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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
funny
lighthearted
Have you ever read a book before and thought why was this written? As a third grade teacher, I spend a lot of time helping kids understand the purpose of text. After reading this book, however, I find I'm still uncertain what the purpose was. Technically Startup is a bird's eye view into the world of tech, but when you strip away the surface description, you quickly realize that's not really the case. It wasn't a satirical take at all. The tone itself was actually rather uneven. It's not a particularly telling commentary on tech or even on human relationships in general. In fact all of the characters were just unlikeable, period. I had a hard time finishing this one. It just goes to show not every startup is worth investing in.
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fast paced story about young start up employees in NYC who get involved in a scandal. It's easy reading, somewhat funny and a real page turner - a good choice for reading during a holiday with lots of distractions. The author is a woman and it's nice to have the female POV for most of the story. It wrapped up a little abruptly but otherwise an enjoyable ride. More of a 3.5 but not quite a 4.
DNF but I refuse to continue reading this book because I don’t want to sympathize with the basic tech bro