Asha is a bit of a typical pHD candidate coder..brilliant, sarcastic, socially awkward, and self-conscious... she is working on her pet project: an AI platform. Then she reconnects with her high school crush, Cyrus, an enigmatic guy who excels at creating personalized rituals for people. The two quickly decide to get married and, with their best friend Jules, create a start-up combining Asha's AI platform and Cyrus' knack for personalized rituals. They create kind of a new age alternative to social media. The trio rides the roller coaster of start-up life and all the related drama.

This book had a lot of dark humor and cynicism, which I appreciate, and having worked in high-tech for forever and ever, I enjoyed it. Parts of it, including the ending, fell slightly flat for me, though. I would read other stuff by the author, though. :)
3.5 stars

This was surprisingly wonderful! Definitely will be recommending to many friends- I absolutely flew through it!

An NPR Best Book of the Year! Need I say more! This book combines poignancy and humor. I definitely recommend!

This book was really fun! A tech start up that helps people identify the most ideal religious rituals for their biggest life moments. This is satire and quirky. I had a good time reading this one, and it also gave me a lot to think about.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoy books by Asian authors and I am thrilled that there are so many options now as opposed to when I was growing up. This was a great book, excellent characters and a plot that kept me very engaged.

An original and timely novel in the age of big tech, it explores the limitations of intelligence both human and artificial, through the eyes of an innovator and her relationship with her husband and work. I appreciated the explorations of gender in this field, and the messiah-like nature some ascribe to the faces of platforms. It was surprising, well-paced, and truly felt like it was taking place in the present. Not only because it mentioned recent events like COVID-19, but also the technology being discussed didn't feel so futuristic that it couldn't be possible now; rather, it mirrors much of what is in existence and the potential if all the data at company's fingertips were harnessed to a new level.

I enjoyed this book for most of the way through. However, I feel the ending was kind of rushed….. a little bit of a cop out using the pandemic and I felt it wasn’t really a resolved ending. Bit disappointing as most of the book had me as a captive audience throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t care much for this. The satirical bits about tech startups were fun to read, but I hated Cyrus so much I couldn’t get into it. Also the last half of the book was quite a slog to get through. Good writing, just not for me.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I really enjoyed the strong female lead, the timeliness of it (I thought I would hate reading a book with Covid 19 in it but it was done so well), and just the overall writing style of the novel. I think a lot of readers I know at work would enjoy it and I will be sure to recommend this.

After her notable Pakistan trilogy, Anam turns to something ultra contemporary, a fusion of love story, tech rags to riches, feminism, spiritual self-delusion and pandemic story that slips down as easily as the turmeric lattes and other modish flavors it features. There’s a compelling if predictable quality to the rise and fall of a messiah for the social media era, even if its feminist underpinnings are signaled rather too emphatically. Much fun is had at the expense of the app generation and their founders. Enjoyable stuff, but no kind of ground breaker.

Very cool book with classic ideas and concepts, but with a present day twist. This book has gotten a lot of press, and it deserves it all. I am excited to read more from this author.

Poignant and scathing, The Startup Wife calls attention to both the intense and often dangerous 'startup life' behind many of today's tech companies and the ethical compromises that founders find themselves making when their businesses become their life. Set on the precipice of the pandemic, it also brings into focus the danger of what can happen when we let technology become so intertwined in our lives that it starts to take over. No, there's no sci-fi here, no AI takeovers, just the question of what happens when we as humans allow technology to start making our decisions for things like religion and spirituality - aspects of our lives that are at the core of being a human.

I adored The Startup Wife. It was sharp, smart, and quick-paced, and truly made me question what it means to be human and how much of our lives can we truly give over to technology before we lose our humanity.

I loved the crazy growth startup setting and really like the ending! I loved Asha but wish her relationship with Cyrus played out differently. While her character loved him I feel like the story didn't make me fall in love with him, so I couldn't look past his God complex like Asha could!

Sadly I just couldn't get into the book. I might try to pick it up again later but after multiple false starts I had to table the book.

These kind of novels always leave me scratching my head. I am not an expert in start-ups and technology, so I'm regretting requesting this book. I always this book would be more quirky, but it came across more hokey than anything. The cover art is gorgeous though. Interesting premise, but lackluster story in the end.

In The Startup Wife, Asha, a PhD student, reunites with her high school crush, Cyrus. They get married then build an app, driven by AI, designed to suggest personalized rituals based on an individual user’s beliefs (Aka: filling a spiritual need but not in the traditional sense of religion.)

The couple along with their friend and business partner, Jules, join Utopia, a tech incubator, where they build their platform, WAI. The startup is not without challenges but the group also experiences success — As they grow, their relationships are tested. Will Cyrus and Asha make it and will WAI be everything they want it to be?

The story has a lot of elements — startup culture, work life, gender roles, relationships, and also explores ideas around social media and technology — What are its limits?

I’ve seen this book described as satire, which by now, many of you know I often struggle with, but the story held my interest and offered a lot to think about.

I wheats enjoy breaking about a life completely different than mine - this was a cool was to do it! While I utilize apps/tech everyday, I have no idea how everything is created and maintained. This was a cool glimpse inside with such a fun twist! Really enjoyed.

This is an interesting and unique look at start-up companies--this one with an AI spin. Asha and her high school crush, Cyrus find each other, form a fast friendship, fall in love, and marry quickly. Both are tech-savvy and creative so when they are invited to Utopia, a company that is cutting edge, they quickly agree as they've designed a platform that allows users to create their own experiences--whether religious or not--to reach a higher level of consciousness. But they have no idea what may happen when people attempt what may have earlier been impossible. Anam showcases many themes that include friendship, betrayal, and the hardships of marriage as well as start-up companies. It's a very contemporary look at race, sex, and the future of the digital world!

I really struggled with this book. The premise sounded really good. But I had such a hard time getting into the book. I started three different times and then had to force myself to read it. I didn’t find the beginning to be interesting. I just didn’t connect to the writer’s voice. Concept was good, but the style didn’t capture me. I will say that I absolutely hated Cyrus. I’m assuming that was intentional, so that was a win? But otherwise for me, this is a skip and not a recommendation. Thanks to Net Galley and Scribner books for the gifted ebook!