I liked the different set-up of this story. An American technology company infiltrated by individuals who want access to information the software can provide. I was intrigued to find out the background motivation of the main female characters. Was it positive or negative? I liked that the story was told from the view of different characters.

Julia Lerner may seem to have it all as COO of Tangerine, one of America's most prestigious technology companies, but her life is not quite what it appears to be. To reach the dizzy heights of Silicon Valley royalty she has been given a little helping hand along the way courtesy of Russian Intelligence.

Abandoned as a child, she grew up in a Russian orphanage, and was desperate to escape the hard life that lay before her. Her guile and ability to think on her feet got her recruited to the SPB in 2006, and, as her handler Leo Guskov's special project, 'Minerva' has been passing information back to her spymasters for years via a loophole in Tangerine's privacy settings.

It is now 2018 and Julia has come to enjoy the life she has in America. Recently married, and with a baby on the way, Julia is no longer willing to risk losing all that she has gained. When Leo begins asking her for information that is becoming more difficult for her to obtain secretly, she is worried that she may be exposed. Where do her loyalties really lie?

Alice Lu is a first-generation Chinese American, working in a lowly role at Tangerine. Her career has not gone the way she was hoping, but her parents are delighted that she works at such a distinguished company. One afternoon, while carrying out a routine sever check, she notices some abnormal activity. This takes her down a rabbit hole that uncovers the privacy backdoor that allows Julia to access the information she has been passing on to Leo. Can Julia Lerner really be abusing her power?

Imposter Syndrome is not your average espionage thriller. It certainly contains all the elements you need to make up a cracking page turner about the life of a spy under deep cover, but along the way it also has you looking long and hard at the fallacy of the American Dream; and the toxic environment of Silicon Valley, especially when it comes to women.

The story splits between Julia, Leo, and Alice, as they play their separate roles of secret agent, SPB handler and investigator, but rather than making them caricatures careering about in a pacy spy caper Wang takes you right inside their heads so you can understand exactly what motivates them to act as they do. This creates a very interesting novel that wanders into satire country, and it means it is not easy to label any of them as good or bad.

In fact there is something relatable in each of their stories that draws your sympathy - Julia's desire to keep what she feels she has earned, Alice's conviction that something is rotten at the heart of Tangerine, and Leo's acknowledgement that there are parts of his job that are becoming more distasteful as the years go by. I really enjoyed how Wang explores their dilemmas, comparing and contrasting different facets of their experiences as the book progresses. I actually found myself rooting for Julia almost from the very beginning of the story, even though she is a spiky character, because she had such fire and determination.

Wang touches on so many themes in the telling of this tale. She casts a sharp eye on the modern face of espionage, the abuse of power, privacy, racism, sexism, and the reach of monster organisations. The way she looks at how women are forced to play the game dictated by patriarchal rules to succeed in business is especially insightful. She also has a ball with mixing up shades of almost every possible human emotion in her characters, and she makes you feel each and every one - particularly anger and outrage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and the ending is deliciously ironic. There is scope for a sequel here too, which I would really like to read, so Kathy Wang if you are listening, I very much want to know what happens next!

Very clever and full of rich insights and details. I'd highly recommend this book - I feel better equipped for the world having read it.

An interesting read, that at times I become overwhelmed with the characters but once I slowed down my pace and took time to understand the plot and the character development it become easier to follow.
It's not a long book so is quick to absorb and read. I did so in one sitting. It touches on privilege, parenthood and women fighting for what they believe in and wanting to be heard and not overpowered.

Reasonably well fleshed out characters, an extremely interesting plot but was very slow to pick up the pace. I'm possibly too used to thrillers these days where the action in the plot kicks off from the early pages whereas this took a while to make me feel invested in the story however once I got there it did make me want to finish the story. If you have the time and patience then you'll probably enjoy it. If not you'll probably not even finish it.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I found it quite slow to get going and felt that overall the book could of been shorter. The pace did pick up around 75% but by then it was too late for me. I think it lacked some more drama, it constantly felt that it was simmering and needed a little more punch to the story.

I have seen some great reviews of this one so others have clearly enjoyed it

To me, this is one of those reads that I didn’t really like or dislike and just remains in a sort of neutral zone of books. In premise we have a Russian spy going undercover at one of America’s largest tech companies providing the motherland with information when requested, but each request is larger and more riskier than the one before. One of the employees finds a bug in the system and naturally the two are thrown closer together as our spy begins to rethink their allegiance. In my opinion the pacing was too slow for a spy novel and parts of it just didn’t grip me, or didn’t make sense.. I went in with high hopes, which may have been the issue. I’d like to see what else this author puts out.

I thought this was a very original take on the spy thriller. Well written with believable characters. I couldnt put it down at one point as the tension was mounting. Recommended read.

A cleverly crafted story, character driven (even though through very unlikable protagonists!) which is bound to make you think.

Touching upon gender equality, especially in a man driven tech world, espionage and struggles of a generation, this book highlights the plague that has contaminated a lot of men and women at all levels, posing the question “when is anything ever good enough?”

Whether you’re at the top questioning how to stay there and always do more, or at the bottom where you end up settling for your lot thinking you’re not worth it, no one is immune to this impostor syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome is an intriguing spy thriller with an interesting take on the world of women in tech. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller set in the world of espionage, then this may not be the book for you – it is more of a slow-burn, fundamentally character-driven, but one that combines a thought-provoking look at the complex world of Silicon Valley with a satirical humour that pokes fun at its absurdities, as well as an interesting reflection on gender and race, and I very much enjoyed it.

Julia Lerner grew up in an orphanage in Russia and was recruited as a spy straight out of university - now COO of Silicon Valley tech firm Tangerine, she seemingly has it all but living a double life and facing increasing demands from her Russian handlers is becoming ever more challenging. Alice, a first generation Chinese American, is a low level employee in the IT department at Tangerine, frustrated by the fact her career has stalled - when Alice detects unusual activity on the servers and traces it back to Julia, she is determined to pursue it but at what cost to them both?

The characterization of both Julia and Alice is excellent – neither are entirely likeable and seemingly very different, but what they do have in common is the immigrant experience and dealing with misogyny in all aspects of their life, and it becomes clear how their past experiences have shaped them both.

An interesting concept covering issues of gender and race in the technological world of Silicon Valley. This was a slow burner to start but had me intrigued as we got to know more about Alice and Julia and their interactions. There was always a simmering tension that never really got going for me, but the daily struggles both women had to face made this an interesting story and the spy element kept me wanting more.

Imposter Syndrome, Kathy Wang's second novel, was on my 2022 reading list; I was attracted by the idea of a corporate thriller starring Julia, a Russian intelligence agent in Silicon Valley, and Alice, a first-generation Chinese-American working at the same company. However, I'm just not sure what this book want to be. It flicks uneasily between satire and seriousness, and between thriller and social commentary. The narrators, other than Alice, are just bizarre. Props to Wang for trying something new, but it didn't work for me. DNF @35%.

Really enjoyed this book! It had me gripped from get go. As other reviews have said its hard to write about it without including spoilers but trust me, you need to read this!

Half the characters were supposed to be unlikeable but it made me love them so much more! You end up rooting for people you never usually would.

I really like how each chapter is written from a characters POV.

When I read the blurb I though this was going to be a straightforward spy story but it was it more than that. It was also about woman in industry, particularly in corporate/ technology roles and is very character driven. Julia is a great character, initially loyal to her roots but then discovering that her new life and her achievements are more important to her than Mother Russia, I was totally rooting for her as the book progressed.

Briefly, Raisa a Russian student meets Leo who recruits her into the State Protection Bureau. She is trained and sent deep undercover cover in America where she becomes Julia Lerner. By 2018 she is working in Silicon Valley as COO of Tangerine, a high tech computer company. Leo still acts as her handler. Alice works within the company and one day notices unusual activity on the server. Investigating she finds private information being shared, and possibly by Julia. Will Alice’s suspicions bear fruit and will Julia be found out?

Very much like a Le Carre book this is a slow burner. It highlights the fears we have about private information on social media outlets being used for criminal and other purposes. Very cleverly written and a really good book which makes you think about the use and potential abuse of modern technology. I enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Julia was a poor Russian orphan, Alice the daughter of poor Chinese immigrants. Now Julia is COO of Tangerine, a multi-billion-dollar Silicon Valley company, while Alice is only a member of the Technical Support team.
Julia’s amazing transformation came courtesy of the SPB, Russia's spy agency responsible for the creation and infiltration of ‘illegals’, but the SPB can only do so much. Her rise to such pre-eminence was due to her hard headed and single minded personality, nurtured and matured by her time in the orphanage. It was also due to her increasing Americanisation. Her original róle for the SPB was to obtain information on new Tech and new code, but now she's being asked to supply secret information on people gleaned from Tangerine’s user base, to which her position gives unique access, with the threat of recall if she fails to do this. Could she really go back from the weather and perks of California to the cold austerity of Russia?
Alice’s position is well below her qualifications and intelligence, but, as she freely admits, her upbringing has made her subservient and unadventurous. Then one afternoon during a routine check she notices unusual activity on a server and accidentally discovers Julia’s secret “God Mode" access. Should she exploit this, ignore it, or blow the whistle?
As the two young women proceed on their self-ordained paths, it is clear that there must be a collision coming; but where, when, and how provides the plot for this unusual spy thriller.
So, the plot is not very complicated, but the story is much more than the plot. Alternating chapters are informed by the histories and personalities of Julia and Alice, interspersed by chapters focusing on major secondary characters (particularly Leo, Julia’s SPB mentor and handler). The background details about the operation of companies like Tangerine, and the equally complex and internecine machinations of the world of espionage, particularly the former, feel authentic. The book has been described as a satire on Silicon Valley, but it doesn’t really conform to that description, although the style is rather tongue in cheek, especially in the sections where male characters are being described from a female perspective. This provides its own enhancement to the reader’s enjoyment of what is an unchallenging but interesting tale.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I had very little idea of what to expect from this book. I wasn’t sure if it was a thriller, sci-fi, some kind of dystopian or even a bleak look at our actual world. As it turned out, I think it’s a bit of all of those things.

Julia Lerner is a recent computer science graduate in Moscow, when she’s recruited by a huge Russian intelligence agency. 12 years later, she is COO of Tangerine, a tech conglomerate in Silicon Valley. While going about her duties, she is also sending valuable information back to Russia but their demands are becoming more and more dangerous. Alice Lu works hard amidst the lower ranks of Tangerine while dealing with recently being dumped and living with her cousin. When Alice notices some unusual activity from a server, she investigates and discovers that Julia Lerner herself may be behind some serious corruption within the company.

The book takes a deep dive into being a successful woman in Silicon Valley. It mentions traditions that are still widely held today and holds them up for inspection. For example, what are women really saying when they take their husband’s last name? Are they in fact losing or giving up something of themselves when they do that? What does that mean for their career and the way that they’re treated by both men and other women?

While living a double life as a COO and a Russian spy, Julia is also a wife and mother. Like many high-powered, successful women, Julia has a home life and that life is often interrupted by the demands of her work. She also gets very little sympathy or support from her husband, which is also probably very accurate to the truth for many women, whether they have careers or not. All of the men in Impostor Syndrome have zero empathy or desire to learn about women’s struggles and it makes for highly frustrating yet believable reading.

Alice is a woman who sees things exactly as they are. She is humble with good morals and she risks a lot in exposing what’s really going on with Julia and Tangerine. She wants to do the right thing but without jeopardising her own career. She is put in a tough spot and there were points in the book, I was just willing her to be clever. I enjoyed seeing her tackle this dilemma but was on edge as to whether she’d pull it off constantly.

I loved that the book also commented on real world issues such as employment, family life and gender equality. Many people still look down on the long-term unemployed and believe that they must be lazy or ‘not trying hard enough’, completely disregarding the hardships that unemployment brings. I’d never heard of employment described as ‘a best friend or boyfriend, in that it seemed so easy when you had it, but an impossible task when you didn’t’, but it’s so accurate.

Impostor Syndrome is an interesting, thought-provoking read, showcasing the realities of being a woman in tech. Although there is a chase between Julia and Alice, I did find my attention waning at certain points. I wasn’t invested enough in either of them to become as engaged with the story as I wanted to be. I don’t think that they had enough interactions to really provide any chemistry between them and I think that would have vastly improved the whole dynamic.

This espionage thriller disappoints a bit. We are currently in the age of Anna Delvey and The Dropout so I was expecting great things from this. Sadly the writing felt a bit bland and there was not nearly enough focus on the unique challenges of this company.

(Note: I got an advanced readers copy from NetGalley of this book.)

I requested this book on NetGalley because I love the premise: a Russian spying link, plus someone in a real day job, and technology. I enjoyed reading the book because the pacing was good, always leaving me wondering what was going to happen next. The plot moved

I also thought the workplace scenes were done very well - which is very rare, and also important to me. Because I have a podcast about writers with day jobs (Marginally Podcast! check it out!), I like when you can see the author's knowledge and authority being put to good plot/literary use, and that certainly happens here. I don't know much about tech, but the author manages to show just enough of the workplace that we can follow the plot but it's never boring.

I thought the characters were also interesting - a diverse and realistic group of people considering the Silicon Valley setting. I particularly thought the internal discourses of the characters were interesting - both new arrivals (the Russians) and second-generation, as contrasted with the White characters. All of that was done very well, and gave a good sense of social tensions, which added a deeper meaning to the book than it might otherwise have had.

I thought the Russian parts were done less well - they were better than many books about the topic, and seemed to have been well researched. But it still had the feeling of having been researched, rather than lived or felt, and as a result made the Russian characters sometimes a little bit flat. However, this is true for a lot of similar characters (i.e. The Americans or similar), where the characters are portrayed in a way that is more in line with the American way of thinking, in a way I am finding hard to explain.

Anyway: this book is interesting about the different geopolitical forces at play, and it's interesting and fun to read.

Thank you to Verve Books & Netgalley for this proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I'm a big fan of a spy novel, and ideally a spy novel that isn't v misogynistic (I'm looking at you Ian Fleming) - so this modern tale in Silicon Valley made for a great backdrop.

Julia Lerner is a Russian spy, and COO of Tangerine, a huge social media business. Alice Lu is a low/mid Tangerine worker (and one of the only people who is diligent about her job) and uncovers some sketchy data being exported, and through a lot of detective work - links it to Julia. This then follows a cat-and-mouse chase between the two women.

Fast paced and v much enjoyable, I read this book within 24 hours. I was gripped! I don't know, I just can't help but want more? I don't know exactly what I would want, or how I would add to this work of fiction, but maybe some extra pages and info/character development would've been good? I don't know. Overall really enjoyed though!

I haven’t read a spy thriller in a while and with Imposter Syndrome set against the backdrop of a large tech corporation in Silicon Valley, I was excited to find out more.

I think the saddest thing about this book is that upon reading it, I can accurately sum up the entire plot in about 2 sentences without really missing anything out – and one of those sentences is on the blurb! Imposter Syndrome is a very slow read – there’s a lot of unnecessary detail and exposition of backstory for characters which really isn’t needed. A good edit could probably take about 150 pages out without affecting the plot or the readers enjoyment (and it isn’t a long book!). From the blurb, I was expecting a cat and mouse, high paced thriller as worker bee Alice discovers her boss and head of tech company Tangerine is a Russian spy. It isn’t until about halfway through the book that Alice discovers this fact though which seemed like a lot of build for a fact that has already been told to the reader both in the blurb and in the first chapter from Julia’s perspective.

The plot doesn’t seem to progress very well either. We get a lot of back and forth, a lot of dull conversations and then the ending just fizzles out. In the final few pages I was really hoping for a bit of a violent twist of a conclusion and a sharp ending to Julia’s side of the plot but the actual ending was disappointing. Despite all of the backstory and interactions I didn’t feel like I related particularly well to any of the characters – they are all quite unlikeable, including Alice.

Overall, Imposter Syndrome should have been a high paced techno-spy-thriller but we were left with a slow moving plot and not much of a story. Thank you to NetGalley & Verve Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.