A weird and wild look into the fictional (though probably true) world of the ultra-wealthy. A little bit Elizabeth Holmes, a little bit Jeff Bezos, a bit Elon Musk, and very much unlikeable- these characters will disgust you but it’s hard to look away.

The entire time I was reading this book I just kept asking myself, “What is the point?”. All book should leave you with something. Even if that something is uncomfortable. Some lady ala Elizabeth Holmes. Except just before the world is going to know it’s all BS, she disappears. She writes in a journal about what she is doing in a cabin while she waits for whatever she thinks is eventually going to happen. He grieving husband doesn’t join the search. Instead he goes to one of those islands you suspect the super rich have in order to do absolutely nothing of value and that he definitely isn’t enjoying. Of course he isn’t. He is surrounded by horrible people who think they aren’t actually human like the rest of us. They are just bad. Not I-can-enjoy-this-craziness bad. Just shallow and bad. They don’t grow because they think growth is for the hoi polloi. There is no point. Unless you like hearing a bunch of drugged out, truly uninformed people philosophizing in order to justify their life.

I DNFd this one.
I'm so sorry to say it. I really wanted to like it and yet, I'm still thankful to the publisher and the author for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this one before publication day.

The premise of this book is very intriguing, a Theranos-like story. I could not get into this book. I’m certain others will like it but I did not find it accessible.

Many thanks to NetGalley and SoHo Press for an advanced reader’s copy.

This book is well written, and has some intriguing elements, but ultimately I just couldn't really connect with it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that I can't explain other than its about a lot of elite out of touch people. I enjoyed it, but none of the characters I felt were likable. I understand this is the point. It was a mix of the shows Succession and The Dropout.

This book had a promising premise and an interesting start, but it ultimately fell flat. I enjoyed the read, but the protagonist's lack of any real life got claustrophobically old after a bit. The narrative felt futile, which I suppose is the point, but the ennui felt stale. I did appreciate certain turns of phrase and sentiments.