Fiction

Impostor Syndrome

Impostor Syndrome

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-13 19:31:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kathy Wang
  • ISBN：006285528X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In 2006 Julia Lerner is living in Moscow， a recent university graduate in computer science， when she’s recruited by Russia’s largest intelligence agency。 By 2018 she’s in Silicon Valley as COO of Tangerine， one of America’s most famous technology companies。 In between her executive management （make offers to promising startups， crush them and copy their features if they refuse）; self promotion （check out her latest op-ed in the WSJ， on Work/Life Balance 2。0）; and work in gender equality （transfer the most annoying females from her team）， she funnels intelligence back to the motherland。 But now Russia's asking for more， and Julia’s getting nervous。

Alice Lu is a first generation Chinese American whose parents are delighted she’s working at Tangerine （such a successful company！）。 Too bad she’s slogging away in the lower echelons， recently dumped， and now sharing her expensive two-bedroom apartment with her cousin Cheri， a perennial “founder’s girlfriend”。 One afternoon， while performing a server check， Alice discovers some unusual activity， and now she’s burdened with two powerful but distressing suspicions: Tangerine’s privacy settings aren’t as rigorous as the company claims they are， and the person abusing this loophole might be Julia Lerner herself。

The closer Alice gets to Julia， the more Julia questions her own loyalties。 Russia may have placed her in the Valley， but she's the one who built her career; isn’t she entitled to protect the lifestyle she’s earned？ Part page-turning cat-and-mouse chase， part sharp and hilarious satire， Impostor Syndrome is a shrewdly-observed examination of women in tech， Silicon Valley hubris， and the rarely fulfilled but ever-attractive promise of the American Dream。

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Reviews

Jules ，

A page-turning， yet thoughtful examination of two women taking charge of their choices and their lives。 Alternating points of view provide additional insights as events unfold and intensify。

Andrea ，

I really， really wanted this book to be better。 I was hoping for a well placed spy thriller type story。 That is definitely not what this book was。 It was actually quite boring and tedious and the only reason I finished it as quickly as I did was that I wanted to get it over with and move on to a different book。

Lizzie Flanagan ，

I didn't love this。 I felt like I was waiting the whole time to figure out what the main plot was and it never got there。 There were way too many side plots that never really came together。 I could see this potentially being an interesting TV series， but as one novel it really didn't work。 I didn't love this。 I felt like I was waiting the whole time to figure out what the main plot was and it never got there。 There were way too many side plots that never really came together。 I could see this potentially being an interesting TV series， but as one novel it really didn't work。 。。。more

Katherine ，

This book snuck up on me！ The beginning was slow for me， and I wasn’t expecting it to be this good。 It’s a deft satire of Silicon Valley culture - several lines shocked me with how smart and cutting they were。 The characters feel real， and the author resists giving any of them overly happy or tragic endings。 I think there could have been fewer characters who got perspective chapters， but overall this was really well done。

Angela Pineda ，

Eh- good but could have been better。 I liked the chapters narrated by Julia （the Russian spy， currently CEO of “Tangerine” - aka Facebook）， and Alice （the young analyst who notices something is up）， but I found the Leo chapters a bit pointless after a while。 I wish this book was more “spy thriller” than it was。 I felt the beginning of the book was strong， but past the halfway point I was less enthralled。

Livvy ，

Not knocking the author at all but I think I was too dumb to be reading this book。 That being said， I loved Julia and Alice because they were two incredibly compelling females in a male-driven world who tried the best they could and yet could never prove themselves。 I also thought it had a slow start and picked up 3/4 of the way in。

Idina Jomia ，

Sad to say this book was not for me - though Wang is a good writer， the pacing of the book felt off and there was confusion for me as to what the genre was supposed to be。 Though I have read many books that genre-bend and blend， this one just seemed less like a mix and more like it couldn't settle on what to be。 Sad to say this book was not for me - though Wang is a good writer， the pacing of the book felt off and there was confusion for me as to what the genre was supposed to be。 Though I have read many books that genre-bend and blend， this one just seemed less like a mix and more like it couldn't settle on what to be。 。。。more

Lacy Boratko ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really thought I would like this book。 I love books where the characters switch per chapter to follow each of their stories and this book had that。 Half way through I was getting really excited about what was to come。 The second half of the book is a bore。 The ending was such a let down and didn't go into any details on the ending when the rest of the book is so descriptive。 You are telling me after all this the FBI wouldn't see her talking to Leo in the end？ I don't buy it。 For the build of t I really thought I would like this book。 I love books where the characters switch per chapter to follow each of their stories and this book had that。 Half way through I was getting really excited about what was to come。 The second half of the book is a bore。 The ending was such a let down and didn't go into any details on the ending when the rest of the book is so descriptive。 You are telling me after all this the FBI wouldn't see her talking to Leo in the end？ I don't buy it。 For the build of the first half to have the second half be such a let down was disappointing。 Also， how is this book about "women empowerment" when all they do is call Julia a bitch and all Julia does is bitch about her role as a woman in power talking down to other women who will never be at her level？ Then her husband cheats at least emotionally and when she comes home from her interrogation she loves him again？ Super empowering 。。。 note the sarcasm。 。。。more

Elaine ，

I’m torn what to give this book。 It was a page turning novel， but none of the characters are particularly likable。 It’s a cynical view of life， with a depressing outlook from start to finish。 There’s a reason I shy away from realistic fiction， it’s sometimes much too despairing to get into。 And yet… I couldn’t put it down。 I told myself I was only going to read six more chapters and found I had finished the book。 As much as I didn’t like the characters， it was like watching a train wreck in slow I’m torn what to give this book。 It was a page turning novel， but none of the characters are particularly likable。 It’s a cynical view of life， with a depressing outlook from start to finish。 There’s a reason I shy away from realistic fiction， it’s sometimes much too despairing to get into。 And yet… I couldn’t put it down。 I told myself I was only going to read six more chapters and found I had finished the book。 As much as I didn’t like the characters， it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion， you can’t pull yourself away form looking at it。 Even as I say it’s very cynical， Wang understands the darker side of humanity， the ugliness inherent in all of us， mirrored against our desires to be known， to be good， to be happy。 I picked this book up because I love deep level spy stories- I watched The Americans and Red Sparrow for goodness sake， but there’s such a heaviness and sadness and fear within these stories。 Think it’s time to return to my happy fantasy novels for a bit。 。。。more

Shannon ，

Great premise， proficient writing， and had some clever satire on Silicon Valley。 Sadly let down by the flabby plotting and static characters。

Keelin ，

I really struggled with what to rate this one。 On one hand， I flew through the second half pretty quickly so I was clearly invested in the outcome， and yet I don’t feel like I got to know any of the characters beyond surface level， which I would have needed to if I were to really connect with the story。 Overall， I liked it。 But I’m not sure I’d recommend。

Alison ，

First book I did not finish。 Interesting plot， very poor execution。

Emily ，

This was verrrry slow for me。 I'm not sure if that was the book or the narrator。 There's some sharp and funny stuff about the tech industry and the way ambitious women are treated in it， and I ended up finding the main characters interesting， but this just never grabbed me the way I hoped it would。 This was verrrry slow for me。 I'm not sure if that was the book or the narrator。 There's some sharp and funny stuff about the tech industry and the way ambitious women are treated in it， and I ended up finding the main characters interesting， but this just never grabbed me the way I hoped it would。 。。。more

Rachel ，

I expected this to be a bit of a spy thriller， but it was actually more of a character study。 Switching between POV was interesting， but it felt like a lot of the side narratives were unnecessary。 Near the end things started happening but it seemed rather anticlimactic to me。

Megan ，

I enjoyed this book。 It probably wasn’t my favorite book of the year， but it was very enlightening。 It was one of those I thought I should read because it was new and highly recommended。 I’m glad I did。 Having lived overseas and understanding a lot about the intricacies of Chinese families and being thankful for jobs， Alice’s character completely made sense。 Having her and Julia as the main characters of the book were perfect foils， showing highly successful rich woman Doing illegal things to ga I enjoyed this book。 It probably wasn’t my favorite book of the year， but it was very enlightening。 It was one of those I thought I should read because it was new and highly recommended。 I’m glad I did。 Having lived overseas and understanding a lot about the intricacies of Chinese families and being thankful for jobs， Alice’s character completely made sense。 Having her and Julia as the main characters of the book were perfect foils， showing highly successful rich woman Doing illegal things to gain her status， and then Alice barely scraping by， It really highlighted that sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t pay off， which is disappointing but true in our society。I enjoyed learning how Julia became what she did， but there were definitely gaps in her training， which may be was on purpose。 I appreciated that becoming a parent made her softer and more human。 I still felt the ending was a little bit confusing， and not as climactic as I thought it should be？ So did Leo really give up his job？I did think they were a lot of characters stories brought in which kind of made sense in the end when they are connected， but may be too many plots going on at once？ Regardless， glad I read the book。 Learning a lot about society from good fiction these days 。。。more

Brooke Dilling ，

Overall this book had interesting characters， but the plot felt weak and unfinished。 The ending of the story lacking。

Lisa Stanisch ，

This book was just not good。 The premise seemed interesting， but there is so little that happens that actually develops the plot。 The middle of the book gets very boring and has a ton of random backstories and other tangents that seem irrelevant。 There are also an unneccessary amount of characters that don’t really add to the story。 And so much of this book just didn’t really make sense。 The characters seemed to have inconsistent personalities throughout， without them really evolving or being la This book was just not good。 The premise seemed interesting， but there is so little that happens that actually develops the plot。 The middle of the book gets very boring and has a ton of random backstories and other tangents that seem irrelevant。 There are also an unneccessary amount of characters that don’t really add to the story。 And so much of this book just didn’t really make sense。 The characters seemed to have inconsistent personalities throughout， without them really evolving or being layered。 It’s honestly just hard to describe how poorly put together the book is。 I did not like this at all but gave it 2 ⭐️ instead of 1 because I liked the ending and there were times when Alice seemed relatable enough to be semi-likable。 。。。more

Brandy Rae ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I had a really hard time getting into the first half of this book by Kathy Wang。Julia Lerner is a coo of a tech company in silicone Valley， a new wife， a new mother， and a。。 Russian spy。 The book really picks up when a nobody tech stumbles across an account that is used to gather information on people who use the tech company's software， and must decide what to do with this information。 I had a really hard time getting into the first half of this book by Kathy Wang。Julia Lerner is a coo of a tech company in silicone Valley， a new wife， a new mother， and a。。 Russian spy。 The book really picks up when a nobody tech stumbles across an account that is used to gather information on people who use the tech company's software， and must decide what to do with this information。 。。。more

Angie Reiber ，

This book keeps you at arm’s length， which made me question along the way whether or not I actually liked it。 I was engaged and continued to read， even though I didn’t think I felt a strong connection to any of the characters。 Was I supposed to like them？ Hate them？ Root for them？ I just knew I wanted to know what they’d do next。 Ultimately， I realized that this was absolutely by design—the story is beautifully crafted。 It burrowed into my brain and will likely stick with me for a while。 If you’ This book keeps you at arm’s length， which made me question along the way whether or not I actually liked it。 I was engaged and continued to read， even though I didn’t think I felt a strong connection to any of the characters。 Was I supposed to like them？ Hate them？ Root for them？ I just knew I wanted to know what they’d do next。 Ultimately， I realized that this was absolutely by design—the story is beautifully crafted。 It burrowed into my brain and will likely stick with me for a while。 If you’re looking for a fast-paced espionage thriller， this is not that book。 But if you want a slow burn， a bit of a thinker to make you question your own ethics and loyalties， give this one a read。 。。。more

Lauren Oquist ，

This book kept me reading！ I was very interested in the characters and why they made certain choices。 However it was not as much of a thriller as I thought it would be， and the ending left a lot to be desired。 3。5 stars 。。。 mostly for unmet expectations。

Joan ，

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang is a book I can see some people hating。 It is a scathing satire of women in Silicon Valley that can’t quite decide what genre to fall into。 But， hear me out – despite its flaws， it’s a lot of fun。 The novel centers around two women: Julia Lerner， COO of Tangerine （the fictional equivalent of Facebook+Google）， and Alice Lu， a lowly Tangerine IT worker struggling to stay afloat in the exorbitant Valley。 No one has any idea that Julia is actually a Russian spy。 But t Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang is a book I can see some people hating。 It is a scathing satire of women in Silicon Valley that can’t quite decide what genre to fall into。 But， hear me out – despite its flaws， it’s a lot of fun。 The novel centers around two women: Julia Lerner， COO of Tangerine （the fictional equivalent of Facebook+Google）， and Alice Lu， a lowly Tangerine IT worker struggling to stay afloat in the exorbitant Valley。 No one has any idea that Julia is actually a Russian spy。 But though Russia brought her to the Valley， Julia was the one who built her career， and she is becoming increasingly resentful of the type of intelligence Russia is demanding from her – especially as it begins to threaten the luxurious life she built for herself。 Her downfall though may not come from her handler， or even her hubris – but Alice Lu， who really regrets the day she ran that routine security check on Tangerine’s servers。 Reasons to hate it: Julia and Alice are intensely unlikeable。 The plot line wanders a bit and there are too many POVs。 The ending makes no sense。 （view spoiler）[ so。。。 Julia is a double agent now？ How is that going to work out？ （hide spoiler）] In addition， some of what Wang writes is so politically incorrect it would send most of my social media bubble reeling （but remember: it’s satire）。Reasons to love it: I could not put this book down。 Despite the occasionally wandering plot， Impostor Syndrome was a page-turner。 And even though I disliked Julia and Alice， their character flaws reflected back my own insecurities and wants， making for some interesting introspection。 In fact， Wang’s unflattering portrayal of Silicon Valley in general was both incisive and entertaining， and I think it’s best to enjoy this novel through the genre of satire （rather than， thriller or women’s fiction）。 Overall， my reasons to love it overpowered my reasons to hate it， and I’d recommend it！ 。。。more

Beth Anne ，

A lovely and quick read！

Tatiana ，

Russian spy mystery written by an author who knows nothing about Russia。 Why do they even bother？ A serious question。 P。S。 I think you meant Yulia。

Jessica ，

This book was extremely slow moving。 I kept waiting for it to get more intense/exciting， but it never did。 It had some good themes about women in power， but the story itself bored me。

Karyn ，

Women in tech are the main characters！ We are cool。 How is this the first book I've read where we are fictionalized/sensationalized？ Women in tech are the main characters！ We are cool。 How is this the first book I've read where we are fictionalized/sensationalized？ 。。。more

Brittany ，

I wasn’t sure about this book at first。 It’s not my normal type of read and I found Julia beyond obnoxious。 But it got better and eventually I couldn’t put it down！

M Zer ，

The characters were lovable， the writing was charming， and I enjoyed the book overall， but I definitely didn’t consume it as quick as I usually do。 I think I would love this author with a different genre。

Megan ，

In truth， I was kind of dismayed at the 3。41 overall rating Impostor Syndrome has。 I couldn't reason out why the rating would be so low - I thoroughly enjoyed the book。 But， then， I've been working in some manner of tech - including start-ups - for about fifteen years and so much of this book was intimately familiar to me （except the spy stuff， of course）。I'm unsure of author Kathy Wang's background， but her portrait of tech-life for women is rather accurate。 Certainly her description of the bro In truth， I was kind of dismayed at the 3。41 overall rating Impostor Syndrome has。 I couldn't reason out why the rating would be so low - I thoroughly enjoyed the book。 But， then， I've been working in some manner of tech - including start-ups - for about fifteen years and so much of this book was intimately familiar to me （except the spy stuff， of course）。I'm unsure of author Kathy Wang's background， but her portrait of tech-life for women is rather accurate。 Certainly her description of the brogrammers and trust fund CEOs is on point。 The parties， the misogyny， the heedless spending of wealth， and even the sometimes lackadaisical security measures - all there。 Because of this， the characters of Julia and Alice are so believable it's like they're coworkers of your own。 The spy plot was interesting enough to move to move the plot forward and keep me interested， even if I was a bit incredulous at the end。 Overall， though， I could reason away any doubts and rapidly consumed this book。 It's been a while since I've enjoyed contemporary fiction， and I'm so glad I picked this book for my BOTM。 。。。more

Araya ，

2。5/5 rounded up。 I liked the premise of this book and feel like it had a lot of potential。 But at the end of the day， I didn’t find any of the characters memorable。 I also didn’t find any depth or character development， aside from Julia， the main character， but only just barely。 There was a lot of potential here but no complexity or resolution。 This story fell flat for me。

Lisa ，

I think when I selected this book from Book of the Month book club， I didn't realize it was sort of a thriller/espionage story， a cat-and-mouse between Julia， a Russian spy in a sort of Sheryl Sandburg role at a sort-of Facebook type company， and Alice， a lower-level employee who stumbles across evidence of the espionage。 It was not my usual genre， but I enjoyed it as a quick and fun read。 I think when I selected this book from Book of the Month book club， I didn't realize it was sort of a thriller/espionage story， a cat-and-mouse between Julia， a Russian spy in a sort of Sheryl Sandburg role at a sort-of Facebook type company， and Alice， a lower-level employee who stumbles across evidence of the espionage。 It was not my usual genre， but I enjoyed it as a quick and fun read。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Impostor Syndrome

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Impostor Syndrome&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Impostor Syndrome&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0