Reviews

Startup by Doree Shafrir

kivt's review against another edition

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3.0

A fairly toothless critique.

notdanya's review against another edition

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

1.0

tildahlia's review against another edition

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3.0

A quick and fun evisceration of bro-tech startup culture. I initially found this the writing of this book grating, but I increasingly realised that a lot of the awkward dialogue and clunky descriptions were actually stylistic and deliberate. Once this sunk in, I found the book much more enjoyable. The way Shafrir pokes fun at the male characters is particularly satisfying.

norabelle's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

booknerdcred_cr's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

kberry513's review against another edition

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3.0

I struggled with how to rate this book because for me it was only an eh/ok read, mostly because I didn't really like any of the characters. I'm not sure if it's bc I couldn't really identify with Sabrina even though I'm closer in age to her character but was born much closer to when Isabel, so as a result a lot of the sort of complaints Sabrina has about Isabel's generation apply to me (eg still being a child when home internet access came about), but I am now in my early 30s and so don't fit into the 20s stage the way Isabel and Katya do. HOWEVER I do think it addresses some really important things about the tech industry, mainly that as a whole it is majorly lacking in diversity, and the current men in charge are extremely touchy about it to the point where even when things like blatant sexual harassment happen, it's generally the woman who gets attacked for it and the guy gets all defensive and claims to be a victim the way Mack does here. I've worked in tech my whole career and have been lucky that any sexism I'm faced has been very minor, but 90% of the time I've been the only woman in the room and that's extremely telling.

However, I found the ending was unsatisfying - it just sort of stopped. Mack sort of gets his comeuppance but Dan doesn't really.and maybe I was just tired and not catching on, but it ends with something along the lines of "and Sabrina knew exactly what she was going to do next" but what the eff is it??

The characters being unlikeable isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me, I just probably won't reread it. That being said, it definitely brings up some interesting discussion points - I think it would be a decent book club book.

babybirdnoco's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoyed reading Startup! Startup is basically three women's experience working in tech startups in NYC. It talks about what its like to be a non-millennial working under millennials and how work is done in a social media based world. It talks about big issues including sexual harassment and false representation of yourself (not related issues). I wish we could have had a bit more depth but I really enjoyed this book!

lizal33's review against another edition

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5.0

THE book of the moment? Possibly. Certainly it touches on many of the facts of life in this present moment.

itsamylynne's review against another edition

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I literally remember none of this book

drumrollplease1's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a fun read about the inner-workings of millennial culture. It kept me entertained and interested.