This is a slow-burn thriller about fraud and deception. I enjoyed the theme of women and the unfair limitations they face in the corporate world.

However, it was a little bit too slow paced for me which made it hard for me to want to pick it up and keep reading

First, I think every novel I've read by Susie Orman Schall is gold - I love how she writes. I fell in love with the Balance Project interviews years ago and how women see themselves when it comes to life and work - so insightful. I found this book really interesting to read. Women have always been identified differently in the work force from their male counterparts when it comes to positions of authority. While progress has been made, there is still a different set of expectations. My only problem with this novel was that I didn't like the main character very much. That can sometimes make a novel harder to read but, in this case, it helped the storyline. While I understand why Anna feels this screaming urge to be successful, she's not a very redeemable character. But neither are the characters that take advantage of her situation. I really liked Jamie and her ambition to stand on her own two feet, out of her father's shadow, and embracing her own voice. I liked her motivations and her approach. She made this novel for me along with the way it all wrapped up in the end.

Propulsive and fun. I loved Bad Blood so this was an enjoyable, rollicking good time. Also appreciated that this nearly passed the Bechdel test.

[4.25 stars]

I’d heard this described as fiction based on the Elizabeth Holmes / Theranos story that John Carreyou wrote about in Bad Blood. Anna Bright is the Silicon Valley CEO of a multi-billion dollar company called Brightlife, which is close to going public. Only, Anna is committing fraud and a journalist is on her trail. Schnall mentions in the Acknowledgements that she views this book as a cross between Bad Blood and She Said (about the Harvey Weinstein case) and I think that’s a perfect description. This is smart Brain Candy that’s not a romance or a thriller, but has quick pacing and a minor romance side story. I loved the snappy tone and kind of tongue in cheek writing style. There’s smart commentary about the experience of women CEOs and the double standards they face. And, the suspense and drama of the upcoming IPO feels like reading about a sports competition.

All I think about is when I hear "women and Silicon Valley" is Elizabeth Holmes, who notoriously ripped off investors for her fake medical product Theranos.
Since I actually have lived in the Bay Area my entire life, we love a good tech company "started from the bottom, now we here" story, especially if it's female founded.

Anna Bright is ready for her tech company BrightLife is about to go public. Anna will do anything to ensure she is successful - cheat, lie, steal, whatever it takes to make it to the top. Jamie Roman is a working journalist, ready for the next big story to break. She begins to study Anna and is poised to bring her down as she uncovers she's not quite what it seems.

Part satire, part humor, I didn't like any of the characters and the story fell flat for me.

I really appreciated the writing in Anna Bright Is Hiding Something. I loved the Silicon Valley setting and would definitely read more from the author.

If you love a romance or thrillers and want something a little different, may I suggest Anna Bright?

Anna has failed at a startup before, but now she is the it-girl. She is the founder of a company designing an eye implant that will solve all of your daily problems, with the flick of an eyelash.

Jamie is a reporter for an online magazine that has Anna for a speaker, when Anna doesn’t realize her mic is on, she makes some off handed statements before Jamie rescues her, removing the mic. She offers Jamie a trip on her private airplane for a coveted interview. Things don’t turn out like Jamie hopes, but she gains some different knowledge about the company.

It’s a fun read that keeps you turning pages! It also features a lot of conversations about women in management roles and how women are treated. Anna is not a fan of the girlboss term and wants to be treated like a man. Jamie wants to elevate women leaders. Interesting conversations!

Thank you to the author, SparkPress and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I am well behind and trying to catch up!

This gives off very obvious Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos vibes, with a lauded tech start-up promising amazing things and headed by a charismatic young woman. A young female journalist smells something off, and starts digging - and there is definitely dirt to be found. I found the writing and the attempts to point out sexism in journalism and tech clunky. Plenty of that around, but the book could have spent more time showing this rather than telling. I found the twists and turns predictable, the pacing uneven overall and the ending rushed and unsatisfying - I would have liked more depth to the characters, especially Anna Bright, the title character. I felt the focus of the book was unclear - the emphasis on women in the business world and the struggles they face (yes, we know) and the book ending did not square up at all.

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schall centers around Anna, the creator of a company called Bright Spot in Silicon Valley. She is determined to succeed with her work no matter what. When journalist Jamie Roman meets Anna, she senses something is off and decides to pursue the truth of what is happening at Bright Spot.

This isn’t a rapidly moving thriller, but a solid novel that was an entertaining read!

The Dropout meets Inventing Anna in this cinematic and page-turning summer read! A ripped-from-the-headlines story set in the glossy offices of Silicon Valley startups and NYC new media, Anna Bright Is Hiding Something explores our fascination with female founders breaking barriers — and sometimes behaving badly in the process.

Anna Bright is committing fraud. But nobody knows it yet. Not the board of her multibillion-dollar company, not her investors, not the public breathlessly anticipating the launch of BrightSpot, and not the media — including Jamie Roman, a hardworking journalist for BusinessBerry. But when Jamie does learn about Anna’s misconduct, she embarks on a bicoastal journey to expose the crimes and make a name for herself as a journalist. It’s not long before Anna learns what the reporter is up to, however — and she’ll do anything to stop Jamie.

I struggled with the pacing on this book. It was like the suspense would build up and then nothing would be delivered, again and again. I liked the additional connections that were built into the book and how it increased the danger. I felt the end really amped up well for a minute, but then dropped flat. This book just ended up being ok for me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I was so excited to read Anna Bright Is Hiding Something, but at 25% of the way in, I'm very frustrated. Part of my interest came from the plot's parallels to actual new stories; however, I expected the book to take those events and put a fast-paced spin on them. Instead, a quarter of the way through, there were all of the elements of an intriguing plot, but not enough action to make it feel original. Unfortunately, this ended up in my DNF pile.

I was drawn in by the book cover! I thought it had a good balance of story setting and dialogue! This made it a quick, easy, light read. I finished the book in two days. It has a lot of business lingo but the writing held my attention. It was refreshing to immerse myself into a fictional world setting based on innovation, and journalism.

I found the ending was rushed. The resolution for Jamie’s storyline and ending of Anna was an incredibly short wrap up. I found it unnecessary to have the slight story between Jamie and Ian, it didn’t give anything to the story. As a reader, I found the “And Then What Happened…” section (giving a few sentences of summary for each character as an epilogue) was underwhelming and could have been left out. I would’ve liked more depth to the characters, especially Anna.

I felt that the story was providing a mixed message after finishing the book - I don’t know what the intended focus was for the story. There was heavy emphasis in the book on women in business, and the difficulties they face in the industry throughout the book and there were several scenarios given to many of the female characters that had their struggles in the industry. It just does not correlate with the book ending at all. Therefore upon finishing the book, it made me realize I wouldn’t know what the intended goal was for the story if I didn’t read the back book description. It was a questionable choice to end the story the way it did and I was left unsatisfied.

I would put this book under Crime, not Mystery/Thriller/Suspense.

Thank you SparkPress and Netgalley for an eARC!

It had been a few years since the last time I read a novel by Susie Orman Schnall, so I was excited to get a copy of her latest, Anna Bright Is Hiding Something.

The focus of this novel is about women in the career force and the different standards placed on them. It's about the founder of an innovative company and what stakes she is up against in order to be successful, as well as the measures she will go through to make that success happen.

I appreciated that this novel was geared toward women but it wasn't a romance. It also had an unreliable narrator, as Anna wasn't very likable or trustable throughout. While I get what she was striving for, I still didn't want her to win. Jamie was also a strong character and she had a lot at stake with chasing the story she was after. Especially given her complicated family history.

I only had a couple of really minor concerns, as I felt the story was great overall. It seemed like some aspects of the story got dropped where I would have liked to see them get acknowledged more. Also, I didn't understand the business terminology, but it felt realistic for the characters to use it.

This was a really interesting and well-told story and I encourage everyone to check it out. I think men will find it interesting too, especially as an eye-opener (excuse the pun...you'll see...there I go again!) to what women go through to achieve success.

Movie casting suggestions:
Anna: Rebecca Rittenhouse
Jamie: Odeya Rush

This was a great book. I really enjoyed the writing and well thought out researched storyline. The alternate narrative was great, it gave a better insight to the two main characters. One of which I really liked, and respected. The other I had mixed feeling about. Anna, is an unlikable character. Not because she is a strong woman, I liked that about her. But because she was just plain mean. I liked that she made a point to show how women entrepreneurs are treated differently, but I didn’t like her treatment of other women at all. I look forward to reading more from the author.

I’ll be honest, when I first read this synopsis I wasn’t sure if the drama of a corporate business world would be my cup of tea, but I ended up enjoying it! I definitely wanted to know what Anna was hiding, but I wouldn’t call it a page turner/suspense. Told in alternating POV, this was more of a character study that zeroed in on various key players in the company and media. Think Bad Blood. I was invested throughout the story, but the ending felt a bit abrupt.

⭐️ 4/5

I was intrigued by the cover of this one, but ultimately this was not the book for me. It is a ripped from the headlines (ish) story of a female founder who is pushing a company forward to an IPO knowing that things are not right with their product. (Think Elizabeth Holmes). Enter an investigative journalist….. I found the story predictable and the coincidences over the top. If you like what was traditionally called “women’s fiction,” (hate that label), you will likely enjoy this one.

This was such an enjoyable and timely book! Anna Bright is a much admired startup founder, but behind the scenes she may be veering into Elizabeth Holmes territory. The story is told through dual perspectives (Anna and Jamie, who is a reporter chasing a story about Anna), and I thought this was a super effective way to tell the story. I thought the ending was a little rushed, but overall, this book gripped me from start to finish, and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's books!

I loved reading Bad Blood by John Carreyrou so when I saw a review that Anna Bright was loosely based on Elizabeth Holmes’ story I knew I had to read this book. I was hooked immediately! I thought the author did an outstanding job of coming up with her own idea of a product for a startup company.
Likes:
Page turner
Timely story
Women in the workplace

Dislikes: I felt like the ending was a little rushed.

An intriguing premise and provocative characters, but ultimately struggles to find its pacing.

Loosely based on Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos (and the author is not shy about drawing this parallel more than once in the book), Anna Bright IS hiding something and journalist Jamie Roman is determined to figure out what.

The book throws you into the world of tech start-ups headfirst. As someone who worked for a start-up out of San Fransisco, dare I say it was a little triggering with all the mentions of "the board", VC, Series C's, seed, valuation, etc.

The strong female characters and dry, dark humor had me hooked. But I caught on to the big reveal long before it's made evident which made the ending a little lackluster. I also struggled with some of the attempts to point out sexism in journalism and tech. Not because it's not true, but the book worked a little too hard to tell me about it instead of *showing* me.

A fun read for anyone who has worked in the tech space or who is interested in the world of start-ups and women in the corporate world.

Thank you to Net Galley for the early copy!

Loved this one! I was hooked immediately and found the story very compelling. I loved Bad Blood & following the Theranos scandal, so this was like, a great fictionalized version. I did a print/audio combo and recommend both!