The Other Black Girl, speaking as a Black girl, both was and wasn’t what I expected.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, is about an ambitious editorial assistant, Nella Rogers, who is the only Black employee at Wagner Books. So she is thrilled when another Black woman, Hazel McCall, joins her. But quickly Hazel starts to pass Nell on the corporate ladder. Everyone loves her, her ideas are not only listened to but they are respected and implemented. In the weeks Hazel was there she was already able to have herself heard more than Nella had been in all her years there. Then Nella starts getting notes telling her to “Leave Wagner Now”, and that sends her down a road of suspicion as to who wants her to leave.

First of all as a Black person this book is infuriating, and I think it should be. Nella’s world is built on microaggression, structural racism, and so so many white tears, and it 100% reflects the world we live in. Almost every situation Nella has had to face, I have had to face a similar issue in a workplace. And I’m almost positive the author, Zakiya Dalila Harris, a former editorial assistant, took a lot of her lived experience and put it in this story. The book is toted as Get Out meets The Stepford Wives, and I can say that midway through the story I thought “This story could be about something supernatural afoot, BUT it can literally be about the most aggressive *code switching I’ve ever seen”.

For me the plot was great but the problem was pacing. I love a good slow burn, but it got to this point where the burn was too slow. I feel like a good chunk of this book could have been edited down or just straight up cut. The last 15% of the book things really started to ramp up, and I think that would have been made more impactful if the story had clipped along a bit faster. And I wish that we got more answers at the ending, but at the same time, maybe it was the authors intent to to make me sit in that discomfort at the end. Because not everything needs to sit in a comfortable place.

I’ll end with I think it’s important to understand that the book will not read the same if you are white. It just won’t, and that’s ok. And if you are Black, and you have worked/lived in any mostly white environment, there’s a lot of this book that will frustrate you, and that’s ok too. Either way I say give this book a go. I look forward to seeing more of what Zakiya Dalila Harris does in the future!

*The story covers code switching but for those who don’t know, code switching is essentially changing how you act around white people in order to either advance in the world, or as just straight up protection.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC of The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Nella is a young ambitious Black girl who works as an editorial assistant at Wagner. Being a minority at the office, she deals with microaggressions all the time. When another Black girl named Hazel is hired, she is excited because finally she won’t be alone anymore. The ladies get along right away but then Hazel quickly becomes the office darling. As Nella is now in Hazel’s shadow, she starts receiving anonymous notes telling her to leave Wagner.

Nella is now trying to figure out who sent the notes. Is it Hazel? Is it another coworker? As Nella goes deeper into her investigation, she realizes that there is something very sinister going on, much bigger than her career at Wagner.

In my opinion this is a hard book to describe and categorize because it doesn’t fully fit into a specific genre and that’s the beauty of it. I advise people to keep an open mind when it comes to that if they want to read it, it’s a very good novel.

The story is unique and thought provoking. The author does a great job at describing the cutthroat work environment of the publishing world and how it often feels like in these settings, there is only room for one Black girl. It’s not something that is ever explicitly said but it can be seen and felt.

Another aspect of the story that I love is that we see the dilemma that a lot of Black women face: speak your mind and risk being seen as difficult or stay quiet and keep the peace while you compromise your integrity as a Black woman. When you navigate in a white dominated industry, the answer to that is not always simple. As a Black woman myself I can relate to a lot of Nella’s experiences. I think the book can spark conversations about a form of racism that we don’t talk about often.

The first half of the book is a bit slow for my liking, but you get a good feel of Nella’s work environment, her ambitions etc. Then it takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns. It’s hard to put the book down once you make it past the first 40%.

I think this is a great debut and I can’t wait to see what else Zakiya Dalila Harris comes up with in her next book.

This is a debut novel from an American author. This story is set in the world of book publishing and follows Nella who is an editorial assistant. She had been the only black employee at that level for several years and so is initially excited when Hazel, another black woman, is hired as another editorial assistant. When Hazel seems to be doing better than she is in a short period of time and seems to have an 'in' with both her editor and the head man, the relationship becomes strained. Hazel knows something fishy is happening and begins her own investigation. This book is primarily about how to succeed when the system is stacked against you, but uses an unusual technique to send home its message. For this reason it defies categorization and is part satire, part thriller, part social commentary and certainly literary. This is not a book that is going to be loved by everyone, but it should make you think. It is a good recommendation for readers who enjoy books that are a little different.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career. (Credit: Simon & Schuster Canada)

This book was outside my typical reading genre but I am really glad I got the chance to read it. I think the topic of race in the workplace can be a difficult conversation but an important one to have. For too long employers have prioritIzed hiring white people over black without any valid reason. It also seems to be true that some employers are feeling required to hire black people due to the social climate of the world. I think the book highlighted the lack of diversity within the publishing industry and the need for a change. I loved how the author was able to weave social justice along with a fun and unique story. I did find the beginning of the book a bit hard to get into it but the second half really picked up and I couldn’t put the book down. I could definitely see this book being turned into a series as I would love to see what happens with Nella next,

This book was described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets “Get-out”. I don’t completely agree with that description, but the premise did interest me. The book is definitely unique, not only for the perspectives it offers on race in the publishing industry, but also the twist it takes on typical thrillers.

From the Publisher:
“ Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.
Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.”

I really enjoyed most of this novel - it moved quickly and I’m a sucker for books about publishing. I also liked reading about the dynamics between Nella and Hazel and the discussions in the novel about race. The “get-out” elements didn’t work for me - I wanted to learn more about the characters and their experiences!

“As though she sensed Nella was about to break, Hazel sucked her teeth. She was still staring at Nella, except now her eyes were cool, serene. “C’mon, sis,” she said, quietly. “You can be real with me.”

‘The Other Black Girl’ caught my eye the first time I saw its striking cover. Temi Coker’s (@temi.coker) cover art uses bold primary colours: a dark blue background with a woman’s red-and-yellow earring in the shape of a fist and a comb that serves as the i in Girl.
Impossible to miss in a bookstore.

Once I began reading this deeply engaging, darkly witty, psychological masterpiece I couldn’t put it down. It blew my expectations right out of the water and that’s saying something as it was already tipped to be one of the most highly anticipated books of 2021.

Zakiya Dalila Harris sets her debut novel in the publishing world. She, too, worked in the industry before she left to complete this novel. In ‘The Other Black Girl’ she deftly but unflinchingly exposes two crucial issues relevant in today’s corporate world, those of tokenism and systemic racism.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to ‘Office Darling’, while Nella is left behind.

Threatening notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk. It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these messages, but as Nella starts to obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

To continue may risk revealing the novel’s plot twists, so I’ll leave you with an exuberant high five, my recommendation and confirmation that this is my favourite novel of the year so far.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down! Nella works in publishing in New York and is only person of colour in her office, she is happy when Hazel gets hired and tries to make her feel welcome. Things start to go wrong quickly and the story really takes off with some great twists and turns. I will be recommending this to my thriller reading customers and I'm already looking forward to Harris's next book.

I DNFed at 80%. I really had high hopes for this book, but I didn’t like the dual plot lines and alternating chapters, and I felt this really dragged.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for giving me access to an ARC of The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. This book comes out on June 1st, 2021.

“Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.”

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to this book and I would encourage anyone reading it to steer themselves away from the media and reviews. There are comparisons that never really pan out and could set the reader up with inaccurate expectations. It’s also hard to know what to expect from it which is something I really loved about it.

The messaging around the systemic racism that exists in corporate environments is so important and that’s probably the thing I appreciated most about The Other Black Girl. It pulled no punches when it came to exposing the ways workplaces often isolate and overlook behaviours that are contrary to and to the detriment of their black members. It is easy to believe that this is the sole purpose of the book and I’m sure it would have satisfied had that been the case, but the story veers sharply away from that morphs into a thriller. It’s quite remarkable how it transitions so seamlessly and almost without the reader catching on.

My only criticism was that this book was somewhat slow-going. It took a while to get to where it was headed and I would have rather had some extra time in the end instead of in the lead up to it.

Overall, it’s a very interesting concept that sheds some light on the realities of being a black woman trying to survive a predominantly white work environment and some of the hidden costs for doing so.

As far as I’m concerned, The Other Black Girl should be required reading. Zakiya Dalila Harris has written a biting and brutally honest critique of corporate culture’s continued insulation of systemic racism and the deafening inaction that persists in the wake of social media’s flood of black squares almost exactly one year ago. Using horror as a device to tell a socially conscious story is hardly a new concept, but it is executed so smartly and elegantly here- delving into the impact of microaggressions and well-meaning but tone deaf half-cooked corporate diversity initiatives in an insightful and damning fashion.

The story follows Nella, an editorial assistant 2 years into her time at Wagner, a coveted gig at one of the biggest and most successful publishing houses in New York. Yet despite the impressive credentials, life at Wagner is far from ideal- Nella is the only black woman working in editorial , and her attempts to spearhead a diversity committee have gained no traction with her white colleagues. Enter Hazel: a fashionable and charismatic black woman who is hired on as a fellow editorial assistant and immediately captures the attention of Nella’s boss and other Wagner higher-ups alike. Nella quickly winds up feeling pitted against Hazel, rather than feeling the kinship and solidarity she had hoped for. To make things even worse, she starts receiving anonymous notes - at her desk, in her bag etc. telling her to leave Wagner while she still can... Who is sending these ominous notes? Is there more to Hazel’s ability to connect with her white colleagues and superiors than meets the eye?

The twists and reveals about what’s really going on at Wagner are well-timed and gripping. Once I hit the halfway point of the novel it was full tilt until the end. However, I found myself selfishly wanting more! More about the players involved, the impacts of what was going on at Wagner, how far reaching it was etc. I am trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but suffice it to say, while the reveals are chilling and satisfying, I wish more time was spent unpacking them. My only other gripe is that The Other Black Girl suffers from a bit of “too many POVitis”. The amount and placement of the POVs jumping around in time and place early on in the novel would absolutely read better in a screenplay than it did here. I found myself flipping back and forth to try and keep track of dates and names, with no context regarding the importance of these POVs. While all is revealed in good time, it was a challenging way to dive into a book. I think these brief chapters could easily have been placed later in the book without revealing too much too soon.

All in all, The Other Black Girl is one of my favourite reads of the year so far, and I can’t wait to see its twists and cutting critiques be the topic of conversations for months to come.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not what I expected at all. I read the synopsis and thought I had an idea about what I was about to read but I was very wrong. This book is definitely a slow burn, the first half was pretty slow and then the second half picks up and has some twists. I don’t know how I feel about it honestly. Certain parts of the book had me interested but the other parts just didn’t work for me. I know this review is all over the place but it’s truly how I feel about the book. Maybe if I hadn’t of read the synopsis first it would have changed how I felt a little bit, which is why I don’t want to say too much about the storyline in my review. So to clarify my confusing review. I don’t know if I loved it or hated it. If you read this book don’t read the synopsis first.

I really loved the premise of the story. Once something is compared to Get Out I'm IN. Nella was a great character to follow, and the book was incredibly thought provoking (especially when you get to the end!).

Blurb from the editor: Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

Unfortunately, I felt the book was too long; I love a slow burn more than most but I think there could have been at least 50 pages cut from the middle of the book or some more plot action. Really nothing much happens until the last 20% of the book, and I think the editing could have been stronger.

I loved the epilogue, and I think it saved the book for me. I would definitely read another book by this author; if this debut is any indication of the great ideas she has I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the e-ARC! The Other Black Girl is out June 1, 2021.

What started at The Devil Wears Prada ends as The Stepford Wives. What a whirlwind!

I know next to nothing about publishing but taken in the general context of an office, Harris presents a realistic take on the micro aggressions that occur in an office setting. Nella, our protagonist, is tired of being the only Black girl at Wagner. When she hears that a new girl has been hired, she’s initially thrilled. As things progress and strange things start to happen around the office, she wonders if she’s going crazy or if someone is out to get her. The story is interspersed with a timeline from 30 years ago about another Black woman who worked at Wagner. By the end of the book, both storylines have crossed over and the parallels are revealed to the reader.

Character development is great in this novel. I would’ve liked to see a bit more of Nella and Owen’s relationship but what was in there totally made sense for driving the plot and characters forward.

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is straight up horror, with the near constant microaggressions Nella experiences at her publishing house job with prestigious literary agency Wagner. She's surrounded by whites, who claim to care about diversity, but with nearly everything they say and do they prove otherwise. Then, another Black woman is hired, and Nella thinks "Finally! Someone who will understand, and we can support each other!" Problem is, things begin going wrong for Nella almost immediately, with her feeling increasingly isolated, minimized, tense and lost, and Hazel begins a fast rise within the company.

Author Zakiya Dalila Harris juxtaposes the few months in Nella's life after Hazel's hiring, with two other stories, one in 1983 of a woman fleeing from New York City, and the other of a woman working at a coffee shop, incognito and fearing reprisal. We're not told what prompted the first woman's flight, or why the other is living in fear and hiding, but with each new chapter of their stories, and a corresponding further downward step for Nella, the author reveals the connections.

I thought the author built the tension well. With numerous examples of the horrid people at the company, with their inappropriate statements, humour and gaslighting, along with Hazel's rapid acceptance by her colleagues and upward trajectory, and Nella increasingly unable to deal with the ever worsening situation.

The story begins tense, and becomes darker and scarier, with it appearing that there's nowhere to go and nowhere to turn for Nella. There is also an element of the monstrous, when things are finally explained; I was reminded of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with the resolution of the story threads. The author does a wonderful job of balancing the office politics and relationships with the racism and betrayals. This isn't a comfortable book, but I liked it, and look forward to more from this author.

This book started strong, it opens with a woman on the run, being recognized, and trying to hide her identity, I was drawn in right away.
We fast-forward to Nella the lone black employee at Wagner Books. An atmosphere where her boss calls Nella's diversity meetings "extracurricular" and uses this as a check against her when Nella asked for a promotion.
So when Nellas new Cubical mate is a a cool Harlem born black woman named Hazel, Nellas sees a friend and an ally.
When Nella starts receiving mysterious notes, and when Hazel seems to turn on her, Nella finds herself in the middle of a mystery that spans decades.

Unfortunately despite the strong opening, and the interesting plot, the story kind of fell flat,
As all books there is a beginning middle and end, but the middle was long, and often dragged, and the ending was rushed and to be honest I don't really understand what happened.

This story held a lot of potential, but in my opinion it missed the mark

This book is unlike any I've ever read - and that's saying something in the thriller/suspense genre. While the start was a bit slow for me - and the only thing keeping it from being 5 stars - it really started to pick up the pace about a quarter through the book. Soon enough I was entirely engrossed by Nella's story, and desperate to know who was messing with her, and why. Without spoiling it for the rest of you - because you'll want to read this one - I'll say that Zakiya Dalila Harris has created a truly unique story that will leave you unable to put this book down until you figure out what the heck is going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Black Girl is an interesting, wildly uneven read. In my opinion, the story has centered on the wrong character. Nella is fine, but I'd have rather the story center on Shani, Diana, or Kendra Rae - the ones who are actually aware of what is going on and have a direct hand in the action. There are many times when introducing a story through the eyes of an outsider is valuable for exposition, but the pacing in this book is so off that everything is just hinted at until the very end.
There are valuable discussions to be had about interracial relationships, hollow diversity initiatives in the workplace, microaggressions, and who to step on to get ahead career-wise. However, I think these topics would be more heavily discussed and addressed in the inevitable book clubs that will pop up around this book than anything that was discussed or resolved on page.
The tagline comparing this book to Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out, is definitely going to lead to disappointment. In my read, the only Devil Wears Prada comparison would come from Nella being an assistant. Get Out, you can stretch to, because of the overwhelming whiteness in publishing makes codeswitching a valuable workplace asset (in the world of the book, I don't work in publishing, so I can only imagine this to be true), however, the twist is more of a "crabs in the bucket" mentality than I would have hoped.
An interesting concept hamstrung by poor execution.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review.

I adored this book! It dealt with a world of which I knew very little but one which I delighted in exploring. This conclusion of this story had elements of the Stepford Wives which I loved! Extremely well done!

Stepford Wives meets The Devil Wears Prada in this gorgeously written novel about a young Black woman working for an all-white publisher thrilled about a recent fellow Black woman being hired. There are many reasons why this book is a must read—darkly hilarious, deeply engaging, and very addictive—but the main reason that I, as a white-passing person, would recommend this book to a white/white-passing audience is the broad spectrum of microaggressions it addresses, quite naturally, as part of the story. In light of the conversations about race happening in North America, I feel this book not only serves to entertain and captivate (which we all really need during this pandemic), but will also help readers glimpse into the burden and pain of these microaggressions. There are so many moments that come and go, but one longer scene particularly stands out: when the Black female assistant editor has to explain to the White male (best-selling) author why the depiction of a character in his book is racist. It might get some White defenses up, but this scene and the entire book will well serve its main purpose of entertaining (and watch out for that ending, it’ll take you by surprise!) and, as complex and nuanced books tend to do, open some eyes to the realities of lives quite different from ours.

This book is definitely not what I was expecting. Rather than focus on the lack of diversity in the publishing industry it pits two black women against each other giving the book a very depressing and unsatisfying feel. The pace of the story was too slow until the very end. At the end there are so many unresolved issues, unanswered questions and loose ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.