📖Book Review: My First Acquisition by Camillia Pfeiffer

As someone who reads from various domains, from the occult to finance, tech, etc, My First Acquisition by Camillia Pfeiffer was a surprise.

I picked it up randomly on my Amazon Kindle, expecting an entertaining business novel, but what I got was a fast-paced novel which I really liked, about tech startup drama, and financial espionage, all wrapped in a thriller that doesn’t let go until the final page.

The story follows Lucy Riddle and her two co-founders, John and Marcus, who were Stanford graduates with a big dream: to build an AI platform that democratizes financial technology. The problem? They’re underfunded, under-resourced, and running out of time. Their solution? Buy a company that already has the tech they need. And of course, in this story we deal with drama and hidden interests.

What I appreciated most is how the author takes us into boardrooms, negotiation tables, and the private chats where billion-dollar decisions are made. If you’ve ever wondered how acquisitions work in the real world, this book gives a slight idea about that. It’s educational, whether or not you have a background in tech or finance.

Lucy is smart, practical, and far from the stereotypical “girl in tech.” Watching her transformation from coder to fierce corporate negotiator is nice to see and we get that feeling of evolution. The chemistry between her and one of her teammates adds just the right touch of romantic tension to humanize the world they operate in.

Now, as someone who works with AI models myself for coding purposes, I have to point out something that might go unnoticed by most readers: the tone and structure of the writing carry a very clear AI-generated feel. It’s not just about just some parts of the book, I saw it across the entire book and the author felt as if made sure that everything is cohesive and the Ai doesn't slip.

That said, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. In fact, it makes it even more impressive that the book still delivers so well. If this was largely AI-generated or assisted, it’s a prime example of what thoughtful editing and clear vision can achieve in partnership with technology.

Anyway, back to the story itself, we see a lot of sabotage, surveillance, and even attempted murder enter the mix as Lucy and her team face pressure not only from competitors but from shady people with interests in keeping innovation controlled.

I've read this on my way to work and after dinner and I loved it.

Final thoughts on this book:

• Engaging

• Great mix of business education and thriller suspense

• Pretty realistic startup culture (I used to work at some point at one and didn't like it just because of the fact that you play different roles because you are dealing with a company which doesn't make a lot of money, and the expectations were way higher than what you are paid for)

• Female lead who is competent without cliché

• Feels slightly AI-written, but still manages to be cohesive and compelling

If you want to give it a try, you can buy the book from Amazon: Link