Super fun book. The ending makes me want to kick down some doors and kick some ass. Some parts were too angsty for me, but still binged the book quickly. Love how the story about connects to the authors own experience as well!

3.5 stars

Fashion meets Silicon Valley in this fish-out-of-water tale. While the initial pacing was a little slow, I ended up enjoying the story. I do feel like Zoe, the protagonist, at times felt a little artificially obtuse, but it was all in service of the plot. And I enjoyed the way that author Kyla Zhao wrapped up the story. (I also kind of really wish that FitPick was real because it was super well-sketched and socially aware.)

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

🌟: 3.75
There was definitely a lot about this book that I enjoyed, specifically the main characters love for fashion and the way she acclimates to her challenging new job, and yet it still wasn't entirely the book for me.

My favorite part of this book was absolutely the Legally Blonde vibes. As one of my favorite movies, it does not get the retelling treatment enough in fiction, so I loved seeing the way the author adapted the story against the backdrop of the Silicon Valley tech world (even if the tech/startup jargon got to be a bit much for me at times). Being from the Bay Area, it was also fun to watch Zoey acclimate to a setting that I am very familiar with, visiting some of my favorite locations and spending time in my world.

I also really enjoyed the fish out of water vibes of the story and watching Zoey make new friends at her new job. Zoey and Damien's budding romance was naturally a highlight for me, but I also loved seeing her win over Bram and Austin. However, I still would have liked to see these friendships developed a little bit more.

The main thing I felt like this book was lacking was more development in the friendship between Zoey and Lillian. One of my favorite parts about Legally Blonde is the way Elle and Vivian's friendship blossoms after their initial negative impressions of each other. Zoey jumps pretty quickly to the conclusion that the prickly Lillian does not like her, and therefore dislikes Lillian as well, leading her to jump to some pretty quick conclusions about the other woman in the third act. Upon hearing Lillian's side of the story, her opinion quickly changes, however I would have liked to see this friendship be established earlier in the story.

Another drawback that kept me from being fully invested in the book was how naive Zoey was at times. She was completely oblivious to Bill's shady behavior, which didn't feel entirely believable, and her refusal to think a little deeper into why Lillian behaves the way she did towards Zoey got to be frustrating at times.

Overall, this book had quite a few elements that I enjoyed, but there were still enough that kept it from being a favorite.

I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book! I didn't make it and had to finish up the next day. Yes, it was that good!

This book reminded me that while women have come a long way in this world, there are plenty of men out there who still try to hold us back. This book may hit some trigger points for people, but everything that happened is what you see in this world today. It is a shame that we haven't moved past the point where people do not treat each other respectfully and only look out for their own interests.

Zoe is young and has a lot to learn, but that doesn't stop her from jumping into a new career across the country. I appreciated her zeal for the job and also for championing the underdog in the influencer world. She may have been naive at various times, but I think her inexperience was actually a plus in this situation. She could think outside the box. Plus, fashion is her world and she knew what would or wouldn't work.

There are friendships that are formed along the way for Zoe, and even some interoffice romance. Zoe is true to herself, or at least does her best, and seeks out the same in those around her. She has to navigate a few sticky situations but does it gracefully and without too many blunders. She is a character that I really admire, even when she is having a pity party.

While I have had a bit of a reading slump so far this year, this book engaged my soul and reenergized my love for reading.

We give this book 5 paws up.

Zoe has a great career working as a fashion columnist at Chic, but her career isn’t exactly what she dreamed of. When she receives an offer to be the marketing manager for an app startup she takes it and moves to Silicon Valley. This huge move and industry change ends up presenting new challenges for Zoe.

This was such a unique and fun story with a lot to love. I’m not super familiar with the intricacies of either the fashion world or the tech world, so the behind the scenes glimpses into both industries were fascinating. The app, FitPick is totally something I could see myself using and seeing the process behind it was also incredibly interesting. Zoe was a great main character to follow - her bravery for picking up and starting over with a new career in a new city was so admirable and I was rooting for her from the beginning. Then, once she started running into road bumps, I was cheering her on even more. The side characters, both Zoe’s friends from NYC and the friends she made in California were also amazing. They not only added more fun to the story, but I was invested in their lives and how they supported Zoe. I think this book would make for a great mini series! (Netflix, I’m talking to you ;) ).

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy. Thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for hosting another wonderful #BerkleyBuddyRead

Imagine if there was a mashup of Legally Blonde and The Devil Wears Prada … well that’s exactly the vibes you’ll get from Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao.

New York City fashion writer Zoe Zeng gets the job opportunity of a lifetime. She moves across the country to become the VP of Marketing for FitPick, a Silicon Valley tech startup, with no marketing presence and minimal customers. Will her leap of faith pay off?

I really enjoyed this fashion meets tech novel. This deep dive into the tech world — rivalries, cutthroat culture, and sexism — gives you a realistic view of Silicon Valley startup life. Even though she’s battling imposter syndrome, Zoe refuses to let the tech world chew her up and spit her out. I loved that Zoe’s ideas for inclusivity and diversity are what made her stand out.

The strong female friendships are my favorite aspect of this book. I’m always a fan of women supporting women, and Valley Verified has this in spades.

While I would classify Valley Verified as women’s fiction, there’s a romance element that is very fitting with the story and develops organically. The grumpy/sunshine trope works perfectly here.

Valley Verified is an entertaining read! I enjoyed this one so much that I plan to grab this author’s first book, The Fraud Squad, soon.

Thank you to Berkley for a copy of this book.

Zoe Zeng is working at Chic magazine, and feeling unfulfilled. Her articles aren't getting the attention she believes they deserve, or she doesn't get approved to write what she wants. This changes when Bill Lawrence meets her at a fashion event, and offers her a job at his start-up, FitPick, in Silicon Valley. She moves across the country and tries to fit in with a group of tech savvy employees. She butts heads with Lillian, the COO, thinking Lillian has it out for her.
Zoe meets Damien, CTO, of the company, and he befriends her, helping her find her way in the company. Then, Bill starts acting inappropriately, and tells Zoe they have to impress the financier. Zoe begins to get suspicious, and reaches out to her new friend, Bern, to help her to understand the information she has uncovered, and what it could mean for Zoe's career.
Cutthroat world of start-ups, MeToo vibes. Not your average romance.

I really enjoyed this one! Think The Devil Wear Prada but set in Silicone Valley and you'll get a picture of what you're in for. I loved watching Zoe figure out the tech field and grow and change along the way. A great read!

**Many thanks to Berkley and Kyla Zhao for an ARC provided via NetGalley!**

Zoe Zeng has always been a fashionista, with her a style all her own...on AND off the page. As a writer for the fashion magazine, Chic, Zoe has found the perfect group of friends at her work, and gets to attend ALL of the hottest parties, fittings, and industry events. New York City has become home, and all of the pieces of her life seem to be falling into place. But Chic's agenda has often pushed Zoe into writing the sort of clickbait articles that the magazine wants...but has not allowed her the space to explore her own passion areas in the field of representation and diversity in fashion...and despite her success in getting to this point, she feels frustrated at the lack of freedom.

So when a tech mogul (named Bill Lawrence...no relation to the real-life TV director and showrunner, I hope!) approaches her at an industry event and pitches the idea of Zoe moving to LA to become his marketing director at a brand new startup called FitPick...she's MORE than intrigued. Silicon Valley? The glitz, the glamour...the PAYCHECK?! All that aside, the app is designed to let users pick the best of two looks from its users...and Zoe thinks this is the perfect chance to get her diverse fashionistas in front of MILLIONS, and take her career to new heights. Despite her reluctance to leave her friend circle in New York, Zoe takes this as an offer she can't refuse and heads for sunny California.

When she arrives, however, she finds that life amongst the Techie Set ISN'T quite what she imagined...and Zoe realizes she is in WAY over her head. See, the tech crowd doesn't care who's on the cover of Vogue...but they DO hang on the every word of the writer for Valley Verified, a magazine who projects who is hot and who is not in Silicon Valley. And then there's the small fact that FitPick is out to impress an Angel investor with a reputation...and let's just say he ISN'T easy to please. Navigating all of these uncharted waters (mostly) alone, Zoe starts to wonder...is she really cut out for life in the Valley? Or will she permanently STOP this start up...before it EVER gets the chance to take off?

Though I'm not much of a fashion plate myself, there's something FUN about reading this type of story. I figured this would be a little bit Devil Wears Prada, a little bit Carrie Bradshaw from SATC, and a little bit of Silicon Valley (yes, the aptly named HBO Comedy) all rolled into one...and I'm always a sucker for a story set in NYC (or California, for that matter!) At first, this was an easy enough book to read, and although I didn't feel much of an emotional connection, I figured once we got FULLY into the main plot in Silicon Valley, I would grow progressively more attached to the characters AND more invested in Zoe and her journey.

However...I think all of Zoe's maturity must have gotten stuck at the New York airport...because once she went to LA, I felt like she regressed back into teen-dom faster than a Boeing 747. Because of this, the book reads INCREDIBLY like YA, to the point where I actually went back a couple of times to check that it was NOT YA...but alas, it is not.

First off, all of Zoe's techie contemporaries in LA were some of the least believable characters I've read in some time. For highly educated adults with high paying jobs, some of their dialogue just felt bizarre and out of place for people I pictured to be in their mid to late twenties (or older!) For instance, at one point one of the guys said something was "Gucci"...and I'll be honest, I haven't heard a man use that word....well, EVER. One of the main character traits of the Techie Bros was a love for hiking and Patagonia jackets (and again, not really seeing what's so offensive about Patagonia jackets?) and something about the entire group just didn't ring authentic to me.

Then there's the one thing more inauthentic to me than insta-love...insta-FRIENDSHIP between our MC and someone she literally meets out shopping. The two go from being strangers to besties in no time flat, and maybe I just don't have enough of these 'meet cute' type friendships to go off of in real life, but I just didn't understand how this person was always available for Zoe, was taking her along to workout classes etc., after knowing her for all of 5 minutes. Zoe also admits over and over she is ignoring her friends from home to some extent, doesn't treat them very well...and they STILL bend over backwards to help her at a moment's notice.

The driving force behind this one is an examination of the good and bad in tech and social media, and Zhao makes her stance on diversity and representation in the fashion VERY clear. Her MESSAGE is good and important; that being said, it was often presented as very stilted dialogue between characters that didn't feel authentic. While these conversations are important and SHOULD be happening frequently, the way Zoe made her points to her team just didn't feel REAL. There's also the infamous writer for Valley Verified, Rebecca Stiles, who apparently ONLY focuses on Zoe Zeng and FitPick as the subject for all of her articles (even though she is supposed to be commenting on ALL of the Fab v. Fad debates in the Valley)....trust me when I say by the THIRD article of hers, you'll be groaning each time you see her name pop up...yet again.

As if trying to FULLY explore the intersection of diversity in tech AND fashion in today's ultra-filtered, swipe happy existence wasn't enough...Zhao decided to make the third act a full-on #MeToo story. Why? To be honest...it's been days since I finished this one, and I still don't know. While again, the topic is timely and perfect fodder for drama, it was just one more layer this story didn't really need to feel complete and the 'emails' included in the scandal had me rolling my eyes a bit. I understand wanting to fully take down The Man (especially when said Man is NOT a good guy) but I think one plot point or the other would have sufficed.

And then the ending...may be one of THE most unrealistic business moves in history. Perhaps I just don't know as much about how employees ACTUALLY end up in the C suite...but let's just say that what Zhao was selling at the end?

I was NOT buying...or even putting on layaway.

Though there are so many important points about inclusion, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, female empowerment, risk vs. reward, confidence, etc. buried under the so-so predictable plot of this one...rather than Silicon Valley Girl Boss?

I'd simply shorten it to "Valley Girl."

3 stars

The Devil Wears Prada with a Silicon Valley spin. I really loved this one. I read it all in one sitting on my plane ride home from vacation and it was utterly entertaining. Zoe’s life is fashion and she had her dream job at a magazine in New York. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly a dream come true. When an opportunity arises to work for a fashion app startup up she takes a leap of faith and heads to Silicon Valley but did she make a huge mistake ?
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This one read like a movie which I would love to see on the screen! I’m all in on anything Zhao writes at this point!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Valley Verified is a story about a young professional trying to find her place in the world. Zoe Zeng works in the fashion industry and while she loves it, she's tired. Tired of not being allowed to write what she wants and tired of being poorly compensated for the intense hours she puts in. A chance meeting at an industry event has Zoe quitting her job and flying across the country to start anew in the world of tech.

I thought this book was fun and the comparisons to Legally Blonde were appropriate, Zoe is completely out of her element when she moves to Silicon Valley and quickly discovers that life in the tech industry definitely has a learning curve. I thought the banter between Zoe and her new coworkers was really great, and I loved getting to see her succeed in forming new relationships. Damien was a sweet love interest and I like how the romance wasn't the main point to the story here, but I do wish we could have seen more one on one moments between them.

The only thing that kept me from fully loving this was that I think the author tried to tackle too many different things in such a short book. By the end of the book it just seemed like there was one out of nowhere conflict after another and that took me out of the story a bit. As I mentioned I did have fun reading this and will read from this author again in the future. Also, special shout out to whoever designed that beautiful cover.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a review copy.

Valley Verified is the story of Zoe, a woman working in fashion who moves to Silicon Valley to head up the marketing efforts for a fashion start up. This was such a fascinating look into the world of tech and start ups. How they are developed, get funding and handle marketing, all in a very fickle make it or break it environment. It was also a deep dive into how women are treated in that world. I loved learning about it and I really loved the supporting characters in Zoe’s personal life and work life. And I really loved the feminist angle of all it and seeing such strong women fighting the patriarchy

I read The Fraud Squad last year and I can see a lot of growth in the author’s writing. While still a story about a young worker finding her place in her career, it really read more mature. With more relatable characters and a book I didn’t want to put down.

I loved to read about how they got an app off the ground and all that it entails. And I like the idea of the app. I’ve seen crowdsourcing on the screen and in books for years now yet it hasn’t quite taken off to become mainstream. I keep wondering when, if ever, it will. But this one seemed to have potential for the younger set that like to live in a world on their phones.

While I would never switch careers let alone industries at the drop of a hat, I really connected with Zoe’s drive and zest. It takes courage to move across the country when you know no one. And speaking of the characters, I loved a lot of the supporting characters too in their quirky ways. I thought they really represented my thoughts on the normal tech industry workers.

And while this seemed like a lighter fiction novel, it tackled a few meatier issues. And while I’ll never turn down a romance, I respect that this was more about growth with a romance as a side plot.

Louisa Zhu does a great job of narrating Zoe’s journey. I really enjoyed the parts I listened to. She really brought Zoe to life for me.

Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao is a fun story of someone who is in one field of work but finds themselves doing something completely different. Zoe, our main character, is a fashion writer but finds herself in the tech world. While trying to navigate this world and be taken seriously, Zoe finds herself on a path of self discovery. While the other characters in this book were just ok for me, I did enjoy Zoe's journey and how one path may not be what you want or need and find something else instead.

Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio @netgalley for a copy of this book. This book had a little bit of everything: a bad working environment, adjustment to a new life, developing new friendships and a little bit of romance. Zoe is a fashion writer and gets an opportunity to move across the country to work for a fashion app. I thought the book showed a really good idea of working in tech and how tough moving can be to existing and new friendships. I thought the story was light on the romance and seeing the relationship develop.

Read if you like:
💃🏼 Fashion World
🤳🏻 Influencers/Celebrities
🌤️ Silicone Valley Setting
💻 Tech/Corporate World

All in all, this is a great coming of age story where our female FMC is able to blossom despite all the roadblocks as below that she faces as she transitions from writing in the fashion world to marketing for a tech start up focused on outfit/fashion help for its users.

Zhao paints a clear picture of what it can take to make it as a women in the corporate world such as being judged for your outfits, experiences or lack there of, ideas that are deemed “feminine”, and so many other things in the corporate world that if not palatable to the men who “run the show” or male coworkers, that it can be hard to “make it” or be taken seriously. It also highlights something so important that women have been conditioned to believe that other women are out to get us/target us to get ahead in the corporate world, when in actuality the system causing women to be pitted against each other or not trust each other often has a root in patriarchy.

Zhao also discussed how perceptions of jobs play into stereotypes of how hard people are perceived to be working or not and whether they deserve the credit for their hard work if not seen as “challenging” as more male dominated work tasks /jobs.

It also hit on sexual harassment in the workplace and staying silent to that harassment or having to make up fake boyfriends to be left alone by creepy men in power that feel entitled to objectifying their female subordinates.

This is a very timely book with all of its messaging and love the further perspectives of the FMC as being an Asian American woman on top of all of the issues she dealt with that by adding race and the discussion of race into this topics further elevated the story.

There is a slight romance sub plot but truly this is so low on the interest this story brings I almost forgot to mention it.

Thank you so much Berkley for the ARC of Zhao’s sophomore release in exchange for my review!

As a young woman starting her career in her "dream" job, Zoe quickly finds that not all dreams are what you thought they were. With promotion potential so limited and the competition so tough, Zoe will leave New York City to live and work in Silicone Valley. Her New York job gives her some specific insights into her job as she builds a website for those who work in the fashion industry. She's unprepared for the challenges she faces living in California instead of New York but will come to see this is where she fits best. The storyline is targeted to those of Zoe's age, early to mid twenties, but I found plenty to love in this fun story.

Zoe Zeng, a fashion writer in New York, faces challenges navigating the cutthroat fashion industry. When she receives a job offer at a Silicon Valley tech startup, FitPick, she decides to trade haute couture for HTML. However, as she delves into the tech world, Zoe discovers not everyone's intentions are pure. With an eight-figure investment at stake, she must revamp FitPick's image to save the company and her own future.

This was a sweet and fun coming of age story with a touch of romance. It was nice to see Zoe incorporate her knowledge of the fashion world into her new tech startup endeavor. We got to see the best and worst of both of those worlds.

Even though there seemed to be a lot of tech jargon, it was interesting to see how quickly people can rise and fall in today's world of social media.

The plot was pretty predictable and Zoe's character got somewhat annoying with how naïve she was but she did create some lasting relationships which made me happy for her.

Read If You Like:

The Devil Wears Prada
An Underdog Story
The Fashion World
Tech StartUps

this is a fun, quick read that’s very much “Devil Wears Prada” meets … Theranos? 😂 Maybe not quite Theranos but definitely some sort of startup atrocity

Struggling NYC fashion writer Zoe Zeng is plucked by a Silicon Valley startup bro to run his company’s marketing. The startup is FitPick, an app that lets users upload photos of their outfits and other users vote on them.

Zoe is soon ensconced in the cutthroat world of startups and VC, tasked with revamping FitPick’s image with an eight-figure capital raise on the line.

Remember when chick lit was a thing, and it was good?? I know the term has fallen out of fashion, but for me it still conjures up a very specific type of book that I devoured post college. Romance was usually a subplot but not the whole plot? The MCs were usually urban career girlies in their 20s who seemed so cool to rural Pennsylvania-living me.

“Valley Verified” is like those chick lit books, but reinvented for a new era. I thought this was one a ton of fun and adored the way it ended. It’s the perfect brain candy book — everyone needs one of those on their shelf for a slump. As a reporter I also loved the media angle in this one, though I could’ve done without the vilification of the journalist (just kidding, she needed to get her sources straight).

This book was not a good match for me, unfortunately. My book club (full of early-40s suburban moms) recently read another book that featured 20-something characters and a friend shared that she had a hard time enjoying it because the characters annoyed her too much. I felt that way about this book. Zoe’s naïveté and cluelessness felt accurate for the age of her character, but it didn’t make it easier for me to read. The story here was sort of interesting but I also got a bit tired of the “industry” intrigue. It felt shallow. It wasn’t badly written but I think it would resonate more for other readers.