Member Reviews
I really wish I'd liked this one more, but the plot is super obvious and it didn't really offer anything new or much of a twist to distinguish itself. It's not bad, but it's also not something I'd go out of my way to recommend.
Cam is a tech genius from a poor background who gets the chance of a lifetime when her hard work earns her a spot on the internship program at the biggest tech company in the world, Beekor Industries. There, she gets to meet other young geniuses as passionate as she is to change the world and work with the best equipment and the best people possible. But things aren't as rosy as Cam wants to believe and she'll have to decide if the easy and safe choice is better than following her passion.
I will say that it does have a good overall message, and the friendships and connections were fun to follow. However, the romance feels shoehorned into what could have stood by itself as a story of passion, greed, and forging your own path. I mean, Cam and Marcus barely spend any time together, and he's not honest for most of it. It just doesn't feel like an integral part of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the read!
The best I can describe this book is “meh.” Cam is a college graduate and chosen for one of 5 coveted “page” positions for the fictional technology company Beekor (which seems to be modeled on Apple). The goal is to gain experience and then a job at the company afterward. I loved the detailed descriptions of the places they went to and the quirky characters. The romance between Cam and Marcus was a bit of a bust. Besides being in awe of his looks, there didn’t seem to be any romance.
4 It’s Not What She Expected Stars!!
When I read the blurb for this book, written by two new to me authors, I was intrigued because I thought I was going to get the inside track on what it’s like to work for a ginormous tech giant. And while we do get into the nitty gritty of what it's like to be an intern the tech world, there’s more to this story than that.
Cam is a girl that’s been accepted into a program at Beekor Industries and she quickly realizes that if she wants a future at Beekor she needs to beat out the other Pages in this program and it’s not going to be easy either!
What makes this story so interesting is that not only are these 5 competing against each other, they’re also roommates which adds a new level of intrigue to this story. As the story moves along we get to know each of the Pages and every single one of them is different in their own peculiar ways. There’s a naivety to Cam that at times I found a little irritating, but it didn’t deter me from enjoying this story.
I found myself chuckling at some of the Tacky Tourist Time moments as well as seeing Cam’s growth throughout the story. She’s basically thrown to the wolves at one point, which I didn’t really agree with, but she perseveres, even at the potential expense of her project.
Overall this was a good read and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author has next for us.
This was an interesting read. I struggled with the tech lingo that was very heavy in the beginning of the book. I know it's set in Silicon Valley, but it's also supposed to be for regular people to read as well as techies. I like the characters and the premise. Definitely had to keep in mind that this is more for young adults and it made the reading a little easier.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely
This is a great near future book. Not quite sure if it would be considered science fiction, though it is technology heavy. Cam is one of five people chosen to be in the new group for the Beekor Accelerator Program. She wants to work on refining an attachment she created to provide holographic capabilities for old cell phones for people who cannot afford a Beekor phone, but is disappointed to learn that is not what she has been assigned to work on. Thanks to growing up in a poor community, she quickly discovers that she is at a disadvantage compared to the other four people and has much to learn. Due to her tenacity and love of building hardware, Cam excels and makes new friends. I would give this book 4.5 stars.
Silicon Hearts by Robin Miyashita was an enjoyable read.
The characters are very enjoyable and fleshed out.
I liked how this story was about the tech world and competition.
The relationships that are formed and made really was a highlight to this story.
Miyashita's writing was great. I never lost interest in the book and wasn't at all bored.
I will defiantly read this authors work in the future.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Thank You NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
Cam is the best of the best.
But the hi-tech world is even more elitist than Cam expected. And honestly, more cutthroat than the reader may expect.
This is not a simple coming of age, finding yourself, found family story. I was looking for Big Hero 6. I got Glengarry Glen Ross.
Don't get me wrong, in the end it all comes together. The love story works, the good guys win at the end, and the tone of the final chapters is more positive.
However, I think it's Sofia's description of Cam that kind of explains this book better than I can: "I think that optimism and self belief is what keeps her so motivated and gives her the temerity to try ambitious things."
Even though this is considered New Adult and the main characters are college graduates embarking on their careers, this has a very YA vibe. I really struggled to connect with the story. Cam is a likeable MC and I wanted to see her succeed, but I also wasn't all that invested in the story and found myself skimming a lot of the pages. Yes, there's a romance but it's more about Cam finding her place in the world.
Keep in mind that this is meant as YA or New Adult and you'll enjoy this more. Cam wants to succeed in her internship at Beekor (sort of an amalgam of the tech industry) but she's in competition with four other pages. Each f them is a trope of sorts, as is the scenario. There's romance, there's a little back stabbing, and there's a chuckle or two. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No new territory for many but it's nicely written.
I was mostly lost in the beginning with the technological terms. It went very heavy on that aspect of the book, which I understand is based in Silicon Valley and at a tech company, but for a lay person, it was confusing and difficult to get through. The story itself is interesting and sweet. The romance is meh. It wasn’t really clear to me what Cam saw in Marcus besides he was supposed to be good looking. A little more investment there would have made me root for them but by the end, I really didn’t care if they ended up together or not. The other pages were great characters and I liked them all and enjoyed reading about how they worked together as a group. Cam came across as immature more than once and the way she reacted to the bombshell towards the end, instead of having a discussion with her friends seemed extremely immature and wasn’t a great addition to the story. This is also a book where everything works out at every conflict extremely easily and smoothly.
It’s a quick, light read and for those in the tech world, I think it would be enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC.
“Talent, skill, work ethic, those are all important. But they mean nothing if you don’t have connections to people who can give you resources.”
Futuristic, Technology-Based, and Outlandish – this book will teach you something about love, friendship, alliances, teamwork, fashion, competition, politics, nepotism, and change!
Silicon Hearts by Robin Miyashita and R. K. Moravec follows five “Pages” at Beekor Industries in Silicon Valley, where they are competing to get a full-time offer from the biggest tech company in the world. As the months go on, the Pages all become friends while working on very different projects within the company, the food is perfect, and the company owner, Wyatt, seems too seamless for his own good. But people get undermined and pushed to the side, ideas get stolen, things aren’t exactly what they seem . . . and of course, it only fits that hearts may get broken.
I loved the vast array of characters that made up the Page Household! Avery was a hoot, and Sofia, James, and Marcus all played their parts to balance out this book. The novel centered around Cam, and though she was very naïve – coming from a small town and having the least amount of resources or money growing up – her passion for her project and vulnerabilities will make you love her. (“We are all always becoming, evolving. As the bird grows, she must molt.”)
Tacky Tourist Time was hysterical and a terrific idea (even if you have lived where you have forever) and the team plot lines along with those of changing the world for the better was a great undertone throughout the novel. “You’re only as strong as your team.”
I feel like Beekor was a mix of Apple and Google, and while I’m not a technology nerd, in the beginning I felt like I was in the movie The Internship. Saying this, with all of the futuristic vehicles and products, I think this book would make for an amazing movie! While I was lost on some of the terms, I feel like the authors toned it down enough to make it understandable, and about connections, to keep me turning the pages. I had no idea holographic teleconferencing could be a thing – and I’m excited that this may be the way for our future.
While this novel was not what I was expecting, and some of it was too dragged out and in my opinion – too long – the overall theme, characters, and plot lines all added up. I think readers will be intrigued by this novel and love getting a glimpse into the tech world. I give this 3.8 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this fun, different read! All opinions are my own!
“We should look more into fixing what we have than always chasing what is new and shiny.”
An interesting take on what having a passion for something can make you willing to do. It's also a great story of self growth and awareness while discovering life is journey.
While I loved the concept of this book, it was certainly not an easy read. Until the end of the book, it was hard to keep track of all of the different characters and their backstories. The first 75% of the book was tough to read but it did resolve nicely at the end.
I hadn’t really realised when picking up this book that it was a Young Adult mixed with quite a lot of romance. From the blurb, I had thought it would be more focussed on the technology side and competition between the new recruits of a giant tech firm.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very readable book, and I was able to finish it quite quickly. However, if you are expecting a deeper story, perhaps look elsewhere as this is a bit of a shallow read. Main character Cam is smart; she is from a poor background and wants to use her gifts to bring technology to the wider world. She wins a scholarship to an internship at tech giant Beekor and competes to earn her spot on the wider team. We should be with Cam from the outset, particularly as all of the book is written from her point of view, but to be honest I found her naïve to the point of irritating. Some of the mistakes she makes feel incredibly unrealistic and I also don’t understand why her tech team didn’t mentor her properly, instead letting her run wild with her first ever project and run all of them into the ground to keep up with her. A very expensive way to teach her a lesson.
The characters all felt a little stereotypical - there’s quiet kid James who hates socialising and just wants to work on his headphones project – he later hooks up with the goth girl from IT. There’s they/them Avery, an outlandish extrovert who’s all about networking, knows absolutely everyone and whose main priority is giving Cam a fashion makeover. There’s Sofia - a smart women with hardly any personality other than liking one film. There’s Marcus, the love interest who Cam seems to love from looks alone as he’s too busy focussing on his career to actually say anything to her. He then inexplicably introduces her to his parents after a few dates and she gets upset when something is revealed about him that she didn’t know but most of us had guessed half a book before. Then there’s Lee, the co-founder of the company, I really thought there was going to be an interesting side-plot and twist about Lee which would expose a darker under-current about Beekor, but nothing is really revealed.
The overall story is about family and that is quite cute - it could have easily been edited down by getting rid of some of the repetitive scenes of them all going out though. The main romance scene was also incredibly cringe-worthy.
Overall Silicon Hearts is a Young Adult Romance book with an incredibly irritating main character and a predictable plot that’s been done many times before. Thank you to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was really cute! This was a hodgepodge of coming of age, romance, techy smartie pants and competition.
I really enjoyed this one and found it to be a really quick read.
"Silicon Hearts" is like "The Bold Type" but for the tech world/Silicon Valley, and I'm here for it. Sure, there's a dash of romance in this New Adult novel but it's more about discovering your found family and pursuing your dreams than anything. This fish-out-of-water tale is fun, cute and so dang engaging. I just wanted to savor this one -- until the very last page.
Quirky, cute, and uniquely written, "Silicon Hearts" transports readers into the tech industry and the ever-expanding world of artificial intelligence. Despite the presence of technical jargon, the novel develops its characters, each with their own distinct struggles and motivations. I found myself deeply invested in their journeys, eagerly rooting for them on every page. Plus, the blossoming love story between friends and the main characters added an extra layer of charm. This book is a great blend of technology, emotion, and friendship that left me with a satisfied heart.
Thanks to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue, and Robin Miyashita for allowing me access to this book. All opinions are my own.
For some reason I kept waiting for this book to be like many others where Silicon Valley is full of evil, terrible people who are plotting some sinister way to exploit the main characters. I think I hadn't fully read that it was a romance story.
So while there was a little evil-ness, it was mostly a story about five kids who win an opportunity to participate at a special program hosted by a big tech company (that smelled a lot like a combination of Apple and Google). As someone who works at one of these companies, I laughed at some of what was true and some of what was clearly exaggerated but all in the spirit of fun.
The writers are both from the industry so there's nothing here that was egregiously ridiculous except maybe that they couldn't predict the 2023 slow down of tech.
I enjoyed each of the five characters. They weren't super complex but they also weren't cartoons. They just weren't deeply developed but it didn't bother me. This was a fun, entertaining read.
with gratitude to netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Book review of Silicon Hearts by Robin Miyashita
I gave this one 4 stars. It was different than I usually read, but it was a cute, quick read.
Thank you @netgalley for this early release. This is set in a futuristic time, and that's not usually my cup of tea, but I thought this was a good story.
Camilia "Cam" Diaz is from a small town, and she is chosen to be in Beekor's Accelerator Program as a page. There are 4 other pages in the program with her and they will all be living in the same house. Each has their own expertise, Avery is the well connected one, Sofia is the beautiful and brilliant one, James is the nerdy but mechanically gifted one, and Marcus is just the drop dead gorgeous, charming one! As they all get to know each other and form friendships, the sparks fly between Cam and Marcus. The competition among them to be top of the class is exhausting, but they find a way to be friends.
As they all come together to work on Cam's project to help people from backgrounds like her, you see the setting for a few love connections.
Great cast of quirky characters you will love. Cam is awesome!
Grab this one that is out August 8, 2023.
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I'm a female electrical engineer so the technical aspects of this book were appealing. However, the female main character was initially so naive I wanted to jump into my kindle and shake some sense into her. Fortunately, she did show some growth and maturity by the end of the book. Overall, this book was just "okay' for me.