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This Could Hurt
Alternate cover edition can be found here
A funny and deeply felt novel that illuminates the pivotal role of work in our lives—a riveting fusion of The Nest, Up in the Air, and Then We Came to the End that captures the emotional complexities of five HR colleagues trying to balance ambition, hope, and fear as their small company is buffeted by economic forces that threaten to upend them.
Rosa Guerrero beat the odds as she rose to the top of the corporate world. An attractive woman of a certain age, the longtime chief of human resources at Ellery Consumer Research is still a formidable presence, even if her most vital days are behind her. A leader who wields power with grace and discretion, she has earned the devotion and loyalty of her staff. No one admires Rosa more than her doting lieutenant Leo Smalls, a benefits vice president whose whole world is Ellery.
While Rosa is consumed with trying to address the needs of her staff within the ever-constricting limits of the company’s bottom line, her associate director, Rob Hirsch, a middle-aged, happily married father of two, finds himself drawing closer to his "work wife," Lucy Bender, an enterprising single woman searching for something—a romance, a promotion—to fill the vacuum in her personal life. For Kenny Verville, a senior manager with an MBA, Ellery is a temporary stepping-stone to bigger and better places—that is, if his high-powered wife has her way.
Compelling, flawed, and heartbreakingly human, these men and women scheme, fall in and out of love, and nurture dreams big and small. As their individual circumstances shift, one thing remains constant—Rosa, the sun around whom they all orbit. When her world begins to crumble, the implications for everyone are profound, and Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves changed in ways beyond their reckoning.
Jillian Medoff explores the inner workings of an American company in all its brilliant, insane, comforting, and terrifying glory. Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt is a novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.
A funny and deeply felt novel that illuminates the pivotal role of work in our lives—a riveting fusion of The Nest, Up in the Air, and Then We Came to the End that captures the emotional complexities of five HR colleagues trying to balance ambition, hope, and fear as their small company is buffeted by economic forces that threaten to upend them.
Rosa Guerrero beat the odds as she rose to the top of the corporate world. An attractive woman of a certain age, the longtime chief of human resources at Ellery Consumer Research is still a formidable presence, even if her most vital days are behind her. A leader who wields power with grace and discretion, she has earned the devotion and loyalty of her staff. No one admires Rosa more than her doting lieutenant Leo Smalls, a benefits vice president whose whole world is Ellery.
While Rosa is consumed with trying to address the needs of her staff within the ever-constricting limits of the company’s bottom line, her associate director, Rob Hirsch, a middle-aged, happily married father of two, finds himself drawing closer to his "work wife," Lucy Bender, an enterprising single woman searching for something—a romance, a promotion—to fill the vacuum in her personal life. For Kenny Verville, a senior manager with an MBA, Ellery is a temporary stepping-stone to bigger and better places—that is, if his high-powered wife has her way.
Compelling, flawed, and heartbreakingly human, these men and women scheme, fall in and out of love, and nurture dreams big and small. As their individual circumstances shift, one thing remains constant—Rosa, the sun around whom they all orbit. When her world begins to crumble, the implications for everyone are profound, and Leo, Rob, Lucy, and Kenny find themselves changed in ways beyond their reckoning.
Jillian Medoff explores the inner workings of an American company in all its brilliant, insane, comforting, and terrifying glory. Authentic, razor-sharp, and achingly funny, This Could Hurt is a novel about work, loneliness, love, and loyalty; about sudden reversals and unexpected windfalls; a novel about life.
410 pages, ebook
First published January 9, 2018
311 people are currently reading
8139 people want to read
About the author
Jillian Medoff
7 books422 followersJillian Medoff is the acclaimed author of WHEN WE WERE BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (out 8/2), THIS COULD HURT, I COULDN'T LOVE YOU MORE (national bestseller), GOOD GIRLS GONE BAD, and HUNGER POINT, which was made into an original Lifetime movie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 489 reviews
January 17, 2018
2.5 stars for this one.
Things at Ellery Consumer Research Group haven't quite been the same since the crash of 2008. Even the HR department took its licks, shrinking from 22 to 16 to 13 people, then finally to 11. But even though promises of stability were made throughout the company, even a year later, times were tough, and rumors of more layoffs float throughout the halls.
Rosa Guerrero is the chief of human resources at Ellery, a woman who fought hard through the years to get where she is now. She battled hostility, sexism, ethnic prejudice, but now, comfortably in her 60s, she rules the roost, and is well-respected throughout the company and within her own department. She knows the importance of both looking the part and acting it, and her own employees seek her advice, her counsel, her knowledge, and of course, her approval and favor.
She knows that the company may need to downsize itself a little longer, but she wants to do everything to protect her employees. She tries to put plans in place that will keep her staff out of the crossfire, while continuing to demonstrate her value and that of her team, but circumstances constantly foil her. Her staff is somewhat of a motley crew of ambition, ego, insecurity, hunger for power, and occasional dysfunction. What's a boss to do?
After discovering the wrongdoing of one long-time employee, Rosa feels betrayed, and starts to wonder how much longer she can handle the pressure of the job, especially as the CEO is breathing down her neck, expecting her to find ways that will allow for more people to be laid off. Little by little, chinks start to appear in Rosa's once-impenetrable armor, and her staff realizes they must protect her if they're going to be able to protect themselves.
This Could Hurt follows Rosa and her employees through a tumultuous year. From Lucy, the immensely ambitious yet insecure woman whose professional life flourishes while her personal life languishes, to Kenny, whose degree from Wharton makes him feel he's just biding time in this job until something better comes along—until he realizes nothing might, Leo, fiercely devoted to Rosa and the company, yet unhappy with himself and the path his life appears to be on, to Rob, happily married yet wanting more than he has, each employee faces crises, of conscience, of faith, and in their lives.
Truth be told, this book didn't work for me. I think it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be funny (sporadically the book features unnecessary footnotes a la Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, yet none were as humorous as intended) or serious, because the book did deal with some emotional issues as well as office politics, but it never stayed firmly in one camp. While I started out thinking the characters were interesting, none of them were really that likable, and their foibles and issues became repetitive.
I feel like when authors write novels about the workplace, they strive to capture the magic that the television show The Office had, but I've yet to find a book that can tap into that effectively. This Could Hurt is well-written and had an interesting premise, but it took too long to wrap itself up, and its conclusion, told in organizational charts over the years, is jarring, because they divulge changes in the characters' lives without explaining them.
I'm disappointed, but you can't win them all. At least reading this book made me realize I've worked in far crazier and more dysfunctional places, no contest there!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
Things at Ellery Consumer Research Group haven't quite been the same since the crash of 2008. Even the HR department took its licks, shrinking from 22 to 16 to 13 people, then finally to 11. But even though promises of stability were made throughout the company, even a year later, times were tough, and rumors of more layoffs float throughout the halls.
Rosa Guerrero is the chief of human resources at Ellery, a woman who fought hard through the years to get where she is now. She battled hostility, sexism, ethnic prejudice, but now, comfortably in her 60s, she rules the roost, and is well-respected throughout the company and within her own department. She knows the importance of both looking the part and acting it, and her own employees seek her advice, her counsel, her knowledge, and of course, her approval and favor.
She knows that the company may need to downsize itself a little longer, but she wants to do everything to protect her employees. She tries to put plans in place that will keep her staff out of the crossfire, while continuing to demonstrate her value and that of her team, but circumstances constantly foil her. Her staff is somewhat of a motley crew of ambition, ego, insecurity, hunger for power, and occasional dysfunction. What's a boss to do?
After discovering the wrongdoing of one long-time employee, Rosa feels betrayed, and starts to wonder how much longer she can handle the pressure of the job, especially as the CEO is breathing down her neck, expecting her to find ways that will allow for more people to be laid off. Little by little, chinks start to appear in Rosa's once-impenetrable armor, and her staff realizes they must protect her if they're going to be able to protect themselves.
This Could Hurt follows Rosa and her employees through a tumultuous year. From Lucy, the immensely ambitious yet insecure woman whose professional life flourishes while her personal life languishes, to Kenny, whose degree from Wharton makes him feel he's just biding time in this job until something better comes along—until he realizes nothing might, Leo, fiercely devoted to Rosa and the company, yet unhappy with himself and the path his life appears to be on, to Rob, happily married yet wanting more than he has, each employee faces crises, of conscience, of faith, and in their lives.
Truth be told, this book didn't work for me. I think it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be funny (sporadically the book features unnecessary footnotes a la Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, yet none were as humorous as intended) or serious, because the book did deal with some emotional issues as well as office politics, but it never stayed firmly in one camp. While I started out thinking the characters were interesting, none of them were really that likable, and their foibles and issues became repetitive.
I feel like when authors write novels about the workplace, they strive to capture the magic that the television show The Office had, but I've yet to find a book that can tap into that effectively. This Could Hurt is well-written and had an interesting premise, but it took too long to wrap itself up, and its conclusion, told in organizational charts over the years, is jarring, because they divulge changes in the characters' lives without explaining them.
I'm disappointed, but you can't win them all. At least reading this book made me realize I've worked in far crazier and more dysfunctional places, no contest there!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
March 23, 2019
This Could Hurt is focuses on a group of HR employees at Ellery, a large market research firm in New York City. The story takes place in 2008-2010, aka: the modern recession.
Rosa is the Chief of HR and her direct reports include Rob, Leo, Lucy, and Kenny. Rosa is proud of her rise to the top of the department and fully invested in her job and in her group. She can, however, blur the line between boss and friend, sometimes confusing her team. Leo and Lucy both feel they’re invaluable to Rosa, for different reasons. Lucy is also hunting for love. Rob handles recruiting and training, though he appears to be slacking lately. Kenny is well-educated and feels he’s earned something better somewhere else. Each of these employees must balance their job responsibilities and the economic uncertainty with their personal lives and the people in them. It’s an interesting dynamic and for anyone who’s worked in a corporate environment, there are bound to be at least a couple of familiar, relatable elements, and/or familiar coworkers.
For the most part, I enjoyed This Could Hurt and was curious to see how things would play out, though my interest waned in parts of the story. I didn’t particularly love any of the main characters either, but it was interesting to see them adjust in some ways as their circumstances changed.
Rosa is the Chief of HR and her direct reports include Rob, Leo, Lucy, and Kenny. Rosa is proud of her rise to the top of the department and fully invested in her job and in her group. She can, however, blur the line between boss and friend, sometimes confusing her team. Leo and Lucy both feel they’re invaluable to Rosa, for different reasons. Lucy is also hunting for love. Rob handles recruiting and training, though he appears to be slacking lately. Kenny is well-educated and feels he’s earned something better somewhere else. Each of these employees must balance their job responsibilities and the economic uncertainty with their personal lives and the people in them. It’s an interesting dynamic and for anyone who’s worked in a corporate environment, there are bound to be at least a couple of familiar, relatable elements, and/or familiar coworkers.
For the most part, I enjoyed This Could Hurt and was curious to see how things would play out, though my interest waned in parts of the story. I didn’t particularly love any of the main characters either, but it was interesting to see them adjust in some ways as their circumstances changed.
January 2, 2018
Jillian Medoff knows corporate America intimately. She once worked for Deloitte, the multinational professional services network that exists so that Don DeLillo doesn’t have to invent it. In addition to three previous novels, Medoff’s résumé includes stints as a management consultant, a communication strategist and all manner of related workplace necromancy. The cover of her new novel, “This Could Hurt,” is an employee termination checklist.
The story opens in 2009, amid the wreckage of the Great Recession. At a small market-research firm in New York, the HR department has already been cut in half. “Despair had set in,” Medoff writes, but HR Director Rosa Guerrero is optimistic. Rosa had “elevated HR from a ragtag bunch of clueless clerks into a team of professionals,” and she knows they can get through this rough spot if they’re smart and nimble.
Unfortunately, they’re not smart or nimble. They’re human, which is to say they’re scared, self-interested and indebted. Among Rosa’s employees is a depressed VP of operations who’s skimming. . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
The story opens in 2009, amid the wreckage of the Great Recession. At a small market-research firm in New York, the HR department has already been cut in half. “Despair had set in,” Medoff writes, but HR Director Rosa Guerrero is optimistic. Rosa had “elevated HR from a ragtag bunch of clueless clerks into a team of professionals,” and she knows they can get through this rough spot if they’re smart and nimble.
Unfortunately, they’re not smart or nimble. They’re human, which is to say they’re scared, self-interested and indebted. Among Rosa’s employees is a depressed VP of operations who’s skimming. . . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
August 1, 2017
I am lucky to have gotten the chance to red Jillian's new book before its release. I even blurbed it. This is what I wrote -- and mean every word.
Searing, sexy and surprisingly funny, Jillian Medoff’s This Could Hurt burns through the pages. No one is safe in this cruel but compassionate take on corporate America. I loved it.
Searing, sexy and surprisingly funny, Jillian Medoff’s This Could Hurt burns through the pages. No one is safe in this cruel but compassionate take on corporate America. I loved it.
November 28, 2017
It’s obvious that Jillian Medoff knows whereof she writes. Anyone who has ever been in a corporate environment will instantly recognize the truths that serve as the foundation for this plot. Many of us have either worked at a company like Ellery Consumer Research Group or have known friends who have.
So, if the characters seem just a tad bit stereotypical, it’s for good reason. Rosa Guerrero is the widowed and childless HR Chief who is fiercely loyal to her staff, who serve as substitute family to her. She oversees a gaggle of employees: Rob Hirsch, her burnt-out protégée in danger of being laid off, Lucy Bender who seeks both a promotion and a man who is worthy of her, Kenny Verville with his MBA from Wharton, and Leo Smalls, her overweight and sometimes overwrought surrogate son.
All these characters wrestle with the economic turbulence that threatens their job security and the insecurities of their marriages or lack of meaningful relationships. The small and not-so-small dramas are played out: the betrayal of a trusted friend being groomed for succession, the semi-crush on the co-worker, the New Year’s Eve spent with co-workers, and so forth.
Jillian Medoff writes in an entertaining and compelling style that draws in the reader. I believe that a good editor would have done wonders; the book can be repetitive, drumming home some of the same points over and over. That being said, it’s a fun and authentic read and a worthy addition to books about corporate America.
So, if the characters seem just a tad bit stereotypical, it’s for good reason. Rosa Guerrero is the widowed and childless HR Chief who is fiercely loyal to her staff, who serve as substitute family to her. She oversees a gaggle of employees: Rob Hirsch, her burnt-out protégée in danger of being laid off, Lucy Bender who seeks both a promotion and a man who is worthy of her, Kenny Verville with his MBA from Wharton, and Leo Smalls, her overweight and sometimes overwrought surrogate son.
All these characters wrestle with the economic turbulence that threatens their job security and the insecurities of their marriages or lack of meaningful relationships. The small and not-so-small dramas are played out: the betrayal of a trusted friend being groomed for succession, the semi-crush on the co-worker, the New Year’s Eve spent with co-workers, and so forth.
Jillian Medoff writes in an entertaining and compelling style that draws in the reader. I believe that a good editor would have done wonders; the book can be repetitive, drumming home some of the same points over and over. That being said, it’s a fun and authentic read and a worthy addition to books about corporate America.
April 10, 2018
This Could Hurt is a fully cast, candidly humorous journey through corporate office culture in the years following the Great Recession. Conceptually, Medoff really makes the most of her setting, and deftly highlights the specific career anxiety people felt post-2008.
In most novels with 3+ narrators, I find myself preferring one or two of the voices, and skimming the other chapters to get back to these stories. For all of this book’s nearly 400 pages, I was engaged and invested in each character, which is the best gift a reader can receive.
Pick this one up if you’re looking for light and/or heartfelt workplace fiction! You’ll definitely meet some people you recognize and relate to.
In most novels with 3+ narrators, I find myself preferring one or two of the voices, and skimming the other chapters to get back to these stories. For all of this book’s nearly 400 pages, I was engaged and invested in each character, which is the best gift a reader can receive.
Pick this one up if you’re looking for light and/or heartfelt workplace fiction! You’ll definitely meet some people you recognize and relate to.
September 15, 2017
I haven't enjoyed a workplace novel this much since Then We Came to the End, and in many ways, the books reminded me of each other: biting, insightful, sardonic, fulfilling, unputdownable. Medoff juggles multiple characters deftly and carefully draws out their complicated inner-lives until you are rooting for (nearly) each and every one of them, even with their foibles and flaws. And the epilogue! Oh, I grinned from ear to ear on that last page. Bravo.
November 1, 2018
I waffled a lot more than usual on the rating here. It’s a soft 4 stars, but it I’m keeping it there largely because I’m still thinking about the story and characters after a few days.
This was an airport purchase, a travel read, and it filled the purpose of distracting me without boring me.
The characters and story had to grow on me. My initial reaction, which never went away but was eventually diluted by the evolving complexities of character and plot, was that these corporate buffoons were thoroughly ineffective and unproductive and should be replaced from the chief of the department down. Sometime I wanted to get in there and do it myself. It was troubling that the author seemed to present them as normally flawed but not generally a failed department.
But I did get interested in the characters and their lives. The varying perspectives had the effective of several unreliable narratives as well as a more puzzle like unfolding of the actual situation of the plot lines, both of which I found effective. And there was a bit of the heartwarming effect promised by the blurb.
I don’t read a lot of workplace books and can’t think of one I actually liked much. While this wasn’t thoroughly satisfying, it did win me over.
This was an airport purchase, a travel read, and it filled the purpose of distracting me without boring me.
The characters and story had to grow on me. My initial reaction, which never went away but was eventually diluted by the evolving complexities of character and plot, was that these corporate buffoons were thoroughly ineffective and unproductive and should be replaced from the chief of the department down. Sometime I wanted to get in there and do it myself. It was troubling that the author seemed to present them as normally flawed but not generally a failed department.
But I did get interested in the characters and their lives. The varying perspectives had the effective of several unreliable narratives as well as a more puzzle like unfolding of the actual situation of the plot lines, both of which I found effective. And there was a bit of the heartwarming effect promised by the blurb.
I don’t read a lot of workplace books and can’t think of one I actually liked much. While this wasn’t thoroughly satisfying, it did win me over.
August 16, 2017
THIS COULD HURT (Harper) by Jillian Medoff is an inspired satire on something we all (well, mostly all) have to do daily! Go to work! For the people working peeps in the Human Resources department of the Ellery Consumer Research Group, sometimes it’s a good day, sometimes bad, but at Ellery, it's never boring!
Five somewhat dysfunctional people work hard, hoping to stay employed while the economy shifts making layoffs more realistic than ever being told, "Good job." Rosa Guerrero, Chief Executive VP, oversees the entire employee experience and it's not a job for a wimp.
"Being Chief at Ellery in 2009 was like running air traffic control during a typhoon. It was up to Rosa not only to guide each pilot to safety, she also had to protect the people on the ground and maintain the airport's profitability."
Working at Ellery is being part of a family. Rosa is the strong mother who has been around a block or two, protecting and nourishing her babies. Each brings their own mishegas, and Rosa’s there to call for “time outs,” when necessary.
THIS COULD HURT is set in 2009 when many people were being laid-off and changing their career paths, not necessarily on their own volition. Anybody hoping to take home a paycheck was fearful that the stock market may drop … again! Medoff’s narrative puts readers on the 9th floor of a converted lower west-side warehouse, where employees can’t help, but feel like commodities being put on and taken off the shelf.
Jillian Medoff’s narrative and pithy dialogue reads fast, its smart and makes her fans smile, hoping she writes another novel, sooner rather than later!
Five somewhat dysfunctional people work hard, hoping to stay employed while the economy shifts making layoffs more realistic than ever being told, "Good job." Rosa Guerrero, Chief Executive VP, oversees the entire employee experience and it's not a job for a wimp.
"Being Chief at Ellery in 2009 was like running air traffic control during a typhoon. It was up to Rosa not only to guide each pilot to safety, she also had to protect the people on the ground and maintain the airport's profitability."
Working at Ellery is being part of a family. Rosa is the strong mother who has been around a block or two, protecting and nourishing her babies. Each brings their own mishegas, and Rosa’s there to call for “time outs,” when necessary.
THIS COULD HURT is set in 2009 when many people were being laid-off and changing their career paths, not necessarily on their own volition. Anybody hoping to take home a paycheck was fearful that the stock market may drop … again! Medoff’s narrative puts readers on the 9th floor of a converted lower west-side warehouse, where employees can’t help, but feel like commodities being put on and taken off the shelf.
Jillian Medoff’s narrative and pithy dialogue reads fast, its smart and makes her fans smile, hoping she writes another novel, sooner rather than later!
January 19, 2018
I started reading this and literally couldn't put it down. Medoff has written a novel that is relatable, accessible, and quite masterful in the telling of the ordinary lives of coworkers in a corporate human resources department. I have never worked in human resources or a corporate environment, and still found this highly relatable. From work spouses, to inter-office politics, Medoff shows the humanity and highly personal relationships in a place that is supposed to be very professional and guarded. I think this book will stay with me for a long time. To read the rest of this review and to listen to a podcast of Jillian Medoff and Harvey Garner CLICK HERE .
January 3, 2018
This felt very much like the author came up with a great premise for a novel — workplace inner workings — got great momentum going, then about halfway through had no idea what to do with it, so she just started rambling. Writing teetered on the brink of impressive, but faltered and failed in the end. Don’t waste your time.
October 24, 2017
Really loved this book. Super cute & let’s be honest - we all work with people like Rob, Lucy, Leo and Rosa! We know them all! It’s like a Book version of The Office, but with more heart & less Dwight.
August 29, 2017
I don't think there are enough workplace novels, so I'm much more likely to pick one up when I see one than your average book. THIS COULD HURT is billed as heartwarming, but for me most of the book was more of a can't-look-away-from-the-car-wreck kind of experience. These characters are basically my worst fears in coworkers embodied and I kept thinking that if I was their boss I'd fire all of them. It's clear that this is not supposed to be my reaction, the book is billed as heartwarming and funny, but I only saw that book about 5-10% of the time, the rest of it had me cringing in horror.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. I like books about unlikable people, I like books that are empathetic towards their characters, but for me something here was off. I suspect the fact that it's a workplace novel is a big part of the problem. If, like me, you're a little Type A, even if you don't love your job you'll want to do it well. In this book, doing your job well is not anyone's highest priorities. They sure seem to think it is, but most of the choices they make are bad for their job, their coworkers, and their company. It's baffling that these decisions are supposed to be about well-being and sympathy, but they are completely counterproductive. It's also hard for me to understand why these characters are supposed to be a tight-knit coworker family when none of them seem to like each other at all.
When it comes down to it, I just didn't buy the premise this book was selling: that these are some quirky coworkers who go through some misadventures together and experience growth. The misadventures are not small things, they are very, very large ones. They are not funny or light, they are life-changing and difficult. The relationships never felt the way they were supposed to feel. All that said, the prose is solid, nothing about the actual writing or structure really bothered me. (Except for the Epilogue which was way too cute.)
If the thought of reading about a person at work who spends their time not working but playing games on their phone in the midst of a massive economic downturn where jobs are at stake sounds maddening, you may want to give this one a pass.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. I like books about unlikable people, I like books that are empathetic towards their characters, but for me something here was off. I suspect the fact that it's a workplace novel is a big part of the problem. If, like me, you're a little Type A, even if you don't love your job you'll want to do it well. In this book, doing your job well is not anyone's highest priorities. They sure seem to think it is, but most of the choices they make are bad for their job, their coworkers, and their company. It's baffling that these decisions are supposed to be about well-being and sympathy, but they are completely counterproductive. It's also hard for me to understand why these characters are supposed to be a tight-knit coworker family when none of them seem to like each other at all.
When it comes down to it, I just didn't buy the premise this book was selling: that these are some quirky coworkers who go through some misadventures together and experience growth. The misadventures are not small things, they are very, very large ones. They are not funny or light, they are life-changing and difficult. The relationships never felt the way they were supposed to feel. All that said, the prose is solid, nothing about the actual writing or structure really bothered me. (Except for the Epilogue which was way too cute.)
If the thought of reading about a person at work who spends their time not working but playing games on their phone in the midst of a massive economic downturn where jobs are at stake sounds maddening, you may want to give this one a pass.
February 16, 2018
Much too long and repetitive - I started not to care about the characters about midway through. It starts out strong and interesting as Rosa, the head honcho, tries to save her department, develop her employees and nurture her work 'family'. Then, it slows down considerably as we get the back story of many, many players. I ended up skipping some of those aspects of the book because I became bored and only wanted to know what happened to two of the characters.
Sadly, it's been my experience that bosses like Rosa rarely exist anymore and the relationships one establishes on the job don't usually last beyond employment. In other words, work 'friends' aren't really friends. This book doesn't follow that philosophy so, in that way, it was a nice change to see that the characters actually do care about one another and try to do their best by them.
Sadly, it's been my experience that bosses like Rosa rarely exist anymore and the relationships one establishes on the job don't usually last beyond employment. In other words, work 'friends' aren't really friends. This book doesn't follow that philosophy so, in that way, it was a nice change to see that the characters actually do care about one another and try to do their best by them.
August 17, 2017
Warm, funny, enchanting, intriguing... What words of praise could one not use about this book? Jillian Medoff takes what seems on its face a rather mundane topic--corporate human resources--and fashions a tale about the behind-the-scenes machinations that's thoroughly engaging yet heart-achingly and gut-bustingly real. The characters are so fully formed and well written that you'll come to feel you've truly spent time with these people. This is a can't-miss read whether you've worked in the corporate world or not.
December 11, 2017
Ten years ago Joshua Ferris wrote And Then We Came to the End, a debut that won several awards, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and in retrospect was almost eerily prescient in that it predated the financial upheavals of 2008-09. Related in the second person, it was groundbreaking in that it focused on the inner workings of a company's demise and its effect on the employees. Unfortunately I couldn't step away from comparing this much more detailed, bloated and repetitive treatment of a similar subject while reading this and became impatient with it.
August 6, 2017
Jillian Medoff is one of my favorite writer. Her new novel is a warm, witty look at modern office life that anyone who has ever come near corporate politics (and even those who haven't) will adore. Her quirky characters and their all-too-human relationships will stay with you long after you finish the book.
August 14, 2017
I was obsessed with this book from page one. Medoff reminds me of Franzen, although she is less judgmental in her writing. At first read, I felt as if I were spying on a bunch of very psychologically interesting characters. And then, all of a sudden, I found myself very emotionally attached--both to them and the story. A day after I finished, I found myself missing the characters.
August 8, 2017
Absolutely heartwarming!
September 21, 2017
A razor sharp, achingly funny novel about work and the people who do it.
March 1, 2018
My Review of “This Could Hurt” by Jillian Medoff
Jillian Medoff , Author of “This Could Hurt”, has written a unique and intriguing novel that combines big business with personal lives. The genre of this novel is fiction.Jillian Medoff describes her characters as complex, complicated, lonely, confused, flawed and emotional perhaps due to the circumstances of the times.
In our society, everyone has to work to pay the bills, and some people are lucky to find a job that offers them everything that they are looking at. There are professional people who are doctors, nurses, teachers, police-officers, postal-workers, government employees, and many others that work in set organizations. In Jillian Medoff’s novel, the setting is a big company that holds the executives responsible, who hold the employees responsible for productivity. At Ellery Consumer Research, financial changes occur with the economic climate. The bottom line is to produce more, with costs being less. Often that means instead of hiring, letting go and firing employees. Of course this is very stressful.
At Ellery Consumer Research we get to glimpse at the lives of several people and their life in the workplace and out of the workplace. Rosa is one of the women who made it to the top of the corporate ladder. She tries to meet and anticipate the needs of her staff, even though she has a high pressure job. Rosa does try to be fair, and this is even more stressful, as she finds out who is loyal and those who betray the company. There is a big difference in living to work, and working to live.
Not everyone can take the stress, and several of the employees are lonely and looking for a relationship. Some are looking for friends. Some of the characters are go-getters and others are lazy and don’t carry their weight. Rosa tries to find a balance between what is good for her employees, and what benefits the company.
When something traumatic occurs, everyone is forced to take a deep look at what they really want. For those who enjoy some controversy and a different type of novel, I would highly recommend this.
March 19, 2018
I liked about 90% of this workplace drama. It got a little ridiculous at points but the underlying idea of how you spend so much time with your co-workers that they are almost family and yet there is so much you don’t know and the relationships are so tied to the office they almost never survive without it.
I think the author lost steam on some threads and abandoned them which I found frustrating and she spent too much time on unnecessary footnotes which I found annoying and gimmicky.
Overall thumbs up.
I think the author lost steam on some threads and abandoned them which I found frustrating and she spent too much time on unnecessary footnotes which I found annoying and gimmicky.
Overall thumbs up.
May 15, 2018
Really good work drama. Sucked me in almost immediately. I've never read a book that focused solely on relationships and issues at work. This one definitely piqued my interest and I'm looking forward to more.
December 3, 2017
This has to be the only novel I know of that centers on Human Resources, a department in the workplace that is often mystifying to me (especially as I’ve worked at some places where HR personnel were the most brutal and unkind). I found it an original idea, so decided to check it out. Medoff does is effective at solidifying characters so that they leap from the pages. Also, the manner in which your work family can be supportive, dysfunctional, or betraying, just like a home family, is a clear theme that stands out.
My problem with the novel was its tendency toward repetition, redundancy. There are times I just wanted the author to get on with it. Although Rosa Guerrero is a poignant example of someone who is married to her job and whose identity merges with her position, I feel that she or the narrative ran out of steam for me somewhere in the middle. Medoff is a skilled, witty, and nuanced writer but I finished the book a bit weary of it all.
My problem with the novel was its tendency toward repetition, redundancy. There are times I just wanted the author to get on with it. Although Rosa Guerrero is a poignant example of someone who is married to her job and whose identity merges with her position, I feel that she or the narrative ran out of steam for me somewhere in the middle. Medoff is a skilled, witty, and nuanced writer but I finished the book a bit weary of it all.
June 17, 2017
I received a bound manuscript of this novel (due out early next year) and loved it. This Could Hurt reminded me of the Bildungromans of the 1980s and 90s—set in the financial district of New York, using business and the drama of everyday to reveal characters...heroes, really...and how they succeed in their own small, valiant ways. It addresses issues of loyalty, ethics, friendship and romance. It's also compulsively easy to read. The story is told from several points of view, male and female, older and younger, straight and gay. So it becomes like a small world, or a family of people. Ultimately this novel shows how we all rise and sacrifice to save each other. It's a story I really needed to hear right now.
February 17, 2018
2/11: I am over 25% through and if there is an actual plot I would certainly appreciate that it get started!
2/15: OK now I am over 60% into this and it is going to be my first DNF of 2018. This book is a mess. The situations are unrealistic and I just don't care about the characters. The whole arc with Rosa is ridiculous and who cares about Kenny and his marriage. The funny thing is that although this is a book about an HR Department they don't actually interact with any employees!
If you want to read a good book about the modern workplace, I agree with other readers that Then we came to the End by Joshua Ferris is what you should read.
2/15: OK now I am over 60% into this and it is going to be my first DNF of 2018. This book is a mess. The situations are unrealistic and I just don't care about the characters. The whole arc with Rosa is ridiculous and who cares about Kenny and his marriage. The funny thing is that although this is a book about an HR Department they don't actually interact with any employees!
If you want to read a good book about the modern workplace, I agree with other readers that Then we came to the End by Joshua Ferris is what you should read.
March 16, 2018
I love books about corporate/work/office life and the absurdity of corporate/work/office life and yet there are so few good ones. It’s hard to write a strong novel about how so many people spend their time. Joshua Ferris managed it as did Jessica Winter, Paul Murray and Michael Chabon. And now Jillian Medoff. This book felt incredibly real and revealing about who we really are and how we think and operate in professional and personal settings. I loved it.
August 3, 2017
I was luckily enough to read this book in manuscript and couldn't put it down. Office intrigue, compelling characters, a plot wrapped around the byzantine world of office politics. At times touching, funny and always on-spot observational, Jillian Medoff has created another wonderful book that old readers and new will want to get their hands on.
August 7, 2017
This is the richest, most well-written novel I've read in years. it has the complexity and depth of a 19th century masterwork, yet its hip factor is a million. It is an unforgettable and heartening book, and I have been recommending to friends since I put the manuscript down.
February 5, 2018
I could really use a lighthearted workplace comedy right now, but this just wasn't it. It was an okay read, but I didn't start to really care about any of the characters until the final few chapters.
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