What a thrill! I tore through this book in the space of a few days, and at no point guessed what was going to happen next. I suspected everyone! I would have loved more of the Kendra Rae and Diana backstory (or more details on what was there, which was great!) but I guess that means I can wish for a sequel!

This was pitched to me as both a total must-read, and a mix between Get Out, The Devil Wears Prada and The Stepford Wives - suffice to say I was sold from the outset! I binged this book very quickly as I was so desperate to know how things were going to play out. I quickly and firmly came to care deeply for main character Nella, the writer carefully build the tension in this slowburn and we're giving a lot of reason to worry about her.
The workplace dynamics were fantastically handled and very-well rendered, the micro aggressions, gaslighting and code-switching surrounding Nella being the only black employee at her publishing house were deservedly sharp and satirical, painfully realistic and believable.
Where I struggled with this book was, as the blurb says, 'the sinister forces at play' - these felt less deftly handled to the point of frustration. The references to them are too scattershot and underdeveloped, the reveals and twists felt underdeveloped, with the ending feeling rushed and with too many threads left hanging. It kept feeling like I'd missed something, but upon reflection I think they could have been built-upon and integrated more effectively.
However, in terms of a work place satire this is a total page-turner must-read, even if the psychological part of this thriller is tad anti-climatic.

Sadly I didn't connect with this book. I felt very distanced from it. I didn't enjoy the writing style which seemed to go off in a world of its own at one point and was very slow going.. I didn't get the obsession with hair products-I do feel as though I missed the point big time but not that it was necessarily my fault.
A bit of a shame as the blurb sounded really good and the prologue promised much

I was drawn to the premise of this book, Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada. This pitch had me hooked!!!!

This opens in the 1980s and we follow a woman named Kendra who is leaving the city following a disastrous expose. Who is this woman? And what happened that she is running away?
Decades later we are now in 2018 and follow Nella, a young black woman who works at Wagners, a prestigious publishing company. This publishing world is elitist and white, and Nella suffers microaggressions on a daily basis. Nella has been an assistant to Vera, for nearly 2 years, and dreaming of becoming promoted. One day she discovers that the company has hired another black young woman named Hazel. Hazel could be the accomplice that Nella has dreamed of, but Hazel is so much more confident than Nella, and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed...

This is a tricky book to review without giving any spoilers. I highly enjoyed this pacy, character-driven read that touches on topical issues and succeeds in entertaining. This is a scorching look on microaggressions and unconscious biasness. I will stress though that this isn't quite the thriller one would expect, this is more of a slow-burn and a character driven read. While I found the twist interesting and different, I did feel like the ending was rushed and ended abruptly. I wish the twist was fleshed out a bit more as I was left with more questions and some of the plot strands weren't tied up. On the whole this is a refreshing read that touches on relevant issues. The absurdity of the story did remind me of Bunny by Mona Awad, this debut is quirky, original and highly entertaining.

Well, that wasn't at all what I expected from the blurb, but the difference is good. Turns out this is one of the most original storylines of recent years that is both timely and absolutely of the moment as Harris tackles the question of race in the overwhelmingly white world of Manhattan book publishing. There's an authenticity to the work scenes and the kind of detail that proves Harris knows what she's talking about - but there's also a bold and somewhat bonkers surreal turn to the plot that is both weird and yet tackles issues of compromise and selling out in a figurative or symbolic way. I can see why there are comparisons made with The Devil Wears Prada but I was also thinking The Stepford Wives...

There are a few places where the writing gets florid, and the surreal strand is a little too enigmatic and opaque for too long - these are probably rookie mistakes but my, this is bold, sharp and unashamedly in your face. Definitely a book you'll want to talk about with all your friends and one to watch for summer 2021.