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A Hundred Other Girls
For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type comes a smart, modern story about the shifting media landscape and one Middle Eastern—American writer finding her place in it.
How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?
Noora's life is a little off track. She's an aspiring writer and amateur blogger in New York—which is a nice way of saying that she tutors rich Upper East Side kids and is currently crashing on her sister's couch. But that's okay. Noora has Leila, who has always been her rock, and now she has another major influence to lean on: Vinyl magazine. The pages of Vinyl practically raised Noora, teaching her everything from how to properly insert a tampon to which political ideology she subscribes to.
So when she lands a highly coveted job as assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl's iconic editor-in-chief, Noora can't believe her luck. Her only dream is to write for Vinyl, and now with her foot firmly in the door and the Loretta James as her mentor, Noora is finally on the right path... or so she thinks.
Loretta is an unhinged nightmare, insecure and desperate to remain relevant in an evolving media landscape she doesn't understand. Noora's phone buzzes constantly with Loretta's bizarre demands, particularly with tasks Loretta hopes will undermine the success of Vinyl's wunderkind digital director Jade Aki. The reality of Noora's job is nothing like she expected, and a misguided crush on the hot IT guy only threatens to complicate things even more. But as Loretta and the old-school print team enter into a turf war with Jade and the woke-for-the-wrong-reasons digital team, Noora soon finds herself caught in the middle. And with her dream job on the line, she'll need to either choose a side or form her own.
Clever, incisive, and thoroughly fun, A Hundred Other Girls is an insider's take on the changing media industry, an ode to sisterhood, and a profound exploration of what it means to chase your dreams.
How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?
Noora's life is a little off track. She's an aspiring writer and amateur blogger in New York—which is a nice way of saying that she tutors rich Upper East Side kids and is currently crashing on her sister's couch. But that's okay. Noora has Leila, who has always been her rock, and now she has another major influence to lean on: Vinyl magazine. The pages of Vinyl practically raised Noora, teaching her everything from how to properly insert a tampon to which political ideology she subscribes to.
So when she lands a highly coveted job as assistant to Loretta James, Vinyl's iconic editor-in-chief, Noora can't believe her luck. Her only dream is to write for Vinyl, and now with her foot firmly in the door and the Loretta James as her mentor, Noora is finally on the right path... or so she thinks.
Loretta is an unhinged nightmare, insecure and desperate to remain relevant in an evolving media landscape she doesn't understand. Noora's phone buzzes constantly with Loretta's bizarre demands, particularly with tasks Loretta hopes will undermine the success of Vinyl's wunderkind digital director Jade Aki. The reality of Noora's job is nothing like she expected, and a misguided crush on the hot IT guy only threatens to complicate things even more. But as Loretta and the old-school print team enter into a turf war with Jade and the woke-for-the-wrong-reasons digital team, Noora soon finds herself caught in the middle. And with her dream job on the line, she'll need to either choose a side or form her own.
Clever, incisive, and thoroughly fun, A Hundred Other Girls is an insider's take on the changing media industry, an ode to sisterhood, and a profound exploration of what it means to chase your dreams.
Audio CD
First published July 26, 2022
432 people are currently reading
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About the author
Iman Hariri-Kia
4 books293 followersIman Hariri-Kia is a writer born and based in New York City. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and an award-winning journalist, she covers sex, relationships, identity, and adolescence. Her work has appeared in Vogue, New York Magazine’s The Cut, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and more. She is the bestselling author of A Hundred Other Girls and The Most Famous Girl in the World. Her latest novel, Female Fantasy, was named a best book of the year by Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,006 reviews
April 5, 2022
omg this book is so yass slay tiktok metaverse #bossbabe netflix euphoria season 2 shein glossier
2/5 stars
this book was just not for me AT ALL
the constant namedropping and sandwiching of modern things irked me to no end - it genuinely felt like the author just googled trending things and tried to shove every single word in
i still can't tell if this is satire?? because if it is it's not done well at all??? but it would be arguably worse if it WASN'T satire
i think books with modern references can be done really well but this one was so obnoxious i wanted to die (girl you do not need to mention all the buzzfeed buzz words to let me know how modern and hip this book is)
the overall plot/conflicts were fine but didn't hold enough stakes for me
it's just a book that will not age well in any sense of the word
2/5 stars
this book was just not for me AT ALL
the constant namedropping and sandwiching of modern things irked me to no end - it genuinely felt like the author just googled trending things and tried to shove every single word in
i still can't tell if this is satire?? because if it is it's not done well at all??? but it would be arguably worse if it WASN'T satire
i think books with modern references can be done really well but this one was so obnoxious i wanted to die (girl you do not need to mention all the buzzfeed buzz words to let me know how modern and hip this book is)
the overall plot/conflicts were fine but didn't hold enough stakes for me
it's just a book that will not age well in any sense of the word
February 15, 2023
This book is the prime example of why I try not to be a blurb reader. The comparison to The Devil Wears Prada had me adding my name to the library waiting list immediately. Then I read it and the only thing to say is . . . .
I was terrified I was going to be called out as some “unwoke” “Karen” “Boomer” sort of killjoy, but luckily the barely over 3.00 Goodreads’ rating confirms I was most likely not the wrongreader this time.
Talk about the most cringey cringefest that ever cringed. This was truly awful.
First, you have the characters. Not one was likeable or had any redeeming qualities. Dollar Store Andi bitched about having to reconcile receipts for expense reimbursements when her G.D. job was an assistant. Her sister bitched about being blacklisted in the event planning world after being caught fucking a client’s husband in the bathroom – but it was his fault since she didn’t know he was married. Bitch, please. You banged a dude while on the job and you think it’s unfair people wouldn’t want to hire you???
Second, speaking of jobs. Noora (Dollar Store Andi), as mentioned above, is hired as an assistant to Dollar Store Meredith, but wants to be a writer. Loretta (Dollar Store Meredith) tells her she’s allowed to keep writing her personal blog, but not allowed to write for other publications. That makes total sense to me, but there are things called Noncompete Agreements and our little dumbass would have to sign one in order for anything Loretta said to be enforceable. Also, Noncompetes generally don’t count when it is THE COMPANY YOU ALREADY WORK AT. Has this author ever had a job? Or talked to anyone who had one?
Third, more about Loretta and every other character who were so insultingly tone deaf. This book takes place in the present. I’m fairly certain everyone (but especially those in the fashion industry) are well aware that wearing kimono to work or putting chopsticks in your hair is not okay. Nor is saying it’s okay that you are gentrifying Chinatown because you’re poor so it doesn’t count. JFC.
Fourth, have sex with whoever you want, but dude straight up is a walking billboard for he’s just not that in to you – then he Drillbit Taylors you for like 2.4 nanoseconds (of course, at work because these heifers are trifling), isn’t aware that’s bad, doesn’t know how to get you off, but you conveniently know there’s a fucking vibrator in the beauty closet (ewww), you have to teach him how it works, then he STILL says he don’t really like you but the next time you see him your vagina starts “pulsating.” Sorry, have to go barf now.
And finally, for someone supposedly born and bred in NYC, her references are straight up tourist shit. Every mention of a restaurant or location was something out of a guidebook. Actual New Yorkers will tell you they would never go to these places.
I really try to not give out 1 Stars, but not only would I not recommend this to someone, I would actively discourage anyone from reading it. It’s a total waste of time and completely vapid. Trolls – I will delete and block you. Don’t even think about telling me I’m not allowed to have my opinion on this pile of garbage.
I was terrified I was going to be called out as some “unwoke” “Karen” “Boomer” sort of killjoy, but luckily the barely over 3.00 Goodreads’ rating confirms I was most likely not the wrongreader this time.
Talk about the most cringey cringefest that ever cringed. This was truly awful.
First, you have the characters. Not one was likeable or had any redeeming qualities. Dollar Store Andi bitched about having to reconcile receipts for expense reimbursements when her G.D. job was an assistant. Her sister bitched about being blacklisted in the event planning world after being caught fucking a client’s husband in the bathroom – but it was his fault since she didn’t know he was married. Bitch, please. You banged a dude while on the job and you think it’s unfair people wouldn’t want to hire you???
Second, speaking of jobs. Noora (Dollar Store Andi), as mentioned above, is hired as an assistant to Dollar Store Meredith, but wants to be a writer. Loretta (Dollar Store Meredith) tells her she’s allowed to keep writing her personal blog, but not allowed to write for other publications. That makes total sense to me, but there are things called Noncompete Agreements and our little dumbass would have to sign one in order for anything Loretta said to be enforceable. Also, Noncompetes generally don’t count when it is THE COMPANY YOU ALREADY WORK AT. Has this author ever had a job? Or talked to anyone who had one?
Third, more about Loretta and every other character who were so insultingly tone deaf. This book takes place in the present. I’m fairly certain everyone (but especially those in the fashion industry) are well aware that wearing kimono to work or putting chopsticks in your hair is not okay. Nor is saying it’s okay that you are gentrifying Chinatown because you’re poor so it doesn’t count. JFC.
Fourth, have sex with whoever you want, but dude straight up is a walking billboard for he’s just not that in to you – then he Drillbit Taylors you for like 2.4 nanoseconds (of course, at work because these heifers are trifling), isn’t aware that’s bad, doesn’t know how to get you off, but you conveniently know there’s a fucking vibrator in the beauty closet (ewww), you have to teach him how it works, then he STILL says he don’t really like you but the next time you see him your vagina starts “pulsating.” Sorry, have to go barf now.
And finally, for someone supposedly born and bred in NYC, her references are straight up tourist shit. Every mention of a restaurant or location was something out of a guidebook. Actual New Yorkers will tell you they would never go to these places.
I really try to not give out 1 Stars, but not only would I not recommend this to someone, I would actively discourage anyone from reading it. It’s a total waste of time and completely vapid. Trolls – I will delete and block you. Don’t even think about telling me I’m not allowed to have my opinion on this pile of garbage.
December 19, 2022
I absolutely couldn’t be more excited for this book. Stay tuned to watch me get on my hands and knees to beg for an ARC—because I will.
xxxxxxxxx several months later xxxxxxxxx
I received an eARC of this book months ago and enthusiastically dove in. In the end, I finished this book months later only because I ended up stuck on a long subway ride, and this was the only book I had downloaded on my phone.
Let’s talk about the good, the bad & the ugly aspects of this book.
The Good:
-The Iranian-American MC offers a perspective I will be grateful for the opportunity to have read for a very, very long time. Hariri-Kia writes eloquently about the experiences of Middle Eastern immigrants in a post-9/11 New York. I particularly appreciated the conversation around the politicization of beauty trends and body hair.
-There really is some great diversity in the cast of characters. I appreciated that queer characters were just allowed to exist in this book; they weren’t expected to live out or tell a coming out story or act as a written defense of LGBTQ+ rights–they were just allowed to be characters. The diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and identities of the characters were an accurate picture of New York in so many ways and the strong racial/class/identity divide between the print & online segments of the magazine was well-executed.
-The rather hilarious repeated use of voting for Hillary Clinton as a verbal defense for bad behavior by white men
-This book really is what it promises to be. If you want a shockingly similar plot to the Devil Wears Prada peppered with all the cringe-factor, zillennial buzzwords and socially conscious plot points of the Bold Type, then this is the book for you. (And, truly, the similarities to the Devil Wears Prada are endless: there’s the plucky wannabe journalist stuck as an assistant to the old guard EIC; the alluring workplace drama she can't help but get wrapped up in; the unsupportive friends (or, in this case, the unsupportive sister, because the MC has no friends); and the love interest who charms the MC with his good looks and truly slimy pick-up lines, but . Even the MC’s seems to echo tDWP.)
The Bad:
-my personal pet peeve: bad french. I understand that “comme des fuck down” is supposed to be a cheeky reference to Comme des Garçons… but I hate it.
-“Ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary honeys”
-A clip of a fictitious news article unironically referring to the subject of the article as “the hypebeast”
-A few more words I never want to read or hear again in my life: “Major Atticus Finch zaddy vibes”
The Ugly:
-For a book that concerns itself so much with the morality and performativity of “wokeness,” it has some significant issues of its own. Perhaps the most irksome of these issues lies in this conversation:
As it turns out, the MC does absolutely fuck with that, as she goes on to then agree about the boss' bipolarity in every other way, highlighting her sometimes kind and other-times downright cruel behavior in the workplace as traits of bipolar mood swings. (Added for clarity: these behaviors are absolutely not indicative of bipolar mood swings; they’re indicative of her boss being a manipulative person. This comparison is reductive and stigmatizing.)
Or, in another ugly mental health/abuse-related moment…
And, of course, this is followed by no actual gaslighting.
-This quote: “You have an empty JUUL pod where your heart used to be.”
I received an eARC of this book months ago and enthusiastically dove in. In the end, I finished this book months later only because I ended up stuck on a long subway ride, and this was the only book I had downloaded on my phone.
Let’s talk about the good, the bad & the ugly aspects of this book.
The Good:
-The Iranian-American MC offers a perspective I will be grateful for the opportunity to have read for a very, very long time. Hariri-Kia writes eloquently about the experiences of Middle Eastern immigrants in a post-9/11 New York. I particularly appreciated the conversation around the politicization of beauty trends and body hair.
-There really is some great diversity in the cast of characters. I appreciated that queer characters were just allowed to exist in this book; they weren’t expected to live out or tell a coming out story or act as a written defense of LGBTQ+ rights–they were just allowed to be characters. The diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and identities of the characters were an accurate picture of New York in so many ways and the strong racial/class/identity divide between the print & online segments of the magazine was well-executed.
-The rather hilarious repeated use of voting for Hillary Clinton as a verbal defense for bad behavior by white men
-This book really is what it promises to be. If you want a shockingly similar plot to the Devil Wears Prada peppered with all the cringe-factor, zillennial buzzwords and socially conscious plot points of the Bold Type, then this is the book for you. (And, truly, the similarities to the Devil Wears Prada are endless: there’s the plucky wannabe journalist stuck as an assistant to the old guard EIC; the alluring workplace drama she can't help but get wrapped up in; the unsupportive friends (or, in this case, the unsupportive sister, because the MC has no friends); and the love interest who charms the MC with his good looks and truly slimy pick-up lines, but . Even the MC’s seems to echo tDWP.)
The Bad:
-my personal pet peeve: bad french. I understand that “comme des fuck down” is supposed to be a cheeky reference to Comme des Garçons… but I hate it.
-“Ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary honeys”
-A clip of a fictitious news article unironically referring to the subject of the article as “the hypebeast”
-A few more words I never want to read or hear again in my life: “Major Atticus Finch zaddy vibes”
The Ugly:
-For a book that concerns itself so much with the morality and performativity of “wokeness,” it has some significant issues of its own. Perhaps the most irksome of these issues lies in this conversation:
“She’s a psycho,” I finally spit out. Kelsea claps her hands excitedly.
“She’s totally bipolar, right?!”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” As much as I can’t stand Loretta, I don’t want to go around diagnosing people with a real mental illness. I don’t fuck with that.
As it turns out, the MC does absolutely fuck with that, as she goes on to then agree about the boss' bipolarity in every other way, highlighting her sometimes kind and other-times downright cruel behavior in the workplace as traits of bipolar mood swings. (Added for clarity: these behaviors are absolutely not indicative of bipolar mood swings; they’re indicative of her boss being a manipulative person. This comparison is reductive and stigmatizing.)
Or, in another ugly mental health/abuse-related moment…
“Of course, Loretta gaslights me for this mishap.”
And, of course, this is followed by no actual gaslighting.
-This quote: “You have an empty JUUL pod where your heart used to be.”
July 30, 2022
::Takes a deep inhale to begin rant::
The writing in this book is bad. Like *really* bad. I only finished it so I could write a review confirming that it does not get better.
I was excited to read this one after seeing both Emily Henry and Christina Lauren gush about it on Instagram. I'm assuming they were required to advertise it via contract or really like the author as a person. If they actually thought this book was great I am concerned...
This novel is supposed to be a Devil Wears Prada-like story, with a young twenty-something working for an overbearing editor in chief of a magazine that makes ridiculous demands of their time. Noora, our main character, is Iranian American, which I thought would make it more interesting and give this repeated storyline a fresh perspective. Instead, references to Noora's cultural heritage are crammed in at weird times and never add any depth to what is going on.
Here were some of my other main issues with the book (some minor spoilers beyond this point):
-This is a YA book masquerading as adult fiction. There is barely one sex scene and it is awkward and short anyway.
-There are SO MANY Gen Z references that are obviously written by someone older trying to talk like a younger person. It does not sound authentic AT ALL.
-THE AMOUNT OF SIMILES IN THIS BOOK. And they are all so unnecessary. I turned to a random page just now and found the following three similes within three pages of each other:
"And then Sunday came and went, like a series finale"
"before this drama began and shook up the office like an Etch A Sketch"
"it's less of a sprint, less of a marathon, and more like an eighty-day pilgrimage through the heat of the Sahara desert.
I literally began cringing on every page as they kept popping up. Ugh. Please someone else get annoyed by this, too, so I know I am not alone.
-This story has no clear direction. Is it about Noora embracing herself? Dealing with a difficult boss? The drama of magazine publishing? Becoming a great writer? I honestly don't know. Noora's boss is annoying and rude, and we never really see why she was so great to begin with. Noora goes from a modest blog following to writing a piece for the magazine so popular her boss gets an interview about it on a late night talk show????? This makes no sense.
-Noora is supposed to be close with her sister, but Leila mid-book walks out on her because she won't immediately quit a job that is stressing her out (that Leila needed her to keep to pay rent...). Then she and her sister are magically fine later in the book???
-The love interest story line should have been nonexistent. Cal never really seems appealing and I didn't really get Noora's interest in him. Zero chemistry. I thought there might be a Superman guy love triangle, but that never happened.
This book had such potential and could have been so much better. If you are on the fence about reading it, run awaaaaaay. There are much better authentic voices novels to read that have heart to them. This one reads instead like a high school student's creative writing project that got bonus points for each simile used.
The writing in this book is bad. Like *really* bad. I only finished it so I could write a review confirming that it does not get better.
I was excited to read this one after seeing both Emily Henry and Christina Lauren gush about it on Instagram. I'm assuming they were required to advertise it via contract or really like the author as a person. If they actually thought this book was great I am concerned...
This novel is supposed to be a Devil Wears Prada-like story, with a young twenty-something working for an overbearing editor in chief of a magazine that makes ridiculous demands of their time. Noora, our main character, is Iranian American, which I thought would make it more interesting and give this repeated storyline a fresh perspective. Instead, references to Noora's cultural heritage are crammed in at weird times and never add any depth to what is going on.
Here were some of my other main issues with the book (some minor spoilers beyond this point):
-This is a YA book masquerading as adult fiction. There is barely one sex scene and it is awkward and short anyway.
-There are SO MANY Gen Z references that are obviously written by someone older trying to talk like a younger person. It does not sound authentic AT ALL.
-THE AMOUNT OF SIMILES IN THIS BOOK. And they are all so unnecessary. I turned to a random page just now and found the following three similes within three pages of each other:
"And then Sunday came and went, like a series finale"
"before this drama began and shook up the office like an Etch A Sketch"
"it's less of a sprint, less of a marathon, and more like an eighty-day pilgrimage through the heat of the Sahara desert.
I literally began cringing on every page as they kept popping up. Ugh. Please someone else get annoyed by this, too, so I know I am not alone.
-This story has no clear direction. Is it about Noora embracing herself? Dealing with a difficult boss? The drama of magazine publishing? Becoming a great writer? I honestly don't know. Noora's boss is annoying and rude, and we never really see why she was so great to begin with. Noora goes from a modest blog following to writing a piece for the magazine so popular her boss gets an interview about it on a late night talk show????? This makes no sense.
-Noora is supposed to be close with her sister, but Leila mid-book walks out on her because she won't immediately quit a job that is stressing her out (that Leila needed her to keep to pay rent...). Then she and her sister are magically fine later in the book???
-The love interest story line should have been nonexistent. Cal never really seems appealing and I didn't really get Noora's interest in him. Zero chemistry. I thought there might be a Superman guy love triangle, but that never happened.
This book had such potential and could have been so much better. If you are on the fence about reading it, run awaaaaaay. There are much better authentic voices novels to read that have heart to them. This one reads instead like a high school student's creative writing project that got bonus points for each simile used.
August 2, 2022
This was so cringey, performative, and tone deaf that it was hard to read. The main character is selfish and manipulative, but relishes in playing victim to get ahead in her career. The author tried to push some kind of social commentary but has her MC constantly overlook racism and micro aggressions in order to appear more pleasant. There are so many terrible one-liners and pop culture references that it borders on unreadable.
October 8, 2022
A hundred other books I’d rather read
June 8, 2022
I had high hopes for this book and was very excited for it, but after the first few chapters I was very disappointed. This book was full of pop culture references and while there is nothing wrong with that it just felt like a dump of hip gen z slang and references. It took me months to get through and I wanted to like it so badly, but I just didn’t. I did like some parts, like the representation and strong main character. But that’s about it. I got this ARC and was told to give a honest review and this is about as honest as I can be. If you want a cheesy,satire, millennial trying to write a gen z, snl remarked book then this is the one for you. If not then I would not waste your time.
January 6, 2023
then i said “that does NOT slay!” and barack obama said “period boss babe!” and then everyone clapped and then i contemplated my immigrant family childhood
god awful and kind of anti semitic at parts????
god awful and kind of anti semitic at parts????
July 26, 2022
Okay, why the heck was this book advertised as General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction. This was clearly, except for one graphic scene, a young adult novel. And I do mean YOUNG. I admit I was the wrong audience for this book, but nothing in the book's description really made me understand that the author was ageist. I received this as an ARC and am told to give an honest review-well here goes:
Bigotry abounds. And just in case you want to jump on me for this opinion, this is the meaning of bigotry: "
big·ot·ry
/ˈbiɡətrē/
noun
obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
"the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry""
Okay, I got that out of the way. It wasn't just the age slurs that were bigoted, but I won't discuss the other biases here.
The usage of every pop culture reference known to man/woman/it kind just made my skin crawl. And yes, I did understand most of them.
All of the characters were unlikeable throughout the entire book. There was very little at the end of the book that redeem even our protagonist, Noora.
This is the perfect book for those who are ultra woke, ultra Liberal, and a Democrat (it surprised me that no negative comments were made about Trump!)
I admit I did read this until the end, hoping for some redeeming value for my time-I found none. However, you may. 2 Stars because I read the entire book.
Bigotry abounds. And just in case you want to jump on me for this opinion, this is the meaning of bigotry: "
big·ot·ry
/ˈbiɡətrē/
noun
obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
"the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry""
Okay, I got that out of the way. It wasn't just the age slurs that were bigoted, but I won't discuss the other biases here.
The usage of every pop culture reference known to man/woman/it kind just made my skin crawl. And yes, I did understand most of them.
All of the characters were unlikeable throughout the entire book. There was very little at the end of the book that redeem even our protagonist, Noora.
This is the perfect book for those who are ultra woke, ultra Liberal, and a Democrat (it surprised me that no negative comments were made about Trump!)
I admit I did read this until the end, hoping for some redeeming value for my time-I found none. However, you may. 2 Stars because I read the entire book.
August 12, 2022
(Actual: 2.5⭐️, rounded up)
Thank you @netgalley & the publisher for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had such high hopes for this one, I really did…. and unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. While I will say that it did start off decently strong & genuinely engaging….. it really was just *not it* & continued to flounder for me until the bitter end.
This book is marketed as 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 𝘞𝘌𝘈𝘙𝘚 𝘗𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘈 x 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘉𝘖𝘓𝘋 𝘛𝘠𝘗𝘌….. and it is! The similarities are endless (especially in respect to TDWP), and while it was fun for a moment & I’m sure some people will still enjoy it well enough, I personally feel like this book leaned into those comparisons way too heavily.
And yes, while I appreciate what the author was trying to do & love the diversity featured here in this book (main + side characters alike), my main problems were far too glaring to overlook:
1. While our FMC, Noora, is quick to call out instances where she experienced racist micro-aggressions/tokenisms….. she is awfully quick to do the same? I get that she’s in her early 20s but she was absolutely insufferable to me with how immature & judgmental she was. I really just couldn’t connect with her at all.
2. There are waaaaay too many Gen Z/current pop culture references thrown into these 300 pages lol. It completely took me out of the story and I fear this book will easily sound v dated. It’s not even that I didn’t get them? Because I did (I’m only 28 lmao)…. It’s just that a majority of them seemed so unnecessary 🥴 I really cringed my way through so many lines/scenes.
3. There are some…. Questionable takes on what it means to be “woke,” as well as stigmatizations about mental health/illness. This point ties back into my first one up above but, to sum it up, it seemed a bit disingenuous & left a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite but, considering it is a debut, I’m still open to reading more of the author’s work in the future.
Thank you @netgalley & the publisher for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had such high hopes for this one, I really did…. and unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. While I will say that it did start off decently strong & genuinely engaging….. it really was just *not it* & continued to flounder for me until the bitter end.
This book is marketed as 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘓 𝘞𝘌𝘈𝘙𝘚 𝘗𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘈 x 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘉𝘖𝘓𝘋 𝘛𝘠𝘗𝘌….. and it is! The similarities are endless (especially in respect to TDWP), and while it was fun for a moment & I’m sure some people will still enjoy it well enough, I personally feel like this book leaned into those comparisons way too heavily.
And yes, while I appreciate what the author was trying to do & love the diversity featured here in this book (main + side characters alike), my main problems were far too glaring to overlook:
1. While our FMC, Noora, is quick to call out instances where she experienced racist micro-aggressions/tokenisms….. she is awfully quick to do the same? I get that she’s in her early 20s but she was absolutely insufferable to me with how immature & judgmental she was. I really just couldn’t connect with her at all.
2. There are waaaaay too many Gen Z/current pop culture references thrown into these 300 pages lol. It completely took me out of the story and I fear this book will easily sound v dated. It’s not even that I didn’t get them? Because I did (I’m only 28 lmao)…. It’s just that a majority of them seemed so unnecessary 🥴 I really cringed my way through so many lines/scenes.
3. There are some…. Questionable takes on what it means to be “woke,” as well as stigmatizations about mental health/illness. This point ties back into my first one up above but, to sum it up, it seemed a bit disingenuous & left a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite but, considering it is a debut, I’m still open to reading more of the author’s work in the future.
August 18, 2022
If you like the movie devil wears Prada and the tv show the bold type you will love this!! One of my all time fav series and an amazing movie! This was a great exploration of the media world in New York and I know it’s not just fiction based on what the author and others have said about it already! Overall this was such a fun, entertaining and witty read! I loved the setting and how immersed I got into the magazine office world!
I loved the representation in the book, with lgbt and poc
Sometimes the gen-z references could be a bit much even for me! I did love it but sometimes it could get a little annoying😅 I also didn’t love when the MC broke the fourth wall and talked to the readers! But other than that I loved it!
I think this could be a great book club read too, there’s a lot of plot points that could be discussed based on the characters choices and what happened etc
I loved the representation in the book, with lgbt and poc
Sometimes the gen-z references could be a bit much even for me! I did love it but sometimes it could get a little annoying😅 I also didn’t love when the MC broke the fourth wall and talked to the readers! But other than that I loved it!
I think this could be a great book club read too, there’s a lot of plot points that could be discussed based on the characters choices and what happened etc
March 16, 2023
i’m so sorry to the author but this is fundamentally one of the worst books i’ve ever read. i would give it 0 stars if i could. we just have got to stop with the aggressive pop culture references and dull characters. some books just shouldn’t occur i’m so sorry queen.
August 15, 2022
Rating: DNF
Oof. While I absolutely adore the cover of this one the book itself wasn't for me. I think a much younger audience will enjoy it. While it claims to be adult I do think it was written more for young adults and teens. Most of the humor I didn't find funny but instead just found myself cringing.
I could go on and on about this one but most of it would be negative and I don’t want to do that! Instead I’m going to say if it sounds good to you then read some more reviews and if you are still intrigued then give it a try!
Thank you so much @sourcebooks for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oof. While I absolutely adore the cover of this one the book itself wasn't for me. I think a much younger audience will enjoy it. While it claims to be adult I do think it was written more for young adults and teens. Most of the humor I didn't find funny but instead just found myself cringing.
I could go on and on about this one but most of it would be negative and I don’t want to do that! Instead I’m going to say if it sounds good to you then read some more reviews and if you are still intrigued then give it a try!
Thank you so much @sourcebooks for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 3, 2023
2.5⭐️
I was really looking forward to reading this book & I was really into it the first few chapters but then it completely lost me. Im super happy about the diverse cast & the middle eastern rep but there was wayyyy too many gen z references that lost me. Like almost had me googling what stuff meant and made me feel hella old
I was really looking forward to reading this book & I was really into it the first few chapters but then it completely lost me. Im super happy about the diverse cast & the middle eastern rep but there was wayyyy too many gen z references that lost me. Like almost had me googling what stuff meant and made me feel hella old
November 23, 2022
**Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for proving me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
A Hundred Other Girls unfortunately did not really work for me. The high concept of The Devil Wears Prada meets The Bold Type is true of this novel, but I didn't enjoy the execution much at all. The narrator Noora is an Iranian American who longs to work at the fictional Vinyl magazine. As with The Devil Wears Prada, she lands a job as the executive assistant to the Miranda Priestly-like Editor-in-Chief Loretta James, who is at war with the magazine's Digital department (as in The Bold Type.) The book is set in 2019, but I still think the Print vs. Digital distinction was goofy; a few years ago, we all knew that the future of magazines was digital, and thus, it seemed ridiculous that Noora found herself caught up in the war between teams. I appreciate that Iman Hariri-Kia included a diverse set of characters in the book, but she also tried to cram in as many topical references as possible. The novel read like a Wikipedia page of Gen Z terms. And while Noora was quick to express all the times she felt tokenized or experienced racist microaggressions out in NYC or at Vinyl, she was also incredibly judgmental, immature, and obnoxious as a main character. I didn't really care for her as a character. I understand she's only twenty-two years old and still coming into her own, but I found her a really weird paradox as she expressed the challenges of her experience as the child of immigrants (valid), but she was also constantly judging those around her—then judging herself for judging and constantly checking her privilege (this felt forced). Ultimately, this novel was neither as fun or as impactful as I hoped it would be.
A Hundred Other Girls unfortunately did not really work for me. The high concept of The Devil Wears Prada meets The Bold Type is true of this novel, but I didn't enjoy the execution much at all. The narrator Noora is an Iranian American who longs to work at the fictional Vinyl magazine. As with The Devil Wears Prada, she lands a job as the executive assistant to the Miranda Priestly-like Editor-in-Chief Loretta James, who is at war with the magazine's Digital department (as in The Bold Type.) The book is set in 2019, but I still think the Print vs. Digital distinction was goofy; a few years ago, we all knew that the future of magazines was digital, and thus, it seemed ridiculous that Noora found herself caught up in the war between teams. I appreciate that Iman Hariri-Kia included a diverse set of characters in the book, but she also tried to cram in as many topical references as possible. The novel read like a Wikipedia page of Gen Z terms. And while Noora was quick to express all the times she felt tokenized or experienced racist microaggressions out in NYC or at Vinyl, she was also incredibly judgmental, immature, and obnoxious as a main character. I didn't really care for her as a character. I understand she's only twenty-two years old and still coming into her own, but I found her a really weird paradox as she expressed the challenges of her experience as the child of immigrants (valid), but she was also constantly judging those around her—then judging herself for judging and constantly checking her privilege (this felt forced). Ultimately, this novel was neither as fun or as impactful as I hoped it would be.
September 21, 2022
I was so excited to read this book as a former magazine EA and later staff writer. But worse than the pointless virtue signaling that detracted from the fun plot was the author’s not even subtle anti-semitism. Her references to Jews who never leave the upper west side except to hit up Russ & Daughters, or her blaming rich Jews bar and bat mitzvah parties for the main character’s social isolation feeds into every ancient trope of the Elders of Zion controlling the money. Author and publisher should be ashamed this book ever made it to print. Oh and there were lots and lots of typos, plus sentences that were poorly written and simply not fresh. Next time work on your craft instead of your Jew-hating
November 15, 2022
I appreciated the diversity of characters but the love interest (a black man) smelling like Old Spice and Whisky, and having hands that are rough like a carpenters made me quietly close the book, turn off the lights and go to sleep 💀
The synopsis on the back is far too long which meant I didn’t read it, which meant I read this book and didn’t like it.
Reading this reminded me of how I felt the day I walked into River Island, looked around and realised that I am no longer their target audience.
It felt like a Netflix film written by content creators; an over saturation of pop culture references and performative wokeness.
It’s a no from me.
The synopsis on the back is far too long which meant I didn’t read it, which meant I read this book and didn’t like it.
Reading this reminded me of how I felt the day I walked into River Island, looked around and realised that I am no longer their target audience.
It felt like a Netflix film written by content creators; an over saturation of pop culture references and performative wokeness.
It’s a no from me.
August 14, 2022
Truly terrible, and also a little antisemitic? The author DEFINITELY has a weird problem with Jews that comes through in the book.
February 23, 2024
reading the reviews by everyone who rated this 5 stars and blocking them it is so over the top girl boss woke millennial I kept reading it for the bit I’m so sorry
August 7, 2022
3.5/5 stars
A Hundred Other Girls is General Fiction/Women's Fiction. It has a Devil Wears Prada vibe to it.
The book takes place in New York City. The narrator is 22 year old Iranian-American writer/blogger Noora (1st person POV). She takes a job as an assistant to Loretta James, her favorite print magazine's editor-in-chief (think Miranda Priestly).
What I liked:
I really enjoyed everything about the magazine. It is an interesting setting for a book. I enjoyed the print vs digital war. And I enjoyed seeing how unhinged and demanding Loretta acted.
There are quite a few diverse characters, which was great. I loved the Iranian-American rep and the queer rep.
What I liked less:
I liked the beginning of this book. But the middle fell a bit flat for me. I hate when a book grabs my attention, but that doesn't keep it all the way till the end.
However, the book did pick up and there was a lot of drama towards the end which I enjoyed!
Thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins Canada for allowing me to read this book.
A Hundred Other Girls is General Fiction/Women's Fiction. It has a Devil Wears Prada vibe to it.
The book takes place in New York City. The narrator is 22 year old Iranian-American writer/blogger Noora (1st person POV). She takes a job as an assistant to Loretta James, her favorite print magazine's editor-in-chief (think Miranda Priestly).
What I liked:
I really enjoyed everything about the magazine. It is an interesting setting for a book. I enjoyed the print vs digital war. And I enjoyed seeing how unhinged and demanding Loretta acted.
There are quite a few diverse characters, which was great. I loved the Iranian-American rep and the queer rep.
What I liked less:
I liked the beginning of this book. But the middle fell a bit flat for me. I hate when a book grabs my attention, but that doesn't keep it all the way till the end.
However, the book did pick up and there was a lot of drama towards the end which I enjoyed!
Thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins Canada for allowing me to read this book.
September 25, 2022
I want to start by saying I REALLY wanted to like this book, and I am usually a defender of modern/pop culture references. A Hundred Other Girls follows Noora, a 22-year-old Middle-Eastern American writer. She’s hired as Loretta James’ assistant at Vinyl Magazine, which she grew up reading. I love books about writers and books set in New York, so I expected to love this. Unfortunately, I found a few of the main characters annoying and I didn’t understand their decisions, and the references were out of control. A few examples:
“He’s giving me major Atticus Finch zaddy vibes.”
“I’m going viral faster than that f*cking Instagram egg that got more likes than Kylie Jenner!”
“Changing as rapidly as the racks at Zara.”
“IRL” in regular sentences.
Overall, not for me, but if these quotes don’t scare you, I’d still recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
“He’s giving me major Atticus Finch zaddy vibes.”
“I’m going viral faster than that f*cking Instagram egg that got more likes than Kylie Jenner!”
“Changing as rapidly as the racks at Zara.”
“IRL” in regular sentences.
Overall, not for me, but if these quotes don’t scare you, I’d still recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
July 6, 2023
i am a very smart girl.
but sometimes you just need to read a shitty book!!! and i knew what i was getting into when i picked this one up. i always say that i need at least one of these a year, and this book is a pretty good one if you're looking for something that doesn't require any brain cells.
on a separate note, although i enjoyed the book for the aforementioned purpose it served and the fact that i read it in one day so it didn't drag on 4 like, everrrr (as noora would say), i have qualms. (when do i not)
the first being that no one talks like that. i don't just mean noora, i mean every character in this book. it felt like a millennial was trying to write from the pov of a gen z. and hey, it hurts to even watch millennials make tiktoks. so.
next! noora absolutely worships her sister. her sister SUCKS. bro that girl is a hot freaking mess. even when she was supposed to have her ish together, i had the feeling that she really didn't. and she annoyed me. also, for two sisters who supposedly have an amazing relationship, their communication skills with each other are terrible.
next! i am not a new yorker and i promise you i know more local spots than noora does. i mean, come on. just name any trendy restaurant in manhattan and it was in this book.
next! cal actually sucked. also???? her vagina clenched like 20 times in this book 🤢🤮 that is not the only way we can express women's sexual desire guys. goddamn. but also the complete 180 for that man's character arc was insane. i was on his side until he was a THREE PUMP CHUMP (that actually killed me—i laughed for 10 mins and this will be a part of my vernacular now) (ps I'm p sure i read that in this book but now i am second guessing myself). anyways this minute man pulls out and was like yeah babe can't believe we both just had great sex. and noora is like no?? and then he just watches her masturbate??? I'm literally scared of this man rn.
next! noora is so annoying and immature. and she has the emotional intelligence (and just intelligence in general) of a gnat. i will not expand on this as it is just a fact.
lastly, the writing was absolute dog poopy. if you told me a 28-year-old drank too much on a Tuesday night and wrote this on wattpad, i would believe you. this 28-year-old also happens to only wear button-up cardigans and almost never drinks alcohol, so one glass of wine had mami thinking she was in a diff dimension. namely, one where she is a gen-z 'cool girl' (these people only exist online) who knows alllll the cultural references.
overall, this book is the definition of man it hurts to be this hip. because 'this hip' is geriatric and the strain of being slayyyy (i just threw up in my mouth) is gonna be the medical cause behind surgery.
but sometimes you just need to read a shitty book!!! and i knew what i was getting into when i picked this one up. i always say that i need at least one of these a year, and this book is a pretty good one if you're looking for something that doesn't require any brain cells.
on a separate note, although i enjoyed the book for the aforementioned purpose it served and the fact that i read it in one day so it didn't drag on 4 like, everrrr (as noora would say), i have qualms. (when do i not)
the first being that no one talks like that. i don't just mean noora, i mean every character in this book. it felt like a millennial was trying to write from the pov of a gen z. and hey, it hurts to even watch millennials make tiktoks. so.
next! noora absolutely worships her sister. her sister SUCKS. bro that girl is a hot freaking mess. even when she was supposed to have her ish together, i had the feeling that she really didn't. and she annoyed me. also, for two sisters who supposedly have an amazing relationship, their communication skills with each other are terrible.
next! i am not a new yorker and i promise you i know more local spots than noora does. i mean, come on. just name any trendy restaurant in manhattan and it was in this book.
next! cal actually sucked. also???? her vagina clenched like 20 times in this book 🤢🤮 that is not the only way we can express women's sexual desire guys. goddamn. but also the complete 180 for that man's character arc was insane. i was on his side until he was a THREE PUMP CHUMP (that actually killed me—i laughed for 10 mins and this will be a part of my vernacular now) (ps I'm p sure i read that in this book but now i am second guessing myself). anyways this minute man pulls out and was like yeah babe can't believe we both just had great sex. and noora is like no?? and then he just watches her masturbate??? I'm literally scared of this man rn.
next! noora is so annoying and immature. and she has the emotional intelligence (and just intelligence in general) of a gnat. i will not expand on this as it is just a fact.
lastly, the writing was absolute dog poopy. if you told me a 28-year-old drank too much on a Tuesday night and wrote this on wattpad, i would believe you. this 28-year-old also happens to only wear button-up cardigans and almost never drinks alcohol, so one glass of wine had mami thinking she was in a diff dimension. namely, one where she is a gen-z 'cool girl' (these people only exist online) who knows alllll the cultural references.
overall, this book is the definition of man it hurts to be this hip. because 'this hip' is geriatric and the strain of being slayyyy (i just threw up in my mouth) is gonna be the medical cause behind surgery.
May 2, 2022
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia. Thanks to @sourcebookslandmark and @thisisedelweiss for the gifted e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Noora has always adored Vinyl magazine and fashion. When she gets a highly coveted assistant job for the editor-in-chief, it’s a dream come true. Noora will soon find it’s not the dream she expected.
I’m sure most people share the joy of reading a book where the main character has the same profession as they do! I am always drawn to books where the main character is an executive assistant. Our jobs can get pretty crazy and it’s fun to read about the high level stress, especially in fun industries like fashion! This book was pretty much the Devil Wears Prada, but with an ethnic and modern twist that added some diversity. I liked the story and the character, but it wasn’t really anything new. It was still an entertaining read with a fun setting.
“I guess life has handed me lemons. The question is: am I going to make lemonade or spike it with vodka.”
A Hundred Other Girls comes out 7/26.
Noora has always adored Vinyl magazine and fashion. When she gets a highly coveted assistant job for the editor-in-chief, it’s a dream come true. Noora will soon find it’s not the dream she expected.
I’m sure most people share the joy of reading a book where the main character has the same profession as they do! I am always drawn to books where the main character is an executive assistant. Our jobs can get pretty crazy and it’s fun to read about the high level stress, especially in fun industries like fashion! This book was pretty much the Devil Wears Prada, but with an ethnic and modern twist that added some diversity. I liked the story and the character, but it wasn’t really anything new. It was still an entertaining read with a fun setting.
“I guess life has handed me lemons. The question is: am I going to make lemonade or spike it with vodka.”
A Hundred Other Girls comes out 7/26.
December 20, 2023
Shockingly bad
August 20, 2022
This was a smartly written, clever #ownvoices debut from a young Iranian-American author and native New Yorker, Iman Hariri-Kia.
Greatly hyped and touted as an updated Devil wears Prada, this coming of age story follows Noorah, a new intern at the iconic magazine Vinyl. Working for a demanding boss, Noorah has to navigate work-life balance when she's hired to be the fresh young voice the magazine needs while also pursuing a new romantic relationship and her own blog.
I found the writing very insightful and relatable and loved the diverse cast of characters. I was a little disappointed Noorah's love interest turned into such a selfish dick but this was definitely more a story of self-improvement and growth for Noorah as a young woman of color than it was about finding her a happily ever after.
Good on audio narrated by Lameece Issaq and recommended for fans of The other Black girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Greatly hyped and touted as an updated Devil wears Prada, this coming of age story follows Noorah, a new intern at the iconic magazine Vinyl. Working for a demanding boss, Noorah has to navigate work-life balance when she's hired to be the fresh young voice the magazine needs while also pursuing a new romantic relationship and her own blog.
I found the writing very insightful and relatable and loved the diverse cast of characters. I was a little disappointed Noorah's love interest turned into such a selfish dick but this was definitely more a story of self-improvement and growth for Noorah as a young woman of color than it was about finding her a happily ever after.
Good on audio narrated by Lameece Issaq and recommended for fans of The other Black girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
August 6, 2022
Was this a good book? No. Did I enjoy reading it? Also no. Were there really any redeeming qualities to make this an enjoyable read? No. Do I recommend it? Weirdly yes??
It was so stupid and so simple. Very gossip girl drop dead diva devil wears Prada NYC magazine writer drama. It was also very cringe and embarrassing as the author attempted to incorporate some pop culture references that the audience reading this book would NOT understand. Vine references and such, and even using the word “sus”. Truly I also stopped reading after the use of the word “sus” unironically because it was just so embarrassing.
But DID I read the whole thing and did it keep me busy for a few hours? Absolutely. The characters were very poorly written and there wasn’t a single time I actually cared about the plot. This would be the PERFECT road trip / beach read / read at a bar / keep on your phone when you have a quick 20 minutes to read because it’s so easy to jump in and out of the storyline.
Also the title of this book has literately nothing to do with the story. Literately nothing. There’s not even a scene where there’s these “100 other girls” applying for the same job. You could have picked literately any other title and it would’ve made more sense.
Do yourself a favor and skip most of the narration and just read the dialogue.
It was so stupid and so simple. Very gossip girl drop dead diva devil wears Prada NYC magazine writer drama. It was also very cringe and embarrassing as the author attempted to incorporate some pop culture references that the audience reading this book would NOT understand. Vine references and such, and even using the word “sus”. Truly I also stopped reading after the use of the word “sus” unironically because it was just so embarrassing.
But DID I read the whole thing and did it keep me busy for a few hours? Absolutely. The characters were very poorly written and there wasn’t a single time I actually cared about the plot. This would be the PERFECT road trip / beach read / read at a bar / keep on your phone when you have a quick 20 minutes to read because it’s so easy to jump in and out of the storyline.
Also the title of this book has literately nothing to do with the story. Literately nothing. There’s not even a scene where there’s these “100 other girls” applying for the same job. You could have picked literately any other title and it would’ve made more sense.
Do yourself a favor and skip most of the narration and just read the dialogue.
July 12, 2022
Sadly this fell flat for me. The comparison to The Devil Wears Prada + The Bold Type is accurate. Plot lines almost felt too close to The Devil Wears Prada. Definitely an updated version of that story with print and digital staff at odds with each other. This aspect felt very relevant for today’s age.
Loved:
-The overall concept. I have always been a fashion magazine lover!
-First real job and all that goes with that. Crazy coworkers, extra unpaid hours, and a difficult boss. Very relatable!
-diverse cast of characters
Didn’t love:
-The pop culture references felt over the top as if the author was trying to prove this was a new, modern version of this story. Things felt just dropped into the story often without a real need or context. Felt like it was trying too hard. But at the same time, Noora had a BLOG! so many other platforms seem more relevant and fresh.
-making fun of the older editor in chief because she didn’t understand technology. Yes, I get that this is true of some older people.
-didn’t connect or care for the characters. Noora felt very immature even for an early 20 something.
This was a struggle for me to finish.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Loved:
-The overall concept. I have always been a fashion magazine lover!
-First real job and all that goes with that. Crazy coworkers, extra unpaid hours, and a difficult boss. Very relatable!
-diverse cast of characters
Didn’t love:
-The pop culture references felt over the top as if the author was trying to prove this was a new, modern version of this story. Things felt just dropped into the story often without a real need or context. Felt like it was trying too hard. But at the same time, Noora had a BLOG! so many other platforms seem more relevant and fresh.
-making fun of the older editor in chief because she didn’t understand technology. Yes, I get that this is true of some older people.
-didn’t connect or care for the characters. Noora felt very immature even for an early 20 something.
This was a struggle for me to finish.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 5, 2022
Thank you Sourcebooks and Goodreads! I won an ARC in a giveaway and am so happy I did. It’s hard not to compare it to The Devil Wears Prada. As a big big fan of that book and it’s movie adaptation, I was worried I wouldn’t love this book as much. But I did! As a midwesterner I am a sucker for NYC high fashion settings and this majorly delivered in the same way TDWP does. That’s where the similarities with TDWP ended for me. This book had much more interesting and diverse characters. This book also tackles broader issues outside of the workplace. I was rooting for Noora the whole time and it left me wanting more of her story.
July 9, 2022
This book is exactly as advertised-- a combination of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bold Type. Overall, this book was just ok. There were a lot of aspects I liked; however, it didn't win me over in the way I had hoped.
What I Liked:
-Iranian-American representation
-Queer representation, including a character in a position of power
-Description of NYC (so strong!)
-Not standing for cultural appropriation
What I Disliked:
-Immature dialogue: I know that these characters are meant to be Gen-Z but some of the language really made me roll my eyes
-Cal and everything about the choices he made
What I Liked:
-Iranian-American representation
-Queer representation, including a character in a position of power
-Description of NYC (so strong!)
-Not standing for cultural appropriation
What I Disliked:
-Immature dialogue: I know that these characters are meant to be Gen-Z but some of the language really made me roll my eyes
-Cal and everything about the choices he made
November 4, 2022
How far would you go to keep the job a hundred other girls are ready to take?
Noora has dreamed of being a writer for as long as she can remember. Even though the only writing she seems to do is either on her blog or papers for her spoiled tutoring clients, she’s determined to land a job at a magazine. And when she learns about a job opening at Vinyl magazine, she can’t believe her luck.
“ Vinyl became an older friend. It taught me how to properly insert a tampon, select which political philosophy I subscribed to, and differentiate between an orgasm and an organism.”
Amazingly, Noora lands a job as assistant to Vinyl ’s legendary editor-in-chief, Loretta James. But this job won’t quite be the foot in the door she was hoping: Loretta is an immensely insecure, manipulative tyrant who is struggling to hold on to her domain while print publications are being put out to sea in favor of digital. She needs Noora to feed her information that will keep the print side of the magazine—and Loretta herself—relevant.
It’s not long before Noora finds herself in the middle of a turf war between print and digital, crushing on a colleague, and negotiating toxic office culture. How much will she be willing to sacrifice to make her dream a reality?
This book has been called an updated version of The Devil Wears Prada and there are definitely many similarities between the two. But this story didn’t grab me that much. I really wasn’t a fan of many of the characters and while I know there were places I probably should have been laughing, it just didn’t work for me.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
Noora has dreamed of being a writer for as long as she can remember. Even though the only writing she seems to do is either on her blog or papers for her spoiled tutoring clients, she’s determined to land a job at a magazine. And when she learns about a job opening at Vinyl magazine, she can’t believe her luck.
“ Vinyl became an older friend. It taught me how to properly insert a tampon, select which political philosophy I subscribed to, and differentiate between an orgasm and an organism.”
Amazingly, Noora lands a job as assistant to Vinyl ’s legendary editor-in-chief, Loretta James. But this job won’t quite be the foot in the door she was hoping: Loretta is an immensely insecure, manipulative tyrant who is struggling to hold on to her domain while print publications are being put out to sea in favor of digital. She needs Noora to feed her information that will keep the print side of the magazine—and Loretta herself—relevant.
It’s not long before Noora finds herself in the middle of a turf war between print and digital, crushing on a colleague, and negotiating toxic office culture. How much will she be willing to sacrifice to make her dream a reality?
This book has been called an updated version of The Devil Wears Prada and there are definitely many similarities between the two. But this story didn’t grab me that much. I really wasn’t a fan of many of the characters and while I know there were places I probably should have been laughing, it just didn’t work for me.
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