Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang

7 reviews

achay91's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

thenovelmaura's review

funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book started off so strong for me and then it started to drag. As someone who works in tech, I love stories that delve into and mock the culture of Silicon Valley. So I didn't mind the exposition and how Wang set up Julia and Alice's lives at Tangerine. However, it eventually became a slog to read through Julia's selfish musings on the treatment of women in the C-suite and Alice's lackluster attempts to investigate what Julia was up to. 

I also didn't really understand Alice's sympathy for and defensiveness of Julia towards the end

(just because she found out Julia's husband was cheating on her, she decided Julia was a strong, noble person?)

; same for Julia's interest in Alice

(during her questioning)

. The "closeness" hinted at in the book description seemed artificial and unnecessary. Things also wrapped up very quickly at the end, which left me feeling like all that buildup was for nothing. Honestly, Leo was my favorite character, and that's saying something because I was so ready to root for these complicated women! Just another example of a thriller that probably shouldn't have been marketed as such.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Racism

Moderate: Infidelity and Panic attacks/disorders

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was interesting and exciting.  I loved the mix of Russian spies and American technology.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Drug use, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

courtsbooks's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Torture, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Infidelity

mlthomas234's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I️ enjoyed reading this book, though I don’t often enjoy books I️ would characterize as this slow-paced. Very character-driven, and focused on exploring the lives and backstories of the characters more than advancing the plot. Julia’s backstory was the only one that seemed to push the plot forward, while the other two were enjoyable to read but did not provide much depth into Leo/Alice’s actions. The characters had distinct voices. Some of Alice’s  choices, as well as her overall motivation, are gray to me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Infidelity, Grief, Death, and Alcohol

Minor: Mental illness, Sexism, Self harm, Torture, Pregnancy, and Drug use

planreadrepeat's review

lighthearted mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, and Infidelity

kylieqrada's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an unexpected pleasure! Who knew I'd like a spy novel?? This reminded me of everything I liked about The Circle, except executed way better. The various plot threads were super intriguing, and I loved our main characters. There's not much I can say without spoiling something, but I would definitely recommend this for almost anyone. I can see it being a crossover hit. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Torture, and Trafficking