Took a really swift but unexpected turn towards the end. Overall the book felt quite dumpy and not fully developed which was a shame because I enjoyed the characters.

This was a really sharp and compelling read for the most part, but I did find it a bit slow through the middle section. I thought the interaction between Nella and Hazel was interesting and the way in which Hazel became the It Girl of the office left me feeling anxious. For me, the pacing was off a little bit, as the middle dragged somewhat and then the end happened at a breakneck pace, which didn't leave much time for the conclusion to settle. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and an impressive debut from an author that I will definitely look out for in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It really shouldn't have taken me so long to read this book! Boo to the slump!

The Other Black Girl is a slow burner, until you get to almost near the end and the rug is pulled from under your feet almost out of nowhere. It's good fun, but also felt kinda random, having me wondering if I had totally missed something or fallen asleep during without realising. I think it had a lot more potential than it managed to live up to which is a shame. Despite the slow burning, it is a fairly quick read.

The narrator of this audio is easy to listen to.

Thanks to Bloomsbury UK Audio, NetGalley and Zakiya Dalila Harris for an eAlc copy of this book in exchange for an honesty review!

This story was real, honest and thrilling. It was a real page-turning from the first page, Genre bending and totally unique.

3.5 stars

The Other Black Girl follows 26 year old Nella Rogers, who is fed up being the only Black employee at publishing company Wagner Books. Then Hazel arrives. Nella is initially thrilled, but before long tensions begin to arise between the two women. Especially when Nella begins to receive notes telling her to leave Wagner.

//

*spoilers ahead*

I really enjoyed this book and its important commentary about just how white publishing is, and how these all-white boardrooms have lasting and damaging affects on what we as readers have the option to read. It also provides important insight to the micro aggressions faced by Black people in their everyday work lives, and gives great insight to code switching.

I would’ve loved the interactions between Nella and Hazel to have been more tense to further hint at the danger Nella was in.
Instead, the issues between them seemed to come from Nella’s insecurities and comparing herself with Hazel, resulting in very little tension caused by Hazel’s real intentions until the very end.I also would’ve loved to seen more of the group who were trying to protect Black women from OBGs, and perhaps more of Kendra’s time at Wagner. Receiving only bits and pieces of the story left me wanting more.

Ultimately, I didn’t love the ending of Nella choosing to accept the change so she could further her career and be more appealing to white people. But the epliogue was intriguing, especially with Nella turning up at Shani’s workplace. I’d love if this was an opening to another book which could answer my many unanswered questions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Zakiya Dalila Harris. I listened on audiobook and Aja Naomi King did a phenomenal job, she had my heart racing for the last two hours!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a genre spanning book; it started out seemingly like a workplace drama with dark undertones but definitely took a bit of a turn towards the end. Its hard to say too much about it without giving lots away. The characters are really well formed and I enjoyed following Nella's struggles at her job and in her wider life once Hazel has arrived on the scene and it was an interesting journey to find out where the book was going to take us.

I listened to the audio which was excellent, the narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and I have looked for more audiobooks from the same.

This was amazing! Such a a twist at the end that I didn’t want to believe it was happening. It shows the struggles that can be hitting people and some of the amazing black pride. I wasn’t sure where this was going to end up and I loved it. I Didn’t know who to trust and it was amazing! I had heard rumours of a sci-fi twist but honestly it was so well covered up and discreet that until it happened I wasn’t aware of it. This is one of the greats!! I have already recommended this to everyone and life 4 customers at the store before I had even finished it.

I was unable to give feedback on this title as it disappeared off my netgalley app due to an error so it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t give feedback.

This is a very different story to what I would usually read. I chose to listen to this book as I have found a new love for audiobooks. I also chose it as I had seen it on Instagram a lot and was intrigued.
The story follows the life of Nella, who works for a prestigious editing company. It’s very clear she has a love of books herself (which I obviously relate to!) and has worked incredibly hard to work for the company which published her most adored book. Although this completely changes when another black girl starts working at the company. Nella finds herself and her job changing completely when Hazel comes into her life. Without spoilers her life is never the same again.
I enjoyed listening to this story and the narrators of the audiobook were very authentic to what I would imagine the characters would sound like. I did feel that the story fell a bit short at the end and some parts of the story were not really explained but left to the reader to decide I believe. I would recommend it to people who enjoy contemporary fiction and would make a great book club book because it generates a lot of thought and conversation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK Audio for sending me the audiobook of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I think that the comparison to Get Out should be thrown straight out the window, yes this book is about black people and has something strange happening, no that does not make it Get Out. This is also not really a thriller more unsettling social commentary contemporary.

This book has a very interesting concept, Nella, a young editorial assistant for Wagner books who is tired of the multitude of microaggressions from her exclusively white colleagues. She is ecstatic when Hazel, another black girl, starts working for the publishing company. However soon after Nella gets strange notes telling her to "leave Wagner" and whilst Hazel becomes the office darling, Nella is left behind.

However, the execution is not the best, despite the writing being amazing. I found Nella remarkably annoying and she seemed to miss a few quite obvious connections. I was also relatively uninterested in Nella's story line and was waiting for the chapters of other characters. I would much rather have had chapters about the resistance than Nella's day to day life. The writing is well done, although it can be stilted and the dialogue seems a bit off at times. The book is way too long and the office parts are long and every part you read in the office then gets replayed when she tells Malaika which is unnecessary and annoying. Malaika was my favourite person in this entire book. The last 2 hours were really interesting when the book finally gets to the point and I really enjoyed this part but it takes too long to get to this point. The social commentary is interesting but I wish that there had been more discussion of the "other black girls" as well as making Hazel more of a complete character. None of the characters seem particularly complete and I would have preferred more exploration of characters than the day to day office running. I also disliked the ending it was weak compared to the rest of the book. I want a book about Shani before and after this book and Kendra Rae's life.

Despite this I am excited to pick up her future books as her ideas are fascinating.

I can’t quite explain how ridiculously pleased I was to be approved for this one on NetGalley. I’ve heard very good things about this one, and now I’ve finished it I understand why – what a book!

Nella is fed up of being the only black girl working at Wagner, an acclaimed publishing house. When another black girl, Hazel, starts sharing her cubicle block Nella is thrilled: finally, somebody else who understand the microaggressions of the office. But as Hazel quickly, far too quickly, starts ascending the Wagner ranks, and a note appears on Hazel’s desk warning her to ‘LEAVE WAGNER NOW’, Nella starts to wonder if there are far darker dangers in store, and sinister forces that lurk beyond the office doors.

This book is so, so clever. It’s a sharp, no-holds-barred discussion about racist microaggressions in the workplace, and as a white woman working in publishing TOBG was doubley interesting. A lot of the behaviour Nella’s white co-workers display is frustrating, but far from unbelievable. I’ve yet to start properly working out of the office but it’s definitely made me think more about how office culture can breed a lack of proper representation in my industry, and what responsibility people like me have to correct that.

Towards the end there’s a plot twist that slightly tilts the genre into something that’s more sci-fi. I’ve seen a few reviews not in favour of this, and I do understand why it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I actually think the twist works well. Although I agree the final third does slide occasionally too close to melodrama (Hazel especially), overall I thought it was a really effective way to explore the conflict people of colour face when it comes to speaking out about racial injustice, especially at work. Do you risk abuse and damaged career prospects, or change a vital part of who you are to be accepted? I’m not sure I’d label this book a thriller, but I found the ending scene so poignantly disturbing.

Absolutely a new favourite. Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook copy!

The Other Black Girl By: Zakiya Dalila Harris
Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Bahni Turpin, Heather Alicia Sims is not a book I would of chosen to read or listen to, but so glad I did, It was an enjoyable read/listen to. I enjoyed listening to all the narrators However, I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, and had to listen it again to make sure I’d heard it correctly. It just didn't fit with the rest of the book at all! it seems to me it was rushed! and really diminished the power of the story for me. :(

Big thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and Bloomsbury UK Audio for an ARC via NetGalley

A truly original, thought-provoking book that I'm so glad to have read. The Other Black Girl starts as a searing piece of literary fiction – reminiscent of Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid – but veers in a very different and unexpected direction. I had heard hints about what this might be, and wasn't sure if it would be for me, but the twist really delivered. Although the pace felt a bit uneven at times, I was keen to keep turning the pages to see what would unfold.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve seen rave reviews about this book but it missed the mark for me. It wasn’t a thriller.

The audiobook was narrated well and there’s nothing that could improve the listening experience.

I really enjoyed reading this - the narrators were spot on and helped create a vivid image in my mind of exactly what each of the characters were like. Scarily familiar office politics, Kept me guessing and hooked right to the end!

This story had a really strong opener that made me think this was going to be a thriller, however after an intriguing opening prologue, the rest of the story took a long time to unfold and I did find myself getting a little bored at times. The character of Nella would spend whole paragraphs diverting off having a little think about some vaguely related memory/anecdote to something that was actually happening in the story, which I found distracting at times and wasn't always useful for moving the plot forward.

The insight into the world of publishing was an interesting backdrop and I liked Nella's friend Malika who was able to keep a sense of perspective when Nella was freaking out! I am not sure whether anything "happened" with India, the receptionist for the building that Wagner resides within. I was sure that Hazel had 'got' her as her behaviour towards Nella started to change but she was then never mentioned again, so maybe I was wrong?

There is definitely potential here for a TV series adaptation to highlight the office satire/race elements and to up the thriller vibes. The big reveal at the end was good but for me took too long to arrive (the audiobook was 24 hours long!) so I just wanted to finish the book by that point. I think that I might have enjoyed this more if I had read it as a physical book.

Such an atmospheric read! I enjoyed it, and there was a lot of insight into relevant themes. The characterizations were great, and the story held my attention all the way. I was slightly baffled by the ending, but it was certainly original. Overall a strong debut novel, and I am looking to read more by this author.

I loved the audio narration of this! I never normally listen to audio books, but I really enjoyed this and found the story really engrossing. I really liked the twists, and found the characters engaging - reading about publishing is always interesting from a reader's perspective as well! Really impressive for a debut, a great read.

Nella is the only black girl who works at Wagner Books, a large publishing company; so when Hazel arrives, another black girl, she feels a connection. Someone she can relate to. Someone to talk to about similar issues.

But it isn't long until Hazel isn't what she seems to be. Nella starts to receive notes and she isn't sure why.

When the dark past of Wagner catches up with Nella, it's down to her to find out the truth, to uncover what's really happening, but is she strong enough?

This novel wasn't what I expected. It took a while to get going, and the main thrill and excitement was in the last 50 or so pages. There were a few twists and turns in which you are kept guessing but I would have wanted more.

However, I feel this book was meant to give a specific meaning. The message to be true to yourself and not forget where you came through. This novel shows us how people change to fit in.

In an environment dominantly white Nella tried to speak out, and open up people's views. However, being a minority she was very quickly dismissed and shut down. Hazel shows a person who has conformed to fit in. To be liked and how to get further by pushing aside her beliefs and faith.

Smart story. It was very cinematic. I won't need to ever watch this book as a movie or series as I could visualise it all. Really enjoyed this and would absolutely recommend.