Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Great as a beach read. Most of it's light and fun and actually gives a male perspective, which is rare in these almost chick lit books. It's a pretty accurate depiction of life in the tech/media/advertising world. I have heard some version of these conversations every day for the last 10 years - it [satirically] captures the millennial malaise well. That said, some of the characters infuriated me (below).
.
.
.
SPOILERS
-Isabel made me SO angry. Her relationship with Mack was entirely consensual, she just found him annoying. Yes, it was inappropriate for the relationship to have happened in the first place, but given that they were both into it, it wasn't the worst of things. When it ended, Mack didn't treat her poorly. He treated her as he would (and did) every other employee, but she couldn't handle actually having to work. Her reaction no longer having success simply handed to her was to ruin Mack's life. She is an entitled brat who doesn't understand the gravity of her actions.
-Dragging someone through the mud when the didn't actually commit the crime you're accusing them of devalues all the legitimate and terrible experiences women are actually going through.
-By the end of the book we're supposed to dislike Mack and view him as a douche who abuses his power, doesn't care about women, etc. While I felt Isabel didn't consider anyone's feelings, I found nothing wrong with Mack's behavior. Once he realized the relationship was over, he behaved like a responsible adult. Yes, he's a bit douche-y, but he seemed pretty much like every early/mid-twenties guy I know in NYC. That attitude didn't bother me a bit, especially since the most annoying aspects were more related to him being a Millennial than to him being a dude.
-Dan is the one male in the book I detested. If you're unhappy in your marriage, talk to your spouse about it, don't hit on a 24 year old subordinate. Frankly, the same goes for his wife. If you resent your life and marriage so much, work on that; don't put yourself under a mountain of debt.
-Katya is the only somewhat likable female in the novel. Yet, when Dan makes a move on her, her thought is "gross he's old and I'm not interested in him". Two reactions would have been more appropriate: 1) as a woman, think of other women with a "how dare he - he's married with kids" or 2) "this is actually an unwanted advance by a boss and is wrong" - how did she miss this reaction when she's actually writing an article about sexual harassment in the workplace?
- At the end of the book, we're supposed to have a "9 to 5" type moment with the 3 women gathered in Isabel's apartment...except unlike that movie, these women don't need to inflict justice since they weren't actually wronged. If anything, they did the wrong-ing. i felt similarly about the book The Assistants.
-I disliked how the last line was something like "and she knew exactly what she was going to do next" - it felt cheesy and a shameless plug to look out for a sequel.
.
.
.
SPOILERS
-Isabel made me SO angry. Her relationship with Mack was entirely consensual, she just found him annoying. Yes, it was inappropriate for the relationship to have happened in the first place, but given that they were both into it, it wasn't the worst of things. When it ended, Mack didn't treat her poorly. He treated her as he would (and did) every other employee, but she couldn't handle actually having to work. Her reaction no longer having success simply handed to her was to ruin Mack's life. She is an entitled brat who doesn't understand the gravity of her actions.
-Dragging someone through the mud when the didn't actually commit the crime you're accusing them of devalues all the legitimate and terrible experiences women are actually going through.
-By the end of the book we're supposed to dislike Mack and view him as a douche who abuses his power, doesn't care about women, etc. While I felt Isabel didn't consider anyone's feelings, I found nothing wrong with Mack's behavior. Once he realized the relationship was over, he behaved like a responsible adult. Yes, he's a bit douche-y, but he seemed pretty much like every early/mid-twenties guy I know in NYC. That attitude didn't bother me a bit, especially since the most annoying aspects were more related to him being a Millennial than to him being a dude.
-Dan is the one male in the book I detested. If you're unhappy in your marriage, talk to your spouse about it, don't hit on a 24 year old subordinate. Frankly, the same goes for his wife. If you resent your life and marriage so much, work on that; don't put yourself under a mountain of debt.
-Katya is the only somewhat likable female in the novel. Yet, when Dan makes a move on her, her thought is "gross he's old and I'm not interested in him". Two reactions would have been more appropriate: 1) as a woman, think of other women with a "how dare he - he's married with kids" or 2) "this is actually an unwanted advance by a boss and is wrong" - how did she miss this reaction when she's actually writing an article about sexual harassment in the workplace?
- At the end of the book, we're supposed to have a "9 to 5" type moment with the 3 women gathered in Isabel's apartment...except unlike that movie, these women don't need to inflict justice since they weren't actually wronged. If anything, they did the wrong-ing. i felt similarly about the book The Assistants.
-I disliked how the last line was something like "and she knew exactly what she was going to do next" - it felt cheesy and a shameless plug to look out for a sequel.