Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A lovely, easy read. A great read for when you don't feel like reading, you know? Easy, not at all taxing, very enjoyable.

What I liked about Viral was the company aspect and politics of it. As someone who worked and works in this field it was very well done.
However I didn't care much for any of the characters and had a hard time connecting. Using the sex app as plotline to move further down the line was good but I wouldn't call it very suspenseful as advertised in the blurb.
Altogether it had some things going for it but disappointed with flat characters.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed Viral which is set in the world of internet start-ups in Berlin and is excellent at depicting and then sending up the intrinsic shallowness at the heart of the ‘influencer’ industry. Ned and Alice are CEO’s of The Thing Factory – a digital start-up that is beginning to take off – as they attract potential investors and land a big deal with Red Bull. Problems arise when an app they have created which ‘uber-ises sex work’ attracts the unwanted attention of a dangerous gang and their business and their lives are suddenly in danger. Viral starts out as a sharp and often very funny satire of internet start-ups then veers into thriller territory. It is not always believable and the ending is a little tidy for my liking, but the slick pacing, sharp characterisation and keen eye for ? make it a very entertaining read.

Even if I found the book well written and the premises interesting I couldn't connect to the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Hmm. I really liked the premise of the book - I love social media/new tech in fiction. But while I did like the book itself I didn't love it mostly because I found the characters slightly difficult to engage with. Decent read overall though.

After moving to Berlin, Alice and Ned start a social media start-up called The Thing Factory. Alice feels the drive to succeed at something and is looking for a purpose. Ned struggles to do purely pleasurable things, especially after he found his purpose. I recognize this feeling. He sounds like a regular 30-something fellow.

Through Ned’s past and current actions, Matthew Sperling shows the dangers and the impact of social media. No matter what, once it’s out there – either on the internet or in someone’s head – you can’t get rid of the information anymore. It is easy to deceive people: how do you tell the difference between fake news and real news? Are threats people send you real threats or just jokes?

You read about doing business as a thriving start-up plus the politics that come with it. Ned thinks he is unlike other people working at a start-up. As if you believe him. He is sarcastic and critical, but he stays serious. The turning point is when he and his colleagues start working om the sex worker platform called Gliss. They have a sound business model, and by reading their brainstorm sessions, you get inspired to come up with exciting ideas for your own (future) business. But what if other players start showing interest in what you are developing?

After a slow buildup, the suspense starts to build up for a deal The Thing Factory is working towards. This part almost made me feel anxious, as if I were involved in the wellbeing of the company. Will it go well? This subtle feeling of suspense is well-executed, and I like the way Matthew Sperling ended the book.

My only problem was with the characters. They didn’t feel fleshed out, nor did I find them interesting. I didn’t root enough for Ned and Alice to care for their narrative/story, especially not the detailed account of their daily lives and dates. I didn’t care for Folasade or Tristan either. That made the immersion less because I couldn’t connect to the main characters. It gets better at the end, but by then it’s too late.

Set in Berlin in 2015, Viral satirises the world of social media startups. A new company, set up by Alice and Ned seems to be doing miraculously well from the minute they’ve set it up. Ned soon becomes a bit bored with the marketing side of the business and decides to diversify into app development, creating a social media platform for Berlin’s escort industry. The app proves popular but the gang running protection rackets for escorts is just a tad put out. Meanwhile, Alice, thrilled with the company’s success makes big plans for the future that may or may not include her business partner.

To be honest, I found Viral too preoccupied with mundane daily goings on at the office and exposition of various processes involved in monetisation of social media, making it a bit bland overall. I guess I was expecting it to be a bit more of the moment satire and the 2015 setting, in social media terms, made it practically historical fiction. I haven’t read Astroturf, Sperling’s first novel and didn’t know Ned was also its protagonist. Some of his actions in that book are referred to in Viral but this is a standalone story I believe. I think many readers will enjoy it but sadly, it’s not for me.

My thanks to Quercus, riverrun and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Viral.

As someone in the midst of my masters, I rarely get the chance to enjoy a good fiction book that also relates to my current research project, so Viral became a bit of a guilty pleasure for me to read on an evening as I unwound for the night, whilst retaining the excuse it was in technicality a good reference point I could discuss in my diss.
Viral, is arguably ever more relevant since the pandemic swept the world, as we are ever increasingly living our lives on the web, and the dark underbelly that surrounds us and our consumption of content (in that inauthentic identities and more are visible all around us but we don't ultimately notice), the satire is spot on if at times broaching the realm of the uncanny, in that this fictional realm is just too close to reality to deny elements could very much be real!

Viral is a satirical novel about Berlin start-ups, power, and money, turning a mocking eye towards the tech industry's attempts to 'disrupt' everything. Ned and Alice are entrepreneurs with a social media start-up in Berlin that seems to be taking off, but whilst Alice is focused on that making money, Ned is thinking of other ideas, including an app to be the Uber of the sex work world. However, his app catches the attention of Berlin's underworld, and Ned seems to be losing control of his company, as both threat and business move quickly.

This is a book that is darkly mocking, presenting a ridiculous pair of protagonists (especially Ned, who thinks he's ironically emulating start-up guys when really he just clearly is one) in a wild situation, when success comes at the same time as an underworld threat. It really focuses on the absurdity of the technology industry, and particularly on people trying to get rich quick in a cool way with Berlin offices and a detachment from the real world. This makes it clever, but also it lacks engagement with some of the issues around gentrification and race that it raises due to the tone and the fact things have to absurdly work out.

I read Sperling's previous novel Astroturf a while back and didn't realise that this is a kind of sequel to it until I was nearly at the end of this and happened to look at the blurb of my copy of Astroturf, realising that the protagonist had the same name. You don't need to have read Astroturf to read Viral, but it does explain why Viral contains a lot of cryptic references to Ned's previous dodgy dealings. It is a cutting look at people who moved to Berlin to create start-ups with an underlying edge of suspense.

Viral is a deliciously vicious and sly read, that's extremely well paced and feels all too real for the times we live in. Absolutely gripping and unputdownable page turner from Matthew Sterling. This is one that would spark some very lively and interesting debates if you are in a book club.

'Viral' by Matthew Sperling is a brilliant, satirical take on modern life.
The main plot focuses on Alice and Ned who run ‘The Thing Factory’ in Berlin; a fast paced startup with an emphasis on social media advertising. Everything appears all well, if not slightly arrogant with the group of young and ambitious workers but Ned has a less than squeaky clean past. The story begins to take a darker turn after the company begins work on an app for the Berlin escort industry; their idealism believing that it will give women control of their work life. However Ned soon discovers the old bosses strongly disagree with their power being taken away in this modern way.
The whole narrative in this book is tightly wound in pace and brilliantly vicious in tone. Personally this was a departure from the type of books that I usually read but it was a breath of fresh air in terms of its critical and biting remarks on the move towards young, online start-ups. I enjoyed the setting choice of Berlin which fits the character’s modern attitude to life but the darker underbelly references their shadier approach to ambition and competitiveness with one another. A brilliant novel which really probes into the human side of a ‘fake news’ era.

Mathew Sperling has written a very entertaining novel. Set in Berlin at the time of the 2015 UK election it tells the story of a startup whose CEOs form the main protagonists. Ned has a tainted past having raised the required funds through dubious enterprises. Alice is highly motivated, determined to succeed following a failed acting career. Their startup called The Thing Factory uses social media as an advertising platform. Ned diversifies by developing an online platform to give autonomy to sex workers.

The story is captivating; it drew me in with its cast of quirky twenty somethings. It is written with skill and craft. I chose to read this as the review described the story as fast paced and satirical, I wanted to read humour to uplift my current mood in these dark times. It is certainly fast paced and unique, part of the time line is narrated from the perspective of both Ned and Alice. The story satirized the startup and social media phenomenons, particularly in the first half of the book, unfortunately I didn’t find it very humorous; this may be down to my current mood. I would recommend this novel.

I wish to thank Matthew Sperling, Quercus Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Viral in exchange for an honest review.