As one of the most anticipated debuts of 2021, I was intrigued by the comparison of The Devil Wears Prada and Get Out. I hate to say that's the best way to describe this because I think the book stand on its own. But the mix of genres definitely pays off.

Inspired by her experiences in the publishing industry, Harris blends the lack of solidarity, diversity, and performative allies in the workplace with social commentary, thrills, and satire. Though Nella and Hazel are pitted against each other, they are also on an equal playing field of trying to work their way up the ladder - just both with different means to handle the wide range of microaggressions and platitudes from the whiteness that threatens to engulf them into tokenism. The first half of the novel explores the office politics and the weight of racism that Nella and supporting characters shoulder. While there is always an air that something is wrong at Wagner Books and that Hazel isn't who she seems to be, I didn't quite feel that it was a page-turner until the third act. If you like a slow-burn, this would be a great summer read.

The one area where the novel fell short with me was the changing narratives between the past and present for supporting characters. The threats Nella are facing and Hazel's background are tethered to the publishing house's history, but it's not fully fleshed out from beginning to end. When we learn that Hazel is working with Diana and Richard to change other Black women to live from a 'sunken place' mindset under a guise of freedom from racism, it's cleverly implemented into the story. I was waiting with baited breath for Nella not to fall into their trap. But I didn't feel like the timeline informs enough about the rise of Other Black Girls and the organizations that are trying to fight them. Harris highlights who originated it, but I wanted to know how the network mobilizes, what happens to the women like Kendra who don't end up in hiding for speaking out, how did they choose and create the right leave-in conditioner, etc. A lot of threads are purposely left untied to focus on Nella, and that's fine, but the flashbacks could've added more layers to the ending.

It all would be amazing to read in a prequel, and even a sequel to see what happens next. Even without some of the details I would've liked to have known, the ending is pretty clear. Like any good thriller that leaves you wanting more, I'd be interested to go back and re-reading this again to see the details I missed.