I was over the moon to get advanced access to this as an ebook from Bloomsbury Publishing as it looked amazing. Thankfully the book lived up to my expectations.

The story is about Nella who works as an editorial assistant in a New York publishing house. She is the only black worker in her department until Hazel starts.

As well as being a great read that will have you hooked within a few pages it also made me think a lot. The book provides some insight into how it feels to be a black worker within a majority white work force. The constant energy and emotional efforts that this takes and the impact that this has on the individual.

It also talks about platforms and having an opportunity to have a voice that will meet a larger audience. I’ve certainly noticed that since events of last year it seems as if publishers are finally a lot more interested in spending energy on publishing and promoting works by black authors.

It also spoke to me on a more universal level. In the work place should we deny who we really are to ingratiate ourselves with senior staff or should we remain true to ourselves?

The ending will leave you speechless.

This is an astounding debut. It has been billed as The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out although I think it may be better than both. Zakiya Dalila Harris deftly weaves themes of white supremacy, black erasure and racism with office politics and the ruthless competition of New York publishing, A powerful and gripping story mesmerisingly told. A fresh, bold, uncompromising voice. I can't wait for her next book.

Good book with an interesting and unexpected twist!
Definitely stick to the description: Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada

Although I really, really enjoyed reading this book, I was not a fan of the ending! Which is okay because I think it’s a controversial one that some may enjoy.

The other black girl was a brilliant unusual read. Nella works for a huge publishing company where she has been trying to rally for a more diverse workforce, and then Hazel starts work there. What should have been two women looking out for each other suddenly turns into Nella having to fight to keep her job while dealing with notes telling her to leave the company.

The book brings to the forefront the kind of racism which exists in the workplace and the white privilege which is everywhere. The first half of the book is about Nella and the mystery of the notes and new girl Hazel. Is Hazel sending them and undermining Nella at work? In the second half of the book you begin to understand what has been going on, and let me tell you I was not expecting it! What an original idea, I loved it! I can’t wait for Zakiya’s next book.

This is the book I THOUGHT Such a Fun Age would be.

Often, novels will explore the microaggressions Black women experience as an indirect result of ignorance, a commentary on White Privilege and erasure of Black voices. The Other Black Girl is not one of those novels. This novel builds trust in unreliable characters and destroys your hope in a few short chapters around the 80% mark.

The creeping pace at the beginning was just enough to keep me interested in the main character, Nell, before it took on a more intense tone. Nell experiences full-on aggression in her workplace, somewhere that should feel professional and safe - and experience I'm sure many can relate to, in and out of the Publishing Industry. Whilst I was frustrated that Nell refused to confront the problems head-on, I liked that the author kept us in that tense state of ambiguity. Sometimes it's simply not possible for a Minority to confront the aggressions of a predator, as they're not protected and it can backfire. Having a passive protagonist allowed for the reader to determine their own actions and trip over their own feet as the plot twists came into effect.

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited to see what Harris writes next.

This book was so different to what I was expecting (in a good way!). There were lots of unexpected twists and layers to the narrative, and it went so much further beyond the Devil-Wears-Prada-meets-Publishing storyline I was anticipating. I really enjoyed uncovering the depths of the characters and plot, and would have liked the first half of the book to have matched the pace and tense atmosphere of the second half. Thank you so much Bloomsbury for letting me read this!

This is such a brilliant book. I never really knew which direction it was going to take, and it was full of surprises. It was unnerving, thrilling and totally enjoyable. What a treat.

I don't know what I expected from this novel, but it wasn't what I got at all. What was actually happening throughout was so out of left field, I really didn't see the last 10% of the book happening that way. I think the concept definitely gets points for originality!

It did feel like it took until that last 10% for much to happen, and I feel that's probably because we're kept in the dark until then really. I did like how some information started making sense a fair few chapters later, a lot of suspense.

I didn't feel that I was reaching for it all that often, I felt no urgency to get through it, and in that way this book didn't live up to the hype for me.

Genuinely couldn't put this down. Still reeling slightly from the ending! This was a brilliantly crafted and readable thriller about identity, workplace politics and being Black in the overwhelmingly white publishing industry.

I enjoy this book but not sure I 'got' it. The last part of the book felt unexpected but not in a good way. Like an add-on and an easy way to explain the previous two third of the book.

I requested an ARC of this book on a whim, there were a few things about the blurb that drew me in, however, I had no idea what really to expect.

I want to start this review by saying that I have never read anything like this before and I really enjoyed it. I feel like this is going to be a book surrounded in hype.

The story is original and gripping. I read this book a lot quicker than I thought I would because I just couldn’t put it down for very long at all.

The plot overall is really wild and out there, but you know what, I actually really enjoyed it, it was unique and unexpected, and definitely not boring. The issue raised in the book about the issues faced by black people in a predominantly white industry is done really well and made me stop and think about the microaggressions that happen everyday. This book touches on some realistic topics and I really loved how the author weaved that into this story.

The only reason I didn’t give this a 5* is because of the ending. I feel like everything was wrapped up very quickly and some of it was left unexplained. I’m still a little confused about some of it, but maybe it’s a case of rereading the book (which I plan to do) and maybe more is revealed throughout.

Overall, a great thriller and mystery book, well written, and deserving of the hype that it’s already getting

An interesting thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end!

The first two thirds had various threads and characters which I was unsure of how they would link together but Zakiya Dalila Harris pulled it off in the final third. Some parts are not realistic but that doesn’t take away from the intriguing plot. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for a review.

I’ve been looking forward to reading The Other Black Girl for months. It’s been all over social media and it was on my own can’t-wait-to-read-in-2021 list, so I nearly died of excitement when I got approved for it on NetGalley. It lived up to the hype. It was very topical: a searing, honest look into the issues within the publishing industry. It was also an incredibly unique thriller with a sinister spin on its social commentary.

Zakiya Dalila Harris' candidly illustrated Nella’s experience of being a Black woman in the very white publishing industry. Both the overarching issues and the details were perfectly executed. The book demonstrated just how difficult it can be for Black employees to voice issues with racism in the workplace for fear of how it might affect their careers. How can a company claim to promote diversity if their Black and marginalised employees face backlash for speaking out? It’s easy to see how someone starting their career might feel they have to stay silent.

The Other Black Girl explored some very relevant themes while pulling the reader through its dark plot at the speed of light. There were so many twists and turns; I stayed up reading late into the night. Without giving too much away, the ending was a shock. This book is going to provoke even more much-needed discussion after its release, and I can’t wait for it!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC!

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and after reading it I can say that it definitely belongs in the best-of-2021 category for me! I started it expecting it to be a thriller, but I think this book is better described as a slow-paced horror with thriller elements (mostly by the end of the book). We follow Nella, as she navigates the very white world of publishing on a meager salary, and is super excited when another black girl, Hazel, joins her team. But after some things happen, Nella starts suspecting this new girl might have an agenda. And when Nella starts receiving threatening notes on her desk, she thinks it definitely can't be Hazel, can it?

The tension is high way before the notes even start coming in, with the microaggressions Nella suffers in the office and a vague hint at something having "happened" to a famous black editor decades ago at that same publishing house. The story also has the points-of-view of other characters who start explaining a bit of what is going on behind the scenes and the terrible things that Nella has no idea are coming. This juxtaposition meant that every time something, even small things, happened on Nella's POV, I was super tense.

To be honest, I did not like these other points-of-view much, since they basically only served the purpose of filling the reader in bit by bit. It felt to me like it broke the narrative, and they also confused me a lot with half-information. I would have preferred to have only Nella as a narrator, or Nella and Kendra only.

And the plot twist is, whew, a wild ride! I was a bit skeptical at first, but eventually I was completely won over, because the implications of the twist are just so completely terrifying, and the parallels with what black people actually go through made this even more chilling. I also completely agree with the Get Out comparison, The Other Black Girl definitely gives Get Out vibes. I was completely hooked by this book and I think it's a very strong debut! I very much look forward to what the author comes up with next.

Oh wow! The first 2/3 was a bit slow, but intriguing none the less. However, last night... I finished the final 1/3 in one go. It kept me up til 4.30am! When the twist was revealed I was initially a bit sceptical as I was expecting more of a real life novel. When it was compared to Get Out I should have listened. I stuck with it however and OMG!!! What a thrill ride! I was utterly hooked! That ending had me shook! It wasn't just an entertaining story however, I also learned a lot about black culture (particularly hair) and it really made me thing about the class divide and the struggles minorities face. Absolutley riveting, entertaining and an exceptional read! Not at all what I was expecting and thank goodness as it was sooo much better!!

4.5 stars


Nella Rogers is excited when she learns that another black girl has joined the white-dominated publishing company she works for. Things start to take a sinister turn when notes appear on her desk telling her to leave the company immediately. Is it the work of racist colleagues or the new girl, Hazel, who seems to becoming everyone's favourite person?

I think this would be a really good buddy read. Nothing is given away for a long time so it would be good to discuss it with someone as things unfold. However, reading this on my own, and way before release, I found it quite frustrating. I had no idea how the different strands drew together until quite late on in the book and I was getting very annoyed. When it did start to come together, though, it was fierce! I'm still not sure behind the "science" of it all and the motive, but it is a very good read which I think will be a runaway success.

This book... wow. Thanks to Bloomsbury for letting me read The Other Black Girl in advance! This book has been talked about a lot and for very good reason - I found it incredibly immersive and entertaining, as well as exploring many truths about the publishing industry!

Nella is a 26-year-old editorial assistant working at the very prestigious Wagner Books in New York. She's the only black employee at the whole company, so she's delighted when another black girl, the v cool and confident Hazel, gets a job as an editorial assistant. But something doesn't quite add up about Hazel, and when Nella starts receiving suspicious notes on her desk telling her to leave Wagner, she wonders if Hazel is the one sending them...

So apparently this has been described as The Devil Wear Prada meets Get Out, and omg if that doesn't describe this book perfectly. I wasn't particularly impressed by the writing and the author has a habit of slotting in full flashbacks in the middle of scenes, but honestly who cares when the content is this compelling? I thought this would be a story about publishing's diversity problem and how two women navigate this - working in publishing and being fascinated by the industry, I was already excited by the portrayal of the characters and the truths it tells. But then this book does something I absolutely was not expecting!! I'm not sure how many stars I would give it, but definitely somewhere between four and five - it's a book I was really excited to return to, and I still can't quite believe what happened. I do wish that the ending hadn't been quite so abrupt, but that's my only real complaint.

Wow, I loved this book. The description ‘Get out meets Devil Meets Prada’ is spot on. Such a fresh feeling, with a real look at the publishing industry. The thriller style undertone of the book was chilling at times. I couldn’t recommend this highly enough! I will be buying a physical copy to reread!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy to review.

A tense and compelling read. Nella, the only black girl in her publishing work place (who is not sorting mail or fixing computers), is thrilled when another black girl starts working at Wagner. That can only be a good thing, right? Then things take a sinister turn. Zakiya Dalila Harris writes brilliantly about being a Black person in a white environment, code switching, the trauma of racism and the need to put on a bright smile and get on at work. She does this in a satirical thriller that kept me awake and anxious to the very end.