Tech start up, company culture, ridiculous characters/strong personalities, mystery & drama

Told from different POV of various execs from Aurora & embarking on their annual retreat, this year to Miami. They've just hired an Events Director and that's stirring up some drama because they don't hold events.

Starts to unravel about halfway through when one of the execs goes missing and everyone is scrambling to keep up the charade so the company sale will go through and they will all benefit.

This was totally un-relatable but bingeable and full of mystery & drama. The narration was fantastic! I would highly recommend reading in audio format.

Very Bad Company is the perfect spring or summer read! It was so intriguing that I listened to the whole thing in almost one sitting and had it finished by the end of the day! It is full of vacation vibes but looped in with work drama, secrets, lies, and a mysterious disappearance. This was the perfect mix of mystery/thriller and comedy- I found myself laughing out loud or gasping while listening to the audiobook. However, while listening to the book, I found it a little difficult to keep up with the many different POVs. I enjoyed that the book ended off with a sinister tone because it keeps the reader thinking- this always makes me think about the book after the fact and I love it when authors do this. Some plot points could have been stretched out in my opinion. For example, I wish I had gotten more from Debra, but I also just loved her character!
The character differentiation was good, and I enjoyed that some characters had accents or specific traits so that I could better tell them apart. The boss definitely had a personality, and I think Emma nailed showing that side of him. When reading about him, I felt like an employee and was rolling my eyes at him and all his mannerisms. As a reader, when I can connect to a character like that, it reflects the author's writing ability.

Well paced and juicy! It kept my attention the entire time. I would recommend this to friends as a great summer beach read. Solid narrator too. Anyone with experience at a dysfunctional tech company would appreciate (or maybe be slightly triggered by) it.

First si would like to thank Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audio book copy.

I love stories about the workplace and I thought it would be great for me. The narrator was great.
The story is interesting and well paced, but I had a hard time engaging with the characters, who though week described and constructed, felt somehow all the same.
I usually love rooting for good characters who are terrible people, but I felt like here they lacked some depth and complex motivation.
I still had a nice time and who recommended if you are familiar with the author.

TLDR: Rich corporate execs behaving badly. 4.5 Stars and January LaVoy's narration is 5 stars, as always.

Can we please make a subgenre for corporate fiction/corporate mystery/corporate thrillers? I love reading these types of books, but its so hard to find them categorically. Think The Boys Club or The Partner Track. If you enjoyed those books, this will be right up your alley. I loved Rosenblum's Bad Summer People last year, but I think this one is my new number one.

Tech start-up darling Aurora embarks on its annual executive retreat to Miami with its newest executive, Cailtin Levy, in tow. Caitlin is brought on as the head of events for Aurora -- an ad-tech company who has never held an event. When one of its execs dies on night one and the eccentric Churchill-obsessed founder announces the company's sale, the retreat forges ahead with team building exercises, lavish dinners, and a tech journalist meddling through the secrets that Aurora and all of its execs may be hiding.

I found Very Bad Company highly engaging and LaVoy's narration was the perfect companion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying, I love January LaVoy. She is one of my favorite narrators of all time. Ms. LaVoy nails both the Bristish and Brooklyn accents and every accent in between. The book is told in each character's POV, and January LaVoy's performance is on point. She does such a phenomenal job that I search for books with her as a narrator. FIVE GOLDEN STARS to January LaVoy.

So, this book takes place in Miami. Once upon a time, I lived in a suburb close to Miami, and this book describes Miami and its surrounding areas with such vivid detail that I almost panicked thinking I was thrown back into Miami -- butt implants and all. Eek! No thank you very much.

I loved several of the characters. New employee, Caitlyn, Caitlyn, Caitlyn and her $3 million paycheck. Debra, Debra, Debra and her men's button up shirts. John, walking on his tiptoes along the beach, and his obsession with Churchill (even owning an original Churchill onesie!). Zach, Olive Green (what a name!), and Nikki Lane were also some of my favorites.

These millionaires are in Miami for their company's annual retreat when one of their co-workers goes missing. Instead of being overly concerned, John is ready to conquer the items on Madison's pristine agenda. Someone is missing, let's play pickleball. Someone is missing, let's go parasailing. Oh, let's race jet skis! I find it hilarious that John is so out of touch with reality (and quoting Churchill throughout it all). John Shiller, Chief Executive Officer, cannot be dissuade.

I really enjoyed Very Bad Company (I also really enjoyed Bad Summer People last year), and I look forward to Ms. Rosenblum's next novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The top executives at Aurora are on their annual retreat. The drinks are flowing, the money is being thrown around, and the drama is never ending. Caitlin has just joined the team and is unsure of what her role will look like, but the seven figure salary, stock shares, bonuses and unlimited vacation cant be beat. When a coworker disappears the first night however, the sale of the company is suddenly up in the air.

Phew! A company retreat gone seriously wrong. I mean…well deserved. We had some greedy, greedy executives on their trip, and I hate to say they all got what was coming to them. I think we all know a guy like John, the Ceo of Aurora. He was truly the worst and I loved to hate him throughout the entire book. Honestly, there wasn’t really anyone to truly like in this book, but sometimes I really enjoy that! I listened to the audio for this one and it was the perfect listen!

Emma Rosenblum's new buzzy novel is partly mystery, darkly comedic, and a fun commentary on startup tech culture.

We open to Caitlyn Levy, Aurora's newest hire, on her way to an executive corporate retreat in Miami. She was lured away from Viacom with a seven figure salary, expense account and stock options as "VP of Events." This, despite the fact, that Aurora does not yet host events. In fact, Aurora doesn't show to be profitable yet. When their enigmatic CEO announces a sale of Aurora with an evaluation of over a billion, the entire crew is salivating for their big payday.

Their circumstances grow more complex when one exec goes missing and a reporter shows up poking around. Will the group get their payday before the house of cards fall?

This book is full of narcissistic characters we love to hate. It is excellent on audio! This book will publish on 14 May 2024. It is a fun one to add to your TBR!! Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, I was without a doubt looking forward to reading Very Bad Company which follows executives from Aurora, a tech startup, on their corporate retreat. It was an entertaining read with plenty of corporate drama to go around. There were numerous characters to keep track of which made it a little confusing at times but overall I found it to be an enjoyable read.

Narrator January LaVoy, a favorite of mine, is absolutely fabulous at her characterizations and inflections for each character especially the eccentric Winston Churchill obsessed CEO. She made it easier to follow along and kept me engaged the entire time.

I’m a fan of Emma Rosenblum so I would absolutely recommend Very Bad Company to any interested in a fast-paced corporate drama who done it. I can’t wait to see what she releases next.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, author Emma Rosenblum, and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.

Aurora is a very bad company indeed. Each year the top executives go on a retreat together & this year it is in Miami, FL. It takes less than 24 hours for tragedy to strike and one of the powerful executives to wind up dead. With Aurora in the midst of a sale, the purpose of the retreat becomes damage control and cover ups.

Rosenblum created a cast of characters that are each damaged and manipulative in their own way leaving the reader unsure who, if any, deserves support. The sins of lust, greed, envy, and pride are on display in this dark, comedic, corporate mystery,

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio copy.

This was quite a salacious & juicy read. VERY BAD COMPANY is a story about the follies of top executives for a large company while away in Miami on an exclusive business trip. I enjoyed the mystery element but couldn't find myself rooting for any of the characters which did detract from my enjoyment a bit. Similarly, some of the behaviors were a bit provocative for my reading taste, especially in the audio format where it is more difficult to skim over some of the open-door intimacy scenes. I thought the narration was well-done and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories of unlikeable rich people behaving badly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Whether you're talking about the company itself or its employees, Aurora is a Very Bad Company indeed. This book takes place during the company's annual corporate retreat for top executives in Miami. And let me tell you, the dysfunction runs rampant in this group. The levels of narcissism, egos, lies, cheating, stealing, backstabbing, secrets... It was delicious! I was fortunate to get an ALC (thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio) narrated by the fabulous January LaVoy, who did an outstanding job bringing these character to life, and made the book even more bingeable. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was a very bad company, but a very good book! Each of the main characters is so interesting and the story keeps you turning the pages.
Definitely one to recommend to those who like contemporary fiction grounded in the working environment in the tech realm with a bit of intrigue and mayhem thrown in for good measure. Great summer read.

What a great read! If you enjoyed Bad Summer People, also by Emma Rosenblum, this will be a hit. Its Bad Summer People "at work" with all of the chaos and complication that ensues as a corporate executive team heads out on a company trip. Well done.

Loved Bad Summer People but this wasn’t quite as good. While I love rich people behaving badly this didn’t exactly do it for me. I’ve worked in tech and my husband worked for a company that had a similar exit to the faux company here so I get the types of characters the author was going for- they just weren’t quite “attractive” enough for me to want to follow or care about. I still will read whatever this author does next and January Lavoy is amazing but this just alright.

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum

The title pretty much tells you what this story is about. A corporate retreat gone wrong with its greedy, disingenuous executives behaving badly.

January LaVoy narrates the audiobook perfectly as always. She truly is one of the best. The story itself had me feeling an old familiar angst from the beginning with the retreat agenda. It reminded me of everything I disliked about being an executive in a company and in turn made me smile at how much better life is without that stress. I enjoyed the dark humor throughout the story. I’d say some of it is over the top, but considering I’ve been there, it sadly is not. My favorite unlikeable character is the Churchill obsessed boss. We’ve all worked for that guy at some point. This novel is a great follow up to Bad Summer People and it’s obvious the author has spent time at these horrid corporate retreats. It’s a fun story and with January LaVoy as the narrator, get this one on audiobook.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @emma.rosenblum @netgalley for the advance listening copy.

This is one for my tech girlies! A lot of this was relatable if you’ve worked in the tech world, even with it being at the executive level. I absolutely loved John having an obsession with Churchill as so many execs have a weird/unhealthy obsessed with something random. The overall concept was great and reminded me of One by One by Ruth Ware. This book does jump around a little bit. That might have been me listening to the audiobook but I wish there was more of a header stating when the timeframe was since there’s a lot of back and forth.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio book.

This fulfilled my expectations of a fun romp in the over-the-top world of tech startups mixed with a mystery. The only downside to the book was that almost all of the characters had similarly bland names that it was difficult to keep track of who was who. Otherwise, an enjoyable read.

Emma Rosenblum has a knack for creating characters you love to hate and hate to love. Like “Bad Summer People”, “Very Bad Company” is chock full of selfish, screwed up, secret keeping narcissists. In this case they are all executives in Aurora, a successful tech company.

The executives gather for a corporate retreat in Florida just as Aurora is about to announce its acquisition by another tech company. Everyone is about to become very rich. There’s a lot of money at stake and they all have an interest in making sure their secrets stay hidden. It all gets very complicated when one of them turns up dead.

There are many players and back stories to keep straight which is aided by January LaVoy’s excellent narration. She brings the story to life and added to my enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Very Bad Company" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook. Didn't really like this book. The whole thing but the subject matter didn't interest me. It was hard to follow along with what everyone was doing. I tried to finish this book but really horrible, so 50% I ended the book. DNF