Ratings2
Average rating3.5
An “engaging and suspenseful” novel of a first-generation Chinese American having second thoughts about her elite Manhattan law firm (The Wall Street Journal).
Ingrid Yung’s life is full of firsts. A first-generation Chinese American, the first lawyer in her family, she’s about to collect the holy grail of firsts and become the first minority woman to make partner at the venerable old Wall Street law firm Parsons Valentine & Hunt.
Ingrid has perfected the art of “passing” and seamlessly blends into the old-boy corporate culture. She gamely banters in the cafeteria, plays in the firm softball league, and earnestly racks up her billable hours. But when an offensive incident at the summer outing threatens the firm’s reputation, Ingrid’s outsider status is suddenly thrown into sharp relief.
Scrambling to do damage control, Parsons Valentine announces a new diversity and inclusion initiative, commanding Ingrid to spearhead the effort—just as she’s about to close an enormous transaction that was to be her final step in securing partnership.
For the first time, Ingrid begins to question her place in the firm. Pitted against her colleagues, including her golden-boy boyfriend, Ingrid wonders whether the prestige of partnership is worth breaching her ethics. But can she risk throwing away the American dream that’s finally within her reach?
Reviews with the most likes.
thank you netgalley for the digital arc, i was very excited to read this!
let me just start by saying this isn't my usual type of book but i still ended up really liking it! you can definitely tell that the author went through similar experiences to ingrid's and it lent a particularly great authenticity to the story. i, having liked the ending, still wished there was more focus on her practice of law and her every day challenges. i felt like that's the moments where the author's writing really shined. the murph plot-line really irked me and i never felt drawn into him as a character, so i didn't feel what ingrid must have felt throughout the story. there are a lot of really good things about this book, it did however feel kind of rushed at the end..
i'm glad i read it and i can't wait to watch the series on netflix now. i would love to read anything else helen wan releases in the future!