Sadly, The Startup Wife did not resonate with our reviewer.

The good news is that as we only feature books that we can wholeheartedly recommend, we will not be giving active coverage to his not so positive opinion:

For me, The Startup Wife was predictable, preachy, somewhat clichéd and just not compelling. The characters felt like shallow caricatures. It may appeal to millennials or younger adults, but the book grated against many of my Gen X sensibilities. I guess that means Gen X has gotten old. Maybe they’ll stop saying “Okay, Boomer,” soon and change it to “Whatever, X-er.”

This satirical novel about a marriage and a start up. Can you really have it all? The main character of this novel and her husband try. We follow the ups and downs of both the start up and the marriage, which have a surprising number of things in common. ⁣
⁣
There is a lot of observation and satire aimed at big tech, start ups, and incubation hubs for apps and technological advances. There is also a lot of end of the world talk and the pandemic, or one very similar, appears toward the end. ⁣
⁣
For me the novel was good, but uneven. I thought it was funny and biting at first, like all good satire, but it gets really dark at the end and although there is some hope there, there is also a lot of bleak actions happening. ⁣
⁣
Thank you to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for the advance copy. I think it’s very accessible, niche, and more interesting than not, but it won’t be appearing on my best of list this year.

Falling somewhere between a lighter, more approachable novel and a steady eye on gender politics in the workplace, The Startup Wife is full of insights on relationships and the role of ceremony in personal identity to tie this work concretely to the body of Anam's other novels. These insights are what give the story its gradually increasing gravity as it rolls toward a collision between the startup narrator Asha Ray created and her new marriage to is messianic front face. Having read and greatly enjoyed Anam's other novels that tell of the rise and generational impact of Bangladeshi liberation, The Startup Wife felt both fresh and well-grounded within this new universe of characters -- the startups are clever, and the novel's cast always feels true. It is exciting to follow an author as they explore voices and stories, and this title is sure to gain Anam fans eager to reach back to explore her other works.

The Startup Wife is a great look into marriage dynamics in an ever-evolving technology-driven world, at the role of race and gender in the technology space, and how our constant use of social media might be both life-saving and life-ending. This was a fast-paced read that really kept me wanting to know more and see the characters grow.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐏 𝗪𝐈𝐅𝐄 by Tahmima Anam tells the story of a couple seemingly perfect for each other. They first meet in high school, and when they reconnect 10 years later, they suddenly seem perfect together, and quickly marry. Cyrus is an idea man, already creating personalized, meaningful weddings, funerals and other ceremonies for people he knows and those who’ve heard about his special talent. Asha, is the tech wiz who can write code for anything. She and their best friend, Jules, convince Cyrus to let them create an app to replace traditional religious rituals with things more special and significant for individuals, also creating new communities along the way. Cyrus is reluctant to have his ideas used in such a way, that is, until their app takes off, becoming a worldwide social media sensation.⁣
⁣
I think 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 was a great little story, especially for people interested in or familiar with the tech and startup worlds. I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself one of those people, so those aspects of the story I didn’t enjoy as much as others might. What I did enjoy was the relationships between the three main characters and how those evolved and changed over their time struggling to create something brand new and then even more so when they stumbled into success. The most fully developed character was Asha, who I both loved and was frustrated by. I also appreciated that Anam touched on so many hot-button topics: race, the tech industry and its treatment of women, venture capitalism, artificial intelligence, ego, and even the global pandemic. I’d love to hear what those working in the tech industry think of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦. For me it was a well-written, entertaining book, but probably won’t be one that stays with me for long.
⁣
Thanks to @scribnerbooks for the ARC of #TheStartupWife.

The Startup Wife the whip-smart, own-voices feminist tech literary fiction story we’ve all been waiting for and I absolutely adored it. If you loved Amanda Montell’s Cultish or Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley… or even Robin Sloan’s Sourdough, THIS is the book for you!

The Startup Wife is the story of Asha Ray, a brilliant coder set to revolutionize the world of AI with her empathy algorithm. But after a whirlwind romance with Cyrus Jones, she finds herself married and the CTO of a new start up, WAI, that seeks to revolutionize spirituality and ritual across humanity.

But as WAI grows in popularity and Cyrus gains a cult-like following as a messiah for the 21st century, Asha Ray begins to see professional power and personal agency erode.

This is a story set in the limelight. Asha may be the protagonist of this book, but in many ways she finds herself on the margins of her own story… Often times, she feels pushed to the sidelines as the destiny of her code, her spouse, her company, herself are determined by everyone but her. It is in the moments when she commands her own agency and demands to be seen and heard that she truly makes her story her own.

My favorite part about this book was the way that it explores the human need for ritual and deeper meaning… even in (or perhaps especially in) those who are not religious.

WAI is a startup that creates customizable and completely individual rituals for people, regardless of religion or faith.

I think that reading Cultish before this book really prepared me to think about Cyrus as a compelling (if reluctant) messiah-esque leader and how WAI itself speaks to the very core of the human desire to be seen, understood, and accepted by a community.

If WAI existed in the real world, would I try it? Almost definitely.

The Startup Wife’s audiobook included a wonderful bonus discussion between the author and narrator about the book. I always love hearing directly from authors about their insights and inspirations behind their work, but it was really cool to hear Tanha Dil discuss her thoughts as a narrator as well.

In all, I really enjoyed The Startup Wife and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed feminist literature or books about tech, start-ups, and cults in the digital age.
.
.
.
CW/TW - suicide, covid/pandemic

I love books focused on new tech ideas and start ups. and the premise of The Startup Wife is incredible. Individualizing religion is just brilliant. I didn't love the love story interwoven, but that is just personal preference. I definitely recommend giving this a try!

Asha and Cyrus are a newlywed couple who, along with their best friend Jules, launch a new social networking app. The start-up is We Are Infinite (WAI) and it’s centered around faith and ritual. As WAI grows and becomes famous, Cyrus, with his good looks and charisma, becomes Messianic with his followers and Asha gets pushed aside.

When the lawyer they’re consulting about the business says, “And you two,” he says, pointing to Cyrus and me, “go get yourselves a post-nup. Your odds aren’t good,” the writing was on the wall for this marriage. I thought this was a clever, satirical novel. It had a lot going on, but I really enjoyed Asha’s character. She was a brilliant, funny Bengali woman, and the contrast in how she was treated as a woman as opposed to a white man in her industry was irritating, but honest. I enjoyed this short novel and look forward to more from @tahmima.
•
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think that this book made me itchy. I didn't really love it, found it to have only the most tenuous hold on my imagination. I don't need to live in the world where the books I read are set. I mean, I hardly ever even like stuff I relate to all that much, considering I'm full of general self-loathing or whatever. But this was a world I didn't want to step foot in.

When I read the synopsis and saw that the main character was a female developer, I knew I wanted to read this book. There's something fun in reading about your own profession when it's done well. Recognizable terms and situations that make you remember things you've encountered in your own career, nightmarish scenarios that make you grateful your job is at least better than this, and sometimes characters that remind you of old or current colleagues.

The synopsis puts a lot of emphasis on Asha and Cyrus and their relationship, and there is a fair bit of focus on that, but I think it's a pretty even split between following their marriage and following the rise of WAI, the social media platform they built together. It's an interesting exploration of what it means to not have any separation between work and personal lives, and what the impact may be. The highs at WAI become good times in their marriage, and the lows have a direct impact on the relationship as well. But ultimately, that wasn't the most interesting part of the book to me.

There's a lot of conversation about women in STEM and the challenges we face in a field that is still very much dominated by men, and Asha's journey is a prime example. Even though she is the lead developer and WAI would not exist without her, it is Cyrus, her white, male husband, who is put into the spotlight as CEO. Nobody talks about Asha's role at all. When she objects to what she sees as a bad, problematic step for the company to take, she gets sidelined by the men in the room. Her concerns aren't taken seriously, and her voice isn't heard. What she went through isn't fiction but a reality many women in STEM face every day. I felt genuine anger while reading those part because I <i>felt</i> them to my core.

At its bones, this is a book about sexism and racism that slowly creeps up on you. It's a book that shows you a worst case scenario of what can happen when minorities aren't listened to, and men are the only ones making the decisions. It's an exploration of the impact social media has on our lives and how much power we give it, and how it can be abused. And while it definitely could have delved deeper into some of the topics it touches upon, I still enjoyed my time with it.

My review of this refreshing sendup of startup culture and the modern marriage is up at The Star Tribune. https://www.startribune.com/review-the-startup-wife-by-tahmima-anam/600076473/

The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam follows Asha as she moves from a quiet existence in her teens to becoming a tech giant alongside her husband Cyrus. Asha knows Cyrus from high school and when he serendipitously crosses back into her life during grad school, the pair are wrapped into a whirlwind romance. Quickly into their marriage Asha proposes an idea to create an app based on Cyrus's ability to make powerful rituals around events. However it isn't until their friend and roommate Jules suggests Asha builds it that the three find themselves quickly wrapped up in the tech startup world. However will the marriage and friendship among the three still work once money and egos get involved?

As an academic, the premise of this book instantly drew me in when I saw that this was centered around a PhD student. This book touches on so many relevant topics including women in academia and tech, misogyny and racism in tech, pandemic, and tech's current and future role in our society. The writing used light satire that will make you smirk but yet is enough to make you reflect on the various themes.

Asha was a character I found myself rooting for throughout the book, even if at times you wanted to shake her. it was interesting to see how love and working with your partner can influence how you bring yourself to your work, especially as a woman. Cyrus was an interesting character as he was compelling, yet somehow always distant. The way that the pressure of being a certain person and the ability to disengage from his values was a fascinating contrast to Asha. I also appreciated the role Jules played and added a layer to the dynamics of the three leaders of the start-up.

This book read easily and I found myself breezing through this novel. I highly recommend this book for those looking for a light satire about tech and the personalities in big tech!

Many thanks to the publisher Scribner and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Love this book so much. Full review is forthcoming! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and to Scribner for providing it in exchange for honest reviews.

Happy book birthday to The Startup Wife - 4.5⭐

Thanks to @scribnerbooks for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I got invested: halfway through chapter one

Quick synopsis: After Asha, a phD student reconnects with a former high school classmate, Cyrus, the two have a whirlwind romance and marry quickly. While newlyweds, they get an idea for an app, which they name WAI (pronounced why)- Asha is the technical brains and Cyrus as the inspiration and CEO, with their best friend Jules as the fundraiser. Can their app -- and marriage -- withstand the stress and make it?

This would make an excellent pick for book club discussion, as there's so much to think about and reflect on with this novel... How much we rely on social media for connection and community, rather than in person and the extent of the influence it has on our lives... and how much more this is impacted when we factor in the pandemic. While this leaned more towards a character driven novel, there was still plenty of plot and was a good mix between the two, with plenty of subtle humor and thinking points.

The deeper theme of the book is, to put it simply, how women are perceived as an executive level member of an organization.  In Asha's case, she's a non-white, first generation American with a career in STEM, who co-founded a start-up with her white husband. While not shocking, Asha and Cyrus are perceived and credited so differently.

The aspects of race and gender in startup culture isn't a new topic, but it was a fun take and I enjoyed the ride. The idea for the app was really interesting and I would definitely download- the user fills out a brief questionnaire about what's important to them and the app creates a ritual for them and asks if they'd like to form a community with users with similar values and interests -- things that mean something to them, as almost a new age religion. It really got me thinking what things I would pick if I was using the app. Other apps in the book were super interesting concepts, like Consentify (an app to consent to sex - where you're ok with being touched, etc) and AfterLight (using AI to have a deceased loved one still send you texts).

I loved the concept of this book, and it was totally different from anything I'd read recently. A+ for innovation! The mockery of start ups was fun. The book was clever and witty, and a great escape into the crazy world of startup culture.

I felt like a lot of this was over my head and didn't really understand what was going on with the app. I did enjoy the relationship aspect and how they were tested. Overall the pacing was a little slow for me and I had a difficult time finishing.

This book is about newlyweds Asha and Cyrus, who get married within two months of dating. Asha is a brilliant coder, PHD student, and daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants. Cyrus is a high school drop out who loves rituals, philosophy and human connection. Asha is inspired by Cyrus’ thought process and his ability to design rituals and ceremonies that appeal to individual interests, values and traditions. Together, they create a new social media platform that designs personal rituals and communities with an in-depth survey. The platform, WAI, takes off instantly. Cyrus morphs into a modern day messiah and Asha tries her best to feel fulfilled woking behind the scenes. ⁣
⁣
This book does an excellent job examining relationships, startup culture and mixing the two together. As the reader, I witnessed Asha and Cyrus’ idealistic plan for their new social media platform juxtaposed with their struggles as co-CEOS and husband and wife. ⁣
⁣
The Startup Wife touches on interracial marriages, women of color in tech, and immigration. It encompassed a variety of topics and executed them well! ⁣
⁣
I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one although I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. Also, the ending coincides with the pandemic. So, if you’re not ready to read “pandemic” lit, maybe skip this one! That’s not what disappointed me per se, but I wanted to mention that aspect of the ending in this review! ⁣
⁣
Overall, this was a super enjoyable, bingeable book! The Startup Wife’s pub date is Tuesday July 13th!!

When is a parody not a parody?  The real-world vibe, despite a wry, farcical tone, had me questioning whether this book is consciously making fun of folks (creators and consumers of tech) or simply depicting modern life.

With tongue cheekily firm, this book has constructed a story that presents the 21st Century of software apps.  It's a funny and smart story.  But significantly, its so-called technology resonates with reality. These apps and how they are brought to market feel real and their absurdity toes solid ground. 

The techie characters (main and peripheral) are very earnest...to the extent that what is ridiculous or fictional becomes plausible or necessary.  One example is a devout vegetarian who somehow engineers a tick whose bite will render its victim sick with the runs if meat is consumed.  There's also a restaurant that only serves pickled food...(this may be real--what do I know?). And someone creates a device that gives women thorough pleasure when her partner fails or tires.

I've read Anam's 3 other books and I would readily read her future titles. She is a warm, smart and engaging storyteller.

This book would pair nicely with New Waves by Kevin Nguyen.

Many thanks to Scribner for this ARC.

Some favorite quotes:

Jules was an excellent host, in that he treated the house as if he, too, were a temporary inhabitant.

Li Ann is just here to make everyone else look unkempt.

He is obsessively focused on both the present and on the esoteric distance.

I hated him on sight, mostly because he started talking to me in elaborate sports metaphors and also because my parents have always have told me to be skeptical of brown people who change their names to sound like white people.

Jules, Cyrus, and I are at restaurant where everything is pickled. It's called Pikld. The drinks are called vinegar and taste like soda. The vegetables are called kraut and taste like vinegar.

"How evil are these people?"
"Just your average evil funds."

He gives off a kind of hummingbird vibe, flapping wildly while appearing to stand perfectly still.

"Oh, honey," she soothes. "I see a bruise forming on the left side of your face. Did you get hit by a swinging dick?"

And then he's gone into the snow and the night, a trail of unsaid words following silently behind him like a clutch of shadows.

Asha and Cyrus create a platform that will change the world. Users just enter their likes/dislikes and the occasion they want to celebrate - the algorithm will return a ritual that they can use to honor it. The rituals are drawn from across human history, and the platform is essentially a non-religious connection platform designed to build community. It goes viral almost instantly - and then the trouble comes as users begin to view Cyrus as a modern-day messiah. Can their relationship and their community survive?

I was really intrigued by this concept - it's another exploration of the dark side of the startup world, as seen in Black Buck and other books. I liked the character of Asha, her passion for coding, and seeing her fight against discrimination in the tech space. Unfortunately, I didn't connect to the book beyond that - Cyrus didn't interest me as a character, and there wasn't much plot action to make me want to keep reading. I also didn't understand the company WAI - it seemed very superficial, and I had a hard time believing that it would be an instant success.

I think readers who are part of the startup or technology space will probably enjoy this one more than I did.

Thank you to Scribner for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a complete joy to read, and what an intelligent and perceptive social satire of our time. I loved it, and I particularly liked the fact that the author didn’t take the easy, happy way out. It was so astute and so entertaining at the same time. A complete pleasure as a summer read.