This book had my fingers tingling to turn the pages from start to finish. I loved the alternating perspectives of both major and minor characters, giving us their thoughts and exposing their neuroses as the plot propelled toward inevitable doom (this isn't a spoiler -- it's a spy novel). This would be a great read if you're looking for a mental escape into a mystery/thriller but not something with violence or gore.

This book was not at all what I expected! It was a unique mix of Russian espionage, Silicon Valley tech, gender roles, and comedy! I had a bit of trouble following the different POVs at time, but overall an enjoyable read. This made me think of so many other spy books and movies I've read and seen. I think it would make a great TV show or movie!

I read this one in two days, and it definitely got me out of my post-vacation reading slump. The Impostor Syndrome gives an in-depth and captivating look at the CA tech industry and the Russian spy network. Julia grew up in an orphanage in Russia, but now she is COO of Tangerine, the fictional Facebook-like social media giant. She is living the American dream: her Instagram-perfect life is marred only by her husband's infidelity and the spying she is still obligated to do for her Russian handlers. Alice, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, works at Tangerine in the tech department, and she inadvertently stumbles upon Julia's spying while doing a routine scan of the network. The rest of the book is full of tension, and I couldn't stop reading until I learned Alice and Julia's fates. I definitely plan to re-read this one in order to savor the writing, which is so darn good. Kathy Wang has a way of writing biting satire that goes down easily, but it's the expert character development that makes this one a must-read! Many thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow/Custom House for the library preview.

An interesting satirical spy novel! A fun, gripping, quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book -- the plot of the book, the multiple POVs, and the pacing. It's difficult to characterize where this book "fits" -- it's not a thriller, but it involves spies; it comments on current society in Silicon Valley but isn't too trendy. I always like when something isn't the same song-and-dance of current literature, and I think this book qualifies. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the way Wang weaved the immigrant experience and the ways of America into the book. The only thing I didn't love was it felt like she jumped onto the trope train -- I especially saw this in Julia's sections when she tears other women down and talks about her views of the C-suite. That felt like an easy way out. Overall, though, I was engaged throughout the entire book and didn't feel like it was obvious how the book would end, two things I always appreciate.

@bykathywang
has pulled off an INCREDIBLE novel - BEST beach read/ thriller. Russian espionage, race/ queerness/ gender in Silicon Valley, feminist dilemmas, comedy, satire, Asian-Am cultural history. It's SO GOOD. Thank you!! #ImposterSyndrome (reading galley now)...June '21
This writer knows what she's about. I'm riveted. *AT LEAST* as good as season finale of #homeland which I watched after boycotting all the preceding because Islamophobia. But that Russian ending!! so real.

I couldn't put this book down. It has a "ripped from the headlines" premise, focusing on Russian interference in social media, plus a fantastic look at women and their roles in tech/Silicon Valley. Julia, Alice, and Leo were all characters to root for, and just prickly enough to make them believable.
I'll be recommending this book to everyone this summer.

This is a unique and interesting book with a great sense of pacing. It's an original take on Silicone Valley, and a fun twist on spy stories. I can see it easily being turned into a movie or TV show. I did find some of the shifting between character POVs to be confusing, and sometimes lost sense of the plot, particularly in the middle. Even so, I still enjoyed this book and found it very entertaining. I do recommend it to anyone interested in the plot!

Wow what a thriller!!! This is a great story with a plot that is captivating. I was literally on the edge of my seat until the last page. This book is a winner.