An odd company, quirky coworkers, and a wild boss…what could go wrong? When the employees of Aurora go on a retreat together, they find out that things are not as they seem. This was a slow, but interesting, read, but I sometimes had trouble keeping the characters straight.

“Very Bad Company” by Emma Rosenblum is billed as a mystery/thriller. I think the overarching story was an interesting idea, but I had difficulty keeping the characters apart (other than the CEO, his assistant, and the newest hire). I know that Ms. Rosenblum has spent time in the tech industry, but - wow - what she thinks she knows I found really odd at times (“Bill and Paul” were up in Seattle, not in Silicon Valley with “Steve and Steve” - and who refers to those gentlemen by their first names? They’re Gates, Allen, Jobs, and Woz; and the list of “good CEOs” was laughable) but maybe they were attempts at humor or to show how absolutely clueless the CEO of the company was? When I stop reading to ponder stupidity, it’s distracting. Also, how Caitlin was hired I felt was odd - even for Silicon Valley start-ups. And why with all those offers did Caitlin NOT get a signing bonus - wouldn’t that be included in the dream list of money fluttering her way? I know, minor things, but - again, annoyances. In the end, I think I’d sum up this book by stating “At a company retreat, an executive dies, and no one really cares.” I cannot say that this book was a fun ride … I was bored (and confused) and didn’t find this book entertaining. However, on a positive point - the title of this book IS spot on.

Every year, executives at Aurora, a tech start up meet for an exclusive retreat. This is Caitlin’s first year, and her first week on the job. The job seems too good to be true and Caitlin is nervous.

When one of the execs vanishes after the first night, and the future of the company is on the line, Caitlin and her co-workers must continue on in order to keep Aurora afloat amid fatal speculations.

This book was definitely entertaining, though for most of the book I wasn’t exactly sure what I was reading. It was a wild ride, and I had fun with it, I just can’t place it neatly in any genre box. The first half of the book was leading up to what happened, then event happened, then almost the entirety of the book happened and then just. Well. Can’t say, it’s a spoiler. I can’t even really say if I’m happy or mad because just knowing that would be a spoiler. But the writing was captivating, and despite not knowing what was going on most of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I stayed engaged and needed to know what was going on, I was sucked in and didn’t want to come up for air without answers! As with the author’s first book, there are few things to like about any of the characters. I did find the characters more relatable in this book than her first, Bad Summer People, so if that is a reason you didn’t like BSP then give this one a try. Yes, they still sucked, but a little less ha.

If you’re looking for an entertaining read, then you need to check this one out.

This was an enjoyable enough novel. I liked the set-up, and the characters were interesting (if occasionally difficult to remember specifics on). The writing was engaging. My issue with this one is that I'm not entirely sure it knew what it wanted to be. There were certainly thriller elements (a body and mystery surrounding the death), but no one seemed to care that much about it and it didn't generate a lot of suspense. And there were also relational and domestic subplots, but because of the multiple points of view, I didn't feel a lot of connection to them. As a bookseller, I'm not sure where to put this one - mystery/thriller or general fiction? Hence, it will be a bit challenging in terms of attracting readers to it.

Emma Rosenblum’s highly anticipated sophomore novel "Very Bad Company" is coming out just in time for the summer. The novel borrows themes and conflicts from Rosenblum’s debut "Bad Summer People". But this time Rosenblum is following a team of wealthy executives during their venture to Miami Beach one April. The executive retreat seems simple enough at its start: ten like-minded colleagues spending four days away from the bustle of New York City to get to know one another better and to celebrate their tech company Aurora’s success so far. However, when one of the Aurora teammates goes missing and rumors begin to spread about Aurora’s uncertain future, the colleagues’ weekend escape from corporate reality intensifies.

On its surface, "Very Bad Company" is a classic mystery beach read. But Rosenblum isn’t satisfied with simply inhabiting the parameters of the genre. Instead, the novel is organized according to the main characters’ perspectives, alternating between the executives’ experiences throughout the retreat. This formal play successfully augments the narrative tension, formally pits the Aurora powers-that-be against each other, and captures the ways in which power and money, lust and greed might divide even the most cohesive group of individuals. At the same time, Rosenblum’s decision to use the third person limited point of view when depicting her characters’ individual storylines, enacts each of the characters’ separations from their true selves. As the characters begin to suspect and doubt one another, they’re compelled to ask harder and harder questions about who they are, what they want, and how far they’re willing to go to get it.

A snappy social commentary on corporate wealth and excess, "Very Bad Company" asks tricky questions of the reader too. Should we care about the Aurora execs? And what does it mean if we don’t? Furthermore, if the rich and powerful can get away with intellectual, financial, and moral crimes, why shouldn’t everyone?

"Very Bad Company" at times straddles a thin line between satirizing and romanticizing the erotic and hedonistic exploits of its characters. But perhaps that’s the real takeaway: If we want to escape the entrapping socioeconomic structures that hold us, we’re taught to play along. And Rosenblum’s characters fully commit to the game throughout.

A steamy summer mystery, "Very Bad Company" is as reminiscent of the HBO hit series White Lotus as Rosenblum’s debut. This sophomore novel is ideal for fans of Rachel Hawkins’s "Reckless Girls" and Eliza Jane Brazier’s "Good Rich People". Sexy, intense, and fast-paced, "Very Bad Company" keeps you guessing throughout.

This novel takes place over the course of an executive weekend away in Miami. The weekend must go wonderfully so that Aurora, the tech startup company, can be sold and make everyone hugely rich. But when one of the executives goes missing and is then found dead, the situation becomes urgent and the news must stay under wraps before the sail is derailed and the execs lose millions.
Rosenblum has such a gift for writing flawed characters. So many "champagne problems" and you just know that some of these horrible people are not going to get their comeuppance. Love every minute of it!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this e-arc.*

While reading Bad Summer People by Rosenbaum, I remember thinking “Wow, rich people problems” But that statement is 100% for this book. The executives at the tech startup, Aurora, gather for a retreat every year and this year they are in Miami. Caitlin Levy, the newest hire who hasn’t even worked a day yet, attends and is immediately throw into the drama with her seven-figure salary and crazy benefits. One of the executives disappears one night and they are all now worried about the sale of Aurora that is about to happen. They all go along with the team building activities while they are there to help save their image but will they find their missing team member.

This book had all the drama from the get go. The characters are absolutely terrible people in the best way for the story. They are cheating on their spouses, care more about money than anything when they are all making millions to begin with, and they all gossip behind each others back. The CEO is the biggest jerk of them all and cares only about himself. Overall, this had plenty of workplace drama but with a vacation setting and made for a quick, read!

3.5 stars rounded up.

While I did not prefer this book to Rosenblum's Bad Summer People, it was still a quick and enjoyable read. I typically do not appreciate stories with unlikable and narcissistic characters, but Rosenblum is the exception to the rule for me. She always has a way of combining a dash of satire with drama and scandal to create a binge-worthy novel about the lives of the elite, this time focusing on the top players in a tech company.

The novel is told from the POV of multiple employees while on a lavish company retreat in Miami that results in one of their colleagues going missing and winding up dead after a night of partying. My one criticism is that the characters were not as well developed, so it was a bit hard to keep track of who was who throughout the book. I would still recommend the book for fans of this author, as well as those who enjoy the work of Elin Hilderbrand and Mary Kay Andrews.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Flatiron Books for this arc in exchange for my review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I read my first book by Rosenblum last year and couldn't put it down. This book started a bit slower, but I kept trying to figure out how it would end and how some of the characters were intertwined. It was well-written and kept me wanting more.