Really interesting take on a complex set of themes. I loved the way the landscape is described, the way the characters are brought to life, and the language.

I finished this book a month ago, but needed to sit with it, before reviewing.
It centres on the publishing industry, and specifically, a small publishing house, and it's approach to diversity (or lack thereof).
It starts as your standard thriller. There are flash backs. There are written threats. There is a spirally main character who is growing more and more paranoid.

And then it gets WEIRD. It is a wild ride, but it does speak to the perceived need of black women to tame their blackness, to be less than, to be controlled.

The sci fi ending though, it doesn't feel far fetched. It feels like something very possible, and that is where the power in this book is I think

The Other Black Girl was a challenging read. You get a great feeling for Nella's character and the friction between work colleagues was very realistic. Once Hazel comes into the picture, the jealousy between the girls drives the story along until we start getting to understand what is really going on and here it starts to get quite sinister. I ended with the feeling that there was still a lot of story to tell, my favourite kind of ending... but this time I was left confused and thought the end needed a bit more.

Thought the premise was really interesting, but struggled with the fact that not much seemed to happen until 2/3rds through. Rather than reaching to pick it up and not wanting it to finish, I was seeking resolution. I really liked Nella and Maliaka's relationship and banter as well as how the city played into the narrative.

Beautiful, enlightening and much needed work. Extremely potent in these times. I give 4/5 stars only because I found some passages a little clunky at sentence level.

Wow. This blew me away. I know it was described as a mix between The Devil Wears Prada and Get Out which is super accurate. I just couldn’t put it down, I had to know what was going to happen next which is the sign of a great book. I thought the writing was fabulous and so descriptive. I just wish the ending hadn’t been so rushed because I really needed more detail of what happened to all of the characters!

Mind = blown.

Whatever I was expecting, I wasn’t expecting that. The Other Black Girl starts off as your usual office drama, which I was definitely here for. However, as the story begins to unfold and you start to encounter different POVs, you realise not is all as it seems, and there is something much darker going on beneath the surface.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot, as I think it’s better experienced first-hand. However, I do want to explain my star rating a little further, because from certain perspectives, this is a clear 5-star read - but for me, there were a couple of things that didn’t work. An example of this is the pacing, which is a little bit too slow for my liking. You realise that something is up pretty early on, but for the majority of the book you have absolutely no idea what this is. My issue is that I started to grow impatient with my lack of understanding - I didn’t feel like I was able to appreciate some of the content because I was still in the dark, and that ruined the read slightly for me.

Another thing that I struggled with is that this book pins one black woman against another. I understand why, but I found it a little bit depressing - there are much bigger fish to fry, why are we fighting against our own? So even though this is the main point of the novel, I feel like I have to dock a star because it did affect my enjoyment.

Despite these minor issues, The Other Black Girl is a brilliant, intelligent novel, and a fantastic debut. Whoever said that this book was a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Get Out really hit the nail on the head. Keep your eyes peeled for this read in June!

An incredible story about how young black women navigate the work place, how they handle micro aggressions and where they find common ground. I learnt a lot about black hair, hair products and the impact a lack of a diverse workplace can have on an individual. However towards the end I found the story increasingly bizarre and I ended up feeling frustrated by the ending.

I had no idea what I was getting into when starting the book. I've just seen The Devil Wears Prada in the publishing world and I knew I had to read this book. I never watched Get Out so this reference didn't mean much to me. The story starts quite slow and very inconspicuously, I was not expecting the mystery and conspiracies that hit me later. It truly disguises itself as a contemporary book about the publishing world and its whiteness. And it is this book, but so much more at the same time.
Harris uniquely shows race issues.

The story follows Nella, young black girl, the only back employee at a big publishing house until the other black girl joins. Something that seems joyous, a moment when she has someone who will understand her daily experiences ends up nothing like that. The new girl with unexpected ease takes up more and more space in the company. It brings up an interesting question - if you are the only one Black, female, Latin etc. employee, do you starting feeling like the special one? You are the one that made it against all odds, and all new people that will join you, who may make your life easier, also take some of the spotlights from you? Do you want to share the lights with others? You fought for it, and now it's all so much easier for them. I feel like not everyone is so generous not to feel some kind of envy. However, the bigger topic of the book is the decision the main character had to make - how do you want to live with your blackness, how do you want to present it to the white folks in a professional environment? There are no easy answers.

I'm so happy to read about the black characters that are morally ambiguous and do not meet the expected black characters tropes. I was hooked in the story and couldn't wait to learn more. I needed to know more of the secrets, I cheered on the main character when she persued the leads and tried to find out what the hell is going on. The story had a great build-up, and I was hoping for an amazing, climactic happy ending. I didn't get that. I'm disappointed that I didn't get it, but at the same time, the ending makes sense for the story and its message. But I still wished for a more hopeful or confrontational ending. I need a punch to the complacent ones.

For some reason I went into this novel fixated on the Devil Wears Prada comparison, and as such expected an easy to read comedy drama with some added social justice elements and arguments. I was really, really far off the mark.

What The Other Black Girl actually is very hard to pin down. At first, the office drama elements are at the forefront of the novel, as our protagonist Nella struggles with being the only Black girl in an office of white people who continuously talk down to her. Then, Hazel arrives - the Other Black Girl - who seems to effortlessly seduce the office with her easy going, down to earth charm. While Nella is at first thrilled to not be the only Black girl in the room, it's not long before she becomes jealous of Hazel, and not long after that before she begins to wonder if something isn't a little...off.

The office drama goes completely off the rails at this point, and the comparisons to Get Out become abundantly clear. The story becomes darker, more sinister, and much more confusing.

I struggled with some of this novel. The pacing was very slow for me, especially in the first half of the book. Despite the thriller elements coming out in full force around the halfway mark, I only really felt the thrill of the work around 80% into the book. This was exacerbated by the fact that the story is narrated by a few different characters, and while I tend to enjoy multiple POVs in my books, in this case I felt that the voices of the characters were all extremely similar. Each narrator has a tendency to go off on tangents, explaining some minor details from the past or describing an old memory, which for me pulled me out of the drama of what was happening NOW. It slowed the pace further and caused a lot of characters to come across as too similar to stand out on their own.

However, even if the plot got a bit bonkers, I really enjoyed the themes and topics it examined. Without giving too much away, the focus on how those in the Black community might feel forced into "code-switching" to better fit in with and succeed within white environments was a brilliant premise, and was often really insightful for me, a white reader.

On the whole, I loved the premise in the end, but felt that the characters didn't stand out enough to carry the story. I felt that some of the characters were simply not necessary to the plot and I wanted more focus on the mystery and drama of the work, more clues and sly winks that could keep me hooked.

‘The Other Black Girl’ is an incredibly clever and timely novel. It tells the story of Nella, the sole black woman in her office, who is initially elated when she meets Hazel. But she soon becomes suspicious of her when she starts to receive threatening notes, warning her to get out of the office for good.
I really enjoyed this story- the characterisation was very good, and I enjoyed the pace. It built up really well to the final twist, which was darkly funny at the same time as very disturbing. I am really interested to see what Zakiya Delila Harris writes next!

Now, this book I really had to sit down, let this book settle in my brain before I reviewed it. The premise is very interesting and I couldn't wait to read it. Now that I have, I'm left feeling unsatisfied. The ending and plot twist didn't hit for me. The book is very slow-paced which was to create suspense, but the action gets going for the last 25% of the book. So it is a slow burner, as we get to see Nella in the work place and her interactions.

Now the book is described as The Devil Meets Prada meets Get Out. Perhaps, TDMP at the beginning but very less Get Out. I didn't know this was a thriller until we got towards the end. I was expecting more on about the lack of diversity in publishing but there was much more than that but I couldn't figure it out. At times, I was left feeling a bit confused and frustrated!

The author does do a great job of discussing the microaggressions Black women face in the office and exploring what it means to express your 'blackness' at work. I enjoyed Nella and Malaika's friendship. There were also other POVs in the novel, but I feel like they could've added more suspense to the storyline. The subplot wasn't as interesting as seeing Nella go mad and I was going crazy with her! 🤣

However, I did enjoy the book at the end, it just took a long time to get there! I know that this book will be a huge buzz around this book in 2021! I really didn't expect it to end the way it did. I would recommend it for the journey. Interesting debut from this author!

3.5 / 5

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is a book of two halves. The first part is office life, race and friendship. I was happily pootling down a country lane of office politics and iffy friendships when things started to get weird. At first I thought I was misunderstanding things, then stuff starts happening which most definitely does not fit into the 'girl about town' category. The second half is science fiction and thriller but still in the office.

The major switch in direction can be disconcerting but go with it and you will be rewarded with an intriguing plot, great characters and a tense finale.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Other Black Girl'.

I was unaware fo the hype about this book before reading it and do see similarities to 'The Devil Wears Prada'.. The author has given a clear picture of book publishing which was interesting and I learnt all about the different categories of curly hair. However, I found the eventual plot to be ridiculous and can't understand why the author added this in - it would have been a far better book without it. I also found it confusing having chapters about minor characters but no real explanation of who they were until much later in the book.

Well, this took me by surprise. I hadn't read the "<i>Devil Wears Prada</i> meets <i>Get Out</i>" copy but I was definitely expecting more <i>Devil Wears Prada</i> than I got, and far less <i>Get Out</i>!

I was delighted when I first realised what was going on (no spoilers), and I think this is a fantastic premise for a book. If I have a couple of criticisms, I think the book could have used a tighter edit, and better pacing - it takes too long to get going, and then there isn't really enough time to delve into the - potentially super juicy - ramifications of the main plot driver. I would have liked to read a whole book about the political and cultural possibilities of a world where this device exists, but sadly this attempt didn't quite pull it off for me.

Having said that, it does work in a DWP kind of way for the publishing world. If anything I would have liked more of that too! Maybe I want two different books - one of each - to allow these brilliant, upsetting, infuriating, intriguing ideas to flourish.

The element I liked most was the storyline about the Nella's inspirational predecessor, the Black editor of a book by a Black woman. Initially (before I picked up on the horror elements) I assumed that the book would be mainly about the legacy of these women, and how a millennial inheritor engages with it. Now, how about a third book about that ... ?

Essentially, having written this, my criticism is a standard first-novel criticism: there are just too many good ideas in this. Each deserves a full novel treatment of its own, and I would read each one.

3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

PS. Anyone who loves the premise should check out <a href="https://fatrascaltheatre.com/vulvarine-a-new-musical/">Vulvarine</a>, a musical about a plot by anti-feminists to subdue all of womankind, and the everywoman hero who foils it.

The Other Black Girl has been featured in National Book Tokens' 21 books to look out for in 2021 on Caboodle.

I’ve had to let The Other Black Girl Settle before I could a review, notably as I feel like I am swimming against the tide, having looked at other opinions.

The premise is sound. Nella has worked at a prestigious publishing firm for 2 years. She’s talented, gets on well with her boss and is hoping for a promotion. She is also the only black employee save for colleagues in administrative and facilities roles. She’s thrilled when Hazel, who is also black, is recruited and hopes she has found a friend. Hazel quickly becomes office darling and can do no wrong. Then Nella starts to receive threatening notes, warning her about her safety at work.

The issues faced by black people in a predominantly white industry (and wider society) are handled incredibly well throughout and made me stop and think. However, the first 1/3 to 1/2 was a little slow and there were various strands which I didn’t think well signposted and therefore the timeline was initially difficult to keep in check. Overall, while a smart nod to the societal issues of race, I’m still a little underwhelmed by the reveal (I don’t want to give away any spoilers) given the strong plot premise.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the ARC.

Review – The Other Black Girl

Let me just begin by saying – With the number of themes this book balances within its 300 odd pages, this book had so much potential to fall flat on its face.

But Zakiya Dalila Harris has woven magic with her words, tying together a multitude of themes and creating a flawless and compulsive narrative that grips you from page 1, and leaves you breathless by the end of it.

This is a stunning debut, and I cannot wait to read more of her work. So thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for my ARC, it was very much appreciated.

Summary:

The story starts off at Wagner’s, one of the biggest publication houses in USA where Nella works as an editorial assistant, hoping someday to become an editor and have a real say in what people read. Problem is, she also happens to be the ONLY black girl in the office, and though people at Wagner ‘don’t really see colour’ the daily microaggressions and gas lighting have become a norm in her work life. And then enters Hazel, and Nella is thrilled to finally have someone on her side.

However, all is not what is seems, and slowly Nella’s carefully constructed life starts spiralling out of control.

What I loved:

I loved the pace of the book, I was actually strongly contemplating staying up well into the early hours to finish off the book. The characters are very well written, and the book ties in nicely from Prologue through to the last page, with all loose ends closed off satisfactorily.

Every time I felt as if the narrative is meandering away from the plot line, Zakiya has very expertly pulled it all back together, snapping you right back into the thick of it all.

Final Words:

On the face of it, this comes across as a corporate drama, however, underneath it The Other Black Girl is a cunning thriller.

Most importantly though, beneath it all, this is a hard hitting social commentary. This book is relevant and timely. And as Nella would say "It spoke to me".

I truly cannot stop gushing about this book and I will probably be shouting about it all year round

Ooooh this book! I’m going to be so careful how I review this because I really loved launching into this novel with a fairly limited idea of what to expect within the pages. For that reason I’m going to go very light on discussing plot here and focus instead on how I felt about the novel as a whole!

The Other Black Girl is set in the offices of the fictional Wagner Publishing in Manhattan, where assistant editor Nella has long been the only Black member of staff. Struggling to get her voice heard when she addresses her concerns about racial stereotyping in a hit author’s new book, she’s delighted to discover that the company’s brand new hire Hazel is another Black woman. The two hit it off immediately but then Nella begins receiving anonymous notes telling her to leave Wagner immediately and she notices that something about Hazel isn’t adding up. I was drawn in by the thriller premise but I stayed for the hot take on the publishing industry and the clever, unique story that spanned decades, made me think and felt totally fresh.

I don’t know a huge amount about the publishing industry other than what I try, as a writer, to understand. I’ve been told that it’s very white and middle class on the whole and, after the BLM protests last year brought this discussion to the fore and celebrated Black authors, I have followed a lot of initiatives and indie publishing houses that are working to change this. The Other Black Girl’s author Zakiya Dalila Harris worked in publishing in Manhattan before leaving to write this book and I appreciated the opportunity to experience this world through her eyes, to see the workplace in action rather than discussed in think pieces. The novel is very much set in the modern day and I particularly enjoyed Nella’s attempts to communicate her experiences to White colleagues in the discussion forums Wagner sets up in an attempt to increase diversity at the company. The conversations she recounts are at once funny and depressing, and reminiscent of what has been happening at companies across much of the world at the moment. Harris is excellent at writing dialogue and interactions that crackle with subtext. She does this with Nella’s attempts to communicate with her boss Vera and with Hazel, experiences that seem clearly negative but are then smoothed over again and again until both Nella and the reader begin to wonder how much is reality and how much paranoia.

In this novel Harris demonstrates a talent for writing social commentary while also weaving a story with an intriguing mystery at its heart. Like many other thrillers it was a compulsive read and at about the halfway point I hardly put the book down, desperate to find out who was behind the notes. Unlike other thrillers however, it felt packed full of information that was new to me, and I regularly found myself stopping to think. The structure really lent itself to this, switching between locations, characters and time periods to weave various aspects of the story together.

This is the second book I’ve read - Queenie was the first - where the protagonist is a Black woman, a fact which is essential to the storytelling. Like Queenie I found the experience of seeing a familiar world but from a different perspective really interesting and a little bit disconcerting. This, for me, felt like it went a step further than Queenie, exploring the world of the book through Black women of different ages and personalities which I loved. Obviously, in real life, I’m White and so I wouldn’t necessarily be naturally included in many of the conversations and situations that take place in the novel, nor would I have any way of adding to them if I were. So, for me, this book epitomises a hugely important aspect for reading for me, which is the opportunity to enter worlds you simply wouldn’t otherwise. There’s regular studies that look at how fiction readers have more empathy than non-readers, and I’m sure this is a key part of it.

The core concept of the book is surprising and strange, bordering on sci fi but firmly entrenched in our current society. Mostly I loved this although at times I found aspects of it a little convoluted and found myself flipping backwards and forwards to check what time period we were in, who was speaking or exactly who I was most concerned for. The downside for me to the multi-faceted approach to this novel is that I didn’t feel 100% satisfied that everyone’s story was tied up at the end. However, because this story is so closely tied to reality, I understand that individual stories don’t realistically end in a neat and tidy way.

I’m not surprised at all that I’ve already seen people shouting about this book, if anything I would have anticipated hearing about it ever more! It’s at once an enjoyable page-turner and what feels like an essential discussion of modern day diversity problems in the workplace, a fresh work from a fantastic talent.

Somewhere between 3-3.5

One of the buzziest debuts of 2021, The Other Black Girl is something of a literary world mash-up between Get Out and The Devil Wears Prada.

Nella is a 26-year-old publishing assistant at Wagner, a publisher in New York, and the only black woman working at the company. Underrepresented in the industry, she is excited when another black woman, Hazel, joins the company. They initially bond over discussing hair care tips, but all is not quite as it seems, and after a series of unsettling events Nella begins to find herself feeling like her career is at risk.

I'm on the fence on this novel. On one hand, the workplace sections are excellent observational pieces, and Harris did a fantastic job on evoking how Nella felt being the only black woman in the publishers. It becomes clear relatively early on that something is up at Wagner, but it was a loooong slow burn to find out what was going on, with some random chapters following other women who were embroiled in what was taking place. These chapters didn't work for me - not enough had been revealed for them to make much sense - and the "twist" felt completely farcical. So much time had been spent building a very convincing setting and cast of characters, and I'm afraid to say that I found my interest waning towards the end of the novel once things were revealed, and I felt a bit like I'd been cheated by the direction in which the author chose to take the novel (can't say more without big spoilers!).

So all in all: a mixed bag. A solid debut, and one I enjoyed for the most part (with reservations).