The Other Black Girl

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Reviewed by Linda
📒📒

This book really took me on a trip, and not in a good way which was especially disappointing as it had a lot of potential!

We meet Nella as she embarks upon her career in an all-white prestigious publishing firm in NYC. With her best foot forward she tries to do all the right things to fit in, be seen and excel at her work. It’s all going great until a fellow Black employee is hired. Everyone assumes that Nella will be best friends with new hire Hazel, because all ethnics are the same, right?🙄

But instead there’s just something so off about Hazel? Nella can’t put her finger on why everyone suddenly seems to love her, she literally just started working there a minute ago and already the directors and senior staff are falling at her feet. In no time, Nella is a nobody and she is a very annoying character btw.

There is A LOT of build up and I was hooked but then you get to the end and you’re still no closer to the plot twist. When it finally comes, you have to double take because you really can’t have just read nearly 400 pages for a hair product to be part of the plot twist. Yes, you read correctly. A HAIR PRODUCT??

I just need to understand where the editor was in this whole process?
I feel like the author presented a great draft to the editor who then said “Oh we’re missing a punch line here. How about we sprinkle a little something?”

And that, ladies & gents, is where I switched off and shook my head at some aspects of the real life publishing industry. Having said that, I am praying for more from this author and hoping the next editor does a better job! 🤞