I ate this up! This is a thriller about Nells, a young Black woman who works in publishing — the only Black employee in her office, until Hazel comes along. What starts out promising quickly turns sinister… Perfect poolside read

Maybe 3.5? Part of the problem might have been that I went into this expecting to LOVE it. I don't know that this book knew what it wanted to be. It felt like literary fiction with some darkness for 75% of the book and then took a sharp turn into thriller. It definitely needed some editing and some finesse between the multiple POVs/time periods.

Wow. What a fantastic book! I'm a lover of books set in the publishing world or in bookstores, add in the BIPOC characters and inter-office politics, and I'm hooked.

The Other Black Girl was so good that I couldn't put it down. The author had me turning pages non stop and I really enjoyed reading this one.

Twisty and turny all the way through. I got a little confused with the back and forth in time and all the new characters, but overall the story was well crafted. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it.

I enjoyed this book and the mystery it set up, and I learned new perspectives on aspects of Black experiences. I'd read another book by this author.

I loved The Other Black Girl and have sent a few copies to friends and relatives for them to give it a read as well.

I thought this book was going to be something different than it was. It is not a thriller; instead it is more contemporary fiction.

I was very much looking forward to this one but it fell a little flat for me. I loved the premise and it started out strong but then lagged in the middle. I do hope to see more from this author though and would pick up another of her books.

This was one of my favorite thrillers of 2021. Set in the world of publishing, it’s smart, political, and of the moment in the current discussion about black equality.

Se my review, link below:

It's so interesting seeing the different reactions to this book. For me, (white woman who has lived and worked in London, Sydney, and San Francisco), it was fascinating being immersed in a Black woman's perspective of the New York publishing industry. I read in an interview that Zakiya Dalila Harris had deliberately not explained Black cultural references so that people who didn't understand the conversations would look things up. Mission accomplished as that's exactly what I did.

As someone who works in publishing and lives in Brookyln, I was super excited for this book. It did not disappoint! It twisted so much and every turn was unexpected. Great character portrayal and a really nice pace.

Very ambitious and I'm not entirely sure about the outcome. The comparisons to Get Out definitely make sense. I would be interested to see what's next for this author, even though I think this one could have (somewhat ironically) used more editing.

The ending of this book has stuck with me the most of anything I've read this year. Incredible thriller, highly recommend for fans of Get Out.

I was really enjoying this book for what it was until it took a sharp turn into "wtf" territory. Nella is the other Black person working at an elite publishing house. She's been there for years, trying to make a name for herself and raise up in the ranks with no signs of success, when Hazel appears out of nowhere and not only steals Nella's spotlight, but somehow out shines her without even trying. As Nella begins noticing that Hazel is trying to shut her out of her job, she starts receiving secrets notes telling her to quit her job for her own safety. Things start feeling a bit Single White Female, and then everything shifts.

What seems like a straightforward story about competition in the work place (perhaps with some added dark motives) suddenly becomes a weird story about a group of people trying to recruit Black women to push a hair product that makes them more pliable and able to deal with microaggressions and white supremacy. This sudden change was WEIRD and I should have liked it more, but instead I was just pushed off balance and felt it was left too late in the game to really feel warranted and fully integrated.

A very thought provoking read. I did feel that I could relate quite closely with Nella, especially because we have many similarities both in upbringing and workplace status. I really felt like the book did a great job highlighting black culture and not spoon feeding explanations to the audience when making cultural references. I also think the author did a fantastic job of giving the reader the feel of being in the publishing industry and everything that goes along with it. However, the book went in a direction that I feel didn't address some of the deeper issues brought up in the book earlier on. The alternate POVs sometimes felt unnecessary and I couldn't wait to get back to Nella's POV.

The book would be a great discussion for many people whether or not you are a POC. A lot can be gained from this book especially people who may be the only POC in their workplace or for others who may not realize or be attuned to how little diversity their workplace actually has and what their POC coworkers may go through on a daily basis.

I found this title disappointing. There was so much hype surrounding this title; I felt the plot didn't live up to all the buzz. The writing style is good, tho and I'd certainly read her next effort!

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but when things took a turn in the second half, the book lost me. In a movie, it would have the viewer on the edge of their seat just didn't work on the page for me.

Very uncomfortable read of a very uncomfortable setting called real life. Absolutely gutting and a must read.

The Other Black Girl is basically my story, minus the hair grease.

Nella is thrilled when the new hire arrives, and she is no longer the only black woman in the publishing firm. However, Hazel isn't who or what Nella thinks she is. I immediately knew how this story would go, because again, I've been there.

The book is wordy, I admit, and I often got lost in the sauce. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and recommend it. .