Reviews

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

the_eggelstone's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 for this mostly entertaining read, but I couldn’t shake off the felling after having finished it, that there was more potential to the story.

It was not as satirical, biting or sharp as it could have been in my opinion. The story’s tension builds up slowly and the depiction of the publishing house and its inner workings is fun and keeps you going for quite a bit. However, as the story unfolds and it becomes clear where Harris wants to go with her narrative it left me somewhat unimpressed and underwhelmed. The climax also felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped.

carsonelainee's review against another edition

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3.0

the number one complaint i’ve seen about this book while reading reviews is that people felt like there was so much buildup and that the book was just boring.

but i actually loved the buildup. i thought learning about all the intricacies of office relationships at wagner was fascinating and i think those were my favorite parts of the book.

what i didn’t love was that there was so much buildup to a completely disappointing ending. this book was going to be a 4 star read until i read those last 30 pages. i was so frustrated because i thought things were going to end much differently and i’m honestly just upset. i really don’t think that ending is worth the 350 something pages you have to read to get there.

i will say that i listened to this book on audiobook and i think that was the redeeming factor for the story. so, if you really want to read the other black girl, i would suggest listening to the audiobook. it really is fantastic.

buttercupita's review against another edition

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3.0

I tore through this, so it clearly did its job as a thriller, and I found the social critique on race and racism in the publishing industry (and beyond) sly and sharp. All that said, by the end of the book, I felt like there were several elements that never came together (particularly in the backstory)....Maybe it would be helpful to discuss in a book group.

baileyshanice's review against another edition

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

4.0

garrett99211's review against another edition

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3.0

Great! This book expects a lot from the reader in a good way, and is a true slow-burn thrill. It was around page 220 that I was really immersed in the story and was eager to read each night. I would recommend this book yes, 3.5 stars

veroer's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

hales22's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

hrmason's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

3.0

juliacecil's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0