Publishers Weekly
04/15/2024
Rosenblum sends up the tech industry in her entertaining if slightly undercooked sophomore effort (after Bad Summer People). On paper, TV producer Caitlin Levy has it all: a prestigious job in New York City, an adoring husband, and kids who love her. Still, she’s bored. So when John Schiller, CEO of tech firm Aurora, comes knocking with a $3 million job offer as the company’s head of events, Caitlin jumps at the opportunity, despite her lack of experience—or interest—in event planning. Her first assignment is Aurora’s annual Miami Beach team-building event, which becomes a baptism by fire as professional rivalries, petty jealousies, and Schiller’s cutthroat management style flare up. When an executive goes missing and then turns up dead after a wild, booze-soaked night, the main concern on everyone’s lips isn’t notifying the family—it’s how her absence might affect an impending billion-dollar merger. As the group’s efforts to save the company grow more desperate, Rosenblum cycles through the perspectives of multiple Aurora employees, revealing just how much everyone has to hide. The wicked streak Rosenblum exhibited in her debut shows up here, too, but her characters are a little less well-rounded this time out, and the pace flags in the middle. Still, this is a beach read with bite. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (May)
From the Publisher
"Fun, page-turning corporate suspense."
—People
"With its comedic send-up of corporate dynamics and culture, Very Bad Company is another irresistible summer read."
—W Magazine
"A darkly funny mystery about toxic corporate culture."
—TIME
"Rosenblum’s tale is juicy and hilarious, especially if you've ever had the misfortune of speaking to a tech bro for too long."
—Glamour
"The wicked streak Rosenblum exhibited in her debut shows up here, too... This is a beach read with bite."
—Publishers Weekly
"[Rosenblum] is fantastic at showing the subtle corruption of wealth and how those who have it justify both the having and the wanting more. A fun, decadent ride."
—Kirkus
"Rosenblum is a deft storyteller, juggling these points of view with ease. Readers will delight in knowing every secret while waiting for the explosive denouement."
—Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
2024-03-23
In Rosenblum’s debut, Bad Summer People (2023), adults misbehaved on vacation. Here, they do it on a high-flying corporate retreat in Miami.
Aurora CEO John Shiller’s is the first perspective of the book. He’s on the way to identify a body. Rewind a couple of days and meet Caitlin Levy. She just got hired to run events at Aurora, a wildly successful ad-tech startup that has nothing to do with events. Why did she take that job? Three million dollars. What is that job? Caitlin has no idea and, possibly worse, she’s a fish out of water at the extremely bougie retreat, where the rest of the C-Suite executives have well-established relationships (some siblinglike, some sexual). Everyone is angling for more money, some of them have secrets, and all of them think John is a grade-A weirdo (which he is, possibly on purpose) but remain loyal to him for reasons they cannot quite articulate. The identity of the body is revealed earlier than expected, but information about the murderer and motive are leaked sparingly along with other buried facts that threaten the entire company. This is not a tight ship. The crew members are chummy and casual with each other, high performing but emotionally immature, terrible at keeping secrets, and ultimately out only for themselves. They are also just sympathetic enough to spend time with, even care about. Readers get to inhabit several characters’ heads, learning their doubts and insecurities. While the book is not as well constructed as Rosenblum’s debut, it is funnier. The CEO’s Winston Churchill obsession alone is a hilarious running joke. And, again, the author is fantastic at showing the subtle corruption of wealth and how those who have it justify both the having and the wanting more.
A fun, decadent ride.
