Member Reviews

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Very Bad Company is written in multiple points of view and in 5 parts. I usually can get down with workplace drama thrillers. But unfortunately, this one was okay. It was much more of a slow burn drama than a thriller. I wish there was more suspense, but the drama was very entertaining, I mean who doesn't like to watch rich people do bad things... It was very atmospheric, I felt like I was in Miami partying alongside these terrible people.

There were a lot of characters and if I'm being honest, I didn't care for the majority of them. Most lacked any depth; they weren't even that memorable. I did like the eccentricity of John though. He cracked me up multiple times. Otherwise, each of the characters is deceitful, each has a secret to hide, and when it came down to it, I really didn't care who was responsible for the death of their coworker.

I listened to this one via audiobook and January Lavoy knocked this one out of the park with another amazing narration. She kept me engaged even when the story lost a lot of steam in the middle. If you decide to pick this one up - definitely utilize the audiobook!

Very Bad Company releases on 5/4 - Be sure to check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Emma Rosenblum and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest review

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I don't usually give 5 stars to mystery/thrillers, but this book surprised me. This book was filled with so much drama, I didn't know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the different point of views for each of the executives. Every time a new POV was given, a different secret seemed to come out that could possibly ruin them all. Emma Rosenblum does an amazing job in making the reader both hate and love these characters. Very Bad Company was the first book I read by Emma Rosenblum but will definitely not be my last.

If you are an audiobook lover, I highly recommend buying the audio for Very Bad Company. January Lavoy is a very talented narrator and does a great job in differentiating each character. I highly enjoyed listening to this book.

Very Bad Company comes out on May 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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This is different from the kind of books I normally read, but it was very entertaining. So much drama! There was always something going on, some secret being uncovered, salacious rumors being told. It was a very quick read.

There was just something about the ending that didn’t sit quite right with me. It left me with lingering questions and feeling like some loose ends needed to be tied up.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and I thought the narrator did a great job at portraying these complex characters.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

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On an executive retreat, one of start up tech company Aurora’s execs disappears sending it into a tailspin as the company tries to close its multi-billion dollar purchase. With a cast of characters full of questionable business and personal ethics but also full of greed, you are in for a ride. Sometimes you are just waiting to see karma bite people in the a$$.

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Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum - I really needed a palate cleanser between a bunch of heavy books - this was the PERFECT choice! It had a mix of everything - mystery, murder, dark humor. Rich people behaving badly. It was narrated by my favorite narrator - January LaVoy and as always, she did not disappoint. This book was a WILD ride! Read it!

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I normally wouldn't like a book about rich executives but I picked this up for the narrator, she is one of my favorites. I loved this! It was so interesting.
It was funny and weird and I was into it.
It is all so sketchy. I imagine this how it really is for rich people/executives.
This was just beautiful.

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Dark humor always gets me - especially when it’s mixed in with mystery and drama. Loved this story and the characters. Having worked at several large companies and a start up, I’ve attended retreats similar to the one depicted in this book. Not as over the top, of course, but I found the scenario somewhat relatable. I do wonder if someone without exposure to this world would find it as entertaining.

I found this book funny and entertaining with just the right amount of fluff. The ending wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it could have been but all in all this was a great book. The perfect beach read!

4.4 rounded down to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

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This was a quick listen. Always love books with “office drama”. This story is overflowing with it.
If you’re into loving all of the characters or at least having someone to root for, this might not be your jam. There are very few characters remotely likable, but that’s kind of the point. I did love the character John because he’s just so cringe worthy.
This listen was entertaining and I absolutely enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the AAC!

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I wasn't sure what to expect here - I wasn't familiar with the author, but the title and blurb drew me in. I do love a good "evil company"/"executives behaving badly" story, after my own stint in corporate America, and this was definitely satisfying in that regard. There are not a lot of people to root for here. Pretty much everyone does reprehensible things - even the people you initially think are good guys basically are just waiting for their chance to screw someone over - but despite that I found myself rooting for several of them throughout the course of this windy twisty tale. I think it helped that it was an audio book. I really liked the narration and felt like the characters were well-represented and -differentiated in a way that gave them added depth (even when they didn't really deserve it!) and perspective. It's a bit of a weird story, when considered as a whole, but it was engaging and easy to listen to and I was curious from start to finish to see where it would all net out.

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This was an ok book. I liked the characters and the narrator. I didn't love the main character's choices but it was believable. Was a nice palette cleanser after a book with a deeper topic. I would recommend it.

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Emma Rosenblum writes rich people intrigue like no one else!

If you liked the show Death and other Details on Hulu, I think you'll like this one too.

Similar to her previous book, Bad Summer People, Very Bad Company tells the story from multiple POVs. This time we are at a Tech Company's retreat in Miami. The company's CEO is planning a big announcement for the retreat and all employees want to know what is it about, and the ones who don't know have a lot to hide. Why did he just hire Caitlin Levy with a 3 million salary?

So many things to uncover!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

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Clever, clever, clever. I would shelve this under mystery or even satire. I didn't love it quite as much as her debut, but I REALLY loved BAD SUMMER PEOPLE. Fantastic follow-up, sure to bring in more fans.

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Thank you Net Galley and Mac Millian audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchanged for my unbiased review. I enjoyed this story of a work place retreat but I would have enjoyed a little more back story and development on the characters. The narrator does a good job keeping them all straight as it is challenging.It comes out May 14 and is worth the read. The title is catchy and fits the story well. I will now go look up Emma Rosenblum's other book Bad Summer People as she definitely can write about the bad in people.

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A quick read that will have you engrossed in the store from word one. The characters are so stereotypically perfect (CEO, CFO etc) that you can’t help but laugh out loud at just how awful they are!

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Very Bad Company indeed. The double entendre title of Emma Rosenblum’s second novel says it all- this is a story about a very bad company, a tech startup called Aurora, and its executives who are each shadier than the last. January LaVoy (queen) narrates this audiobook. Let's get into it.

In Very Bad Company, the C-level executives of Aurora descend on Miami Beach for their annual company retreat. The company is on the verge of high-stakes transition with life-altering potential, and everyone is under close scrutiny. That scrutiny intensifies when one of the team members goes missing. From recreational drug use, illicit affairs, and gossip-mongering on all levels, everyone in this group has something to hide; these are all characters you love to hate. “Rich people/poor judgment” is an interesting theme I’ve seen in a number of books over the years, generally to good reception. Regarding format, the writing style can be a little confusing with almost every named character having a POV chapter. I’ll admit that some of the characters blended together in the beginning, and few of them held my full attention- the ones that did were the train wreck “can’t look away” characters.

When readers think of a beach read, they usually think romance/chick lit, but this novel full of over the top characters, darkly funny situations, and rich people behaving badly could be perfect for your summer vacation. Very Bad Company won’t make it to my lists of favorite books for the year, but I still enjoyed the book on its surface and would recommend it generally to anyone interested. Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC of Very Bad Company, which publishes May 14th.

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Was this an easy read? Definitely. Did it tie in well to current day problems? Sure. Will you be surprised by the plot? Not so much. The ending seemed pretty predictable in my opinion. With that being said, it was still a pleasant book that had me wanting to finish. While I wasn’t fully captivated by the writing, it’s definitely a book I would recommend if you need to switch it up from different genres.

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Tech start up, company culture, ridiculous characters/strong personalities, mystery & drama

Told from different POV of various execs from Aurora & embarking on their annual retreat, this year to Miami. They've just hired an Events Director and that's stirring up some drama because they don't hold events.

Starts to unravel about halfway through when one of the execs goes missing and everyone is scrambling to keep up the charade so the company sale will go through and they will all benefit.

This was totally un-relatable but bingeable and full of mystery & drama. The narration was fantastic! I would highly recommend reading in audio format.

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Very Bad Company is the perfect spring or summer read! It was so intriguing that I listened to the whole thing in almost one sitting and had it finished by the end of the day! It is full of vacation vibes but looped in with work drama, secrets, lies, and a mysterious disappearance. This was the perfect mix of mystery/thriller and comedy- I found myself laughing out loud or gasping while listening to the audiobook. However, while listening to the book, I found it a little difficult to keep up with the many different POVs. I enjoyed that the book ended off with a sinister tone because it keeps the reader thinking- this always makes me think about the book after the fact and I love it when authors do this. Some plot points could have been stretched out in my opinion. For example, I wish I had gotten more from Debra, but I also just loved her character!
The character differentiation was good, and I enjoyed that some characters had accents or specific traits so that I could better tell them apart. The boss definitely had a personality, and I think Emma nailed showing that side of him. When reading about him, I felt like an employee and was rolling my eyes at him and all his mannerisms. As a reader, when I can connect to a character like that, it reflects the author's writing ability.

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Well paced and juicy! It kept my attention the entire time. I would recommend this to friends as a great summer beach read. Solid narrator too. Anyone with experience at a dysfunctional tech company would appreciate (or maybe be slightly triggered by) it.

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First si would like to thank Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audio book copy.

I love stories about the workplace and I thought it would be great for me. The narrator was great.
The story is interesting and well paced, but I had a hard time engaging with the characters, who though week described and constructed, felt somehow all the same.
I usually love rooting for good characters who are terrible people, but I felt like here they lacked some depth and complex motivation.
I still had a nice time and who recommended if you are familiar with the author.

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