The Start-Up (The Start Up #1) by Sadie Hayes

BookTalk

Amelia and Adam Dori are in for the time of their lives. Newly enrolled at Stanford University, the school is the perfect fit for Techno-Geek coder Amelia and economically driven Adam. They’ve sought out this new start for their lives after a childhood involving the foster care system and Juvie. So Stanford, in sunny California, seems to be the saving grace for these previously troubled Midwesterners.

But Amelia proves to be too smart to hide for too long. Almost simultaneously revealed for her amazing computer coding ability and for hacking into the biggest computer deal Silicone Valley has ever seen set Amelia up for the biggest rise…or biggest fall of her life.

Becoming inextricably entwined with the Bristol family the Dori twins are going to find out real quick if they have the wits to navigate the shiny billionaires of Silicone Valley and the dark underbelly the world of technology creates…

Review

Ahh! I hate/love books like this. Ones that end with a *gasp*. They’re not lying when they tell you this book is “The Social Network meets Gossip Girl”. It’s deliciously good. And now I’m going to list the reasons why…

1. College Loving that this book takes place in college. Not that I don’t enjoy reading about the plight of the high school student, but I’m excited to be entering the world of college…where hook-ups and drinking abound…without the fear of high school ramifications. I’m ready for my teens to be a little more adult. The fact that they’re attractive and super smart is a major bonus.

2. Tech-Geeks So very cool. I couldn’t write more than simple HTML code if I tried. Throw in the word algorithm and you left me miles behind. But to watch Amelia type away like some crazy-genius of a computer geek is very fun. The power this slight girl holds in the books is awesome. Add to this she’s all moral and ethical. Like the going green movement of the tech-world…she’s like a hippie-code-geek. And something tells me her morality vs. love for her brother are going to cause more than a few gut wrenching decisions.

3. Rich People Ahh, what would a Gossip-Girl-like novel be without the powerful elite. But we don’t delve into the overdone Manhattan crowd, nor those preppy New Englanders, we’ve even set aside the Orange County and their housewives. Turn your eyes to Silicon Valley’s corporate sugar daddies and their overly spoiled children.

It was so cool to see a different crowd, with different financial motivations and barely an ounce of family money. The greed is so very different in the land of computers. But no need to worry, there’s still a ton of name dropping, mansion owning, finery to feed the voyeuristic need. Guilty Pleasure Abounds! lol

4. The Twins Amelia and Adam Dori are going to cause a lot of trouble. She’s too smart and he’s too driven. They’ve come to this book with a past involving prison time…and their status as orphans only adds to the mystery. Hayes has given herself some plot leeway by keeping their past from the reader. It allows them to simultaneously be the victim as well as the villain. And again…these two are going to tug at the heart! You like them both, but they’re coming from such different viewpoints…not too hard to see where they’ll clash.

This read was a breath of fresh air. A brand new viewpoint on our favorite type of YA guilty pleasure.

Rating: 4/5 Head to Silicon Valley for the latest in YA soap-opera, you won’t be disappointed. 

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