This book has been on my list for months, and I was curious if it would live up to the insanely high standards I set for it based on the synopsis.

In short, it absolutely did.

Iman Hariri-Kia has created a narrative, and a main character, Noora, who I felt was living and breathing my existence. I've been in fashion, media, and publishing since I was sixteen — I'm nearly thirty now, and this book was an accurate portrayal of everything I've been through these past fourteen years.

Just like Noora, my dreams of working for a big name magazine started at a young age. I used the money from my newspaper route to pay for magazines, and dreamt that one day I'd walk the hallways of Vogue. I made it there when I was twenty-one, and it was far from what I imagined it would be.

As soon as I met Noora on the subway on her way to meet Loretta James, Editor-in-Chief of Vinyl magazine, I was jolted back to my first time in the Big Apple. She dared to dream big, and I saw so much of my younger self in her.

Despite already establishing herself as a blogger, Noora aspires to be a published writer, and gets her break into the industry by working under Loretta. For fans of The Devil Wears Prada, you'll be whisked back to that time when Andrea Sachs first met Miranda Priestly in the offices of Runway.

With her years of experience in the field, Iman invites the world to join her as she creates a clever and compelling look at the movement from print to digital media with a brilliant and engaging cast of diverse characters.

A note to all the interns, assistants, underpaid and aspiring writers out there hustling every damn day to make it work: this one is for you.

Immediately got the Devil Wears Prada vibes from this story and really enjoyed the modern take on news and media it provided. The main character was in many ways super likeable and relevant providing the reader with a fantastic latching on point. I constantly felt like I was reading a memoir or someone’s inner monologue which made it an easy and enjoyable read. I found the moments of reflection the protagonist had throughout very raw and emotional which helped to make this a very relevant story especially for someone in their mid twenties. Finally, I think what made this book super approachable and relatable was the variety of characters that we were introduced to throughout the story. Some characters were super likeable and others not so much, but this helped to ground the story in reality and make it more authentic. Overall, this book is accurately described as a coming of age novel and is definitely something I would recommend to anyone in their mid twenties looking for a fun and humorous summer read!

DNF - This book felt like a bore from the jump. The main character is immediately negatively judging people in her surroundings because she's 'anxious' resulting in her feeling better about herself when she makes negative assumptions & judgements about strangers around her. What the purpose was of talking negatively (even if only to oneself) about someone else's use of hair gel is beyond me.

There are a substantial amount of product placements alongside a number of items that appear to be placed in an attempt to reel in the demographic of people who might appreciate having a group of people lounging with Kombucha & CBD oil because they're young & quirky. I suppose they might count themselves lucky to be working in an office with such a lenient policy - for everything including vaping indoors - all while not having reached their mid-twenties as they consider anyone who has worked the field & in their 30s to be Methuselah.

This is not the type of book I enjoy because there is no substance. I hope it finds its way into the hands of the reader who will appreciate it.

A Hundred Other Girls is as bold and vibrant as New York City itself! A Hundred Other Girls is a workplace drama packed with lavish events, gossip and backstabbing rivalries in the publishing industry. A Hundred Other Girls has been compared to The Devil Wears Prada with a twist of cultural diversity.

Noora has just landed her dream job as the assistant to the editor-in-chief of Vinyl magazine. Noora quickly learns that her boss is a total nightmare and is constantly taking advantage of her eagerness to succeed in the industry. Within the company there are rivalries and Noora is caught in the middle. Just how much is she willing to take and who’s side is she on?

Thank you to HCC and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. A Hundred Other Girls comes out August 9th, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

This book was the 2022 answer to The Devil Wears Prada. It was current, fresh, full of takes about society/media, was an indictment against working tbh, and also fun!

A Hundred Other Girls made me feel like I was watching Sex and the City and/or gossiping with my work friends. It’s packed with personality, especially through a lovable narrator you just wanna hug.

What a stunning debut!

3.75
thank you to net galley for the arc and ty to iman for writing this lil gem<3

this book is a time capsule, it is a love letter to nyc, it is a study on the media industry, and it is a gold mine of representation for iranian girls (and even all middle easterners) that grew up in the, so to speak, western world.
i understand many may not like pop culture references —and to those people, i warn that the book is filled with them. but it’s not done just to be cool or fun, it’s done because absorbing pop culture is a part of our main character's personality and dropping refs comes with it, and i think that’s something that a lot of people can relate to and enjoy.

there is a beautiful sister relationship that i loved to read about (as i am also part of persian sisters duo). i thought the representation was done well, and the author touched on many aspects of being a minority, specifically iranian, that i hadn't ever had the chance to read about.

no person nor relationship was black/white. everything was a grey zone and that is probably my favourite thing about this book.

my only qualm could be w the smoothness of the story. i think the development of noora’s character was great but the development of her relationships would sometimes jump from one major step to another. also i can acknowledge that some of the refs could have been incorporated in a smoother way

OVERALL, SO FUN AND IM EXCITED TO SEE WHAT IMAN WRITES NEXT

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for gifting me with an early e-copy of this book. I attended HCC Frenzy's first adult fiction preview on upcoming new releases for summer 2022 and was stoked to receive an arc of A Hundred Other Girls, which was really hyped up.

It's impossible to talk about A Hundred Other Girls without comparing it to The Devil Wears Prada. Granted, it's been MANY years since I read The Devil Wears Prada, but the similarities are immediately obvious. A Hundred Other Girls is definitely a much more contemporary version of this classic and I loved that it features a Persian-American protagonist and displays all kinds of minority identities and relationships throughout the story.

Noora is an aspiring writer not long out of college who lives in New York and runs her own moderately successful lifestyle and culture blog. She wants to be a journalist and aspires to one day write meaningful think pieces for magazines, of which Vinyl is at the top of her list. She's a bit down and out on luck and is currently sleeping on her sister's couch to help make ends meet when she interviews for an executive assistant position with none other than the Editor-in-Chief of Vinyl, Loretta James.

As you can probably guess from the comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada, Noora lands the job and Loretta turns out to be a certifiable nightmare. Vinyl is currently in the midst of an internal war between the digital and print versions of the magazine and Noora's job quickly becomes her entire life as she gets constantly dragged by Loretta, motivating her to get naively involved in the underground war taking place at Vinyl.

First off, I should state up front that I didn't like The Devil Wears Prada, so I'm not sure why I was so motivated to read this one. I think it was mostly because of Noora and I wanted to experience New York through the eyes of a Persian-American protagonist. I wanted to love A Hundred Other Girls, but I have to admit that I didn't. I feel like the author had all the right elements, but overall I thought the plot was just a bit basic. I wanted this to challenge my thinking and provide new perspectives, but I thought it was a bit oversimplified and not as revolutionary as I'd hoped.

Loretta was really the worst and I felt like the author kept trying to make us somehow empathize with her despite her terrible actions. I don't care how much Loretta might have championed certain causes or impacted the print industry - she was an asshole and it's never okay to rationalize treating people like shit. I understood why Noora kept working there (money and exposure), but I lamented for her mental health because being treated this way could not be worth it.

I will say that the author is a pretty good story teller. Despite being frustrated with the content, I did not struggle to read this book and was engaged throughout the entire story. The writing flows well and Noora is still a very relatable character. I just wanted more from it. I didn't buy that Noora would get such a good reception after writing one think piece (that's really just not how the world works) and I would have loved to be more engaged in the piece that she wrote.

I picked this book up because I wanted to understand the prejudice and micro-aggressions Noora had been working against her entire life. I would have loved for the writing of her think piece to be more central to the novel. To understand her own lived experiences and get insight into how she interviewed and developed the piece into something so meaningful. As a reader, it was hard for me to be impressed by her work without getting the opportunity to experience it. I understand the point the author was trying to make, but I feel like she only just scratched the surface of the issue and that body hair should have been a lot more central to the story if that's the first piece that Noora decides to write.

I did like the ending of the book, I felt like it was a bit unconventional, but I was glad to see Noora stand up for herself. Like I said, I think all the elements were there, I just wanted the author to develop stronger themes. It was a compelling story, but I finished the book questioning what my key takeaways are supposed to be. But as always with a book like this, I want to acknowledge that this perspective may mean the world to someone else and that there is always value in telling diverse stories. I didn't love it, but it's a fresh take on a modern classic and I still liked it better than The Devil Wears Prada, so don't be deterred from checking it out!

This book is reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada - but with a digital twist and way more inclusion/representation. The writing is very smooth and almost conversational - it had a fairly good flow and pace and quite a bit of sarcastic humour. What I liked about this book was the main characters growth; the last couple chapters were an homage to woman of all shapes, sizes, colour, or creed and it is what set this book apart. I also loved reading the interview with the author at the end of the book - It gave me more insight into her process and her motivation behind writing this book - and I think she did a phenomenal job writing such an inclusive book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. For the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have put this down for now. The story was really bothering me, with tons of hot language, terms and brand names. I felt like it was trying too hard. Is it supposed to be satire? I might just have not been in the mood. I will come back to it. It just seemed like it was trying to hard.

I am not a huge fashion person, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

"A Hundred Other Girls" explores the evolving media industry in the lens of Noora, a Middle Eastern-American aspiring writer. This book covered workplace power dynamics in an authentic way, never falling out of touch with the main character's feelings throughout it all. We get to see everything from headlining scandals to writing under pseudonyms as Noora attempts to live her big city dream. It covers a transformative snapshot of her life and addresses micro-aggressions, anxiety, invalidation, tokenization, and so much more.

The various relationships Noor finds herself kept me turning the page as I was eager to find out how they changed. The satirical way in which Noor's inner dialogue was written made the book all the more enjoyable. I enjoyed how authentically every situation was resolved as nothing felt sugarcoated rather almost brutally honest. Seeing the inner workings of such a large media company was fascinating, and set in the constant bustling of New York City created a supporting backdrop that kept me invested. Despite how highly anticipated this book was for me, it did not disappoint! I'm excited to see the discussions it sparks.

A Hundred Other Girls is described as “The Devil Wears Prada meets The Bold Type” and that drew me in immediately!! Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC I absolutely loved it and devoured it in one day!
Blogger and New York born Iranian-American Noora is ecstatic to get an interview at her favourite magazine. She dreams of being a writer, but the job is for an assistant to the Editor in Chief. Either way she’s happy to even be considered to work for Vinyl, hoping that one day she can work her way up to become a writer. As you can guess, drama ensues in the highly toxic world of media, and Noora is left to grapple with right and wrong, while also fielding micro-aggressions, tokenization, and abuses of power. This book was captivating, diverse, and oh so good!!!

Noora is an aspiring writer living in New York City with the support of her sister, Leila. Noora lands what seems to be her dream job at Vinyl magazine as an assistant to Loretta, the famous editor. Before long, it becomes clear that this is far from a dream job. Between being banned to write for any digital publications, Loretta’s wild demands, an internal power struggle between the digital and print branches of the magazine, and a flirtation with a coworker, it’s hard to see how Noora will come out of this job unscathed.

This was a highly anticipated book for me and after reading it, I can say my anticipation was definitely justified! This felt like a modern day retelling of The Devil Wears Prada with diverse representation. I also really identified with Noora’s experience with anxiety.

I loved the strong sister relationship in this novel and the messaging around chosen families. This was such a joy to read and I couldn’t put this book down. I definitely laughed out loud at parts- especially Cal and Noora’s scenes together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced reading copy of this book!