The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (ARC Review)

Title: The Other Black Girl
Author: Zakiya Dalila Harris
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Atria Books
(Simon & Schuster)
Date published: June 1, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

⤖ My Review ⬻

When they said The Other Black Girl would be a thriller, they weren’t kidding! I was on the edge of my seat, sweating, trying to figure out what was going on. I also didn’t know who to stand behind and who might be the villain which caused me to sweat even more! I felt very stressed and unsettled by a combination of Harris’ characters, setting, and writing in general—and that’s how I like my thrillers!

I was uncertain about a lot of things, and I think that this was done purposefully so that I would feel some of what the main character was feeling. As I mentioned before, one of the things that unsettled me was not know who was a foe and who was an ally. But I won’t get too much into that because that’s spoiler territory.

The Other Black Girl had me feeling more than just uncertain at times—some parts made me sad, some parts made me feel annoyed, and others made me seething mad (mainly the racist characters and racist actions). On that note, there are of course parts of The Other Black Girl that I cannot and will not speak to because they are not my experiences. Please defer to own voices reviews for those aspects.

All in all, reading The Other Black Girl was quite a ride and Harris is definitely an author I will be keeping my eye on. (I actually just checked her Goodreads profile to see if the next book has been announced but no luck). I definitely recommend The Other Black Girl to those who already enjoy thrillers and also those who might want to give it a try, or re-try!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Zakiya Dalila Harris received an MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her work has appeared in Guernica and The Rumpus, and her debut novel, The Other Black Girl, is forthcoming from Atria Books. She lives in Brooklyn.