A Hundred Other Girls

Diverse cast of characters. Morally gray characters. Mostly loveable, all compelling. All characteristics of a great read.

The writing is smart, engaging, and intentional. I've never read a "closet scene" like that before! Obsessed! This picked up more in the second half of the book, for me; I usually steer clear of work-related fiction. I loved this insider's take on the media industry. The fact that a WOC wrote this, makes it all the more special and insightful. The way the novel treats race parallels my own experience. The ending made me cry and feel full of light. I would recommend this to other media/magazine girlies, aspiring writers, and tokenized workers.

Just as an editor's note, if the reference was to Peggy from Mad Men, Elisabeth Moss' name is with an S not a Z, haha!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It’s one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. A Hundred Other Girls was marketed as a sort of modern “The Devil Wears Prada,” and I was NOT disappointed! The vibe very much captured the essence of that movie but with more relatable and diverse characters. This book has something for everyone: mental health representation, LGBTQIA+ representation, familial and romantic relationship struggles, etc etc. Seriously, I think this is going to be my new comfort read. Noora was such a relatable character for me with her anxiety and striving for perfection. I loved loved loved this book. 5 stars.

A Hundred Other Girls reminded me a lot of The Devil Wears Prada. Except it’s a women’s fiction novel. I found out about this book through tik tok and I am so glad I got the chance to read it!!

I can't get over how much I enjoyed A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
I'm super grateful for the chance to read an early copy!
This is an amazing work of fiction.
Beautifully written, A Hundred Other Girls is a powerful and moving book about love, sisterhood, and chasing after your dreams and what you believe in.
I couldn't turn my head away from my kindle.
The dialogue felt so real and I loved the vivid descriptions.
The characters were so easy to connect to!

Thank you Sourcebook Landmarks for this stunning ebook!

There were several.lines that really reverberated with me. New York is a place that you can be your authentic self. You may be living a better life but there is something better that is yet to come. Noora gave New York a character personification and her observations and attention to detail gives kudos to the author for such a well written book. I truly enjoyed the way she built herself back up even with what she experienced at Vinyl and her refusal to be used as a prop. Three squeezes with Leila meant I love you and I must say, this book is meant to be loved.

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!

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.

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

This is the story of a young woman trying to make her mark in the media world, despite societal disparities and an horrific boss, and ready to do whatever it takes to succeed. I loved the main character and her motley crew of friends.

This book will draw comparisons to "The Devil Wears Prada," but "A Hundred Other GIrls" is much more than just the story of a young woman trying to make it at a fashion magazine helmed by a tyrant. Iman Hariri-Kia paints a realistic picture of the current state of publishing while filling it with inclusive characters and youthful, engaging dialogue.

I loved this book! Iman’s writing is incredible. Noora was so relatable, just everything about her reminded me of my day to day life. I loved how different this book was than what I normally read, seriously couldn't put it down! I’ve already recommended it to many of my friends and family.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a digital ARC of this book.

A Hundred Other Girls follows Noora, an Iranian American living in New York City. Noora is a writer who dreams of working at a big time magazine. When she gets a job as an assistant to the head of print at her favorite magazine, she overlooks many red flags to pursue what she thought had been her dream. What she thought was the opportunity of a lifetime turns into a deep look at how far one might go to get fame, recognition, or success.

Noora is bold, makes things happen, and stands up for herself. I found her views on writing inspiring to me, someone who hasn’t had motivation to write in quite some time. Noora shares her experience as a Middle Eastern American in her blog as well as throughout the whole book, calling out micro aggressions, informing white readers of things we will never experience due to privilege, and celebrating her heritage and culture.

In terms of writing style, this read similarly to a magazine article- and I loved it. All the pop culture references felt authentic, as if Noora was speaking directly to me in casual conversation. It flows and makes sense. There is also so much diversity included, and not in a “oh look, we need to make this whole character’s personality revolve around their gender identity” but in a “this is real life” kind of way, which was refreshing and realistic. Most of the story focuses on her life at her job, sometimes glossing past other moments of her life. I think by the end, that’s the point, and reflects in Noora’s character development.

To sum up, this was an incredible insightful, poignant read about a 20-something year old making mistakes, learning, and growing. This is perfect for women who are feeling lost in their career, their life, or in general. I highly recommend!

This book was incredible. I did not relate to Noora in the ways I am used to, which I think is wonderful since I am a white American woman who has never stepped foot in NYC. I started out on the nervous side but was hooked pretty early on and it absolutely paid off. This story was sooo good the descriptions made we want to plan a trip to NYC. I was hoping for more character growth from some of the side characters but it wasn't their stories so that is OK. I also would love more of 'Superman', particularly after the "incident'.

I was so excited to read this one! I have been following Iman on ig and couldn't wait to dive in.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought it was very fun, young, and a refreshing modern read. My favorite aspect of the book was the atmosphere. NYC, the office, the restaurants, all of the places made this book come alive for me. It felt so "on brand" for 2022. So current, and so much like I movie I could hear real people speaking the dialogue Iman wrote.

As far as the plot, I definitely don't enjoy morally gray MCs or ones who make repeated bad decisions. That is what this felt like for me and it was really frustrating. It was very much realistic and in line with how people live, I just don't enjoy reading books like that. I also felt like we didn't dig into Noora's personality enough. I felt like she was so headstrong and strong-willed until about half way through the novel. That is when for me I just felt like I didn't know Noora as well as I wanted to.

Overall though, this book was great. It was fun, it was atmospheric, and it represented so many cultures and types of people that it felt very genuine and real. I enjoyed it!

The Gen Z Devil Wears Prada! This is a fun, fast-paced read for anyone that ever wanted to work in magazines. Absolutely loved it.

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!

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.

This book was incredibly insightful. It's a fast-paced read, aimed to be a coming of age story of sorts for this Middle-Eastern American writer. I enjoyed the message the book was trying to send through this witty voice that captures this younger generation through the trials and tribulations of anxiety and struggles in one's professional and personal life. Definitely worthwhile and I'm so thankful to have been able to get my hands on an early copy!