Great story, really well told and I loved the contemporary (Nella) strand. The insight into the lives of young black working women was superb. However I regret that I didn't read the book as I felt the second / historic strand was a little confusing on audio, it was hard to keep track of the characters and I think it would have been easier to read them. But I would definitely recommend the print version

Had I been reading a physical copy of this book I probably wouldn't have finished it - I struggled a lot during the first third, finding it slow to start and generally boring. But the audiobook narrators were so good and captivating that I kept listening....thank God!

The book picks up its pace and it suddenly transforms into something else entirely - something sinister, dangerous, and thrilling. I wish we'd spent more time with Shani, Kendra Rae and Diana - but despite that, I found it a very interesting and timely discussion of race, microaggressions, and the toxicity of an industry that is predominantly white.

The turn towards scifi/horror was wonderful and in fact left me wanting more. I hope these themes will be further explored by the tv show (or maybe by a companion novella!).

This audiobook was thoroughly enjoyable and I see myself recommending this title in whatever format available. I ordered a few copies for my front of store and I hope to sell loads once it's out in paperback!

This book was so good. A very clear view in to a world I know little about.
I feel that the story of a hard working women, competing to be the best is such a gripping story. But then when you realise there is a twist, a very very grim twist, you just feel shocked. How can people behave like this? Very clever plot.

As debut novels go, this is an impressive novel. The writing is excellent, and the premise is interesting, but for me the execution fell rather short from what I was expecting.
The idea is brave and intriguing- I had never really thought of inequality in the publishing world. But now it has been addressed, I am fascinated!
The novel follows characters that intrigued me to begin with, but then didn't hold my attention enough as the book went on.
The themes are profound and necessary, but I don't think the plot really grabbed me enough and could have done with more substance for me.

I really enjoyed listening to The Other Black Girl, the narrator was fantastic and I was kept wondering throughout the book what exactly was going on. I would throughly recommend this book.

I did not expect this book to go the way it did!

For the first 75% it was an interesting take on race in the workplace, set in an almost exclusively white publishing house in New York. It was enjoyable and informative, but not especially engaging. But the final section, as the mystery from earlier in the book starts to unravel had me on the edge of my seat. Thrilling and insightful, this ended up being completely different to anything I’ve read before.

A very original and thought provoking story which I think will stay on my mind for some time.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook version for review purposes.

I particularly liked the narrators of this audiobook. Having different narrators for the chapters from other characters’ perspectives was helpful and made the experience more enjoyable.

#TheOtherBlackGirl by #ZakiyaDalilaHarris was compared to #TheDevilWearsPrada. This is not an accurate comparison. It is difficult to pinpoint which genre this book belongs – it just doesn’t sit in any one category. Female #Gaslighting and #microagressions in the workplace make for an interesting background setting for this story with a slow burn. The narration affirms the challenges of women of colour in a predominantly white work force. Nella you are a true heroine.
This book may not pass the 100 page rule, but it is worth sticking with the last 20% ramp it up. I do wish this had occurred earlier in the story as I resorted to checking out other ARC reviews to see if it was worth finishing. I’m not sure the last time it took me a full two weeks to get through a book.
Thank you to #Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are twist and turns leading to a shocking conclusion which I did not see coming
There are office policies which may have been experienced by many in the past
This book is a roller coaster ride and I recommend you read this title soon

This book was one of my highly anticipated reads this year, with it's stunning covers (in both the US and UK editions) and it's intriguing blurb. I loved the publishing setting, and the way in which the workplace was described and set out to explain the situation Nella finds herself in. I also thought the twist was interesting, and would have liked to find out more about how and why that works - the last 20% of the book and the epilogue were great.

Maybe I went in with too high expectations, but I came out feeling like it was just ok - some parts of the book I really loved, and others left me wanting more. Firstly, I feel the comparison to Get Out and The Devil Wears Prada to set expectations way too high - sure there are elements of these influences, but the characters and power dynamics within those movies are very different to what we find in this book, and I feel like it lacked any of the intensity (or horror) of Get Out. The book didn't build tension the way I hope it would, as the multiple POVs (which didn't feel particularly needed) kept interrupting the flow of the plot, which I found confusing and they revealed information before Nella discovered it, which almost 'spoiled' the twist.

I also struggled with Nella's perspective, as while she was justified in a lot of her feelings towards what was going on in the workplace, I often felt her reactions to situations made things worse, and she was very jealous which isn't a perspective I enjoy rooting for. I often felt confused about whose side the author wanted me to be on. I found Nella's privileged background, mixed with her acknowledgment of her lack of experience and qualification, but having a lot of expectation about what she should/shouldn't be doing and getting at work, frustrating.

I have made sure I read some own-voices reviews so that I am not purely approaching this book from my own (I'm sure flawed and privileged) perspective which, cannot fully understand the experiences of people of colour in the workplace, and the micro-aggressions that take place, and will continue to engage with black reviewers in the hopes of understanding more about the book and other people's real-life experiences. But personally, this book was just "ok" for me. I will however look forward to reading more from this author in future.

I know it's been said it already, but the comps of The Devil Wears Prada and Get Out is very suitable!! Found the publishing industry insight very interesting, and what an end! Terrifyingly good.

Wow! I’d heard so much about this book before listening to the audiobook. It definitely lived up to all the hype and my expectations. I’d recommend with no hesitation

Thankyou to netgallety and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. The characters in this book were very well developed but the story was a little bit slow. The last third of the book was better and the twist at the end i wasnt expecting however i do have some unanswered questions

The Other Black Girl is a workplace thriller starring Nella, a 26 year old editorial assistant at a publishing house in NYC. Nella is their only Black employee until a new hire named Hazel moves into the cubicle next to her. Initially the two start to become friends, but when Hazel begins receiving more opportunities and Nella finds some threatening notes on her desk, she starts to wonder what is going on. Things continue to spiral from there in thrilling and unexpected directions.

This is a fantastic book to listen to on audio, as it has 4 great narrators who really embody the unique personalities and emotions of all the characters in the story. The story is entertaining and surprising with lots of twists (in both hair and plot), but also has a deeper message that keeps you thinking well beyond the final word. Zakiya Dalila Harris's writing is thought-provoking and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was really surprised to discover that this is her debut novel - I think I need to redefine my definition of debut. The Other Black Girl is a powerful story that is perfect for 2021!

Nella Rogers is the only black editorial assistant working at her publishing company. She has spent years campaigning for more diversity in the workplace, but the lack of change in her whitewashed surroundings has made her fight feel like a pointless one falling on deliberately deaf ears. That means she is more than surprised but also delighted when a new employee begins working one desk over and she is also black-skinned. Nella immediately bonds with Hazel but, soon after her arrival, sinister notes addressed to Nella also start to appear. Surely the other black girl can't be responsible for their distribution, can she?

This was a novel that begun in a quiet and intimate fashion, which only made the final reveals all the more shocking to uncover. If you are coming to this looking for the 'Devil Wears Prada' similarities, that are suggested in the synopsis, I'd say you would be disappointed, but it definitely delivered on the 'Get Out' comparison, which was also listed.

This book was so interesting that I didn't mind how confused I was to begin with. The slow unwinding of what was happening and the creeping threat had me hooked from the beginning.

The reveal of what had been happening and how was brilliantly done, as was the chilling reveal in the epilogue.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the ebook and audiobook from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and reading while listening was the perfect immersive experience for this book.

Set in a publishing company the story is about the unspoken rules of attainment and status within a competitive office environment. The main character happens to be the only black employee, but could easily apply to anyone within the environment. Exciting plot and some wonderful writing. Loved the smell of cocoa butter paragraph and references to hair. Being your authentic self is important in work places, easier said than done as being popular becomes more important, really enjoyed this book and would love to read more by this author. The narration was excellent Thank you #NetGalley for the audio copy to review.

Thank you! We've included The Other Black Girl on National Book Tokens' rewards programme, Caboodle: 'Win a signed copy of Zakiya Dalila Harris's The Other Black Girl – plus five brilliant books by Black women, recommended by Zakiya'.

2.5*

What would maybe have been a dnf for me was saved by brilliant audio performances. I know I’m not alone in feeling like this book could have benefited from being made shorter and tighter. I don’t have a great attention span when it comes to seemingly inconsequential details and a character’s off-topic musings. However, the audio kept me focused enough to finish it and find out what tf was happening 💃

I can’t say too much about the plot, as it’s one of those thrillers where not too much happens until the last quarter and to talk about that would be to spoil it! As for the writing, I quite liked it. When I realised it was a combination of satire, in the vein of Such a Fun Age, and a thriller with a core of social commentary like When No One is Watching, I settled into it a bit more. But it didn’t have the impact that the two comparisons did.

Still it was quite fun and twisty! I did really like the dissection of office life, of the publishing industry, and of being Black in a completely white workplace. It has a vivid sense of place and creates a feeling of discomfort. It was a great concept and definitely one that I can see many people enjoying. Just from a personal view, it felt a little… unfinished. Maybe a sequel? 👀

This is a story that should be listened to rather than read I think. One hundred percent recommend that if you fancy this one, that it should be an audio pick. I loved all the narrators! They really brought it to life. Thank you so much to Bloomsbury UK Audio and Netgalley for the listening copy of this one, in exchange for an honest review. The Other Black Girl is out now!

Set in the book publishing world Nella is the only black worker there. The company try to be more diverse but fail miserably. When Hazel turns up for an interview and gets the job there is finally another black girl there. Its a bit of a slow burn at the beginning as Nella explains all the negativity of being a black woman in a white working environment but you do feel an instant connection to her. But things go really bad once Hazel starts working there.

I listened to this via an audiobook. I enjoyed the narrators. The storyline has a dark side to it and its very thought provoking.

My thanks to Bloomsbury U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Other Black Girl’ by Zakiya Dalila Harris in exchange for an honest review. It was read by Aja Naomi King, with Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Bahni Turpin and Heather Alicia Sims.

This outstanding debut is at first glance a workplace novel that explores the rivalry between two black women in a predominantly white publishing company. However, it also blends social issues, satire and is a slowly unfolding thriller. It’s definitely a novel that I would recommend to read cold to avoid spoilers.

As for the plot. It is 2018 in New York. Nella Rogers is an editorial assistant at the prestigious publishing house, Wagner Books. From a young age Nella had dreamed of following in the footsteps of Kendra Rae Phillips, a black woman who in 1983 had been the editor of a groundbreaking novel for Wagner Books. Yet a year later Phillips disappeared from the publishing world following a “media spectacle”, while the author had gone on to success after success.

Phillips was the reason that Nella had applied to Wagner: “She wanted to traipse the halls the two women she’d studied diligently in college had traipsed. She wanted to sit at the desk where Kendra Rae Phillips and Diana Gordon had sat when they talked over edits.” Yet after two years Nella is tired of being the only black member of staff; the isolation and the micro-aggressions are wearing on her.

So she is thrilled when another black girl, Hazel, is hired. They have just started to bond and compare their natural hair regimes when a string of events begins to undermine Nella’s position. Newcomer Hazel is suddenly the Office Darling. Then Nella finds a note on her desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW. Other similar notes follow. Could Hazel be behind this campaign? Nella begins to obsess over the possibility of sinister forces in play.

‘The Other Black Girl’ completely blew me away. It evoked memories of the iconic novels of Ira Levin and Jack Finney in which the unwary protagonist becomes increasingly aware of a quiet yet insidious conspiracy. This is likely why the recent film, ‘Get Out’, is cited in its marketing.

Zakiya Dalila Harris has confidently blended elements of science fiction, conspiracy thriller with a razor sharp satire of the publishing industry and serious social commentary on racism, white privilege, and diversity.

With respect to the audiobook, American actor Aja Naomi King is its main narrator. I have admired her work on television and felt that she did an excellent job of narrating this novel. Looking at a short interview with King about her work on the audiobook, it’s clear that she was very excited about her involvement with this project.

In addition, the three other point of view characters of Shani, Kendra Rae Phillips, and Diana Gordon are read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Bahni Turpin and Heather Alicia Sims. While I don’t know who voiced which character, all did a great job.

On a side note the design team at Bloomsbury U.K. have created an amazing cover, one that utilises an optical illusion to tease the eye. Genius.

After finishing it, I was left stunned. ‘The Other Black Girl’ is an intelligent, thought-provoking genre-bending novel that is also a lot of fun. Definitely one of my top reads of 2021.