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Want to know if you should read A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia? Read my full review to help you decide!
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 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. Nora’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.
SUMMARY: A HUNDRED OTHER GIRLS
REVIEW: A HUNDRED OTHER GIRLS
Iman Hariri-Kia’s debut novel, A Hundred Other Girls, is a fun and entertaining read. The story moves quickly and features characters that are well developed and fully integrated. Noora, the book’s protagonist, is a Gen Z, recent college graduate on the hunt for a post-graduation job in New York City. In the meantime, she’s blogging and tutoring her way through NYC and sleeping on her sister’s couch. Leila, her sister, is the “everything comes easy to me and luck is always on my side” opposite of Noora. While the sisters are very different, I appreciate that those differences tend to be strengths in their relationship instead of weaknesses.
Iman Hariri-Kia is a strong storyteller. The plot and characters are well developed and work together in a way that seamlessly and quickly move the story along. Her writing is descriptive and detailed and paints a picture so clear that I could visualize what was happening as I read it. She left no stone unturned.
While I enjoyed the book overall and could appreciate the artistic and literary merit, I have to admit that I disliked Noora most of the time. I found her to be self-indulgent, irresponsible and a downright disaster a lot of the times. Perhaps because I am a Millennial and my way of thinking is different, or maybe it’s the lawyer in me, whatever the reason, I could not identify with, understand or appreciate most of Noora’s decisions and actions. There were only a handful of times I was really able to imagine myself in Noora’s shoes. Her crush on the good looking and charming IT guy…I get it. The flirtation. I get it.
My experience with A Hundred Other Girls was interesting. While reading it, I felt like I was sitting on the sidelines watching Noora’s life play out, and I found myself cheering or booing from my sideline position.
Whether you like Noora or you don’t like Noora, you will most probably like the book, A Hundred Other Girls. Again, it is well written. It’s an easy read that moves quickly. The story is dynamic and forward moving, and it’s complete. I strongly dislike when books end unresolved…unless it’s a series. I don’t want to use my imagination to figure out the ending. I want the author to spell it out for me…literally spell it out with words on a page. Thank you, Iman, for a complete story.
If you are a fan of the Devil Wears Prada (I am), the The Bold Type (never seen), I would like to make a recommendation. Upgraded on Amazon Prime, starring Camila Mendes, Marisa Tomei, and Archie Renaux, is a nice addition to the coming-of-age, young adult, “to watch” list.