately I’ve been thinking my most shameful secret is that I knew all along the life I wanted to live, and did not have the courage to live it.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Eating disorder