Scan barcode
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
I just love stories about spoiled millennials and horrible bosses and plucky people who don't give a crap. This book is awesome because it satirizes the startup culutre (in New York, this time!), useless apps, social media, and crazy people. Well, less of a satire on the last part. Because crazy people are real life and satire is sometimes not powerful enough to reveal all the parts that make up the crazy.
So it's the story of a bunch of horrible people. Mack, a douchy startup guy with an office fling, Isabelle, said fling and casually beautiful person who is discovering the actual meaning of feminism, Katya, gritty Russian journalist waiting for her big break, and a very curious married couple (forgot their names, but one is a douche and the other is Asian and has a side hustle. lolz). All these people crash together and come apart and do nutty and stupid and heinous things. It's just delightful.
So read this if you like making fun of people who are ironically fed up with SXSW and if you just love horrible people.
[Thanks to Edelweiss for a review copy!]
So it's the story of a bunch of horrible people. Mack, a douchy startup guy with an office fling, Isabelle, said fling and casually beautiful person who is discovering the actual meaning of feminism, Katya, gritty Russian journalist waiting for her big break, and a very curious married couple (forgot their names, but one is a douche and the other is Asian and has a side hustle. lolz). All these people crash together and come apart and do nutty and stupid and heinous things. It's just delightful.
So read this if you like making fun of people who are ironically fed up with SXSW and if you just love horrible people.
[Thanks to Edelweiss for a review copy!]
knightedbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book was an interesting look at start up tech companies. I liked how it followed different people in different companies and how their lives are entwined. New York was a good setting for the book. I just did not really relate to any of the characters.
ceelabee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a cute and funny book about present day life for millennials in NYC. A send up of tech startup culture, it is also incredibly timely in its treatment of sexual harassment in the workplace. Congratulations to the author for nailing it and for coming out with the book at this exact moment in the zeitgiest. Maybe I'm an old fart, but having lived in NYC during my own 20s and 30s, I felt hugely relieved to be old and to have missed this particular moment of work expected to be your life, irony free existence, snapchat, instagram, etc. Any book that makes me happy to be middle aged is aok by me!
mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
Book of the Month: April 2017
PopSugar 2017 reading challenge #16
I cannot describe how I feel about this one. On one hand, I enjoyed the interesting dive into the tech and start-up company world. I also thought the interesting dynamics between employees were ones that drew me into the plot. However, I eventually ended up in a state of confusion.
Mac and Isabel have clearly been having a sexual relationship. Suddenly, Mac is feeling as if he's being ignored -- which is because Isabel is now seeing someone else. But rather than Isabel just say, "Hey, sorry, I've moved on" she just kind of ignores the situation. So, Mac (who admittedly is an idiot male) sends her several dick pics that get no initial response from Isabel. Next thing you know.... someone else is convincing Isabel that this is sexual harassment, which she eventually goes along with and makes a huge accusation, etc., etc., etc.
The scenario just rubbed me the wrong way. Keep in mind, I'm also reading this amidst the huge Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial so, maybe that influences my opinion. Nevertheless, the scenario rubbed me the wrong way because I'm not convinced that the alleged harassment was as bad as it gets made into. Towards the end, it seems like we're supposed to be happy that all of the women have teamed up and ousted a man from his company but... again... could there have been better ways to go about this?
PopSugar 2017 reading challenge #16
I cannot describe how I feel about this one. On one hand, I enjoyed the interesting dive into the tech and start-up company world. I also thought the interesting dynamics between employees were ones that drew me into the plot. However, I eventually ended up in a state of confusion.
Mac and Isabel have clearly been having a sexual relationship. Suddenly, Mac is feeling as if he's being ignored -- which is because Isabel is now seeing someone else. But rather than Isabel just say, "Hey, sorry, I've moved on" she just kind of ignores the situation. So, Mac (who admittedly is an idiot male) sends her several dick pics that get no initial response from Isabel. Next thing you know.... someone else is convincing Isabel that this is sexual harassment, which she eventually goes along with and makes a huge accusation, etc., etc., etc.
The scenario just rubbed me the wrong way. Keep in mind, I'm also reading this amidst the huge Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial so, maybe that influences my opinion. Nevertheless, the scenario rubbed me the wrong way because I'm not convinced that the alleged harassment was as bad as it gets made into. Towards the end, it seems like we're supposed to be happy that all of the women have teamed up and ousted a man from his company but... again... could there have been better ways to go about this?
manaledi's review against another edition
3.0
This is 100% a book of and about our times. A satire of start up culture, complete with the egotism of mediocre white men. Also, once I realized the author had worked at Buzzfeed all the journalism click-bait hate made sense too. Entertaining; plot spirals downward.
thatzdeck's review against another edition
4.0
it's enjoyable, quick, and modern.... the women are mostly strong, or well.. at least interesting-ish. i have to believe that there are some decent dudes working in tech, but this book wholly suggests otherwise.
and sure, closure isn't necessary but this left me feeling completely unresolved. like... wayyyy too many questions. does sabrina divorce dan? does she get her debt shit in order? does she meet a dreamy multi-millionaire panty fetishist and run off into the sunset with him? does katya realize dan's pulling the same shit on her that mack was on isabel? does she write an article about her privileged AF white male boss creating an anon twitter account where he pretends to be a black tech employee? does victor ever respond, and if so does she just like ignore him? because fuck that semi-ghosting shit. and does isabel settle for a buttload of money and get to keep her williamsburg studio? does mack send unsolicited dick pics to others and learn nothing?
also what is victor's new project? and does janelle get famous? i feel like she should be famous.
and sure, closure isn't necessary but this left me feeling completely unresolved. like... wayyyy too many questions. does sabrina divorce dan? does she get her debt shit in order? does she meet a dreamy multi-millionaire panty fetishist and run off into the sunset with him? does katya realize dan's pulling the same shit on her that mack was on isabel? does she write an article about her privileged AF white male boss creating an anon twitter account where he pretends to be a black tech employee? does victor ever respond, and if so does she just like ignore him? because fuck that semi-ghosting shit. and does isabel settle for a buttload of money and get to keep her williamsburg studio? does mack send unsolicited dick pics to others and learn nothing?
also what is victor's new project? and does janelle get famous? i feel like she should be famous.
tinypegasus819's review against another edition
3.0
I got this book through Book of the Month and it was... okay. It wasn't great but it was a quick, amusing read. I wouldn't read it again, probably, but it's nice if you want something light to read.
smepstein's review against another edition
3.0
with a combination of The Social Network's tech-iness and Gossip Girl's drama and mystique, Startup was pretty good for a debut novel! as someone who spends 95% of her reading time in the past, the twisted, or the post-apocalyptic future, reading a novel about current day america was a refreshing change of pace. the way Shafrir wrote about millennials was very relatable. the beginning was a little shaky – with rapid fire references to every popular app, trend, and saying – HOWEVER, it quickly progresses to sexism in the workplace and shines a spotlight on some of the most pressing issues young women face. i continued to stumble on some of the references throughout the book (there were a few that felt a little too forced), but overall i am very pleased with the resolution and look forward to Shafrir's next novel!
smderitis's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC through an online giveaway, and out of the three titles they sent me, I thought this one would be my least favorite. Pleasantly surprised. This was a quick, easy read. The writing style grabbed me immediately, and made the story super accessible and relatable. There was the perfect amount of suspense to keep me interested, and I loved the view into the tech startup scene.