Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Other Black Girl

I’ll start by saying this is definitely more of a thought-provoking workplace drama than a thriller. That said, it kept me hooked and the social commentary definitely had me thinking about topics such as workplace microagressions, imposter syndrome, and code switching. I did think the ending was rushed and left some plot holes. But overall, a worthwhile read (I’d say, especially for white women).

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saramoser's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Very quick read, but the story fell short for me. I was interested in the workplace drama, but the ultimate story/premise didn’t draw me in enough, I was interested enough to keep reading and the ending was a decent twist I didn’t see coming.

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trinidaddy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sonygaystation's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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lycheejelly's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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waterbear0821's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fun and a bit spooky and very thought-provoking. Also a fast-paced read and the type of book where I would get so excited about what was coming my eyes would jump ahead on the page! My only qualms were sometimes the writing or word choice (“gallivanted out of the room?”) seems a little unpolished and it took me out of the story a tiny bit, but generally I really enjoyed the writing style and the narrative style. The characters seemed very real and were captivatingly complicated. The story was unsettling in the best, most interesting way. I can see why this was a bestseller (and is becoming a show) and I will definitely recommend this book to others.

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bookwormbi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was really good! I’m conflicted about how I feel about the pace, because on one hand not a lot happens in this book that is ostensibly a thriller, but on the other, I did love being immersed in Nella’s psychological world. Same with some of the characters feeling a little flat—that’s how they were to Nella, at this point in her life where she’s obsessed with Hazel, who really is the only character besides Nella that didn’t feel flat to me. At the same time, I felt somewhat distant from Nella because of the close third, and way more connected to characters like Shawnee and Kendra Rae and Diana, who all had sections where they were the pov character. But again, every time I come upon something I didn’t like so much, I have a counter argument. The whole book feels like an homage to Passing (down to the main character’s name being Nella) and that novel is an absolute masterclass in close third. While I wouldn’t say TOBG is Passing levels of quality, Harris definitely evoked some of that psychological horror with her use of close third, distancing us just enough from Nella that we can see what’s happening to her just before she does. I don’t know. I definitely liked it a lot, and I’m excited to see the adaptation!

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