I honestly haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished reading it.⠀
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Questions like….. 'Is work/life balance a myth?' And 'are startups basically cults?' keep rattling around in my brain, and in the world of The Startup Wife, the answer is yeah……kinda.⠀
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The Startup Wife follows the meteoric rise of WAI, an app that provides meaning, ritual, and community in a society that is let down by religion. After falling madly in love, our protagonist, Asha Ray creates and codes an app that combines empathetic AI and her charismatic new husband. This book follows a marriage and business partnership through the millennial era of toxic tech culture tackling modern concerns about ethics, the role of social media, and a relationship without boundaries.⠀
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I was drawn to this book because of the tech. I, too, am a woman in tech. I often think about how to balance my own ambition and drive with impact. How to be palatable to others, but not sideline myself as the slow crawl of capitalism and the patriarchy eat away at even the best intentions. I saw that reflected here too with Asha Ray.⠀
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Asha Ray, as a character, is brilliant and sardonic. Her insights on her own life are smart, funny, observant, and often savage. She enters this marriage and business with rose-colored glasses, and in turn, misses all the red flags. A really solid character study.⠀
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This book might be for you if: you were intrigued by the fall of WeWork, would totally fall in love and marry someone in less than 3 months, wish an app that could give you personalized rituals existed, are obsessed with cults, or are curious about the dark side of tech.⠀

I’m having a hard time seeing how the person who wrote A Golden Age wrote this one. I was drawn to it because of the depth and nuance and historical and cultural impact I felt when reading A Golden Age. Unfortunately, I got none of that in The Startup Wife.

While the writing is essentially solid (with the exception of some scattered gratuitous vulgarity), the premise and the scenarios feel like they are trying too hard to be trendy. Perhaps readers of the “new adult” demographic may connect, but I found the book to be primarily boring and overtly moralizing. A huge disappointment.

Thank you to Tahmima Anam, Scribner, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGally and Scribner for this advance reader's copy of The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam.

The Startup Wife is the story of a few friends that have a dream to create something world-changing together and what happens when they get their wish. Asha has been in love with Cyrus Jones for years before they re-connect during Asha's grad school career. As Asha and Cyrus fall in love, Asha also becomes friends with Jules, Cyrus's best friend. When Asha and Jules develop an app that they believe will be bigger than any other social media platform out there, they take their idea to the board at Utopia, an exclusive tech incubator. Asha and Jules have to convice the board at Utopia that they are worth the risk and then they also have to convince Cyrus to come with them on what the hope is a life-changing journey. What happens next is for you, the reader to discover when you read The Startup Wife.

I found The Startup Wife to be a very enjoyable read. Getting to read along during the rise and fall of a tech startup was interesting and not a subject that I've read a lot of fictionalized accounts of so far. The characters were well-written and entertaining. I kept finding myself drawn to The Startup Wife any time I had a spare minute to read. My only real complaint is that I found the character's emotions to be not necessarily believable. It's a really good read otherwise. Highly recommend!

4 stars

Rituals play an important role in our lives, helping us mark deaths, births, marriages, and other rites of passage, but Asha and Cyrus see an opportunity to more effectively personalize these rituals (A baptism for your cat? An Atwood themed bat mitzvah? The possibilities are endless!). These personalized rituals are exactly what their product - WAI (pronounced "why") - is based on, and when they get the chance to join Utopia, they can spend all of their time fine-tuning their ideas and output.

As the title suggests, there are two central relationships here: work and marriage. Though Asha is the brain behind WAI, Cyrus gets involved because of his charisma but more so his proximity. The two know each other in high school but reconnect as romantic partners and later spouses. Their situation? It's complicated. This juxtaposition makes for a simultaneously intriguing and at times frustrating read because there is often ample focus on the product and the difficulties of working together (as well as Asha's particular struggles as a woman of color in tech); however, I often wanted to know more about these characters' personal lives. Their "intimacy" is typically limited to regular mentions of sex, but there is not enough development of their day-to-day interactions outside of work. While there is some thematic sense in this - i.e., the couple that works together is never not working together, even on nights, on weekends, and in their parents' basement - as partners, the characters feel a bit flat at times.

My favorite part of the novel - and what kicked it from a 3 to 4-star read ultimately - is the treatment of ritual through technology and in modern culture. There are some legit early '80s DeLillo vibes happening in here (a la Toyota Celica) that put smiles on my face and chills in my soul, but these odes are updated to include modern tech and current happenings: pandemic references included.

In a good way, this novel was not at all what I expected. If you love the postmodern novelists and want to peep an updated and less esoteric iteration, queue this one. I'm pleased I did.

I actually read this one and came back to it to read it again. I also had my husband read it because he enjoys shows like Silicon Valley. I thought the book was super interesting and is something that felt very realistic as we are watching start ups become big money corporations within a matter of months or a few short years. I think the pressures we witness in this book are things that would plague any couple in a similar situation. It was just an awesome look at this facet of industry and love.

This book makes my tech-world loving heart melt. I love anything involving the world of tech, the lingo, and mix it into a book that brings a unicorn, humor, and well developed characters, perfection. I devoured this book in a weekend because I could not put it down. I appreciated that it wasn't stuffed with Facebook/Tik Tok buzz words trying to be cool, but something more somber and reflective of the start-up world. Bright, Funny, and enjoyable.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn't love it. The fact that Asha and Cyrus get married so quickly seemed unbelievable, and the whole tech/coding world is not something that interests me or that I am familiar with. You might enjoy it if you work in the tech industry. Otherwise it was a slow burn with too much content about building a business.

I can tell The Startup Wife is going to be all over bookstagram—it’s a fantastic premise from an award-winning author, the cover is great, there’s startup culture, sexism and feminism within in, cult-y vibes—it’s the kind of book that draws you in immediately because you really have no idea where it’s going to go. I really loved the commentary on startup and VC culture as well as misogyny both within them and more generally that the reader is able to see through the relationship between the two main characters. This book is smart and it’s entertaining. It doesn’t feel preachy or like satire, but there is definitely an underlying message. I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance reader’s copy.

3.5 stars. A fast, fun entertaining read satirizing startups, the tech world, and AI.

Asha and Cyrus get married and inadvertently create a large online platform for people looking for rituals and ways to connect outside of mainstream religion. Cyrus becomes their Messiah. Asha, the brains behind the outfit (and the coder who wrote the entire thing) becomes just a cog in her own company. It is most definitely a searing critique of how women are treated in the tech world.

"Meet Asha Ray.

Brilliant coder and possessor of a Pi tattoo, Asha is poised to revolutionize artificial intelligence when she is reunited with her high school crush, Cyrus Jones.

Cyrus inspires Asha to write a new algorithm. Before she knows it, she’s abandoned her PhD program, they’ve exchanged vows, and gone to work at an exclusive tech incubator called Utopia.

The platform creates a sensation, with millions of users seeking personalized rituals every day. Will Cyrus and Asha’s marriage survive the pressures of sudden fame, or will she become overshadowed by the man everyone is calling the new messiah?"

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A hilarious, timely, and insightful look into modern love, contemporary work culture, and human connection.

The premise behind this novel is fascinating and timely. It tells of the process whereby startup tech programs and innovations are developed and how most of them fail to get off the ground. Many of the programs at Utopia focus on the upcoming apocalypse. Enter Asha, Cyrus, and Jules who have come up with a unique social media idea that takes off right from the start. However, there is danger in paradise. Can Asha and Cyrus be both successful business partners yet still remain a happily married couple? And what happens when the so-called apocalypse starts unfolding before their eyes?

I have mixed feelings about this novel. It started rather slowly and I was getting a bit bored since nothing exciting seemed to be happening. The various ideas for the startup programs being introduced to or by Utopia were for an assortment of social justice issues, a few were somewhat unbelievable, yet all of them were very “woke.” There are a lot of technical details about what goes into launching and funding a startup idea; I felt that detracted from the story’s momentum. I contemplated not finishing this novel. So, I did what I always do when I think about that . . . I jumped to the last chapter to find out if it was worth continuing to read. I felt that the end justified the means, so to speak. So, I continued reading.

I never got the sense that Asha and Cyrus shared a strong, unique love for each other. However, in the second to last chapter, the two of them finally face each other to address the problems that have arisen between them and from that point onward, the story moves swiftly towards its conclusion. Who was right and who was in the wrong? Can apologies smooth things over? And in the end, does it matter?

I think I will even up this to 4.5 stars. SUCH a unique and well written novel. The story hinges on a tech incubator that specializes in upcoming technologies that will benefit the upcoming expected "end of the world as we know it." Asha, along with best friend and husband, develop her previous research into an idea for an app that generates personalized non-religious rituals based on likes/memories/wishes as well as connection to other users that have similar rituals. There was a "Black Mirror" flair, great character development especially among Asha and her husban'd's relationship and her family, and some very real life questions raised which made this a hard-to-put-down read. Will highly recommend!

The overarching premise here was more compelling than the writing itself. It got into too much monotonous detail when I wish it would have kept the story moving forward. There were some great comedic gems sprinkled in that I would have loved more of. The relationship at the core of the book was too internalized, I wish it played out more in actions.

The Startup Wife is an ok read. The main character reconnects with Cyrus and they marry quickly. They have a zany idea to launch an app that will send messages people, telling them things they want to hear. Sounds ingenious and innocuous? Except the app soon ravages out of control, threatening to destroy Asha and Cyrus. Around the middle of the book, the story just seemed to flag. It really sputtered for me and my interest waned sharply. I thought the ending was flat. I was expecting more and was disappointed. The premise of the book was unique, but the execution left a lot of room for improvement.

Asha and Cyrus are newlywed who first met in high school and then became reacquainted years later. Asha is a brilliant coder and Cyrus, her number one cheerleader. Together, they get jobs at a tech incubator called Utopia where users are seeking ways to connect and be inspired though personalized daily rituals that add meaning to their lives. This is a novel that looks at fads and followers and what it means when we treat our top techies as gurus in an online age. This novel fell a little flat to me, but to be fair to the author, I think I’ve just reached a cap on the amount of books I can read and enjoy about the internet. Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately it was a DNF for me at 25% in. There wasn't any big hook for me and the writing felt off to me. Just not for me.

Loved this book. Told from the strong female point of view of the lead character it’s a full story. It takes you from the beginning all the way till tragedy and a fresh start. Wonderful story that you don’t want to put down.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Scribner for providing me an advance copy of Tahmima Anam’s fiction novel, The Startup Wife, in exchange for an honest review.

I was genuinely excited when I read the premise of the #TheStartupWife. I was even more excited once I started reading and realized it was well-written, featured a diverse and sharp female tech guru as the protagonist (Asha Ray), and touched upon intriguing tech topics that are not too far off from what will soon be a reality.

Unfortunately, the witty lines and nuggets of tech/start-up concepts peppered throughout the text could only hold my attention for so long. I am uncertain as to whether the author had a clear vision while writing this novel because it vacillated between a book about surviving a business and marriage in one to feminism to the culture of incubators and tech startups. It even mentions the pandemic and climate change at various points.

In other words, there was no true focus, which is why for me I felt the novel ultimately failed to say anything substantive in the end. It also does not help that the novel has no real conclusion. Thus, the result after so much anticipating and slogging through what eventually unravels as a pointless, unedited story, is disappointment.

Judging by the rave reviews, I am in the minority. I encourage others who enjoy reading literary fiction (e.g., novels that are primarily character-driven and focus on the banalities of daily life) to check this out. I would not be surprised if this was the framework of a script that is already being optioned for a TV series by some streaming network.

Forgetting about themes and technicalities for a second, the straight-forward plot of The Startup Wife is how Asha, a brilliant coder, runs into a high school crush (Cyrus Jones) at a memorial service for a former beloved English teacher the two had shared and decide to catch-up over pizza. A whirlwind romance ensues and soon Asha is living in a house with an adrift Cyrus and his wealthy friend/roommate, Julian.

Shortly after entering into a relationship with Cyrus, Asha casually mentions her idea to start a platform for people without religion who want to practice their own form of faith and so that Asha could finally use the “Empathy Module” algorithm she dreamed up as a research assistant in grad school. With Julian being wealthy and Cyrus having no direction, it was not hard to convince the two to help her start a business.

The idea grabs the attention of some investors and the trio find themselves moving across the country to NYC to fill a coveted spot in an incubator known as, Utopia. Eventually, their tech startup WAI—a social platform that recommends options for funeral ceremonies to its users—becomes successful and transforms not only some of the characters’ personalities, but also their relationships.

There were numerous passages where I was fully prepared for the plot to explode and charge onwards, but it would merely fizzle and burn. This book could have easily been a piece about marriage, feminism, women in the tech startup culture, death and the role religion and/or faith plays in society, or even a spin on some type of Sci-Fi/Horror novel. It wanted to go too many directions, so in the end it went nowhere. Although The Startup Wife has some solid and humorous moments, they still need to be fleshed out.

I loved the cover, and I found it striking enough to make me want to read it. No doubt I enjoyed the book immensely. Let me get to the story. Asha always knew that she was destined for great things in life with regards to coding and developing modules that will change the AI world. But soon she meets and falls in love with an old friend who is a genius in his own way. She suddenly finds her life path changing drastically. The rest of the story is her story coping up with her world, the work pressures and relationships.

Fantastic read, An experience it is and well written with captivating descriptions.

Most of The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam is set in Utopia. Utopia isn’t heaven. It is a place for startup companies to develop and become successful. Asha Ray sees her high school crush, Cyrus Jones. They begin a whirlwind romance, get married and develop an app based on an idea that Cyrus had about personalizing rituals.

Asha is a brilliant coder and is the force behind the app. Cyrus is the face of the company. At first, he doesn’t have much involvement and then he has too much power. Cyrus publicly takes all of the credit for the app. Understandably, Asha feels betrayed when Cyrus excludes her from the company.

Asha knows that Cyrus is not the mastermind behind the company and definitely not the messiah. She put so much faith in him and not enough faith in herself. She does everything to keep the company afloat in the beginning stages. Then Cyrus betrays her in such a harsh way. Will their marriage survive mixing business with their relationship?

My favorite character is Destiny. She meets Asha and Cyrus at Utopia. Her company doesn’t have the same success that Asha’s company does. Destiny comes to work for Asha. They become really close friends. Destiny supports Asha through all of the problems. I imagine her as a RiotGrrrl, a punk rock feminist. I love her so much.

Asha follows Cyrus’s dreams and leaves her plans behind. I think she learns that one person cannot be everything to another person. She learns about boundaries. She loves Cyrus but starts to question if he is the best person for her.

If you are looking for a book about feminism and technology, then you might enjoy this book.

If you think feminism is for suckers, then maybe you will learn something by reading this book.
* I received this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
* Amazon affiliate link included in this post.