I loved how this book handled race, however, I didn't realize there is actually a sort of thriller analogy element as well? And that threw me a little bit, to be completely honest. My favorite parts of this title were the plot points not associated with that bit.

A slow burn that built to a shocking finale. Great debut! I was lucky enough to hear the author speak at TLA 2021 and I think she's going to do big things. Fans of Single, White Female and Get Out will love this adult book!

I received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Maybe buzzy, high profile books are not really for me. I don't think my taste is too esoteric, but a lot of cover of the trade journal books just don't quite click for me. And in this case that's a particular bummer, since The Other Black Girl is a debut novel that's pitched as The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out. And this description is not precisely wrong. Mostly, the book felt unbalanced to me. To compare it to Get Out, the movie creates and sustains an aura of tension from nearly the beginning. The Other Black Girl tries to do this, with an introduction from the pov of a side character on the run from the Get Out style trap. This character escapes, which I think is a mistake. Letting her get away defuses the tension, since she survives her encounter. And if she escapes, she needs to do something with her survival, become integral to the journey of the main character Nella. But this character goes into hiding and basically stays there, doing pretty much nothing to foil the evil conspiracy. I am pretty sure she never even meets Nella.

This gets to the biggest problem with the book. The evil conspiracy is terribly under developed. We meet a few characters in the Resistance, but the exact purpose of the Resistance seems to be just watching the conspiracy unfold and keeping tabs on its members. They do basically no Resisting, and when one character tries to warn Nella, she's kidnapped. Later she's completely fine and we see no scenes of her in captivity or escaping, so I don't know what the point of that was. The book needed at least one scene like the auction sequence in Get Out, where we understand the depth and danger of the conspiracy, but we never quite get it. This is the real failing of the book; it doesn't make the choices it should to create real horror. It comes closest in the final scene, which feels like the reason the book was written. In that scene, we meet Nella under a new name. She's gotten rid of her natural hair style, and she acts just like Hazel did when we met her. The vibe is very Stepford Black Girl, and it's genuinely creepy. But it's not, in my opinion, enough to justify the rest of the novel. The horror needed to have been more carefully and completely established, and several characters needed more to do for it to make sense that they were in the story.

This was not quite the book I wanted it to be, but of course as always, your mileage may vary

I absolutely LOVED this book; such an interesting combination of thriller, suspense, social commentary, examining of personal relationships, etc. Also, THE ENDING, what a twist. Read it!

What a fun, fresh, original story!!! I highly enjoyed it! Part sci-fi, part-mystery, part-satire...all fun! I love a book that dares to defy genre, and this one certainly did it.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars is because:
1. I was hoping for a different conclusion to Nella's story. I get why we went the route we did, but...sigh. I'll say no more at the risk of spoilers.
2. I wanted more of a showdown between Nella and Hazel. Hazel had it coming to her.
3. There wasn't enough background/explanation for the OBGs. That was ripe for a deep dive, but we only scratched the surface of this phenomenon.
4. The resistance/Kendra storyline is kind of left dangling, begging for more of a finite ending.

Maybe we're being set up for a sequel? If so, I'm here for it!!!

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to using it for my book discussion in the future. This was a fast paced, intriguing read and also a timely one. The Other Black Girl does a fantastic job of addressing microagressions, and the often mainly white world of publishing. I will say, while this book was suspenseful I have a hard time categorizing it as a mystery/thriller/suspense....it def contains all those elements but I would also label it contemporary fiction as well.

Wow! Just Wow! This novel took a "No Holds Barred" look at the dynamic faced by Black women in predominantly white workplaces. It openly address the idea that most Black people are raised with that we must work twice as hard to get to the same place as our white counterparts. Though this novel takes this a step further and asks the question, what if we conformed in order to get where we wanted. What if we were the docile and delightful Black women that every white person wanted to hire and have around. Would that be better? Would our lives be easier if we dimmed our light to satiate the white people in power? Such a great book. Definitely makes you look inward and question your actions and expectations as a person either Black or white.

I honestly don't know how to review this book. Make no mistake--it's excellent. I'm glad I read it. It certainly deserves the advance praise it's been receiving. But I feel like my background makes me completely unqualified to truly analyze and critique. I know I've committed some of the racial faux pas committed in the book. I know my desire to be seen as "one of the good ones" isn't truly helpful. I realize this book both is and is not for me. All I can say is you need to read it for yourself, and continue to reflect upon it once you've finished.

This was a fascinating dissection of the publishing industry's continued struggle with diversifying. I didn't expect how creepy it would get, but really enjoyed the thrilling aspects.

There were things that worked for me in this novel and things that really didn't. Although Harris has said in interviews that she wrote this book for Black women (and therefore intentionally didn't explain every reference), I felt like some ideas were incongruously over-explained. Overall, I enjoyed this read and thought it was entertaining (though definitely know it is satire—the author says she was influenced by <i>Get Out</i>, and I expect many people will be disappointed with the plot if they don't realize that going in). I'm honestly much more interested in what Black women thought about this book, so now I'm off to read some reviews....

I was very intrigued by the description of this book, especially since it’s been compared to my favorite horror movie, Get Out. It is hard to review the book without giving away any spoilers, but here goes. The concept and plot are very unique… I had no idea it was going to become somewhat science fiction. Surprisingly, even though the main reveal is obviously far-fetched, I still really enjoyed it. I also had to Google and learn a lot about black women’s hair, so that was educational. Great ending!

My thoughts on this book are rather all over the place, perhaps because the books itself was, in my opinion, all over the place.

This story follows Nella, an editorial assistant at an esteemed publishing company, who also happens to be the only black person working for said company. That is, until a new black girl, Hazel, comes on board. Nella is ecstatic to finally work with someone that will understand her daily struggles with microaggressions in a white-dominated workplace, but quickly starts to question who she can truly trust after receiving a threatening note.

Let me start off with saying something that has been said by many reviewers so far but needs to be said again: there is no reason this book should be compared to The Devil Wears Prada. The Get Out comparison was much more accurate, and I feel readers should know that before diving in expecting this to be a more light-hearted office drama. I can assure you that it is not.

This book was a roller-coaster, and the tone of the last 30% of the book was wildly different than the former 70%. It truly does make you feel that it's going to be an office drama, dealing primarily with microagressions in the workplace, but it becomes much more than that, that's really the only way I can put it without spoiling it.

I really felt that the story was engaging and I was undoubtedly entertained throughout, but I did find the shifting of timelines and perspectives to be a bit confusing and at times unnecessary to the over-all plot. The biggest issue I had was with the "twist", though I have trouble calling it that because I guessed it very early on in the book and thought it was pretty obvious what was going on. My problem with the twist was that it took this story that, up until this point, could have happened in the real world (and probably has!) and quickly took a sharp turn into sci-fi territory. There are instances where I think this sort of thing can work, but I'm not sure this was one of those instances.

What I can say is that overall, I loved the message of this book and I think it is a completely necessary topic that I hope many more books will touch on in the future. Even though this one didn't quite hit the execution out of the park for me personally plot-wise, I would still recommend it for it's commentary on workplace racism, and racism itself.

Many thanks NetGalley and Atria books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nella Rogers is an editorial assistant and on track to fulfill her dream of becoming an editor. But, as the only Black employee, she feels isolated and ignored, while enduring subtle racist vibes. So, it’s no wonder she’s overjoyed when Hazel, a Black woman, is hired. All seems to be going well until Nella begins to receive anonymous notes that tell her to leave her job while Hazel is quickly celebrated by various staff members. As Nella begins to feel that her career is spiraling downward, she also realizes that there may be more at stake than just her job.

The Other Black Girl is an interesting book that includes social commentary, reflections on stereotyping, and workplace tensions. Nella questions her own abilities as well as her priorities. In the end, she is forced to make choices and realign her goals to fit her new perceptions.

This is a well-written book, with good characters and sharp dialogue, but I found it challenging to keep the timelines straight as well as some of the characters that moved in and out of the story. I think it probably deserves a second read to be fully appreciated. With this said, it is worth the time to read The Other Black Girl. It offers much to think about.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

3.5-4 stars.

This book left me on one hand chilled to the bone, but on the other slightly underwhelmed. Lots of loose ends that I feel we’re not answered or tied up properly. There is nothing lighthearted about this read. I definitely wouldn’t believe the it has a “Devil meets Prada” vibe at all, but would lean more towards “Get Out” as so many have said. Also it has a big screaming twist in it that took me by surprise. It’s even hard for me to write a proper review because I just don’t fully know how I feel yet.

I feel it’s a good debut novel, and it will be exciting to see the growth that comes forth in this new author.

One of the books of summer. Delighted to include this novel in the June instalment of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month's top fiction for Zed, Zoomer magazine’s reading and books section (full review and feature at link).

I went into The Other Black Girl thinking it would be a witty workplace novel, similar to The Devil Wears Prada. I didn't realize it is more of a thriller and completely overlooked the comparison to the movie Get Out. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was more of a semi-mystery novel with thriller vibes. I almost want to say this book is more comparable to When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole or the movie Get Out, than The Devil Wears Prada. The only comparison to TDWP in the sense that there is workplace drama/office politics, but focused around racism and microaggressions towards Black employees in the workplace.

This book is spot on with the current racial climate and the reckoning that needs to happen in the corporate world. The Other Black Girl reminded me in some ways of Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, but with mystery/thriller aspects as opposed to comedic satire. Especially when the reader gets to the point of learning more about what is going on. I found myself quickly turning the pages to try and figure out what was going on at Wagner Books and why Nella was in the crosshairs. This all comes together in the final chapters and I think the author did a great job creating chapter cliffhangers to keep the reader hooked.

I will say, this book left me with many unanswered questions and the ending left me hanging. That is what keeps me in the 3.5 star rating. Don't let that influence you to not read this book, because I thought it was a page turner and loved the concept, just thought there were some plot holes IMO. I would love to chat about the ending with anyone who reads this book, because I am still a bit confused.

3.5 stars

The earliest chapters of The Other Black Girl lay the microaggressive and blatantly harmful effects of white supremacy in liberal spaces bare from the beginning. Nella Rogers is a Black twenty-something editorial assistant for a well-renowned literary agency in New York City. She has dreamt of working at Wagner since idolizing the editor-author duo of Kendra Rae Phillips and Diana Gordon—two Black women who had achieved the impossible by topping the bestseller charts in the 1980s. Working there for over two years, Nella has found herself in the uncertain career rut faced by many a millennial. Where are the opportunities to move up? When will her supervisor give her greater responsibilities, providing her a pathway to promotion? How many post-office hours socializing must she do in order to prove herself to the right people? Is her time better served trying to impress her supervisor or being seen by more senior staff members? All of this inner turmoil is exacerbated by the everyday concerns she carries as a Black woman in a predominantly white workspace. How can she be sure if some of the suggestions that she’s made about racial justice improvements for Wagner has actually been well-received or has put a target on her back? Presumably, this is answered in the lack of continued town halls and the rejection of her suggestions to reach out to a prominent Black racial justice advocate for a book proposal. Surely, these are just inconveniences that can be rectified when the right leaders are in place at Wagner, ones who will push these considerations to their rightful place in the company’s priorities? Toiling away with these burning desires, Nella’s primary outlet for these concerns is her best friend Malaika, who works in a different industry but is always down for a happy hour chat about their shared issues. So of course Nella is overjoyed when another Black girl, one her age, joins the Wagner team. Two Black women on staff at the same time, what a feat! Though the new girl, Hazel, holds the same position of editorial assistant, it is not very long before she ushers in a lot of changes that move forward a lot of the racial justice initiatives that Nella missed at the company while also making some regressive steps. Nella’s interrogation of this dynamic leads her down some personal and professional revelations of her own—some that have deeper implications and may even answer one of the publishing world’s longstanding mysteries: what happened to Kendra Rae Phillips?

Though I am not typically a thriller reader, I always love untangling a good mystery, something both of these books offer in spades. When I understood that both stories examined white supremacy through this genre lens, I knew a discussion about the strengths of the two were warranted. What stood out to me most when reading these stories was the impact that Get Out has already had on the ways Black creators interpret and explain their own battles with white supremacy to larger audiences. Ace of Spades builds on the tension and disbelief of even the white people whom we’ve built seemingly strong relationships with becoming our own tormentors. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé does a laudable job in building in misdirects about who to trust or mistrust and when, drawing upon all that society has been taught to trust—authority and institutional pragmatism—and putting it under scrutiny. Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel, The Other Black Girl, draws us in with the story of another Black woman occupying the same space during another time—much like the opening scene of Get Out. From there the story plays with showing us the universality of being Black in these sorts of occupational spaces while also dropping us into the strange and unfamiliar, without quite sticking the landing. While Ace of Spades ends on a triumphant note, The Other Black Girl stumbles into a territory that seems to undermine the opening questions of the book by seeking the approval of the white gaze.
I think both books are worth reading for any Get Out fan wondering at its legacy across mediums. Ace of Spades is a good study of why even Black people with the privilege of youthful optimism, capital, and legacy institutions are never safe—why Black folk have to remain constantly vigilant. The Other Black Girl is great for validating many of the concerns that college-educated Black people have even after we’ve achieved this first major goal post and why we must have support from others in this position to move forward. Like Get Out, after reading each book, I could faintly hear the refrain of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone.” How’s that for legacy?

“The Devil Wears Prada” meets “Get Out!” in “The Other Black Girl”

In The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Atria), Nella Rogers, a twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant in New York City, loves her job. She has longed to become an editor at Wagner Books ever since reading their groundbreaking bestseller Burning Heart when she was a teenager. Nella’s dream has come true, except that she is the only Black woman on the staff. She feels isolated and disrespected by her co-workers, and her attempts to enlighten them about racial diversity prove futile until one day when something miraculous occurs.

Harlem born and bred Hazel-May McCall, a new Black editorial assistant, arrives on the scene. Hazel is beautiful, confident, outspoken, and socially conscious; all the things Nella is not, but nonetheless Nella immediately senses a whiff of competition from her new colleague; and coincidentally, Nella becomes embroiled in a string of uncomfortable events that affect her credibility at Wagner.

When Nella questions the stereotypical portrayal of a Black character in an upcoming novel from Wagner’s bestselling author, both the author and Nella’s boss Vera are affronted. As retribution, Vera mentors Hazel, leaving Nella to question her identity within the company. To prove her worth to Vera, Nella buries herself in her additional assignments, to the detriment of her relationships with her live-in boyfriend, Owen, and her best friend Malaika. Despite her efforts, Nella watches Hazel’s star rise while her’s fizzles out.

But that is not the worst of it. Threatening notes appear on Nella’s desk, warning her to “LEAVE WAGNER NOW.” Who is responsible for the threats? Is it Hazel?

Tension mounts as Nella is anonymously tipped off that Hazel is not who she pretends to be, and Nella sets out on a dangerous path to unmask her competitor. Cool-girl Hazel always seems to be one step ahead of Nella, and now Hazel’s apparent friendliness suggests a cover for darker hidden secrets. Drawn deeper into the mystery, Nella questions her own identity and whether her career here is worth sacrificing her personal life for.

Intertwined with Nella’s story are vignettes detailing the simultaneously catastrophic downfall of the editor, and mercurial rise of the author, of “Burning Heart,” a momentous book; it was the first number-one fiction bestseller written and edited by two Black women and was published by Wagner Books in the 1980s. The pair were thick as thieves, but their legendary falling-out remains the subject of office gossip and a mystery kept under wraps by the powerful owner of the publishing house.

That novel’s author found tremendous success after publication, while in contrast, the editor’s careless and racist remarks forced her to quit publishing and seek seclusion. The once-childhood friends haven’t communicated in almost thirty years, and have remained polarized by an industry demanding compliance with the rules. Tying the subplots to the main story, Nella wonders whether she holds the key to locating the editor and reuniting the two women after all these years.

On every page, the reader is drawn into the suspense of uncovering the conspiracy which was set in motion to ruin Nella’s life; will her career end as disastrously as that missing editor’s did? As an outside observer, the reader will sense impending danger before Nella does, and will wish to warn her not to open the envelope, the door, or her mouth. But Nella always does, elevating the horror of the situation. The climactic confrontation between Hazel and Nella offers a smart, witty plot twist which resonates long after the final chapter.

In The Other Black Girl, Harris, a publishing veteran, doesn’t mince words. On one level, the novel is a grippingly dark thriller about racial inequality, sexism and power in the white-dominated publishing world. Atria Books has compared The Other Black Girl to The Devil Wears Prada, a chick-lit bestseller and film about the backstabbing world of fashion and a young fashion editor’s trials to please her demanding boss.

The Other Black Girl, however, is not even a bit trite. It is a hard-hitting satire about racial inequality in our society on a broader scale — gun violence, prejudice, the media, class disparity and celebrity — dressed up in the world of book publishing. Harris’ characters are not afraid to speak their truths about contemporary issues and raise thought-provoking questions about the world we live in. The novel makes the reader feel uncomfortable and holds them responsible for being complicit in the disparity.

For readers who seek a challenging and entertaining escape, The Other Black Girl fits the bill. The creepy Get Out!-quality of The Other Black Girl is certain to spark conversations about racial diversity and the way we view ourselves for weeks, months and years to come.

Nella is the only black women working at the Wagner Publishing company. She works quietly at her cubical and has formed one work friendship. When rumors swirl that the company has hired a black editorial assistant, Nella imagines a new quick friendship. Perhaps even forming an alliance in the hard tough world of publishing. But this is not the case. Hazel exudes confidence and is completely comfortable in her new role at Wagner Publishing. Nella's presumed friendship with the new employee is completely shot down when Nella starts to receive notes to "leave Wagner". Yes, things turn dark and twisted very early.

THE OTHER BLACK GIRL is a slow unraveling of part drama part thriller in the publishing world. But you need to read right to the end to get the full story - twists and all!