The Next Big Thing by Sadie Hayes

The Next Big Thing by Sadie Hayes

Source: ebook

Pages: 352

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: November 26th 2013

Series: The Start-Up; Book 2

Verdict: Borrow

Summary: Amelia and Adam’s new company, Doreye, may have won over Silicon Valley, but the trouble is far from over. After facing down skepticism, a meddler from their past and a saboteur who makes their app malfunction right when it matters most, drama suddenly seems to be brewing within the ranks. While Adam has money signs in his eyes and enough charm to win over the investors, Amelia decides she wants to give away their app for free, leading to discord and a separation of responsibilities—and power.

As if that weren’t hard enough on their relationship, Adam and Amelia are both keeping secrets from each other, the kinds of secrets that could change everything if revealed. As they grow farther apart, others grow closer together. Patty finds a new boyfriend—and a fascinating new job—to distract her from Chad; Adam becomes involved with an older woman who seems to be as interested in Doreye as he is; and TJ starts to notice that Amelia is more than just a computer nerd with the tensions running high, Adam makes a decision that topples Amelia’s carefully constructed life and sets off a chain of events that could threaten the future of Doreye. Can Amelia find a way to save their company before it’s too late?

Review: I read the first book in this series, The Social Code, a short while ago, and was left wanting more right away. My library didn't have the book in its system, but hooray for ebooks, right? Unfortunately, this book didn't get a hooray from me, because it was lacking in many areas.

The Social Code ended on a huge cliffhanger, and I had really enjoyed that novel, so obviously, I had to read more. In the first book, I had loved the intelligence, kindness, and authenticity. But, with its sequel... not so much.

My only problem with the first book was that the drama was a bit much. It was bearable, but in The Next Big Thing, it is definitely not. The dramatic flair was intense, and it was completely cringe-worthy. There were so much going on, and it was really hard to follow. Plus, what was going on wasn't enjoyable at all.

What happened to strong Amelia? What about kindhearted Adam? And don't even get me started on everybody else... It was so disappointing to see such lovable and relatable (and in some cases, hatable) change into pure ridiculousness. Still, Amelia had to be one of my favorite characters, because even when things went downhill, she remained true to herself, albeit an even more reserved self.

There is unnecessary tragedy that happens in this book, and I didn't like it at all. It was so uncalled for and just completely random. Again, going back to that overdone drama, I think the unnecessary tragedy was added in an attempt to mix things up a bit... So not needed.

All in all, I am really disappointed with The Next Big Thing. I had high hopes after reading The Social Code, and its sequel smashed those hopes into crumbles of disappointment. Seriously, I am so not okay with how things turned out.

Still, I have no regrets, and am glad that I read The Next Big Thing, along with The Social Code, because I've finally reached a conclusion. The ending is a bit expected and abrupt, but it gets the job done. I'm honestly not sure if there is more to this series, but I'm happy, or at least semi-happy, with how things ended.

It's not the way I would have liked things to turn out, but I suppose it's time for me to find my next big thing...

Could've been better

★★☆☆☆