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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
I decided to re-read this since I recently found out it's been adapted into a TV show on Hulu and I wanted to have my mind refreshed before starting the show. I actually ended up liking this book a lot more the second time around, and I'm quite excited to see how it's adapted into film.
In The Other Black Girl, Nella is the only Black woman who works at her publishing company, Wagner Books. Publishing is already very white-centered and Nella has a hard time being surrounded by white co-workers. Everything changes, however, when a new Black girl is hired to work at Wagner. Nella at first is excited to have another Black woman to work with, but things start to get real when Nella receives a note that just says: "LEAVE WAGNER NOW."
This book covers racism so well. I really love how the author took the idea of someone of your own, in this case Black people, turning against you and help the opposing side (white supremacy), and turned it into a thriller premise. The book is really slow at the beginning, and it's overall a slow-burn book, which I like, but some might find it boring. I personally liked how the character's and setting was developed before getting into the more thrilling aspects of this book. You feel like something is just off for the first half of the book, and then shit really starts to hit the fan. The plot twists that Harris adds are bonkers, and I positively loved the ending.
Honestly, I don't have many complaints. At times, I felt the book lacked focus and I was a bit confused, but everything tied up nicely by the end. There were a few parts of the book that were sort of unexplained, like some of the added character POVs, but I'll forgive it because I just loved the concept and execution of this book so much. Some characters also were lacking in dimension a bit, like Nella, I can't say a single thing about her except that she was the was the only Black girl at her workplace. I think this book could've been exceptional if these issues were fixed.
All in all, a thrilling, albeit with a slow beginning, book that has an interesting plot that'll keep you on the edge till the end.
In The Other Black Girl, Nella is the only Black woman who works at her publishing company, Wagner Books. Publishing is already very white-centered and Nella has a hard time being surrounded by white co-workers. Everything changes, however, when a new Black girl is hired to work at Wagner. Nella at first is excited to have another Black woman to work with, but things start to get real when Nella receives a note that just says: "LEAVE WAGNER NOW."
This book covers racism so well. I really love how the author took the idea of someone of your own, in this case Black people, turning against you and help the opposing side (white supremacy), and turned it into a thriller premise. The book is really slow at the beginning, and it's overall a slow-burn book, which I like, but some might find it boring. I personally liked how the character's and setting was developed before getting into the more thrilling aspects of this book. You feel like something is just off for the first half of the book, and then shit really starts to hit the fan. The plot twists that Harris adds are bonkers, and I positively loved the ending.
Honestly, I don't have many complaints. At times, I felt the book lacked focus and I was a bit confused, but everything tied up nicely by the end. There were a few parts of the book that were sort of unexplained, like some of the added character POVs, but I'll forgive it because I just loved the concept and execution of this book so much. Some characters also were lacking in dimension a bit, like Nella, I can't say a single thing about her except that she was the was the only Black girl at her workplace. I think this book could've been exceptional if these issues were fixed.
All in all, a thrilling, albeit with a slow beginning, book that has an interesting plot that'll keep you on the edge till the end.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Ultimately, I thought this book was fine. The beginning was slow and it picked up in the last 100 pages or so. Ironically, it could’ve used a better editor.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not an OwnVoices reviewer so please take all of my thoughts with a grain of salt and instead seek out reviews by Black readers first.
I was definitely pleasantly surprised by this one. The only things I knew going in were that it's not a rapid-fire thriller and that some (mostly white) people didn't like or didn't get one of the twists. Sounds like y'all need to pay more attention to the comp titles because When No One is Watching got pretty much the exact same reception.
While The Other Black Girl was a little bit toned back (less grisly murder and more paranoia/selling your soul) the concept is really clever. Because it's all about what the "token diversity hire" people deal with after they've been hired and are working amidst a majority white cishet workforce. It talks about code-switching and internalized racism.
I was definitely pleasantly surprised by this one. The only things I knew going in were that it's not a rapid-fire thriller and that some (mostly white) people didn't like or didn't get one of the twists. Sounds like y'all need to pay more attention to the comp titles because When No One is Watching got pretty much the exact same reception.
While The Other Black Girl was a little bit toned back (less grisly murder and more paranoia/selling your soul) the concept is really clever. Because it's all about what the "token diversity hire" people deal with after they've been hired and are working amidst a majority white cishet workforce. It talks about code-switching and internalized racism.
mysterious
slow-paced
I wish the resistance elements had been given more attention, and our book club was murky on the intended takeaway from this, but overall I had fun reading it.
Nella was an engaging main character and the Wagner workplace machinations were really effectively conveyed. The pivot to hair grease mind control was...something!
Nella was an engaging main character and the Wagner workplace machinations were really effectively conveyed. The pivot to hair grease mind control was...something!
I really enjoyed The Other Black Girl! This is definitely a slow build of a novel and various perspectives interspersed throughout the main storyline add to the mystery of what has happened and what is to come. I appreciated the social commentary and parallels being made around Nella, a person of color, working in the predominantly white publishing industry. This is one that I'm going to be thinking about for a bit more time -- especially the last third!
WOW. This is the first book, that I have read this year, I feel deserved 5 full stars. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This book holds so much that many people need to see. Such an amazing read! The writing style was mind altering too. I will be in a book haze for a while after this one, where I need time to recover and check myself! Can’t wait for the next one from this ZDH!