After hearing this Author, Lainey Cameron, interviewed on the Hear Us Roar Podcast (#59) I couldn’t wait to read this book. I was instantly intrigued with the concept of a plot starting with a bombshell revelation between two successful women negotiating a career-making deal and learning at the same time that they were involved with the same man. (one a spouse, the other a fiancé) I mean where do you go from there? I have read books before that end with this kind of reveal, but Lainey Cameron’s plot leads with this. 

From there the reader is taken on a journey into the world of what it’s like to be a successful woman in a place like Silicon Valley, the sacrifices made on a personal and professional level and the ever-present old boys club. Although I enjoyed this story of resilience and friendship and I really admired Cameron’s writing, it upsets me that the sexist environment in any workplace still exists. As a mother to three young woman in the early stages of their careers I want more for them and agree whole heartedly with Cameron’s mentor, Laura Drake who comments in the Author’s notes:

“I wish for the day that a young woman will ask her mother, ‘This stuff didn’t really happen…..did it?’ And the mother can truthfully say, ‘Of course not dear. It’s fiction.” Unfortunately, that day is not yet here.” 

No that day is not yet here but fortunately books like The Exit Strategy by Lainey Cameron are here to educate, remind, and inspire the change that must happen. 

Lainey Cameron’s book can be purchased here.

The podcast Hear Us Roar which focuses on debut women’s fiction can be found on most places where you find your podcasts.