Loved this formally inventive novel about the horrors of the mind and the workplace. I interviewed Sarah on my podcast, Reading the Room, one of my favorite discussions to date.

So weird, but it felt like such an apt depiction of the way that the technotopia dream embodied in Silicon Valley is actually just a maw that eats the good and the softness in so many people and how opaque we can be to ourselves during that process. Totally essential 21st century syllabus content.

I featured this book in a new release video prior to publication and was very excited about the promising eery tone, but also I have worked in some awful corporate jobs lol and I guess want to explore that in fiction in what sounds like a WILD way 😂. The black hole..... I can't!!! this is definitely a 5 star prediction and I can't shut up about it to my subscribers.

Honestly, the feminist dystopian and/or horror lit fic is having a moment and this felt very trite in the sea of all of that. Highly relatable content regarding corporate work versus personal identity, but this has been done before (and better). I would read this author again because I think she is a great writer. But when Ling Ma exists, it's impossible to take on the subgenre.

As a millennial woman living in a late-capitalist hellscape, Sarah Rose Etter's Ripe really spoke to me. The writing is sharp and poignant and makes the reader wonder about the impact of tech on our one wild and precious life.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

It ended up not being my type of read regarding the subject and storyline/plot, but there is no doubt she can write such lush descriptions and has an interesting style of book layout. It is good to have a book delve into mental illness/depression/anxiety, and take a behind the scene look into working in silicone valley tech. I could see this being developed into a limited tv series

After reading the first few chapters, I couldn't put the book down. The corporate setting in the book was so dystopian, and even more depressing when you realize that it's not far off from reality in some ways. The overuse of battle-jargons at a desk job, the life-or-death nature of mistakes on spreadsheets, and the absolute conformity of the employees who want to rise on the corporate ladder was so compelling.

DNF @ 55% . This book didn’t have any substance to keep me intrigued to want to keep reading. The book lacked detail on almost everything going on in the book: the black hole (depression? Don’t know), The Believers (the people that walked beside her into work everyday, never explained why they are called that), the main character thinks she’s pregnant from almost the start of the book and halfway through she still hasn’t taken a pregnancy test. Her bosses are passive aggressive with her. She refers to her mom as a wasp who keeps stinging her throughout life. And the random use of Cocaine in this book to confuse the reader even more?
It’s a no for me.

I dnfed this book at 20%. I just couldn't understand what was happening and the writing was not my style.

Lily Samson's "The Switch" presents a compelling premise set against the high-stakes backdrop of a Silicon Valley startup, but ultimately fell short for me due to underdeveloped characters and plot.

Cassie's constant companion is a miniature black hole, a metaphor for her depression and anxiety, which grows in relation to her distress. This unique element provides a vivid depiction of her mental health struggles as she contends with the pressures of her job and an unexpected pregnancy. The black hole's relentless pull mirrors the increasing tension in her life, culminating in a decision about her future in Silicon Valley.

While the concept is intriguing and the social commentary sharp, the novel suffers from underdeveloped characters and a plot that lacks depth. Cassie's internal and external conflicts feel rushed, and the supporting characters fail to leave a lasting impact. Despite these shortcomings, "The Switch" offers a provocative exploration of the absurdities and challenges of modern life, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the dark side of startup culture.

Haunting, raw, unfiltered, timely and acutely aware of the current human condition. RIPE is outside of my typical reading genre, however I appreciated and valued the perspective Sara Rose Etter shared in RIPE and look forward to reading to her other works. TW: Depression. I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Definitely took me on a surprising and dark ride. Loved how unique this one was and am looking forward to more work from Etter!

Really wanted to love this one but it was slow moving.

The intentions were present, but I couldn’t find myself diving into the story wholeheartedly.

THIS BOOK!!!! I loved this so much. It perfectly captures millennial corporate depression. I annotated the poop out of this. I felt so seen reading this. I need more from this author.

This is the most relatable book which instantly became a new favorite for me. I can see how it's not for a lot of people who don't understand the feeling of crushing under the weight of capitalism, but it's 100% a hit for me. The writing is also beautiful and metaphorical, and the relationships that the MC has are written so much subtlety. Would recommend to anyone who's been feeling burned out.

Whew, this is a stressful read. I would warn against reading this if you're feeling ~emotionally fragile~ because it sort of sent me into an existential crisis. But, weirdly, I enjoyed it? This one's hard to review because I'm basically just feeling like the head exploding emoji.

I tried reading my NetGalley copy and was struggling to get into it, so I ended up listening to a library copy of the audiobook after it was published and loved it!

I thought Cassie's loneliness and depression being cast as a black hole swirling around her could have come off as a little too on-the-nose or cheesy, but it ended up being a perfect symbol of her all-consuming, inescapable existential malaise. This poor girl - she has an absolutely terrible mom, a boyfriend who is someone else's boyfriend, and a soul-sucking job writing marketing materials for a tech company. Her job consumes nearly every waking moment of her life (when they took away her Saturday and Sunday for more work nonsense, I could feel myself getting sweaty and upset -aaagh), but she is still living paycheck-to-paycheck and can see the brutal consequences of losing her job every single day in the ever-growing population of people living on the streets around her. This was not a fun book to listen to - it really was depressing AF - but there were enough funny, snarky moments to keep it from being a crying book (for me, anyway).

Highly recommended for fans of Emily R. Austin's books (especially Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead) and anyone who has ever felt broken down and trapped in their life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedbackThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback

Mental breakdowns, SF, the tech industry - this novel was right up my alley!

There were so many themes that this novel touched on upon as well, depression, ambition, privilege. I love novels that are just a touch too real, especially as someone who lives in the Bay Area and know how real these situations are.

Wonderful book!

This was a good read & such a unique book! I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!