I really enjoyed this book! I loved Noora's unique voice and her insights on New York City. Her relationships with Laila and Saffron shone. The book felt a bit like satire at times, and I wasn't quite sure if that was intended. I would definitely read another book by this author!

A book pitched as Devil Meets Prada meets The Bold Type? Sign me up!

I was so excited to get my hands on A Hundred Other Girls. Sadly, this book fell a bit flat for me.

Things I loved:
- Saffron! The best character
- The relationship between Leila and Noora
- City girl vibes

Things I didn't love:
- I was frustrated by the outlandish conflicts, they were overdone or breezed past way too quickly
- Character chemistry and friendship development, it felt lacking (while I adored Saffron - they are hilarious and the most genuine person - the "insta-love" friendship felt underdeveloped
- Rushed ending

I see the potential in Hariri-Kai's writing and I look forward to her future work! Just know this is heavy on the DEVIL WEARS PRADA and light on THE BOLD TYPE vibes.

A Hundred Other Girls is about Noora, a young Iranian woman hoping to land a job at her dream magazine company. As expected, she gets the job, but it’s as the executive assistant for the demanding CEO. While this is a story that’s been told many times before, the difference between this book, and others of the like is that it’s extremely GenZ focused. It has strong elements of LGBTQ+ and gender neutral pronouns - we love that! But, it felt very forced. Almost like someone who’s not GenZ, really wanted to seem like they know what GenZ likes.

4/5 ☆

This was such a fun and diverse book filled with a ton of pop-culture references. This was an amazing debut novel by Iman Hariri-Kia that is centered around the media industry, following your dreams, sisterhood, friendships, and more. Everything was so detailed and painted what I imagine a culture magazine would look in NYC.

I loved this insider's take on the divide between Print vs. Digital media. I don't work in this industry at all so its definitely interesting to read about what goes on between the teams and what fuels each side. It felt really insightful, especially coming from a WOC. There was a ton of pop-culture references that relate to Gen-Z and millennials that I found to be fun and somewhat cheesy.

I'm giving this four stars just because getting through that one chapter (iykyk) was so rough, even though it was obviously very realistic. It just pained me. really. bad. Nonetheless, a fantastic debut novel! Can't wait to read the rest of Hariri-Kia's books!

I rate this book 3.75 stars. At first, I really enjoyed it. Towards the middle, I wondered if I wanted to finish it. Noora was losing herself, and it made me wonder if I wanted to keep investing time in her! Then when I was done, I was glad I did. The character Noora is an interesting and compelling woman, from a cultural background I was excited to read more about. I loved how the author wove in aspects of Noora’s background in the story- whether it is her insecurities about her looks (too hairy in her mind) or her family celebrating Thanksgiving in a spirit all their own. I loved that scene- everyone sharing a story about something that inspired their gratitude in the past year- and I thought about how even more meaningful Thanksgiving might be around the table if we shared the actual story behind the person or event we’re saying we’re thankful for- thank you Iman- I will steal that this year!
I also really enjoyed the character arc of Noora. I won’t say anymore for fear of spoilers. The antagonist Loretta was a fascinatingly self absorbed character- reminiscent of Meryl in The Devil Wears Prada. I learned a lot about the state of journalism and the industry today. It’s sad that clicks rule the day in reporting news and we’re moving away from quality that makes you think. Thank you to the author for teaching me about new things and thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for gifting me with an early e-copy of this book. If you are a fan of The Devil Wears Prada you will love this book! This was such a fun and light-hearted read, and was a perfect book to pick up whenever I had free time during the day! I am not usually a huge fan of pop culture references in books, but I didn't mind them so much, they didn't add to the story but they also didn't hurt my opinion of the story. Growing up, I was a huge Cosmo and Seventeen reader and this totally gave me that nostalgic feeling of being reading a juicy gossip column at a sleepover. Sometimes I found the main character, Noora, to be a bit frustrating or annoying to me because I didn't understand why she was making the life choices she made. But that speaks to how a character her age often navigates through life! If you are looking for a fun, summer read with representation and don't mind a bit of pop culture, you definitely need to pick up A Hundred Other Girls!

A Hundred Other Girls is a cute, engaging coming of age story about a girl trying to find her place in the notoriously fast-paced journalism industry! As a young Millennial, I enjoyed some the more pop culture-y Gen Z language and I think it gave the book a light, unique approach. However in some instances I even found myself confused about what was being referenced (does this mean I’m getting old?! 🤪)

I loved the diversity of the characters and Iman does a wonderful job of describing New York City, I felt like I was there!

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I couldn’t STAND Loretta throughout the entire book, even towards the end with the slight redemption arc! I won’t spoil too much, but let’s just say I’d had left that job a lot sooner if I had a boss like that!

Overall, if you’re a Millennial, Gen Z or just new to the workforce, this is a relatable and genuine read that will help remind you that there’s always more to life than work, even if you think it’s your dream job. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Finished in one sitting! I'm a millennial, but very much appreciated this glimpse into Gen-Z. It sadly felt very realistic and was an interesting glimpse behind the curtain of the magazine world.

A Hundred Other Girls is super fast, super fun, and a great ode to girls’ early twenties and NYC! It’s a little Devil Wears Prada-esque throughout, but with updated (and tons, and tons, and tons of) pop culture references. It reminds me of the mid-shelf champagne at a wedding or NYE, bubbly, enjoyable, and sweet. There are some quick dives into the modern journalism/publishing world, life as an Iranian-American girl, and LGBTQ+ lives, and I do wish those dives had gone on a little longer but overall it was a happy, chaotic look into a young writer’s life.

As someone who loves The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type, I was so excited about this book. I enjoyed Noora and I felt like she was a fully developed character. I enjoyed reading her growth and development as certain things happened and I liked the overarching story. There’s also a lot of diversity in this book and I feel like there’s a side character for everyone.

Overall, I honestly really wanted to like the book more than I did. It was just so obviously written by a millennial and there were too many pop culture references that it had me questioning if this was YA or adult fiction.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If you love The Devil Wears Prada, The Bold Type, or Younger, you must read this book. If you loved magazines and sleepovers and advice columns, you need to read this book. If you are passionate about representation in books, beautiful prose and also irreverent pop culture references, you need to read this book. It is fun, desperately relatable, important, and messily glamourous.

Synopsis:

“How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?Noora's life is a little off track. She's an aspiring writer and amateur blogger in New York—which is a nice way of saying that she tutors rich Upper East Side kids and is currently crashing on her sister's couch. But that's okay. Noora has Leila, who has always been her rock, and now she has another major influence to lean on: Vinyl magazine. The pages of Vinyl practically raised Noora, teaching her everything from how to properly insert a tampon to which political ideology she subscribes to.So when she lands a highly coveted job as assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl's iconic editor-in-chief, Noora can't believe her luck. Her only dream is to write for Vinyl, and now with her foot firmly in the door and the Loretta James as her mentor, Noora is finally on the right path... or so she thinks.Loretta is an unhinged nightmare, insecure and desperate to remain relevant in an evolving media landscape she doesn't understand. Noora's phone buzzes constantly with Loretta's bizarre demands, particularly with tasks Loretta hopes will undermine the success of Vinyl's wunderkind digital director Jade Aki. The reality of Noora's job is nothing like she expected, and a misguided crush on the hot IT guy only threatens to complicate things even more. But as Loretta and the old-school print team enter into a turf war with Jade and the woke-for-the-wrong-reasons digital team, Noora soon finds herself caught in the middle. And with her dream job on the line, she'll need to either choose a side or form her own.” —Storygraph

What I Liked:

The Concept—I was a magazine girlie when I was young. Seventeen, Teen Vogue, all of them. It was the best day of the month when I could get the new issues and lay on a lounge chair in my parents’ backyard. I loved how that nostalgia, passion, and gratitude leapt off the page.

The Fun, Relevant Tone—Paper vs. Digital feels like such a relevant topic in so many industries these days!

The Cast of Characters—I loved these characters. They’re as diverse as NYC (which is a character in and of itself). I would like Saffron’s book next please, Iman. I loved them so much.

What Didn’t Work:

Pop Culture References—I don’t know if it’s that they didn’t work, it’s just something I’m super aware of dating a release. But also, it was the point of the entire book. And there were so many, you can tell the author really committed to it. I don’t mind them but I know some readers are quite picky about it.

Character Authenticity: 5/5

Steam Rating: 0/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

panic attacks/panic attacks disorder, xenophobia, islamophobia, racism, toxic relationship

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. It read very YA and I think if it was intended for that audience it would be great but it fell flat as far as women’s contemporary fiction goes. The story line was meh and felt predictable.

**Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!**

This was a really fun, 3.5-star read! The comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada are spot on, but it's been updated for the world we live in today. I really enjoyed that the focus of the book was on Noora and her life--there is a minor romance subplot, but it's never the focus of the story. Noora was a bit annoying to me (it was hard for me to understand why she made the choices she did sometimes), but I think that makes sense given the character's age/stage in life. Overall this is an entertaining read that is perfect for the summer!

Review:
Noora's story is perfect for fans of The Bold Type and Sex and the City. The fast paced world Hariri-Kia has built is well done and her characters are so interesting especially since I don't live in this world. I really enjoyed this read and it's perfect for summer!

Synopsis:
Noora's life is a little off track. She's an aspiring writer and amateur blogger in New York—which is a nice way of saying that she tutors rich Upper East Side kids and is currently crashing on her sister's couch. But that's okay. Noora has Leila, who has always been her rock, and now she has another major influence to lean on: Vinyl magazine. The pages of Vinyl practically raised Noora, teaching her everything from how to properly insert a tampon to which political ideology she subscribes to.

So when she lands a highly coveted job as assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl's iconic editor-in-chief, Noora can't believe her luck. Her only dream is to write for Vinyl, and now with her foot firmly in the door and the Loretta James as her mentor, Noora is finally on the right path... or so she thinks.

Loretta is an unhinged nightmare, insecure and desperate to remain relevant in an evolving media landscape she doesn't understand. Noora's phone buzzes constantly with Loretta's bizarre demands, particularly with tasks Loretta hopes will undermine the success of Vinyl's wunderkind digital director Jade Aki. The reality of Noora's job is nothing like she expected, and a misguided crush on the hot IT guy only threatens to complicate things even more. But as Loretta and the old-school print team enter into a turf war with Jade and the woke-for-the-wrong-reasons digital team, Noora soon finds herself caught in the middle. And with her dream job on the line, she'll need to either choose a side or form her own.

Clever, incisive, and thoroughly fun, A Hundred Other Girls is an insider's take on the changing media industry, an ode to sisterhood, and a profound exploration of what it means to chase your dreams.

★★★☆☆
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
Pub date: July 26, 2022

Noora, a 20-something aspiring writer in NYC, lands the dream job working at Vinyl - a women’s culture magazine she has been reading for as long as she can remember. Like most entry level jobs however, Noora’s days consist of a lot of grunt work as the assistant to the magazine’s fanatical editor-in-chief.

Although there are a few spicy scenes, this novel is decidedly YA - perfect for older teenagers. The tone of the book reads youthfully with a simple storyline and an extremely woke plot, centering on many of today’s hot topics. I loved the introduction of gender-neutral characters and highlighting of racial injustices - very important topics that should be normalized in novels - but I feel these ideas could have been added in a less contrived way.

This novel is a fun, easy read. If you’re not a fan of YA, I would skip this story - and take the book’s comparison to The Devil Wears Prada with a grain of salt.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reallyyyy wanted to like this one, but it just wasn't for me. I'm 19% in and just can't bring myself to be excited about it enough to finish it.

The NYC details are engaging and there's a diverse cast, but I couldn't connect with the main character.

With comps including Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type, I already was primed to like this book because that's my world but the actual content completely took me by surprise, which I think is what I liked it so much. It's told in such a rich, compelling first-person narrative that feels like main character Noora is talking in real life. For a story I know all too well, Iman Hariri-Kia adds a brand-new lens and perspective that I have seldom seen in the industry that feels so natural and authentic. This novel is legitimately straight-up funny in parts, just like the real world in others of a zillennial New Yorker living her professional dream. I came to this book because it's a tale I know so well and I'm leaving intrigued to find out what this author will write next.

This book was delightful! Read it in one sitting! A Generation Z "Devil Wears Prada." Makes a perfect Summer read.

I really liked the diversity and representation in the character set, and the effortless way in which hey were introduced. This would be a good read for Gen Z, as it's full of pop culture references and has a very now feel.

The story is a retelling of The Devil Wears Prada, which is not a bad thing, as it taps into many young people's career fantasies.

This book is not keeping my attention. I cannot connect to the main character, and this is quite disappointing. I can relate to keeping a job you hate. The pettiness and direction of the book could have stopped around 34% if the MC just stayed out of the print versus digital war. This DNF for me.

I do enjoy the colorful cover.