I've never been on Wall Street, much less worked on it, but LEVERAGE truly transported me into the early 2000s hustle and bustle of it all. I adored this book, and despite our main character being full of self-loathing and sarcasm, I couldn't help but root for him every step of the way. LEVERAGE follows Ali Jafar, a Pakistani man working within the sea of whiteness known as Wall Street. He's a bit of tortured genius. He knows how to make money, but he struggles with balancing his power hungry boss, and his mother who seems to always want to know more about his life. He can't bring himself to tell her that he hates his life. Ali is an exemplary employee on the outside, but on the inside, he's ready to burn the place down. While the rich get richer, Ali can't help but wonder who's playing the game, aka insider trading. When Ali loses a hedge, and his boss needs him to make up the difference - quickly, he turns into that dark underbelly of the business. While Ali is learning about back room deals and leveraging private information to hedge his bets, his coworkers seethe in jealously. Ali's position in the company soars, and he becomes the favorite of the boss. Soon, Ali realizes that being second from the top isn't as great as it seems. Nobody remembers second best.

LEVERAGE was unlike anything I've read before, and once I met Ali, I just had to keep reading ... probably to make sure he didn't end his life before the book ended. A truly compelling story about a one-man takedown of the powers that make up Wall Street, LEVERAGE is a book I'll be recommending for years to come.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Powerful, poignant, and perfectly paced.

Leverage by Amran Gowani is a compelling exploration of ambition, identity, and the difficult choices we make in pursuit of power. Gowani’s writing is sharp and assured, capturing both the internal struggles of the protagonist and the high-stakes world he navigates with nuance and emotional depth. The story felt both timely and timeless, offering not just thrills, but thoughtful commentary.

I was particularly impressed by how Gowani builds tension, balancing ethical gray areas with moments of raw vulnerability. The characters felt real, flawed, and layered, and I found myself invested from start to finish. It’s a debut that doesn’t just entertain but stays with you, raising questions long after the last page.

Highly recommended for fans of thought-provoking contemporary fiction with a sharp edge.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this impactful novel!

Leverage by Amran Gowani is a gripping yet thoughtful thriller that expertly balances high-stakes suspense with deeply human characters. The writing is sharp, emotionally resonant, and impossible to put down. A powerhouse debut that blends action with heart.

Ali loses it all in an afternoon. Can he save himself without loosing himself? Maybe, but he will need to defeat one of the most powerful man in the world. This book is tense, and hard to put down. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This wasn't a book I would typically read, but I did enjoy it! I learned a lot about a Hedge Fund. Very interesting.

Cleverly written, this book is an adrenaline rush.

Some of us have had bad experiences working for disrespectful, unkind and demanding superiors. Yet, Ali Jafar’s boss was a doozy – meaning evil spirited. Most of us would run the other way. Yet, Al couldn’t. He was in a tight spot.

Al, a hedge fund analyst at Prism Capital Management, was responsible when $300 million evaporated in a mere four hours. Paul Kingsley, CEO of Prism, exploded with anger. I couldn’t even imagine being there as he told Al that this amount had to be returned in three months -- next to impossible. Paul threatened him with insider trading with his high-level contacts if he didn’t make this mark. It didn’t help that Paul’s son, Brad, who is also employed by this firm, made constant racist remarks to him.

The story was fast paced like the movie “Wall Street” with Michael Douglas where you’re rooting for the good guy. Greed was not mentioned like in the movie and yet, that was the bottom line with more status, money and power for Paul.

This book gave me chills thinking about how much realism there could be with this whiz kid who was manipulated by threats. He was exploited by a white wealthy manipulator. Besides analyzing funds, Al took a good look at his psychological state of health. Who would miss him if he was sent off to prison or died?

About half way, there was a good-sized twist that I didn’t see coming. It was exciting, nerve wracking and contained poignant messages that will stay with me for a long time. I can’t wait to read whatever he writes next.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 19, 2025.

I loved this!! Tore through it in a manner of hours, I could see this becoming a movie or limited series- vibes similar to Industry.

I used to love the tv show Leverage so I requested this book on title alone and went into it blind. Nothing like the tv show 😅 but I didn’t expect it to be. In fact it was much more from a new to me author

In Leverage, Amran Gowani delivers an insightful and empowering guide on using influence to unlock your full potential. Through practical strategies and relatable examples, this book challenges readers to rethink how they approach relationships, decision-making, and personal growth. A motivating and thought-provoking read that kept me engaged from start to finish! Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not what I expected but glad I chose this book. Well written story that was pulled together nicely. Good read.

While this isn't my typical choice for reading, it being marketed as part thriller grabbed my attention. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This is a debut novel and I was very impressed!

This story centers around Al, who works for a hedge fund, and loses a lot of money. He is blackmailed into earning a high dollar amount back and he resorts to nefarious ways to do that. This showcases the underworld of what can happen with insider trading and how often shady dealings are happening. I think the thrilling part comes from how much blackmailing is happening throughout the story and how much Al has to go through to clear his name. Overall the premise of the story kept me hooked so even if this type of storyline/content isn't your usual, the author does a good job of making it interesting and keeping you invested in what comes next. There are a good amount of twists that I didn't see coming which was great.

There is many mentions of suicide throughout which could be triggering of course. While I felt like there could have been less I do also see the side of it being mentioned so often as that world is highly stressful and full of risks that could ruin anyone's lives so it didn't take away from the story in my opinion, But, everyone should be aware that's mentioned a lot for any possible triggers.

Thank you to Atria Books, Netgalley, and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I can't recommend it enough! I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a couple of days!

I was interested in reading this book for what promised to be an intriguing thriller, with insights into hedge fund culture and backroom deals. And the book delivered on those points enlightening this reader on many aspects of stock trading. Al is a flawed character, he has made costly mistakes and now needs to redeem himself in the eyes of his boss. The style of the first-person narrative struck me as verbose and ostentatious (who says "micturated"?). In addition, it was at times quite crude (Al can't keep his hands off himself) and at other times dark as Al repeatedly contemplates suicide. I had a hard time getting into the story - the financial machinations tended to go over my head, but the main plot gained momentum significantly after the halfway mark and kept me reading until the story's resolution. Readers interested in the darker side of the financial world might enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has not affected the content of my review.

Ali “Al” Jafar is a rising star on Wall Street until his biggest investment loses $300 million dollars. His boss gives him the option to re-make all the lost money in 3 months or become the fall guy in a criminal case. Let the backstabbing begin!!
This was an entertaining story with a lot of dark humor. I would have enjoyed it more if Al wasn't so focused on joking about suicide. It could be triggering for some readers.
A digital ARC was provided by Atria Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Much thanks!

In LEVERAGE, written by Amran Gowani, Al Jafar, named after Aladdin, will need a magic lamp (or some other grand solution) to get out of the mess he has created for himself. He loses 300-million dollars while working at Prism Capital, a hedge fund investment house in California. Al is given, and accepts, the chance to recoup the money in three months and avoid going to jail for insider trading. Will he succeed?

This is a thriller set on Wall Street, and I appreciate the humorous tone. This novel directs my attention to hedge funds as the base of the story. The characters are interesting, especially Al, who maintains his sense of humor amidst a horrible circumstance. I think the writing is fine, but the book just isn’t my cup of tea. Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of LEVERAGE.

Thank you, Atria Books, for providing a copy of Leverage by Arman Gowani. I loved the premise of this book, but the writing style was not for me. While the book is supposedly “darkly funny” the author tried too hard to add what came off as sit-com humor. If this had been written as a serious book, the theme of racism would have been hard-hitting instead of being played for laughs. I loved the insight into the cutthroat financial planning world, as unattractive as it was. Maybe I have a stunted sense of humor, but this book was not for me. 3 stars

This was a decent read overall. The setup is strong—a hedge fund hotshot on the brink, a massive financial screw-up, and the pressure to fix it before everything crashes down. The story touches on some big themes too—race, power, mental health—but it all moves pretty quickly, with a lot of sharp turns and high-stress moments. That said, something about it didn’t fully click for me as a novel. The pacing and dialogue almost felt like they were meant for TV, and I kept thinking how much more impact it might have had as a limited series or movie. There’s a lot of tension and internal unraveling here, and I think that kind of psychological pressure lands better when you can see it—facial expressions, mood, atmosphere, all that. So, while I definitely stayed interested and liked the overall arc, I wasn’t totally sold on the format. Good story, just maybe in the wrong medium.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an ARC of Leverage in exchange for an honest review.

The NetGalley description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the plot, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.

You can tell that Leverage was written by someone who worked in finance. The plot is informed by insider knowledge of Wall Street. However, that veneer of realism doesn’t mean this story is realistic. It’s not. The villainous CEO is cartoonishly villainous, and the various schemes used by Al to earn back the lost money … would just never happen that way. But realism can be overrated; the most important question is usually whether a story is entertaining.

And whether or not you’ll be entertained by Leverage will likely boil down to your tolerance for being inside the mind of a suicidal finance bro. The story is not subtle. There are so many pop culture references here, but they’re usually to things like sports and Star Wars and comics. Al masturbates a lot, which is just something I didn’t need to know. For reasons I still don’t understand, sometimes, instead of simply “peeing,” Al “micturated” more than once. Some of the passages are beyond cringe—not just spoken dialogue, but Al’s internal thoughts too—and I could never figure out if I was laughing with or at the author:

Concerned looks abounded and a sense of dread blanketed the entire floor like a damp, sulfurous fart.
…
Whatever. I purged the baby batter, showered, and fell into a restless sleep.
…
Everyone in this office was an asshole, but we were assholes together. On the same asshole team. With the same asshole objectives. Seeking out the same asshole rewards.

But then there are other passages that are either elite pop culture references or just really solid writing:

I’d always wanted to be a spy when I was little, like my hero James Bond, until I realized I wasn’t tall and blue-eyed enough. As I got older, I thought I’d at least make a cool Bond villain: short, stocky, ethnically ambiguous, and always threatening a trace of controlled menace. After a few moments of mingling with the world’s legitimate high rollers, I doubted I was debonair enough to park the cars.
…
Doing the right thing was for suckers. There was a reason Skeletor was doper than He-Man, the Decepticons were more fearsome than the Autobots, and the Sith were more powerful than the Jedi.
…
“This time it’s different,” Joey said.
The most famous last words on Wall Street. Used by everyone from traders to journalists to Federal Reserve chairs to justify how the current market crash fundamentally differed from the previous market crash. To find the upsides, silver linings, and causes and effects of whatever the ongoing crisis happened to be. To explain how this time everything would be okay. How we’d learned, improved, and grown. These were the lies everyone told themselves so they could navigate a world devoid of meaning. So they could traverse an industry built on excess. Where greed and venality were the heroes, and fairness and conscientiousness were the villains.

On balance, I thought Leverage was a fun story, and a solid debut novel. It’s fast-paced, and reads like an Ocean’s Eleven or Trading Places-style movie. It’s not subtle, and it reinforces my belief that I’m glad I’ve organized my life to have a minimum amount of exposure to finance bros. Recommended when you’re in the mood for an over-the-top story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This book surprised me. It’s smart, fast-paced, and completely unafraid to dive into the mess of ambition and identity. I wasn’t expecting to care this much about hedge funds and power plays, but the writing had this sharp edge to it—satirical, but not cartoonish. At times, it’s almost too on-the-nose, but it worked for me. The main character makes some awful decisions, but I was still rooting for him in a weird way.

Definitely recommend if you like flawed characters in high-pressure settings.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

I’m completely blown away.

I could not stop thinking about this book in between reading sessions. It consumed me.

This tense thriller has dark humor, wit, tension, the perfect pacing, and characters you want to punch in the face. Seriously, some of the most evil people on the planet.

I need to add this one to my shelf the second I am able to, because this book has left a massive impact on me. It might be a new favorite.

Please know these is a heavy theme of suicidal ideation throughout this book. It is quite dark.

Initially I was getting a horror vibe from this book, but it began to mellow out slightly.

The descriptions are not in gruesome detail, but there are very dangerous, scary scenes that had my palms sweating.

I kept smiling thoroughout this book from the witty insults to the societal callouts to the carefully thought-out words used in every sentence. This book is art in many ways, but the writing style used blew me away.

It is very difficult to do a comprehensive review of this book without giving anything away, and I do not want to spoil anything as this book is so perfectly executed.


This is a book I won’t be able to stop thinking about for a while, and I’m incredibly grateful I was approved for an eARC! I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.