Scan barcode
staystitchy's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to William Morrow, Custom House and Netgalley for letting me read this book early. Imposter Syndrome hits shelves May 25.
In this story you will find Russian spies, minority perspectives, social constructs and Silicon Valley tech all mixed up into a spy story. This one is completely character driven, so much so that I began to hate all of the characters. This was presented as a thriller but I have to say it is not. It was creepy because this story did feel incredibly real and maybe that also turned me off. This one is great but it just wasn’t for me.
This book features mostly Julia, Alice and Leo’s stories all told in swapped chapters as they navigate this cat and mouse game of who can outsmart who and I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was told from one perspective for an easier flow. Everyone’s story is unique and kind of astonishing, Wang’s prose is great and her humor was my favorite part. If you’re into well developed characters and eerie stories that cut you to your core, this is your book!
In this story you will find Russian spies, minority perspectives, social constructs and Silicon Valley tech all mixed up into a spy story. This one is completely character driven, so much so that I began to hate all of the characters. This was presented as a thriller but I have to say it is not. It was creepy because this story did feel incredibly real and maybe that also turned me off. This one is great but it just wasn’t for me.
This book features mostly Julia, Alice and Leo’s stories all told in swapped chapters as they navigate this cat and mouse game of who can outsmart who and I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was told from one perspective for an easier flow. Everyone’s story is unique and kind of astonishing, Wang’s prose is great and her humor was my favorite part. If you’re into well developed characters and eerie stories that cut you to your core, this is your book!
jl_brown's review
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
3.0
bookish_smorgasbord's review
4.0
A page-turning, yet thoughtful examination of two women taking charge of their choices and their lives. Alternating points of view provide additional insights as events unfold and intensify.
thewallflower00's review
3.0
Imagine a book about Russian spies in present-day America written by someone who knows nothing about world politics or international politi-social relationships. Imagine if someone tried to give Black Widow the Fifty Shades of Gray treatment.
This book is ridiculous. It imagines all Russians are idiots and incapable of maintaining their spy network. Like the KGB suddenly turned into McDonald’s. The main conceit of the plot is that this orphan is trained to become a Russian spy and inserted as the vice-CEO of a Facebook/Google company. They give her a rich house, rich family, rich husband, everything anyone could ever want. And then they expect her to betray all that by slipping secrets to them. And you wonder why she doesn’t want to?
Besides that, the book is so negative. I mean, I hate rich people too, but even I’m not this bitter about it. Everything out of this author’s narration is so acerbic, so disdainful, so resentful that it’s no fun to read. There are zero people to root for. This Russian spy woman has a gorgeous house, gorgeous status in life, position of power, doctor husband, beautiful baby, goes to huge billionaire parties–basically the American dream–and there’s nothing she can’t find to disparage about. Everything is a power struggle. If it’s not the people at the bottom trying to eat you up, it’s the people at the top who’d sooner crap on you than take a look at you. And men! Men, men, men. Men are so evil. Men are such devious jackasses. Men are always trying to keep women down. Men have no respect for women. Men! What a bunch of bastards.
So the combination of an author with no knowledge of the subject matter she’s writing about, plus a style that brings no joy to the table (you can’t call it satire, that’s a cheap excuse). And I haven’t mentioned the poor pacing, the poor plotting. Nothing happens in this book, and if it does happen, it’s off-screen. Would you rather read a book about two people staring at a chessboard, or about the actual movement of the chess piece? Throw this one away.
This book is ridiculous. It imagines all Russians are idiots and incapable of maintaining their spy network. Like the KGB suddenly turned into McDonald’s. The main conceit of the plot is that this orphan is trained to become a Russian spy and inserted as the vice-CEO of a Facebook/Google company. They give her a rich house, rich family, rich husband, everything anyone could ever want. And then they expect her to betray all that by slipping secrets to them. And you wonder why she doesn’t want to?
Besides that, the book is so negative. I mean, I hate rich people too, but even I’m not this bitter about it. Everything out of this author’s narration is so acerbic, so disdainful, so resentful that it’s no fun to read. There are zero people to root for. This Russian spy woman has a gorgeous house, gorgeous status in life, position of power, doctor husband, beautiful baby, goes to huge billionaire parties–basically the American dream–and there’s nothing she can’t find to disparage about. Everything is a power struggle. If it’s not the people at the bottom trying to eat you up, it’s the people at the top who’d sooner crap on you than take a look at you. And men! Men, men, men. Men are so evil. Men are such devious jackasses. Men are always trying to keep women down. Men have no respect for women. Men! What a bunch of bastards.
So the combination of an author with no knowledge of the subject matter she’s writing about, plus a style that brings no joy to the table (you can’t call it satire, that’s a cheap excuse). And I haven’t mentioned the poor pacing, the poor plotting. Nothing happens in this book, and if it does happen, it’s off-screen. Would you rather read a book about two people staring at a chessboard, or about the actual movement of the chess piece? Throw this one away.
moniquemaggiore's review
2.0
I could not get into this book at all and had a hard time finishing it. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it could not hold my interest. I didn't like the story and also had a hard time liking the characters. I did enjoy how it was told from different perspectives. I was very disappointed with this book.
mkdren's review
3.0
commentary on women in tech felt pretty surface level, but still an entertaining spy story
booksandbedtime's review
2.0
What I liked:
- How real and relatable the working mom storyline was
- Females in tech!
- Who doesn’t want to read about a spy?
What I didn’t like:
- The characters. I couldn’t connect to most of them. Anytime the plot started to drag, a new character was introduced.
- Leo.
yayas_shelf's review
4.0
I picked this up because I thought it was about imposter syndrome in the tech industry (which I definitely struggle with), and it was? Just in a more literal sense. Julia wasn’t all that likable but I really liked Alice and was rooting for her to figure things out!