*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for proving me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Star rating: 3.75

A Hundred Other Girls teetered on the edge of being really good. I won't say it was a home run (maybe a double?) but I had a lot of fun along the way. This book is basically The Devil Wears Prada but pulled from 2006 (when the movie was released) and given a new 2019-esque outfit. The female lead, Noora, is an Iranian American who has been obsessed with the magazine Vinyl since she was little. This book follows her as she scores a job as an executive assistant there and all of the drama, gossip, and industry politics that play out in the high fashion magazine world.

First, what I loved:
- I appreciate that Iman Hariri-Kia wrote a diverse cast of characters, seeing representation in books is extremely validating.
- The book was funny! There were many instances where I made audible laughing sounds...which honestly *never* happens when I'm reading.
- I actually enjoyed all of the pop culture references and jokes. As someone who is firmly planted on the border between gen x and millennial - the references actually made Noora feel more like a person I'd know in real life and gave the book more of a conversation between friends vibe. I've seen a lot of people say this book is very Gen-Z, and I don't know any Gen-Zer who would know and/or use some of the references.

Didn't love:
- At times the writing seemed overly flowery, I found myself skipping past some of the more descriptive setting writing to get back to plot advancement and drama!
- I didn't necessarily feel particularly invested in Noora or what would happen to her or the magazine. I would have loved to get to know her more, maybe with short anecdotes from her past, just so I could form a connection to her character a bit better.
- Some parts of the book seemed a little slow. A bit *too much* drama added in and not just advancing the dramas already laid out.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun to read and I'm excited to read what Iman Hariri-Kia writes next!

"For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type comes a smart, modern story about the shifting media landscape and one Middle Eastern-American writer finding her place in it." I love The Devil Wears Prada *and* The Bold Type, so I was really looking forward to reading to this book. But it fell flat for me, and I actually ended up putting it aside at the 50% mark. Here's why:

1. It was VERY heavily inspired by The Devil Wears Prada... to the point that it read like YA fan fic of it.
2. The slang was so over the top. There were multiple times I didn't know what I was reading because of it.
3. The term "KPI" was used A LOT, but it was very clear the author doesn't actually know what a KPI is. This may seem like a nit-picky thing to say, but to me, it meant the book wasn't very well researched/edited.

I loved the premise, but this book was not for me.

A terrible adaption of the Devil Wears Prada. Such sloppy writing and the story wasn't enticing. I had such high hopes for this from the hardcore promotion on BookTok, but it fell so flat.

Book Review:

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia

I loved this book! 5-stars all the way. It definitely has The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type Vibes and was just so fantastic.

Noora is an aspiring writer and lands a job as the assistant to the Editor-in-Chief at her favorite magazine, Vinyl. But everything becomes messy when the print staff and digital staff begin sabotaging each other and Noora is not sure whose team she should be on.

I really liked the ease at which this book is diverse. Characters just exist as who they are and are not used as pawns or added to make the story diverse. Noora is also great at calling out people (even if only in her head) at being low-key racist, anti-feminist, and just general jerks.

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia releases tomorrow 7/26 and I can't wait to tell everyone I talk to that they need to read it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @bookmarked for this advanced reader.

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I was excited to read this book. However, after only a few chapters in, I realized it’s a 2022 version of The Devi, Wears Prada. The aithor’s basically says that at the end too.
It does illustrate the cut throat nature of publishing and all the backstabbing and betrayals.
The author hits hard on certain themes, as nauseum.

I had really high expectations for A Hundred Other Girls. Sadly, I felt it was trying a little too hard to be modern, current and trendy. There were references that felt a little bit offensive, and it was hard seeing the protagonist ruin all of the relationships that were most important to her for the sake of her job and getting ahead. She felt extremely immature and self-absorbed. The one possible love interest turned out to be a huge disappointment and rather cringe-worthy. I did however like and appreciate the NYC restaurant references which were realistic. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc.

What a fun read. This book is marketed as similar to The Devil Wears Prada and it definitely comes through and with a modern spin.
How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take? Noora is an aspiring writer and amateur blogger living in NYC...crashing on her sister's couch and tutoring rich kids. Noora lands the coveted job as an assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl Magazine's editor-in-chief. The reality of the job is not what Noora expected and Noora finds herself in the middle of a war between the print and digital sides of the magazine. Loretta is definitely a lesson on why never to meet your idols let alone work for them.
I liked how the book touches upon mental health issues, LGBTQ representation and immigrant story point of view. The author does a good job building compelling characters that you want to learn more about. I loved all of the descriptions of different New York neighborhoods making the city a character in the background.
A Hundred Other Girls is an entertaining book showing what it means to follow your dreams.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

4.25🌟- I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to @bookmarked for the #gifted ARC copy!

For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type!

This book had the perfect NYC vibes, sharp wit, and felt really fresh to me! I loved having an Iranian-American as the lead and seeing her perspective throughout the book.

I quickly felt immersed reading this book into magazine culture, and loved the pop-culture moments mixed in effortlessly.

The whole book felt relatable and authentic, and this would be such a good book to read with your besties!

This is such a fun read that anyone who can appreciate struggling in their 20s and 30s, has an affinity for pop culture and fashion, and loves NYC will love! I can’t wait to see what’s next from Iman!

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this early copy of A Hundred Other Girls. Overall, I thought this was a pretty entertaining story, especially for anyone who works in the media/entertainment/culture industries. The book features a wide and diverse cast of characters, with some being more staple people in Noora’s life like Saffron.

One of the biggest drawbacks and issues I had with the book however is just how many pop culture references there are throughout each chapter. Even as a Gen-Z reader myself, I found myself constantly wishing that there were fewer and fewer references thrown in throughout the sentences. I also feel like the pacing and timing was quite off in many instances, often taking me out of the story itself.

Overall I thought that this was a super interesting story and I did have a good time reading it! 3.5 Stars rounded down.

Noora really wants to be a writer, she has a blog with a pretty big following but she would love to write for a magazine. In order to make money to live, she tutors rich spoiled kids from the Upper East Side. That is, until she lands a job as Loretta James’s (the editor in chief’s) assistant at Vinyl. Vinyl is a culture magazine, Noora has always dreamed of writing for Vinyl, and she thinks that she can work her way up from assistant to writer. The job is very stressful and Loretta is very demanding. Loretta is more high strung than usual because she’s in the middle of a war, it’s a war between print and digital. It’s also a war between Loretta herself and Jade Aki. Jade is the digital director and also Loretta’s former assistant. Who will win and which side will Noora choose to be on?

This was such an interesting book, I liked the drama and I like how Noora ends up dealing with all the drama. I loved the characters, especially Saffron, they seem so nice and loyal, like such a great friend to have. I’m so glad that Noora had someone to care about her the way Saffron did, I liked that they were real friends, not just work friends. Leila seems so cool, they fight sometimes like siblings do but Lei has her back no matter what and that’s beautiful. If Noora had an actual blog, I would definitely follow it based on this book and the description of some of the posts. I love her style and I would love to read more about the things she has to say. I could definitely learn a lot from her and expand my thinking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm in my sixties and this book also served as an eye opener for what this generation is like! The author truly loves New York City and aside from the cute story, the descriptions of New York City were lovely and poignant. The characters are truly original, but very believable. This book just begs for a sequel to find out what happens in their lives as they move forward.
The book comes with a guide for book groups and an author interview which added to the value of the book. I do hope book groups pick this up; so many great details to discuss. And I haven't even gotten into the magazine world which in itself is fascinating. After reading this book, you'll just want to stand up and cheer for our protagonist and her family--both her blood related family and her chosen family. I certainly hope to see more from this author!

Noora is an aspiring writer in New York City. With the support of her sister she lands her dream job of assistant to Loretta, the famous editor of Vinyl magazine. Before long she realizes it is far from her dream job, being banned from writing any digital publications, Loretta's wild and crazy demands, the internal power struggle of print vs. digital. Throw in some flirting with a co-worker and we're left wondering how Noora can make it out alive.

As a huge fan of New York, the first chapter had me hooked. I was giggling out loud during the first scene of Noora riding the subway. And from then on I was given an array of diverse characters that were so interesting to learn about. This book was full of Gen Z terms, humor, Iranian-American, LGBTQ+, mental health & representation and tackled some harder issues in and out of the workforce. A modern day retelling of "The Devil Wears Prada". Lots of pop culture references which made it a fun YA read. I loved the sister relationship between Noora and Leila and its messaging around chosen families. Overall, a solid 4 stars!

Aspiring writer and recent NYC transplant Noora is thrilled to get her foot in the door of her favorite fashion and lifestyle magazine, Vinyl. She’s hired as the assistant to Vinyl’s editor-in-chief, Loretta, and it feels like her dreams are finally coming true. But soon Noora discovers that Loretta is a complete nightmare to work with, and she’s desperately grasping to stay relevant in a changing media industry she doesn’t fully understand.

Noora is such a layered and wonderful protagonist that I couldn't put this book down! It's fast-paced, funny, thought-provoking, and timely. Vinyl's whole office and team came to life beautifully on the page. If you love The Devil Wears Prada but think it could use a little updating, then this is the book for you!

I was SO beyond excited for this, and I was not disappointed!!! Iman's writing is new and fresh and I absolutely love every character she has written here. I can't wait for more from her!

I had such high hopes for this one, and unfortunately I was disappointed. I will say that it started off fairly strong & was genuinely engaging….. but then it just sort of continued to flounder for me. This book is marketed as THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA x THE BOLD TYPE….. and it is! The similarities are endless (especially with TDWP), and while it was fun for awhile & I’m sure some people would enjoy it, I personally feel like it leaned into those comparisons way too heavily. And while I appreciate what the author was trying to do and love the diversity featured here in this book (main + side characters alike), there were just waaaaay too many Gen Z/current pop culture references thrown in that it took me out of the story. So many were so unnecessary haha. There are also some…. Questionable takes on what it means to be “woke” and mental health/illness, both of which also had me shaking my head. Overall, this wasn’t my favorite, but I’m definitely open to reading more of the author’s work in the future!

This book is the absolute perfect mixture of fun and depth. It handles sensitive topics very well, and the perspective of the author is very fresh.

“For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type comes a smart, modern story about the shifting media landscape and one Middle Eastern–American writer finding her place in it.

How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?”

I was under the impression that this was general fiction, but I would definitely put it in the YA category. It gave me major 13 Going on 30 vibes. The author introduces us to Noora, a young aspiring writer looking to get her foot in the door at a magazine that she’s been reading since she was young. Of course, she gets hired in as an assistant because you have to start somewhere in the industry and getting your foot in the door is key. We spend the book watching her deal with her unbearable boss as she tries to navigate through office and industry politics.

I commend the writer for the diversity of characters presented throughout the story especially since it was set in NYC, which is known as the melting pot. However, I wasn’t really invested in this book. I felt like it had a lot of potential, but fell flat in development. There was definitely some missed opportunities story telling wise that left me feeling as though chunks were missing. Also, I don’t really like when too many hot takes or current topics are thrown into a book to stay relevant with the times. The story was overloaded with lingo and topics that didn’t really mesh well and felt more like an after thought the way they were kind of just tossed into the pages.

My takeaway from this is don’t be afraid to go after whatever you want in life.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book. I’m a millennial, and all of the Gen Z references went right over my head. I would recommend this as a young adult book, not something for anyone older.

This book seemed like it would be right up my alley as it has been compared to “The Devil Wears Prada”, which I love. However, this book lacked the charm that was present in that book/movie and its other comparison, “The Bold Type.” Although like “TBT”, it seemed like this book was trying to tackle a lot of societal issues all at once, and came off a bit overdone at times. That aside, the development of the story seemed a bit rushed and didn’t flow authentically. This one sounded more fun in theory than it actually was. A decent book, but this was not one that I really enjoyed, which is surprising giving its topics of media, journalism, and entertainment. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.