Title:  Buying In
Author: Laura Hemphill
Publisher: New Harvest
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Source: copy received for honest review through TLC Book Tours

Plot Summary from Goodreads:

Bright, ambitious Sophie Landgraf has landed a job as a Wall Street analyst. The small-town girl finally has her ticket to the American elite, but she doesn’t real­ize the toll it will take—on her boyfriend, on her family, and on her. It isn’t long before Sophie is floundering in this male-dominated world, and things are about to get worse.
 
With the financial crisis looming, Sophie be­comes embroiled in a multibillion-dollar merger that could make or break her career. The problem? Three men at the top of their game, each with very different reasons for advancing the merger. Now Sophie doesn’t know whom to trust—or how far she’ll go to get ahead.
 
Set inside the high-stakes world of finance, Manhattan’s after-hours clubs, and factories in the Midwest and India, this is the high-powered, heartfelt story of a young woman finding her foot­ing on Wall Street as it crumbles beneath her. Written by an industry veteran,  Buying In  tackles what it means to be a woman in a man’s world, and how to survive in big business without sacri­ficing who you are.

My Review:

Happy Monday, readers!  Let's talk about how much I dig this book.

Admittedly, when I initially read the description, I thought this novel sounded like it could be rather chick-litty (is that a word?  let's make it a word).  Not that that's a bad thing--I like my chick lit every once in a while.  However, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the fact that this definitely does not fit into a "girly" category.  The writing in Buying In is whip-smart, as is Sophie, its fresh-out-of-college protagonist.  So smart, in fact, that I had to pay close attention in many parts, as the details about finance and banking can get quite technical.  However, I'd say the book written in a way that makes it accessible even to those with no background in those career areas (myself included).  If anything, it will make you feel more intelligent, and not frustrated over its complexity (as I originally feared).

Other than the impressive detail in the book, I also loved its characters.  They all have very distinct strengths and weaknesses, and those weaknesses are, for the most part, not resolved by the end of the novel.  That was rather refreshing, as I feel that so many books strive to make their characters close to "perfect" by the story's conclusion.  However, instead of fixing all of their individual issues, by the end, each character seems to have grown a bit within their own limitations.  They embrace their imperfections rather than attempting to erase them.

Riding the wave of this "imperfect" ideal, I was also happy with how the novel wrapped up.  This is not a book with neat-and-tidy conclusions for all involved.  This is especially true for Sophie, who (because of my previous assumptions about this being chick lit) I was delighted to see became progressively more independent and strong-willed by the end.  In a world full of men in both her personal and professional life, she finds a way to forge ahead without having to rely on them.  It's both inspiring and refreshing to see such a young female character be able to take that path.

In the end, Buying In left me feeling like THIS is what "new adult" novels should be.  None of that overly sex-and-romance-focused drivel.  Here's a 22-year-old trying to make it in the big bad world of Wall Street, balancing career, family, and love.  And in the end, does she find a perfect solution?  No--but she learns a heck of a lot along the way, and she's ready to live life on her terms.  Doesn't get better than that.  I was glued to this novel, and I hope to see more from Hemphill in the future!

As always, much thanks to Lisa and TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour!
Check out the other blogs on this book tour HERE.  And connect with Laura Hemphill on her website and Twitter.


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Aloha, reader friends!  It's Monday...so what are you reading?