For her first week of work, a new highly paid C-Suite hire joins a group of executives at an ad tech startup at their exclusive team building retreat in Miami. The retreat does not go as planned when one team member announces she’s leaving to go to a competitor and another goes missing which could derail the announcement of the sale of the company and ruin everyone’s hefty payout. This is Emma Rosenblum's second "rich people behaving badly" mystery.

I should start out by saying, as someone who knows the small ad tech world extremely well, I was probably not the intended audience of this book. I found the storyline unrealistic and I just couldn’t buy into it (I'm sure most readers don't understand the algorithms behind the ads they see online) and as a reader it was hard to connect with any of the terrible characters. I think if I didn’t work in ad tech I could have enjoyed this a bit more, but I found too many plot holes to be fully engaged in the novel. That being said, I still wanted to know what happened in the end so I think the author created a somewhat compelling story. I fully listened to this one on audio and thought narrator was great. I would say, if you enjoy the rich people, bad behavior genre you may enjoy this one.

3.25

Emma Rosenblum does it again by creating scandalous characters out to get one another. couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend adding it to a beach bag for a quick summer read.

I enjoyed this book but I didn’t LOVE it. The characters started merging in my mind and I found it hard to remember who said what.

3 stars

This book was an absolute delight, filled with captivating storytelling and engaging characters. As someone who admires the author, I'm thrilled with the way they wove the narrative together. It's the kind of book that I know my bookstore customers will appreciate, and I'm excited to share it with them. I can already imagine recommending it to those who are looking for a compelling read that leaves a lasting impression. This book is sure to be a hit among our regulars, and I can't wait to see their reactions when they dive into its pages.

I was not a fan of Emma Rosenblum’s other novel, Bad Summer People so I did go into this book with slightly lower expectations. One of my problems with Bad Summer People was just how unlikeable everyone was. A few chapters into Very Bad Company I felt like I was reading the same book, another case of horrible and unlikeable characters. A few chapters more and I realized this cast being so unlikeable worked for this story and I started to get sucked in.

The story follows a group of employees on a company retreat to Miami. Their company, Aurora has a lot of rumors floating around about them one being a very profitable acquisition. When one of their employees is found dead of an overdose everyone has to stay the course and try not to draw any attention to themselves to not derail the acquisition.

Everyone is greedy, everyone sucks, and everyone was a suspect. The fact that I hated everyone made me more invested in the story to see if the person I hated the most was the killer. I'm glad I decided to stick with this one because I was definitely rewarded with a fun ride.

This was a pretty good quick fiction drama with a slight side of mystery but a whole lot of drama. It kept me entertained. However, I feel like it started out more interesting and then it all kind of turned into a mess. It was like we jumped time but didn't have much explanation or it felt so rushed at the end. But if you're looking for a good audiobook that keeps you entertained for a couple hours with work drama this will do that! I liked the audio format and the narrator. I just wish some of the plot had been a little more more developed.

Yet another Entertaining book by Rosenblum about rich people behaving badly! It is Character-heavy, so I did have trouble keeping track of everyone. It's a great Slow-burn corporate drama.

Caitlin Levy is your normal working mother, except for the fact that she pulls in a lot of money. And given her new opportunity with Aurora, and a seven figure salary with benefits to match, she is doing well for herself and her family. However, Caitlin has just joined the company and their wacky CEO wants her to join the executive retreat. Her husband isn't thrilled about having to step into the house role while Caitlin is out partying, and Caitlin isn't thrilled about having to interact with her soon to be peers, while knowing absolutely nothing about what her new role will entail. After the first night of drinking and partying, one of the executives disappears, and the rest of the group works to identify where she went, and how to address the goings on of the company.

There is a lot of ground covered in this novel, and there is certainly an element of comedy despite the dark setting. The characters are well-developed, and multi-faceted. There are relationships, secrets, lies, and conspiracies to boot throughout this book. Generally, I thought this was an interesting read that easily kept my attention, and kept surprising me with the terribleness of the characters. I would recommend to anyone looking for a fiction novel, and who enjoys a book with interesting dynamics and drama. If you enjoyed Rosenblum's previous book "Bad Summer People" I would say you'd enjoy this novel as well.

I listened to the audiobook, and found the production and narration to be enjoyable and clear.

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenbaum was entertaining and full of dark humor that left my laughing out loud to myself. The story itself is about the company Aurora and for the most part takes place over a few days in Miami at a corporate retreat. Told from many different points of views of the different executives, who were almost hard to keep track of, the story did flow well and was easy to get through. Overall it was an average rich people behaving badly book, but the humor did bump it up for me.

This book was ok. I didn't love, but also liked to passively listen to while doing other things. The characters were all pretty unlikable and it seemed a little unrealistic, but it was juicy enough to keep me entertained.

LOVED IT! 5 stars!
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Every year executives from the startup Tech company Aurora go on an exclusive retreat. Meant for team building and a little R&R. This year it’s in Miami and Caitlin Levy is the firms newest hire. Receiving a Salary of over 3million dollars, the veterans of the firm are not happy about it. However John, the company’s founder is excited to have Caitlin on board and looking forward to sharing a surprise announcement with everyone. What no one expects is all the skeletons that will come out after one of the executives turns up dead.
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This story was so fun. The dark humor, the multiple POVs, the banter all worked for me. I very much enjoyed the authors first book “Bad Summer People” so I was looking forward to this one. It certainly did not disappoint. Bravo. Also the audio was stellar and one I highly recommend.

This book was pretty slow moving! It didn’t hold my attention and the characters were not very likeable! I really appreciate the ARC from NetGalley. I just think this book missed the mark from what I was wanting.

🎧VERY BAD COMPANY by Emma Rosenblum and read by January LaVoy made me glad I have the job that I do!

This is my first book by Emma Rosenblum and it felt like a good one for me! Described as darkly comical, I couldn't resist. I also fell for the "What could go wrong?" part of the synopsis after describing a wealthy tech start-up job for one of the characters. I want to think the players in this corporate murder mystery are hyperbolic, but I am afraid to know the truth.

I couldn't help but think of the wildly inappropriate behavior of Michael Scott while listening to this, but wondering if this particular tech company story was, in fact, a bit closer to the truth!

I enjoyed this mystery, and especially enjoyed listening to LaVoy narrate. She does a fantastic job with the characters and it felt so easy to listen. I felt all the cringe moments, but also the pull of a job that isn't quite bad enough to leave!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for this ALC that comes out on May 14th. It was a not so subtle swipe at corporate culture that was a delight to read!

A workplace story that is mostly filled with unlikable people that most of us would never want to be friends with, work for (though some of us probably have) or even be near. Aurora, is a seemingly brilliant tech company that really is built like a house of cards in a wind storm. Dark, twisted, filled with people who are narcissists, liars, backstabbers and all seemingly have a kill or be kill attitude. The old saying of “if it stinks at the head, it stinks at the tail” describes the company in this story perfectly. What started out as a business retreat soon changes when one of them winds up dead. And so begins the insanity of the downfall of Aurora (the company) as well as many of the people. An engaging dark listen with good narration, that was for me hard at times to listen to as no one was particularly likable.

It was difficult to like any of theses greedy and corrupt characters in this novel, if fact it is actually impossible. They are entertaining to read about but I sure would not want to be in a room with any one of them. Not my kind of people. At an executive retreat for a high tech firm called Aurora the high raking employees must spend several days together team building. They all hate it except for the narcissistic head of the company John. On the eve of the first night together one of the executive leaders disappears and is later found dead. All is thrown into a chaos as Aurora was about to be sold for millions and the news of this death could quash the deal. Back stabbing, high jinks and more lies ensue as our greedy little workers vie for shares in the company and support of the head CEO. This was a fun read, lots of snarky dialog and lots of secrets. Recommended for fun.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read/ listen to an ARC version of thus novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review..

First, I loved January LaVoy’s performance. She is an excellent narrator and really brings the characters to life, managing multiple POV’s throughout the book.

This book had plenty of drama, and interesting characters to follow which made it such a quick read for me. I think the ending fell a little flat for me as far as the unraveling of the mystery but I liked it nevertheless. Emma Rosenblum uses real locations (I actually had an apartment near Pomodoro restaurant too!) like One Hotel, Fountainbleu, etc.. which gives the book a more authentic feel which I really enjoyed. I look forward to more books from this author!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Macmillan.audio for my #gifted copy. I voluntarily leave my review!

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. Dramatic and darkly humorous, a cast of characters that you love to hate. An arrogant, narcissistic boss, backstabbing co-workers, a deadly company secret and a mysterious death! So much going on in this one! Exciting and entertaining.

Listening to the audiobook of Very Bad Company was like listening to all of the best gossip at work. Except your office and your coworkers are terrible, terrible people.

With so many different POVs, it started out a little confusing keeping track of everyone, but with all of the secrets, lies and drama meant I couldn’t turn this off. January LaVoy was a fantastic narrator.

The ending was too open for me, and I felt like it left more questions than answers.

Very Bad Company publishes on May 14. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy.

Tech company executives gather in Miami for a corporate retreat on the verge of a big announcement. The egomaniacal, narcissistic founder channels Churchill while spending extravagantly on this over-the-top outing. Despite their multi-million dollar salaries and stock options, people are still people and there is quite a bit of pettiness and jealousy, cliques, and back-stabbing. And someone dies!

This is a dark comedy that is never quite laugh-out-loud funny but has plenty of amusing moments and well-observed bad behavior. The novel is told from the alternating vantage points of several employees, and we get a dose of their unique backstories too. None is particularly likable, but there's enough Schadenfreude to keep things interesting.

Excellent narration of the audiobook. My thanks to the author, the publisher, and #NetGalley for the advance copy for this review.

Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum
Narrated by January LaVoy
Standalone Corporate Thriller

My thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan audio and Flatiron books for providing an advance listening copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion.

Very Bad Company is the perfect name for this darkly funny novel about corporate greed. It was a kind of combination of The White Lotus, We Crashed, and The Dropout (Elizabeth Holmes story). This is not my normal type of read, but I want to branch out a little more and this one really appealed to me.

The tech startup Aurora is headed to Miami for its annual high-level corporate retreat. The company is on the verge of being sold, and all the players stand to make millions more than they already do if the sale goes through. Based on the blurb and the first few chapters, I thought the focus would be on Caitlyn Levy who was just hired as events manager for $2.5 million a year. Aurora doesn’t do events, so she wasn’t even sure of her job description, but who could turn down that salary offer?

The eccentric, yet charming CEO, Caitlyn, the Head of People (HR), and 3-4 other characters each have their own POV and they are each similarly horrible people. With one narrator (who was still phenomenal) it made it so hard to keep track of all the players. They were all alike in too many ways. While I thought the story was about Caitlyn initially, it seemed that each character had almost as much page time as the book went on. I think it would have helped if I stopped and made a list of each player, but I listened on a long drive and wasn’t able to.

Lying, cheating, drugs, affairs, f**king, and even covering up a murder, each and every character was horrible. All they cared about was that the sale went through, and they were willing to cover up anything so it would.

A few times during the first third I thought about DNFing. In the beginning I was lost because I just couldn’t keep up with all the points of view, but I eventually caught on. I kept going because I was so hoping for a big revelation in the end but instead of ending with a bang, it just kind of fizzled out, disappointing me.

Though Very Bad Company was entertaining and kind of fun at times, I think in this case the audio made it harder to follow despite January LaVoy doing a wonderful job with the narration. If I were reading I could easily thumb back a couple of pages to see whose POV we are in, but with audio you really can’t.

The Down & Dirty:
Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum was entertaining, but in audio I found it very difficult to differentiate between the multitude of Points of View. The characters themselves were all very similar and I never really got to know any enough to find redeeming qualities. Once I finally got the characters straight, the story was interesting, but when I expected a big bang of a climax, there was a fizzle.

Rating: 2.5 Stars, 3 Narration (She did a great job, but this needed a full cast)