The Social Code by Sadie Hayes – The Start-Up #1

Posted 29 August, 2013 by Danny in Blog, Danny, Danny's Book Review / 7 Comments

The Social Code by Sadie Hayes – The Start-Up #1The Social Code by Sadie Hayes
Series: The Start-Up #1
Published by St. Martin's Press on September 3rd 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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4 Stars

Amelia is almost as pretty as she is smart – almost. A shy girl and genius, she is happiest alone in the computer lab, but her brother has other plans for her talents: A new company that will be the next Silicon Valley hit, and will thrust Amelia into the spotlight whether she likes it or not. Where Amelia’s the brains, Adam’s the ambition – he sees the privileged lifestyle of the Silicon Valley kids and wants a piece of what they have. He especially wants a piece of Lisa Bristol, the stunning daughter of one of the Valley’s biggest tycoons.

As Adam and Amelia begin to hatch their new company, they find themselves going from nothing to the verge of everything seemingly overnight. But no amount of prestige can prepare them for the envy, backstabbing and cool calculation of their new powerful peers.

Welcome to Silicon Valley, where fortune, success – and betrayal – are only a breath away...

Previously published as The Start-Up

The synopsis was telling me one thing that this was not the usual plot I get with the label New Adult and that I knew I was going to like it! Well, yeah those are two things, but in the end, the cover and the synopsis truly made me want to read this book!

Gossip Girl For Nerds and Geeks!

The main plot follows the twins Amelia and Adam on their way to success. Coming from foster care and having just started College, Computer Geek and  brainy Amelia finally feels like she belongs. Also. Adam finally founds himself with lots of opportunities to form a new life. Soon, both are tangled with the rich and the famous, a life they have never dreamed of and especially Amelia is not sure she truly wants to. These poor twin kids are thrown into the world of the smart, rich, and powerful – and now we see how they survive…

Multiple PoV’s follows kids on their way to success!

The story follows multiple characters on their way to success and all their storylines are tangled with the twins Amelia and Adam. Even though I am not usually a big fan of multiple POV’s it gave this story a feeling of something bigger, something more enormous than just the twin’s story. It was a foreshadowing of something truly big going to happen, which made the story just richer!

However, even though it’s written in third person narrative sometimes there was a small shift in the POV even within a chapter, which I didn’t like, too much.

The Twins – The Geek and The Protector

I loved Amelia so much! She was soo geeky and a true nerd and she was so cute! All Amelia ever wanted was to code, to develop programs and iPhone apps. That is her passion. But she also had high moral standards, which made her stand out even more. She never wanted to become rich and famous, unlike her brother Adam who wanted to finally have a better life than their poor foster care upbringing. Often these two minds collided, which brought a lot of tension between the siblings. But, deep down they would do anything for each other,  they only ever had each other and I loved their connection. It actually was quite intriguing how  close they were but also how different.

Especially, their different hopes for the future added a lot of drama when Amelia developed something incredibly smart that could change the world and made them famous and rich.

“Don’t you get it Amelia? We’re poor. We’re dependents. Taking this high moral ground? Taking risks for an ideal? That’s a freedom and it’s a luxury, and it’s not one you have”. Adam to Amelia

I get it. And I get Adam here. It was one of the major differences between the twins and it made sense for me. However, I think many people will take Amelia’s side here, but I think both are right and wrong at the same time.

Friendship & Betrayal and…. Some romance..

This book was filled with connections and friends and lots of betrayals. Again, it generated the perfect gossip girl feeling and I loved this about the story as it easily sucked me in deep into the story. The romance however came way to short for me and it was the one aspect I was missing most. There is some love and some hook ups, but the story was mainly about the twins on their way to success whether they want (Adam) or do not want (Amelia).

 

Bewitched Rating

Bottom Line

Rumors, Threats, Money, Power – The Social Code by Sadie Hayes is Gossip Girl for Nerds! This is definitely not the usual New Adult you find as the romance is not the focus, but rather it focuses on different characters and their way to succeed. A little more romance would have been nice, but I truly loved the plot which is why I’m now dying for the next one!

 

New Adult contemporary 

Additional Info

Previously indie published before taken up by St.Martins, the sequel comes out already in November from St. Martins. The cover is just as appealing and awesome as the first one!

Next Big Thing by Sadie Hayes

uhm… isn’t this guy sexy as hell??

What about you guys, are you also ready to dive into some different New Adult stories? This one is really awesome and I can recommend wholeheartedly! 

Danny_Signature_muchloveI
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7 Responses to “The Social Code by Sadie Hayes – The Start-Up #1”

  1. Gossip Girl for nerds and geeks? Now that sounds very appealing!
    This wasn’t on my radar until I came across your review, Danny, so thank you for sharing.
    I like the sound of the characters although I’ll admit that multiple POVs with 3rd Person Writing scare me. (I’m not a fan)
    But I appreciate that this is a unique NA read. I’m going to check this one out.
    Lovely review! 🙂

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  2. You’ve piqued my interest! This one sounds really intriguing and I like that romance isn’t the focus (though I do love a good mushy story!) and that the siblings are at the center of it all. *adds to to-read list*

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  3. Hmm I am not sure this is for me. I am not a big fan of books that follow the gossip, betrayal, secrets and lies formats. Still I might have to check it out, you have my attention.

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  4. I’m not always a fan of multiple points of view either, but I’m glad you thought it made the story all the more richer. I haven’t actually heard of this book before! I’m definitely curious about it now though. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Reply »

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