Thank you @netgalley & SparkPress for sending me this book for review. Opinions are mine.
This was my first book by Susie Orman Schnall and it definitely won’t be my last. I couldn’t put it down!
Anna Bright is the founder of a startup called BrightLife, working to manufacture a lens called BrightSpot which is designed to implant below the eye to enable functionality in several categories like information, recording, entertainment, health, and identification.
Jamie Roman is a journalist working writing about tech start-ups, and more specifically, female founders, when she lands a high-profile interview with Anna Bright. Jamie senses something isn’t quite right with BrightSpot and sets out to investigate both the company and Anna herself.
The novel goes back and forth between Anna and Jamie’s perspectives and really focuses on the expectations placed on female founders that differ from males. Anna Bright’s philosophy about female founders, as she states many times is, “you can’t think of yourself as a female entrepreneur. Think of yourself as an entrepreneur.”
Susie Orman Schnall wrote that she wants this novel to be a “love letter to all the women who are deaing with the gross inequities of VC funding, and creating meaningful and important companies and products – especially in the world of women’s health, a category long neglected by male founders.”
While the novel does resemble the Theranos story, the author gets in front of it by acknowledging the similarities of Anna Bright to Elizabeth Holmes. She even mentions that male founders aren’t compared to other men who have failed startups, but women are always compared to Elizabeth Holmes and never get another chance. The parallels didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the novel, getting to dive deeper into the Silicon Valley start-up world.
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒂 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤! 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞-𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡?), 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧: 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩; 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝, 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨–𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧–𝐭𝐨𝐩. 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐫.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝓊𝓈𝒾𝑒 𝒪𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝒮𝒸𝒽𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁, 𝒮𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓀𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒶, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something is the story that very satisfyingly satisfies the itch if you, like me, have been thoroughly addicted to the Elizabeth Holmes, Adam Neumann and Anna Sorokin dramas over the last few years.

I love the premise of this book which is essentially a mash up of those founder stories - a brilliant founder, about to take her company public, who is lying about what the technology can do. While there is nothing groundbreaking in this format, I liked diving back into this world of innovators behaving badly. The plucky journalist that was poking around what she could sense was a big story, and the intimidation/scare tactics happening to try to push her off the story could be pulled from the headlines. The unravelling of the house of cards Anna had built is textbook and still very intriguing to watch fall apart. The race to reveal the truth to the world kept me flipping through chapters obsessively to see who would come out on top.

Overall, this is an entertaining foray into this world, and I enjoyed the ride.

Many thanks to the publisher for the copy.

Thanks to SparkPress for an advanced copy of Anna Bright is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall.

I loved The Subway Girls and We Came Here to Shine, so I was excited to see a new book by Susie Orman Schnall and one that is contemporary fiction/ a little more suspense than her historical fiction.

This is a ripped from the headline Silicon Valley startup meets NYC journalist with a badly behaving female start-up founder.

I found the idea of Bright Life fascinating and loved seeing Jamie grow as a journalist as she tries to uncover the truth behind the founder Anna Bright who is trying to take her company public. I liked that aspect of the start up and learning more. I found this book a fun read and I didn't want to put it down.

If you're into strong women and unlikeable characters you;'ll enjoy Anna Bright Is Hiding Something.

‘Anna Bright Is Hiding Something’ by Susie Orman Schnall is an intimate portrait of a driven CEO preparing for the IPO of her revolutionary biosensor product and the ambitious journalist with conviction that there’s more to Anna than meets the eye. Set between Palo Alto and New York City, this novel encapsulates the glamour and darkness of striving to succeed in cut-throat environments and has a lot to say about sexism, start-up politics, nepotism and corporate culture, and grips the reader throughout with unexpected events and hard-hitting lessons.

The lead characters were both flawed and layered - with journalist Jamie being determined, idealistic and a little too uncomfortable with her privilege and Anna’s backstory making her both inspiring and detestable. Their interactions were the beating pulse of the story, with Anna’s diatribe about being an entrepreneur rather than a “female entrepreneur” and Jamie’s unwillingness to capitulate to threats standing out as highlights.

The author did a great job of making me care about the side characters, with Ian and Harrison being particularly interesting, and uses them to spotlight diverse perspectives. I also found the exploration of venture capital funding rounds and the IPO process quite informative, and some of the plot points very thought-provoking. The conclusion could have been fleshed out a little more, but overall the pacing was effective and gripping.

Giving this one four stars. If you were enthralled by The Dropout, captivated by Inventing Anna or inspired by Spotlight, or if you’re on the lookout for a twisting cautionary tale that feels zeitgeisty and powerful, you won’t regret picking this one up!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher SparkPress via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Anna Bright is the founder of Bright Spot, an innovative company on the rise in Silicon Valley. She rejects the qualifier of “female” founder and is known for being demanding and difficult to work for, and with. Anna refuses to let this business fail after past attempts that left her defeated and humiliated. She is determined to succeed, no matter the cost, especially now that Bright Spot announced its IPO.

When journalist Jamie Roman meets Anna at an event, her curiosity is piqued and she decides to investigate Anna and Bright Spot, to learn what’s really going on, especially once she hears informal comments from other employees in casual conversations. While Jamie works to reveal the truths of Bright Spot and its founder, Anna knows no bounds when it comes to keeping secrets and putting on a facade.

Reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes and her Theranos scandal (with references to the founder and company included in this story), Anna Bright Is Hiding Something is a timely exploration of startup culture. It also explores corporate, white collar crime and fraudulent business behavior. I enjoyed the story though it became slow at multiple parts, and I was expecting a bit more from the ending — 3.5 stars

4.5

Oh, I was so invested in this one!!

Anna Bright - breakthrough female founder in the world of start-ups, already widely acclaimed. Her biotech company BrightLife, valued at millions and fronted by big-name investors, is on the cusp of going public with it's revolutionary product.

Jamie Ronan - ambitious investigative journalist who seizes the opportunity to interview the elusive Anna Bright. Once Jamie hears rumours of unethical conduct at BrightLife, she follows her instincts to dig deeper and is on a mission to uncover any fraudulent behaviour.

The story is told through alternating perspectives as the two women go head-to-head in their pursuit of success, one about to make millions and one eager to make a big break in her journalistic career. I was hooked from early on with the anticipation of finding out both the truth and the outcome! I loved the formatting. The two narratives contrasted each other brilliantly; the inner monologues and moral compasses of the two characters were vastly different.

Not only was this a fascinating insight into Silicon Valley, but it was also a thought-provoking analysis of the challenges faced by women in work. Misogyny and systemic prejudice is rife in the featured workplaces; women being passed over for promotion, discredited, having to jump over more obstacles than a male counterpart.

I was particularly fascinated by the exploration of womanhood and each character’s response to the institutional sexism they face. We see Anna reject her femininity in a way, actively replicating the actions of men she has seen being taken seriously and taking offence to being labelled a 'female' entrepreneur. This is such an interesting discussion point; whilst I can understand the frustration of being categorised as a 'female professional', as opposed to just a 'professional', I also cherish the label of female and think it is an identifier to be celebrated, especially when it is a barrier to success. (FOR A GIRL added on the end of compliments is of course a big no though!)

We observe various examples of internalised misogyny where the oppressed becomes the oppressor - a women in power discriminating against her female employees and idolising stereotypical male traits. Conversely, many female characters band together, supporting and uplifting each other in a male-dominated world, sharing stories and opportunities in a way I love to see. The juxtaposition is powerful and the insight into the causal thought processes of each action is of great interest to me.

In fact, throughout, the introspection of the main characters was a joy to read; relationships, forgiveness and self-confidence were all discussed compellingly.

"𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥? 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯? 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?"

"𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 - 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧."

The details of the ground-breaking technology are brushed over slightly, which could be disappointing if you pick this up anticipating a comprehensive sci-fi read, I personally was more interested in the social commentary about corporate culture and the character-driven narrative. This was a unique story, I hadn't previously considered the role of journalists in the policing of fraud and misconduct but I will definitely be looking out for more books featuring (ethical) investigative journalism in future. I quickly read up on the Elizabeth Holmes case that this seems to be a retelling of and know I will 100% be going down a research rabbit hole about it soon - I am SO intrigued.

My frustration at times when reading this is a testament to the book's realistic portrayal of abuse of power and the consequent injustice. Once I finished reading, I sat and stared at the wall for a minute in shock and slight disbelief. On reflection, I think the ending was a perfect conclusion to a novel about manipulation, deception and the sway of money, status and men. I loved the writing and will definitely be checking out other works by Susie Orman Schnall!!

Publication date: 4th June 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Spark Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall is a novel that tries to mix suspense, corporate drama, and a look at female entrepreneurship. Sadly, it misses the mark on almost every front, making for a frustrating and predictable read.

The story centers on Anna Bright, the CEO of a multibillion-dollar tech startup, who's about to launch her company's IPO. But Anna's got a big secret: her star product, BrightSpot, is nowhere near ready and is essentially a scam. Enter Jamie Roman, a journalist for BusinessBerry, who starts digging into Anna's business and uncovers the truth. This sets off a tense game of cat-and-mouse between the two women.

The writing itself is a big letdown. The prose is awkward and clunky, making it hard to get into the story. Descriptions are bland and don't really paint a picture. The dialogue is especially bad—stilted and unnatural, it feels like the characters are reading from a script. The plot is painfully predictable. The twists and turns are so obvious you can see them coming a mile away, leaving little room for suspense or surprise. Characters are flat and one-dimensional. Anna is just a typical villain with no depth, making it hard to care about her story. Jamie, the journalist, is a bit better but still feels more like a stereotype of an ambitious reporter than a real person.

Overall, Anna Bright Is Hiding Something doesn't live up to its potential. The poor writing, unrealistic dialogue, predictable plot, and shallow characters make it a disappointing read. What could have been an engaging story about female entrepreneurship and corporate fraud falls flat due to its execution.

Thanks to SparkPress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel delves into the ruthless world of high-powered women and the secrets they keep. Anna Bright, CEO of BrightLife, is laser-focused on success, her ambition scorching anyone who gets too close. With BrightLife's IPO on the horizon, rumors swirl – is the company a thriving tech giant or a ticking time bomb? Anna's hidden truths threaten to unravel everything. A gripping story for those who enjoy corporate drama with a side of suspense.

I love the recent trend of novels surrounding female CEOs/Founders but I wasn't enthralled by this one. It definitely fell more to the business side of things than the "drama" and it felt like a rip off of Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos.

Anna Bright is Hiding Something
by Susie Orman Schnall

When the publisher describes this as The Dropout meets Inventing Anna I cannot look away. I have a huge interest in female entrepreneurship and felt all the highs and lows of the Teranos debacle as it unfolded.

At the early stages of the novel I worried this was going to be a retelling of this, especially as Anna exhibits all the characteristics we know about Elizabeth Holmes, but as with Bad Blood and The Dropout, the idea that a person could exist that can be so smart, so compelling, so manipulative, so single minded, is intoxicating.

Take one woman with toxic ambition who surrounds herself with yes people, pays them in stock and shares to enforce complicity and sunk cost loyalty, won't allow executives to stray from their own lane and keep everything on a need to know basis, threaten NDAs with punishing consequences for breaking them, lie and exaggerate and cloud everything under the guise of protection of proprietary information. Throw millions at her through venture capital funding. Allow her time and space to believe her own hype. Celebrate her "success" and turn her into an icon of female business.

But Jamie gets a glimpse into the real Anna when she is given the opportunity to interview Anna for BusinessBerry, an online journal, and the further she digs, the more she becomes convinced that Anna Bright is hiding something.

This is a book that reads like a chatty contemporary novel, with a glossy setting and witty banter, but it is deeper than I first expected with some excellent character building and astute social commentary. I particularly like the way the author presents the dilemmas faced by women in business and entrepreneurship, the inequities they face in securing funding and how they are disregarded and spoken over in that male heavy space.

Although the story begins with a medium pace, setting us firmly in the world of IPO countdown and the politics of journalism, it really picks up around the halfway mark. Short chapters end with reveals that demand you continue, one more chapter, one more, until like me, you might find yourself missing a night's sleep because you just can't put the damn book down. The payoff was worth it. A banger of an ending, maybe a tad too tidy for my liking, but will surely get the populist vote.

I loved this and I know I will be thinking about it for a while to come.

Publication date: 4th June 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #SparkPress for the eGalley

I’ve read a few novels by @susieormanschnall, but they have all been historical fiction. I was so excited to see her interview Fiona Davis back in March, and she spoke about her new contemporary fiction book, Anna Bright in Hiding Something. I was excited to see what else she could do with a new genre!

Anna Bright is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with a cutting edge product that’s not quite on the market yet. She’s behind BrightSpot, an intraocular implant that goes in your eye and works like a Google Glass. It can look up information, help you with your work day, basically function like a computer in your eye. But is this safe?

Jamie Roman is an up and coming journalist trying to find her break out moment. She’s always been under the critical eye of her father, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist himself. When Jamie had the chance to interview Anna Bright, Jamie thinks she has her big chance. But things don’t go as planned, and Jamie hears some rumors about BrightSpot and the awful corporate culture at Anna’s company. Can she get to the bottom of what’s going on?

I absolutely loved this book. I was captivated with Anna Bright and her feelings on constantly being called a “female entrepreneur” rather than just an entrepreneur. She was fiercely protective of her company and didn’t really let anyone get close to her. And she definitely could have used a therapist or even a good friend to discuss things with. Jamie was ambitious and ready for the next step in her career; regardless of who it hurt or if her own reputation was on the line. I really admired both women for their tenacity. The book dives into the weeks before a company has an IPO and I really found that part to be the most interesting.

If you enjoyed reading Bad Blood or anything with Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, you will love Anna Bright. There’s several Easter egg references to Elizabeth I found very funny. Thank you to Susie and @lakeunionauthors for my advanced reader copy.

This was entertaining enough, but I wouldn't proactively recommend it. The novel pits intrepid young journalist Jamie Roman, who writes for the fictional business publication BusinessBerry, against startup founder Anna Bright, a clear proxy for Elizabeth Holmes who wants to launch BrightSpot, a device to be implanted in the eye that can perform a lot of functions. Of course, the actual product can't deliver on what it promises, and as Anna's company's IPO looms, she finds herself in hot water. I enjoy stories about women in business, ruthless, ambitious women, etc. etc, but this didn't add anything new to the conversation about corporate culture and women in the workplace. Jamie was annoyingly self-righteous in her pursuit of the truth and her blindness to the privilege that helped her success, while Anna was a straight up b*tch who sought ambition for the sake of ambition. The novel made them such polar opposites that they seemed more like archetypes than real characters. The novel alternates between Jamie and Anna's POVs, which kept it moving. I was uninspired overall reading this, though.

A fast-paced story that felt a lot like the story of Elizabeth Holmes in the book Bad Blood. It certainly wasn't the Anne Hathaway in the movie The Intern! Anna was definitely not a nice boss that wanted a good working environment for her hard-working employees. That said, the main characters - Anna, the CEO of Bright Spot, and Jamie, the journalist for BusinessBerry - were both driven women with back stories that kept the story intriguing. Not to give away any spoilers, pay attention the characters and family in their lives.

My thanks to Net Galley, Spark Press, and Dreamscape Media for advanced copies of the e-book and audiobook.

ANNA BRIGHT IS HIDING SOMETHING has been a much anticipated read since its announcement. Susie Orman Schnall can be counted on to create strong female characters who challenge conventions, push the envelope, and defy traditional norms. In her latest novel, she gives us not one, but two woman who are fighting to succeed in roles traditionally dominated by men.

Ms. Orman Schnall takes us to the boardroom where C-Suite level positions have always been male territory. There we meet Anna Bright, a driven entrepreneur of a billion dollar tech company whose product is about to take the world by storm. Anna will stop at nothing to make her vision a reality - including destroying relationships and sacrificing her integrity. Anna's success is threatened by Jamie Roman, a journalist for a NYC-based publication who is pursuing her own professional aspirations. When Jamie sees signs that something is amiss at BrightLife in the days before launching their highly anticipated IPO, it sets up a conflict between the two women where only one can emerge the winner.

I literally could not put this book down. I was consumed with these women - each trying to claw her way to professional success. Ms. Orman Schnall captures perfectly the challenges faced by women in contrast to their male counterparts. Issues surrounding assertiveness, cultural expectations, and work-life balance are all too accurate. The book feels meticulously researched and far too plausible. The author exposes the double standards that still exist for women that need to be addressed to truly achieve equality in the workplace. This book could have been ripped from the headlines.

Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I've been waiting for a new book by Schnall and the wait was definitely worth it!!! A compelling novel about two women who want to break the glass ceiling - one as a journalist and the other in the corporate world dominated by men. Only one will come out unscathed and truly successful and respected. A GREAT SUMMER READ!!!

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something is the dictionary definition of a compulsive read. Once I cracked open the book, I could not put it down!

Anna Bright, founder of the latest, greatest biotech company, is the epitome of a woman on top of her game. But as the title suggests, she’s hiding something and it’s a pretty big something. Journalist Jamie Roman is one of the many women inspired by Anna’s story of success. But when a chance meeting leads to an interview that doesn’t go according to plan, Jamie senses something is awry and becomes committed to uncovering it.

This is an exciting story that explores themes of sexism, misogyny and women in the tech and journalism industries. It shines a light on what many professional women experience and it’s deeply relatable. Best of all is that author Susie Orman Schnall manages to do all this while telling a story that is incredibly fun to read. I definitely recommend you pick up a copy of this book. And I think it would make a wonderful book to discuss in a book club.

Thank you to SparkPress and NetGalley for the ARC! Find out what Anna Bright is hiding on 6/4!

This entertaining novel is told from the dual viewpoints of the titular Anna, the CEO of a biotech startup, and Jamie, a journalist initially entranced by her but who then starts digging to uncover the real story of what is happening at Anna’s company Bright Spot - guest hearing that it’s an unpleasant place to work and then suspecting that Anna and the company have veered from fake it til you make it to just plain fake it.

Anna is not portrayed in a flattering light by any means, yet at the same time she makes some very cogent points questioning why she has to always be described as a female founder and not just a founder, and why company culture is scrutinized in a different way at female-led companies as well. And Jamie’s story, both her own journalism career and the stories she’s reporting on, bring up sexism and feminist critiques. Seemingly (perhaps not so) loosely based on the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos story, I had a pretty good idea where the story was going from the start, and yet I couldn’t put it down. So if you loved the non-fiction book Bad Blood or the fictionalized TV adaptation of the Theranos story The Dropout, this one is for you! (I highly recommend both, by the way).

4.5 stars rounded down.

When we met Jamie, Anna and the rest of the characters, I imagined this going a different way. However, the fact that it didn’t wasn’t disappointing as the actual storyline was good and I really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed, the dialogue was good and the entire plot was totally believable. I thought the end was a little too neat and tidy, but otherwise, a good book that I enjoyed.

Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley and SparkPress. All opinions are my own.

Told in alternating points of view from Jamie, a journalist who covers start ups, and Anna, a founder of a start up, there are so many twists and turns as we learn what Anna IS hiding. As a woman in accounting, I have encountered many of the same issues that came up in the book based on how women are treated versus men. Being someone working in business, I definitely went in thinking Anna can't hide, but you will have to read to see if she does. I found this one very unputdownable. Thank you to SparkPress and NetGalley for a chance to read this one in exchange for an honest review.