Bond Girl

This book was exactly what I expected it would be. A Nanny Diaries/Devil Wears Prada style book about the financial world. The author did work in finance so the story is believable and is probably based on her experiences (although it's not meant to be a veiled expose like Devil).

I enjoyed it. It was a very quick read and well written. Alex's Dad was in the Business and growing up she always knew she wanted a job in finance. She takes a job at a bond desk at a prestigious financial services firm. She is one of few women there who are not admin staff. There is one older woman on her team but she is very bitter and not the least bit supportive of Alex. The rest of the team is all type A men most with egos to match their large wallets. Her boss is chauvinistic yet privately supportive of her. He often assigns Alex ridiculous tasks as tests, and despite some grumbling, she usually pulls it off. She is determined to prove to herself and the guys she works with that she can excel as an analyst just as well as they can.

Despite warnings from her boss not to date anyone from the firm, Alex's flirting with a colleague inevitably leads to something more serious. As time goes on she wishes she had heeded his advice. Along with that relationship she is being pursued by a client (a married hedge fund manager who is not used to being told no, and is increasingly turned on by Alex avoiding him).

Overall a fun read, which seems to paint a pretty accurate picture of the absurd world of finance.