While I understand the message behind this story. Showing tech culture and social media. How ridiculous it can get. But sadly it just didn't work for me. Overall this was rather predictable. There was no surprises or shocking moments. Overall it won't stay in my mind very long. It just was what it was.

This book was a great concept about a business start up. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

I was really looking forward to reading this one, but sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. The premise and the cover really intrigued me and I was excited to see how the story unfolded.

It had a really strong start and the idea was great, but sadly the story didnt maintain my interest and I had to really concentrate to get through the story.

Not for me, but I’m sure lots of others will love this.

4 stars

Run, Asha! Tahmina Anam has written a hugely entertaining satire of the tech industry, in particular the insecure world of the social media startup. It’s topical, it’s funny and it’s all too plausible. We meet Asha Ray, a brilliant coder at MIT whose adolescent dreams come true when the hot boy who ignored her in high school returns to her life. Cyrus Jones is a meditative character with impressive insight into human character and uses this to create personalised rituals. The romance that follows is swift and powerful and beyond Asha’s wildest dreams, instead of finishing her PhD she drops out to create a new social media platform that will bring Cyrus’s gifts to the masses. Before long they are sponsored by Utopia, an exclusive “tech incubator” and the platform becomes a sensation. But there is trouble ahead. Cyrus, with his magnetic character is chosen as CEO, the captivating figurehead who begins to dominate decision-making, sidelining Asha and ultimately getting caught up in his own legend.

Asha buys into this for a frustratingly long time, and while Cyrus’s hold on her is understandable at the start it is a little hard to believe that she would go along with him and his increasingly dictatorial style as long as she does. Then again, it happens all the time and Anam paints a compelling picture of the danger of powerfully charismatic people and the cults of personality that can grow up around them.

The tech satire is hilarious. The bro culture, the off-the-wall ideas, the quirky office setups. Despite its flaws and the somewhat anticlimactic ending it’s an engaging narrative.

I loved this book - it was funny, heart warming and inspiring. It felt realistic with a good social commentary!

A razor sharp takedown of startup/founder culture. Pitch perfect, timely, and also hilarious - I loved this book.

The book had an interesting premise, but I can't say the same for Asha and Cyrus' relationship. Honestly, I couldn't see the point of it considering the fact that once their startup started hitting off, they spent the majority of their time at the offices then they did at home. It's not the main point of the book, but I kept asking myself what they were even doing together.

Cyrus, once the Startup hit off, started coming across as an arrogant narcissist. As for Asha, well she was clearly talented, but I hate the way she let the men walk all over her, and I also disliked them, for not listening to her.

I have to say I saw what happened towards the end coming a mile away, especially when certain characters thought they knew best and didn't listen to the warnings. I was very tempted to shout 'serves you right' at them!

Thank you to Tahmima Anam, NetGalley and publishers Canongate for the chance to read this book.

Thank you for my earc of this book!
This was an engaging read with a look at the way women are treated in the world of tech (and just in life I suppose too).
The writing is great and the story is frustrating but brilliant.

A great twisty tale shedding a light on the strange mad world of startups. Loved this. Also made me think about how women's contributions are valued (or, as the case may be, not). It was a real page turner and was a fantastic companion on my holiday. Funny and fantastic. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this satirical story of love and marriage in the setting of an app startup. It’s a book of two halves, really: a love story, and how you set an app is set up and start a business.

Computer scientist Asha, meets up with her high school crush, Cyrus, they fall in love and get married. Along with Cyrus’ friend Jules, Asha develops an app based on Cyrus’ beliefs. And the app really takes off - which is where the second part of the book kicks in.

Cyrus goes from reluctant participant in the venture, to being a guru who enthrals thousands of subscribers each day with his motivational webcasts. He IS the face of WAI, and Asha’s role is almost forgotten. Even when it becomes something of a phenomenon, Asha’s development and programming expertise is pushed aside to make way for her clearly more charismatic husband. The problem is, and this is what really started to put me off his character, Cyrus buys into his own charisma. He thinks he and the app are capable of doing far more than they realistically can do, and disaster awaits. If only they’d listened to Asha.

Asha is the loyal wife, but faced with being constantly undermined at work, and not being supported by Cyrus, things are bound to come to a head. And they certainly do! Everything that can go wrong, does!

I really liked the way that the author looked at how social media and apps should have a responsibility towards their users. People get carried away online, thinking that anything is possible, and social media can reinforce this.

I also think that the way that Asha was pushed out and her role trivialised was representative of many women in the workplace. In particular, the way that their investor ignored Asha in meetings, directing technical questions (her job) to the male partners.

Parts of this book really made me laugh, other parts showed the online world as trivial and shallow. It portrayed the dangers of trusting a programme with no human perception of situations. It’s a great book which not only entertained me, but really got me thinking.

Halfway through her PhD and already dreaming of running her own lab, computer scientist Asha has her future all mapped out. Then a chance meeting and whirlwind romance with her old high-school crush, Cyrus, changes everything.

Dreaming big, together with their friend Jules they come up with a revolutionary idea: to build a social networking app that could bring meaning to millions of lives. While Asha creates an ingenious algorithm, Cyrus’ charismatic appeal throws him into the spotlight.

When the app explodes into the next big thing, Asha should be happy, shouldn’t she? But why does she feel invisible in the boardroom of her own company? Why are decisions being made without her? Gripping, witty and razor-sharp, The Startup Wife is a blistering novel about big ambitions, speaking out and standing up for what you believe in.

I really enjoyed this book, interesting concept with the start-up tech business and the underlying relationships and how they are affected through the business evolving and getting bigger then what happens if it was to all come crashing down. I’m so pleased that the female lead finally was able to stand on her own as well as support other women.

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
#TheStartupWife #NetGalley

An easy , enjoyable read. Likeable characters and realistic plot. Definitely a holiday read… Will recommend!

Such a modern current read , very different to anything I’ve read before yet thoroughly enjoyable . I know nothing about the start up industry and little about technology and this gave me a good insight to the industry . It’s witty, satirical , feminist and funny and is a tale about ambition , love and the role of women . I can see this on Netflix now !

This was a really interesting novel. Well written with a main character who we get to know and love through everything. I went into this not knowing much about it, and I think that's the right way to go into it.

Good book, not like anything I've read before. Enjoyable from a writer who is new to me. Would recommend.

I really enjoyed this look at the techbro world from a woman’s point of view. The author is as brilliant as the titular subject. Thanks NetGalley!

I found the book was not that interesting there was bits I enjoyed.

Asha has always been in love with Cyrus they end up getting together after meeting at an old teacher of their’s funeral. Their romance is very quick.

Asha has invented a programme which she, Cyrus & Jules decide to promote and get backing for it. Can Asha & Cyrus survive working for the company and living together all the time we will find out.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t captivate me.

I think I am too old for this kind of book, everything just wound me up just a little. In the end, I did not even finish it, only read about half. I can see why different (maybe younger) demographics might like this better.

3.8

Asha has had a crush on Cyrus since school, so when several years after they get together, it is a quick whirlwind romance which ends up with them getting married very quickly. Asha, Cyrus and Jules (Cyrus' friend) have an idea for a website and this quickly turned into a start up adventure.

Everything goes wrong once the start up gains following and become successful and Asha starts to feel overshadowed by Cyrus, who is the appointed CEO. Will their marriage survive?

This book is a very interesting read, as it speaks about the dynamics of a couple who works together and the role of women in business.

Loved this book. Its intelligent, witty, cleverly written, the characters are likable, easy to get into. A real page turner.