Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Other Black Girl

hmm so I loved the setting of a publishing company and the book started off strong before slowing wayyy down before picking back up at the very end. the ending definitely threw me - I totally wasn’t expecting it and was very intrigued, but it happened SO late! once the plot twist happens at like 95%, the book is essentially over. some confusing elements and not totally clear on the satire - wish the plot twist was earlier on so I got to read more about the whole concept and flush it out more, but overall I think this would be a great read for book club for discussion and I would in fact recommend. and I’ll definitely watch the adaptation!

Content Warnings

deamon's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.5

The plot twist is the must be the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while. The rest of the book was okay but nothing I would recommend reading.

Content Warnings

hannah2186's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

seawarrior's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I'd been waiting to read this book for a while so maybe it was inevitable that it didn't live up to my expectations as a mystery novel. However, I don't regret having spent time with it and absorbing what it had to say.

In creating the political environment of Wagner Books and Nella's personhood the writing was strong and sharply observant. Nella felt like a person who could feasibly exist and it was easy to empathize with her motivations and anxieties as she navigated routine microaggressions from her coworkers and the strangeness of Hazel's possible sabotage attempts. Yet the numerous times facets of her personality and viewpoints were revealed through extended flashbacks was disorienting, which I also felt from the book as a whole. It was difficult keeping up when the chapters switched perspective to a different woman, and wasn't sure if this was meant to be a deliberate effect on the reader or not.

My other primary issue was that the final reveal of the conspiracy each of these women were involved in, and that Hazel was using against Nella, was stunning but not necessarily satisfying. By the time its secrets were unraveled, this overarching conspiracy felt almost silly in comparison to the realistic tone the novel already established. Regardless, it does serve to well illustrate not only the ruthless competition that Black women encounter in the workplace, but the exhaustion of enduring it and maintaining agreeable even when encountering massive insensitivity from white coworkers.

The Other Black Girl may not be a debut with perfect execution, but it has a point to make that is worth paying attention to. I would still recommend reading it and look forward to Harris' future works.

Content Warnings

alisonvh's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I had some minor quibbles about the writing, but it is her first novel, and the story and characters were so intriguing that I gobbled this book up and was sad when it ended.

Content Warnings

kellyofcali's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This was a super engaging page-turner - I really wanted to know WHAT WAS HAPPENING, and it really waits a while to reveal itself, teasing out the ending. I did struggle a bit more with the denouement, which felt rushed...I wanted more explanation, more information on the twistier parts of the book. Made for a great book club discussion, however!

Content Warnings

More...