Fashion Writer Navigates Tech World

Valley Verified follows Zoe Zeng, a fashion writer who transitions from the glamorous yet stifling world of Manhattan's fashion industry to the cutthroat environment of Silicon Valley. Tasked with navigating this new landscape, Zoe faces judgmental coworkers, eccentric tech billionaires, and her insecurities, all while trying to find her voice and prove her worth in a male-dominated industry.

Valley Verified stands out for its timely exploration of gender issues in tech, a field often scrutinized for its lack of diversity. Zhao's nuanced characters and realistic settings offer readers both entertainment and enlightenment. However, the novel's reception suggests that while it excels in thematic depth, it may not fully engage all readers in terms of plot execution.


Overall, Valley Verified is a valuable read for anyone interested in the intersection of fashion, technology, and gender dynamics. It offers a fresh perspective on the challenges faced by women in tech and underscores the importance of finding one's voice in a noisy world.

Valley Verified is ideal for fans of The Devil Wears Prada or Iman Hariri-Kia’s books. It’s got this fun, upbeat vibe and readers will fall in love with the characters.

It took me a while to really become invested in this book, but once that happened, I was in it for the long haul. At the surface, there's not much for me to relate to here; I'm not well-versed in either of the worlds of fashion and tech. However, underneath the premise there are a lot of deeper themes that are explored throughout this book which really resonated with me. Growing up as a child of immigrants, thinking about financial security and wanting to repay your parents when deciding on a job, self-doubt and impostor syndrome… A lot of my enjoyment of this book derived from the smaller moments.

That being said, the characters were a lot of fun as well. There's a wide range, and there were so many great moments that came out of their interactions. My favorites were the side characters, in particular Damien (of course) and Bernadette. I guessed some of the twists, but it didn't really ruin my enjoyment? Overall, Valley Verified is a fun read that also tackles some heavy topics, and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you're into fashion and/or tech.

I'll start by saying that I don't know much about fashion or tech, but I really enjoyed this book! I feel like a got a little taste for what life in Silicon Valley is like, and in the tech world. I also got a glimpse of the fashion world in New York, which was fun. I loved Zoe's spunk and her energy, though I found that I sometimes got irritated by her naivety. I'll admit, the story was sometimes predictable, but not predictable enough to totally turn me off from it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

i read this on the airplane and it definitely helped pass by the time. and it was pretty entertaining... loved how the character pushed through her obstacles and yet still stuck with her own beliefs and quirks. a fun, fast, and entertaining read!

I wanted to really love this one. I really liked Kyla's debut novel and was hoping to like this one as much as I liked THE FRAUD SQUAD. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me, I didn't care for all the background about the tech scene in California. I liked the fashion setting and the relationships throughout the book.

i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
while it’s an easy book to read and digest – it’s definitely one of those books you read as a palate cleanser, “valley verified” left me a bit disappointed. i did enjoy some aspects of it, like the female empowerment vibes and the romance, but eventually, they weren’t enough to carry the book for me.

the pacing is a little slow, especially at the start, but it picks up towards the middle – the book is quite easy to read. the writing felt a little juvenile for an adult book, truthfully it reads a bit ya to me, but it might be just a me problem. i did enjoy how the author interwove tech and fashion and how bite-size the tech info was, so it didn’t clutter the book nor was it impossible to understand.

the book starts with zoe being offered a VP job at a start-up after knowing the CEO for about 10 minutes, which put me off from the start because when does that happen. i understand this is fiction and all things are possible, but the story lost all credibility from the get-go. like at least make her go through an interview or something.

this tendency of the book to not let things develop is also visible when zoe befriends a person she met while shopping and they instantly become best friends. while i understand this is a feel-good type of book, it was annoying to see the main character get everything on a silver platter, so we get to the “action” part of the book. the romance was a bit more developed, but i get why we didn’t see a lot of it, since it’s not really the main focus of the story.

i also didn’t really like how prickly zoe was towards the only other woman in the firm. she’s instantly convinced lilian hates her because she’s not as welcoming as the rest of the team and because she doesn’t dress in fun clothes (which is apparently enough to look down on the mc because she has style). while i don’t hate zoe, i do think she’s very naïve and immature, especially during some scenes, but i don’t want to give spoilers.

so, while i did like some aspects of it, “valley verified” is simply not the book for me, but i do see why it might appeal to other readers. it’s a cute story about finding your place in the world and fighting for what you think is right and i can appreciate that.

3.5⭐️ Overall, I thought Valley Verified was a cute story with an AAPI rep, and I loved getting a glimpse into the world of fashion and tech. I listened to the audiobook format and thought the pacing was great, and I enjoyed the narration too.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-workplace drama
-set in the Silicon Valley
-fashion
-tech world

*many thanks to Berkley and prh audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review.

I received this e book in exchange for a review.

I really loved that this book had an Asian midsize character, and in fashion no less! The female/female conflict between Zoe, the main character and her boss, Lillian felt so real. That initial distain turning into friendship once they realized they were on the same team. I loved that Zoe fought for what she felt was right despite potentially have her career ruined.

TW Unwanted sexual advances by a person of power.

Overall this was a quick read with some fun, a little romance, tech bros, fashionistas, and influencers. Very modern and easy to follow along!

I love a book that has a strong, bad-assed woman main character, and Zoe is that character! When she leaves her job as a fashion writer and joins a start-up company in California, things do not go at all like she thinks they will. I adored her and could easily identify with what she was thinking and feeling. And I loved the taking-on of the patriarchy! This was such a smart, hopeful, resonating book, especially for someone in a male-dominated workforce.

Valley Verified took me by surprise. Don’t get me wrong, this isn't a mystery with a surprising twist. No, this is a typical “women's lit” read with strong female characters, but it was so much more. The more are the many messages that spelled out on the pages and illustrated in the characters's actions. Women must build each other up to be the best they can be in no matter what industry and that we are more than the image men in male dominated industries portray us to be. Most importantly, we are not our careers or jobs, but rather women with families, friends and colleagues who can support us in the good and bad times.

I highly recommend this read and thank you for the advanced copy.

It seems to me like this book will only resonate with specific types of readers, i.e. young, cosmopolitan tech-heads or ex-tech-heads, which is not a bad thing, just not the thing for our library patrons who run more towards gritty, older New Englanders. ;)

The Devil Wears Prada x SF tech life was such an interesting combo of the bicoastal life. I loved that the romance took a back seat to the corporate landscape of the story, hooking me more with the intensity of drama and then rewarding me with the romance. Delightful!

Zoe has spent years writing articles for a fashion magazine and finds it frustrating to be unable to write on the topics she's interested in. When she's unexpectedly offered a marketing job at a tech startup for a fashion app, she decides to take the plunge and see what happens. With no tech background, it takes her a while to find her footing but since she knows fashion she's able to apply her skills and help bolster the app's image. However, after a negative article about her, she quickly finds that everything she worked so hard on comes crashing down. Overall, a story about taking the chance in changing careers and translating one's skills to a new environment as well as addressing the sexism and harassment in the tech industry. One issue throughout the book was that Zoe felt very naive at times and it was obvious Lillian was trying to protect Zoe, but Zoe kept interpreting it as Lillian trying to undermine her career and made Lillian out to be the enemy. It seemed unrealistic that Zoe wasn't aware of her surroundings.

3.5 stars

Valley Verified was an enjoyable read, but just didn't quite feel like a favorite book. It took me a bit to connect with the story and characters.

I could understand Zoe's hesitation and concerns about fitting in at her new job, and she does have some nice growth both personally and professionally. Some of her actions/thoughts felt pretty immature or oblivious, and I didn't love that even though it was to set up other story points. The third act conflict also felt rushed and wrapped up with a bow too quickly.

I am glad I read this one, but it was just ok for me.

In Valley Verified Zoe Zeng takes an adventurous leap from her job in New York as an unappreciated fashion writer into the tech world of Silicon Valley.

I really enjoyed this story. I was completely invested from the start and really liked and rooted for Zoe. It was a bit of a slow moving start and the (also slow) romance took a back seat to the character’s growth and journey.
-4 Stars-

I ended up DNFing this book. I started it, put it down, came back to it, put it down again, came back AGAIN, put it down, and then gave it one final go.

It just wasn't for me.

The writing is really well done; I just did not get into the plot or the MC at all. I don't know if it's because it's more of a new adult book, the focus on fashion (which I'm not into), or even a plot that was a bit too slow for my liking. Or maybe it was all of the above that led me to putting it down.

I really wanted to like it as many friends read and loved it, but just not for me.

I will definitely try other books by Kyla Zhao as I think her writing was technically great.

This was such a fun book! The descriptions are spot on - this is Devil Wears Prada meets start-up culture. We meet Zoe Zeng as she's struggling a bit in her existing position as a fashion writer, despite having the best coworkers/BFFs. Given the opportunity to move into a highly compensated role that would give her the stability she won't find in the fashion world, she takes the leap, and this book tells the story of the adventure that follows.

The story is readable and light in its writing, but takes on heavier subjects all the same, discussing gender and race bias in corporate settings as well as sexual harassment. You really see Zoe struggle with wanting to be creative in the way that she was in the former role, and contending with how she can weave it into her new position, which at first feels like a completely different world (that minimizes a lot of her skill set).

This was a very enjoyable read and I definitely see it being a sort of zippy series like The Bold Type, which I also loved (and was so sad to see end)! 100% here for women in corporate spaces making a change.

I really enjoyed The Fraud Squad last year, and Valley Verified was another quick and fun read. It's a satirical view on Silicon Valley with a twist of fashion. It gave off some Devil Wears Prada vibes, which is one of my favorite comfort movies.

There were a few laugh out loud moments, and I loved the dig at a certain "influencer," lamenting from her golden perch that "no one wants to work these days." It's marketed as a romance, but that was only a tiny portion of the plot, though I didn't mind that the romance took a backseat.

If you're looking for a fast and light read, I would recommend that you check out Valley Verified.

Verified enjoyable!

This book gave me Emily In Paris vibes, featuring a spirited Zillenial moving cities for a glamorous job and occasionally being over in her head. Think loud outfits, Mindy-like best friend, and proving all the naysayers wrong.

My favourite aspect is undoubtedly the robust social commentary on so many important issues, such as the rampant sexism in Silicon Valley, plus the sexual harassment and lack of actual diversity (not just #woke diversity) in tech. I also adored The Fraud Squad references and Easter eggs!

Zoe is a deeply relatable protagonist; Imposter Syndrome is very much real and something I experience more than I would like. Her journey of self-discovery and growth was both enjoyable to read and satisfying to watch. I also loved all the other characters, but wish they were more developed and had stronger arcs.

The fashion bits, name-dropping of brands and gossip articles were all super fun to read. But what struck me most was that snippet of Damien's essay.... wow. It was incredibly well-written and made me wonder why the same quality isn't reflected in the rest of the novel or even the author's debut.

Overall, I wish everything had been more fleshed out, even the conflict. The potential and the talent is clearly there but somehow just doesn't shine as fully as it should. Nevertheless, this was a step-up from The Fraud Squad and a fun escapist read.