Friday, September 13, 2013

Bookclub: Social Code

Summary
In a world where anyone can rise to the top, the only rule is... watch your back.

Eighteen-year-old twins Adam and Amelia Dory learned the hard way to rely only on each other, growing up in a small town where they understood the meaning of coming from nothing. But everything changes when both are offered scholarships to Stanford University – and catapulted into the dazzling world of Silicon Valley, where anyone with a good enough idea can skyrocket to fame and fortune in the blink of an eye…

Amelia is almost as pretty as she is smart – almost. A shy girl and genius, she is happiest alone in the computer lab, but her brother has other plans for her talents: A new company that will be the next Silicon Valley hit, and will thrust Amelia into the spotlight whether she likes it or not. Where Amelia’s the brains, Adam’s the ambition – he sees the privileged lifestyle of the Silicon Valley kids and wants a piece of what they have. He especially wants a piece of Lisa Bristol, the stunning daughter of one of the Valley’s biggest tycoons.

As Adam and Amelia begin to hatch their new company, they find themselves going from nothing to the verge of everything seemingly overnight. But no amount of prestige can prepare them for the envy, backstabbing and cool calculation of their new powerful peers.

Welcome to Silicon Valley, where fortune, success – and betrayal – are only a breath away...

Review
I love this book. I loved that it was a look into the world of tech start ups and that the main character is a girl coder (girls rule). The book seems to give a pretty accurate description of life going to college and studying computer science. There were definitely time when the computer labs would be filled with student absorbed in coding and the sense of community that breeds. It is a mix of three main story lines that each had their own themes. This made the book very entertaining because when one story got boring/ overly dramatic there were other stories to pick up. It also gave the book a great mix of romance, coming-of-age, life in the real world.
The charters were very real and multifaceted. There is Amelia the idealist computer genius that is trying to get used to her new life as one to watch in Silicon Valley. All while hiding from a past and figuring out the dynamics of college, something that would be difficult by its self. Then there is Adam, Amelia’s brother, who tries to balance a secret relationship with keeping up with his brilliant sister. While only a mnor charther and deffinitly very flawed, I loved Patty Hawkins. She was Amelia’s roommate and gave a look into what life is like to grow up in Silicon Valley.

The most frustrating thing about this book is the cliffhanger ending. This was really frustrating when I read it since I really wanted a resolution to the many questions raised by all the different characters with very little resolution. I can’t wait for the next book to come out later this year.


* I received this book for review from NetGalley. All views are my own.

1 comment:

  1. I feel like there's so few books about girls in college. Which is kind of surprising since it's such an exciting time. But this one definitely intrigues, especially remember all the late nights I spent in compute labs back in college.

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