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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Wow! I did NOT expect to be reading a thriller, because I didn’t read the description but only recalled hearing an NPR story with the author-and they did well to keep it spoiler-free. So I will too! Great novel that had me compelled to keep reading the last half so I could discover what was going on. The author does well to construct creative windows for readers to see into the work lives of Black women in predominantly white spaces and to make us think differently and question so much!
i don’t think i have the words to say a single good thing about this book. if there wasn’t a picture of the author in the back, i’d think a white woman had written this.
i already dislike pop culture references in contemporary reads, but the fact that almost all of the references are to incidents of antiblack racism, police brutality, and white guilt??? oh, babe, you need help. like genuinely if all your thoughts centre around Black pain to the extent of nella’s that’s a serious problem.
as for nella, she feels like blatant author projection. there was one part where she’s talking to her boss and she’s literally getting off on the fact that she’s impressing a white man and then wonders if that’s how slaves felt when they surprised white people????? are you ok? i don’t think you are!
no thoughts on the sci-fi/cult part of this read which could have been interesting if i didn’t have to sit through 350 pages of a bad time.
i already dislike pop culture references in contemporary reads, but the fact that almost all of the references are to incidents of antiblack racism, police brutality, and white guilt??? oh, babe, you need help. like genuinely if all your thoughts centre around Black pain to the extent of nella’s that’s a serious problem.
as for nella, she feels like blatant author projection. there was one part where she’s talking to her boss and she’s literally getting off on the fact that she’s impressing a white man and then wonders if that’s how slaves felt when they surprised white people????? are you ok? i don’t think you are!
no thoughts on the sci-fi/cult part of this read which could have been interesting if i didn’t have to sit through 350 pages of a bad time.
Why was I lied to? "Devil Meets Prada meets Get Out" my ass.
When I read that this was compared to "Get Out" I was hesitant. Jordan Peele's movie is a masterclass of heavily nuanced storytelling, the way the movie is conducted is very concise and amazingly thought out. Without getting too nerdy into it "Get Out" was really fucking good, storytelling and directing wise, so for a story to be labeled with that moniker and not measuring up is embarrassing for everyone involved.
This novel was way too long. Nellas character was so mf infuriating. The pacing was so off it was not even funny. I usually read books horrendously fast, but this took me over a month. Over three hundred pages and drag through almost every one of them. The alternative POV's were interesting at first but took away from the story. Just a bunch of "huh" the whole book.
The epilogue was okay, and I liked the story element, and the conversation, of being black in a white dominated workplace. Lots of emotions with lots of simple characters (but ones we actually know in our real lives). There are books that talk about the themes and complications of blackness in more intelligible and credible way but this one stands okay... it just doesn't stand out? If that makes sense?
The theme of Nella's insecurities that she has over her own blackness was also an interesting query... but not one carried out very well. Nella gave me the ick so bad SO many goddamn times, I would go take a read at the reviews written by black women who have read this novel because they encapsulate this phenomenon way more concisely.
A good novel to see critiques of the publishing industry... but not one that's going to bring anything new.
When I read that this was compared to "Get Out" I was hesitant. Jordan Peele's movie is a masterclass of heavily nuanced storytelling, the way the movie is conducted is very concise and amazingly thought out. Without getting too nerdy into it "Get Out" was really fucking good, storytelling and directing wise, so for a story to be labeled with that moniker and not measuring up is embarrassing for everyone involved.
This novel was way too long. Nellas character was so mf infuriating. The pacing was so off it was not even funny. I usually read books horrendously fast, but this took me over a month. Over three hundred pages and drag through almost every one of them. The alternative POV's were interesting at first but took away from the story. Just a bunch of "huh" the whole book.
The epilogue was okay, and I liked the story element, and the conversation, of being black in a white dominated workplace. Lots of emotions with lots of simple characters (but ones we actually know in our real lives). There are books that talk about the themes and complications of blackness in more intelligible and credible way but this one stands okay... it just doesn't stand out? If that makes sense?
The theme of Nella's insecurities that she has over her own blackness was also an interesting query... but not one carried out very well. Nella gave me the ick so bad SO many goddamn times, I would go take a read at the reviews written by black women who have read this novel because they encapsulate this phenomenon way more concisely.
A good novel to see critiques of the publishing industry... but not one that's going to bring anything new.
2.5 stars
This book seemed about 30% too long. The author withheld most of the action for the last 10% of the book, and the majority of the story read like unnecessary filler to me. I also just could not get behind the plot reveal—it was so far off the rails, it made me feel like I wasted 13 hours listening to this. I can't go into specifics without majorly spoiling the end, so I'll just leave it at that.
This book seemed about 30% too long. The author withheld most of the action for the last 10% of the book, and the majority of the story read like unnecessary filler to me. I also just could not get behind the plot reveal—it was so far off the rails, it made me feel like I wasted 13 hours listening to this. I can't go into specifics without majorly spoiling the end, so I'll just leave it at that.
I have so many feelings about this book.
To start, I read this book right after I read YELLOWFACE by R.F KUANG, so my thoughts are comparative and jumbled.
But for TOBG, I loved the concept at the early stages. The dynamics of competitive/there can only be room for one challenges in a majority white workplace are so well told. The author is a great writer, I consistently wanted to keep reading. I don’t find Nella unlikeable, I just wanted to give her a lil shake and get her to pull herself together. But she’s young, and confused, and trying - so I’m sympathetic.
The way the story flits back and forth is interesting, but it just doesn’t come together in the end - that’s the biggest problem in this book. By page 200 I’m READY for something big to happen, and instead, we don’t see the two storylines (Kendra and Nella/Resistance vs Wagner) to merge, come together and finally come to a peak. Instead we get a short glimpse of a sci/fi dystopian esque world, that just isn’t fleshed out at all. I don’t usually mind a sci fi plot (though this book wasn’t and isn’t marketed that way AT ALL) but it just feels rushed in the end and the ending is a little disappointing. I still would be okay with the ending (even if I didn’t personally like it- it can still ring true that the OBG concept remains and spreads) but it deserved a lot more time. I would have wanted 70 more pages to actually flesh out the major plot points (richard and his cult of OBGs) cause I do think this book was full of potential and really enjoyable to read.
In a way, it’s similar to YELLOWFACE, in that the concept of sinister racial dynamics in the publishing industry are played out, but then both books become very rushed sci-fi esque thrillers in the last 20 pages…
To start, I read this book right after I read YELLOWFACE by R.F KUANG, so my thoughts are comparative and jumbled.
But for TOBG, I loved the concept at the early stages. The dynamics of competitive/there can only be room for one challenges in a majority white workplace are so well told. The author is a great writer, I consistently wanted to keep reading. I don’t find Nella unlikeable, I just wanted to give her a lil shake and get her to pull herself together. But she’s young, and confused, and trying - so I’m sympathetic.
The way the story flits back and forth is interesting, but it just doesn’t come together in the end - that’s the biggest problem in this book. By page 200 I’m READY for something big to happen, and instead, we don’t see the two storylines (Kendra and Nella/Resistance vs Wagner) to merge, come together and finally come to a peak. Instead we get a short glimpse of a sci/fi dystopian esque world, that just isn’t fleshed out at all. I don’t usually mind a sci fi plot (though this book wasn’t and isn’t marketed that way AT ALL) but it just feels rushed in the end and the ending is a little disappointing. I still would be okay with the ending (even if I didn’t personally like it- it can still ring true that the OBG concept remains and spreads) but it deserved a lot more time. I would have wanted 70 more pages to actually flesh out the major plot points (richard and his cult of OBGs) cause I do think this book was full of potential and really enjoyable to read.
In a way, it’s similar to YELLOWFACE, in that the concept of sinister racial dynamics in the publishing industry are played out, but then both books become very rushed sci-fi esque thrillers in the last 20 pages…
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
such a cool premise! executed very well and great ending. once i picked it up i couldn't put it down.
This was not a well edited book and was difficult to read much of the time. I wish the last ~70 or 100 pages were the beginning of the book. Yet, I can’t help but feel that the ending was more poignant because of the 200 or so, seemingly irrelevant pages that came before it.
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Added a 4th star and this note to say that I keep thinking about this book and the ways in which it’s changing and opening my perspective on my own life. What a wonderful book
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Added a 4th star and this note to say that I keep thinking about this book and the ways in which it’s changing and opening my perspective on my own life. What a wonderful book
This is a book that I couldn't wait to return to. I loved the twists and turns. I thought Zakiya was very creative with the ways she used metaphors in the book to comment on the pressures felt by Black people in White spaces and how we use different coping strategies to deal with the pressure of microaggressions. The book addresses colorism, natural hair, code-switching, etc. in such a satirical way that it made me laugh while relating to some of the experiences the characters in the book are experiencing. The thought-provoking way Zakiya presented the phenomenon of "fixing" Black women by muting their resistance resonated with me.
Une étoile…par respect (oui c’est un peu contradictoire) mais au secours quoi ! J’ai tellement regretté ma persévérance sur ce livre.
Nella est probablement le personnage le but bête de l’histoire.
Nella est probablement le personnage le but bête de l’histoire.
Kind of got off the rails towards the end but all-in-all really enjoyable - and legit thought it was great. It was thought-provoking and engaging and a pretty thrilling debut. I'm not a POC but as a different kind of minority in the workplace it really resonated with me in a lot of ways