Bright Silicon Stars combines the fiercely feminist themes of Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry with the 80’s nostalgia of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising and the transformative friendships found in Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. In 1988, aspiring software engineer Kate Evans moves to Silicon Valley
with her boyfriend, Robby, determined to prove that women deserve a place in the male-dominated tech industry. But when a crucial interview ends with a job offer for the role of secretary, instead of the engineering job Kate knows she deserves, she doesn’t think her day can get any worse…That is, until she discovers Robby cheating on her.

Heartbroken and disillusioned with the Golden State, Kate is ready to give up on her Silicon Valley dreams for good—until she meets wealthy Scarlett Wallington, an enigmatic woman with a troubled past. Through Scarlett’s connections, Kate lands a job as one of the few female engineers at an up-and-coming Silicon Valley startup. Immersed in the cutthroat world of tech, she’s forced to navigate intense rivalries, relying on her coding skills and sharp intellect to prove herself to coworkers who are convinced that she doesn’t possess the right anatomy for the job. With a new, tight-knit group of friends, the attention of two eligible men, and a burgeoning career, Kate’s journey finally feels on track. But when the fast-paced world of the Valley claims the life of one of her friends, Kate begins to question whether the very system she’s strived so hard to succeed in needs disrupting instead.