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.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
TLC Book Tours is offering a copy of Buying In to one lucky reader of my blog. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter! Entries are for US/Canada residents only and contest closes 11/18.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I had all the same concerns you mentioned when reading the synopsis. Glad to hear it's a bit more than it might seem. :)
ReplyYes, definitely is!! The tone ended up being completely different than expected.
Thanks for this interesting giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
Reply"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."
ReplyThank you! I love to hear about these kinds of books. If "New Adult" is going to be a thing, it should be as broad a category as "Young Adult" and "Adult" fiction are. Not a sub-genre of romance.
Completely agree! I wish more people would label novels like this, because I enjoy them so much but I feel like they fall through the cracks at times.
sounds quite good, thanks for the giveaway! Emma ehc16e at yahoo dot com
ReplyThis sounds like exactly what I've always wished New Adult novels were too! I'm not sure how I'd feel about the ending. For me, reading fiction is pretty escapist and I like for everything to work out exactly right for the main character. If done right though, I can still enjoy a more realistic but mostly happy ending :)
ReplyI wouldn't say it was an unhappy ending...just not a nicely-tied-together, predictable one. :)
I've been watching this book, and my concern that it was too much about the recent (well, not so recent) Wall Street misbehaviors which could get rather depressing and boring. However, your review has convinced me otherwise. Looking forward to reading it.
ReplyAlso, I enjoyed your review so much I will be featuring an excerpt with link to this review on my Friday Favorites this week (11/15).
Awesome, thanks! And I'd love to hear what you think if you do get around to reading it.
Did you read Bond Girl by Erin Duffy? You might enjoy that as well. This one seems in the same vain.
ReplyNope, but thanks for the tip--I'd love to read something similar to this.
"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."
ReplyAbsolutely!!! This is what makes the book for me...except the part where Sophie looked in everybody's desk drawers! :P
OK yes, that was kind of creepy...and it's a detail that never really connects in with the rest of the story very well, now that you mention it!
None of that overly sex-and-romance-focused drivel.
ReplyOh, YES! I do not in the least bit understand why "new adult" fiction has to be such drivel. Angst-riddled, sex-feuled tacky crap. So good to see authors and publishers expanding the range a bit! Makes me actually interested in reading the book. :)
I wish it was easier to find books like this! They don't normally get labeled "new adult" (due to lack of romance/sex) so I just kind of stumble upon them.
I love that this is about a high-powered WOMAN in Wall Street. You just don't find enough books with a female protagonist in the world of men-dominated finance.
ReplyAgreed!! Definitely one of the things that made this novel so compelling.
Gotta love it when a book makes you feel smarter after you've read it!
ReplyThanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.
Thanks Heather!