A review by em_r
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Wanted to like this more, it was a fun read for the most part but ultimately I found the MC lacking in self respect and integrity. This was disappointing because the blurb described it as a "blistering novel about big ambitions, speaking out and standing up for what you believe in". I think that the book could have focused more on friendship/family/self development (the latter of which was kinda crammed in at the end) rather than the anchor point of Asha and Cyrus. I was already sceptical of the romance aspect when Asha described being in love with him from school (aka being in one of his classes and never talking to him, seriously?) But when they reunite as adults it's rushed and, while they do get to know eachother more, ultimately the relationship didn't feel deep enough to root for.

I also thought the book could have taken a deeper look at the human penchant for ritual/separating it from organised religion (the basis of the social media platform the MC codes) than it did.