Title: A Hundred Other Girls
Author: Iman Hariri-Kia
Spec Spot
Favorites:
Favorite Character: I wouldn't feel right if I didn't mention Saffron here. Jade is the non-binary (they/them) digital director for Vinyl. Jade is full of energy, honesty and loyalty. Jade has an almost maternal feel about her in a natural way that doesn't give the appearance that they are significantly older then Noora. There was just something about Jade that drew me to them.
But I think I also have to mention Noora among my favorites. I'm not sure it's so much her personality, but the duology of her personality that I like. She's strong and determined but she has her limits.
Least Favorite Character: Cal. I never really liked him. There was just something about him that made me mistrust him. Then he went and proved what a jerk he was by talking.
Favorite Part: I think I'm going to have to say in the makeup closet with a friend. I'm not going to go into too much detail (in order to avoid spoilers) but there was something about that part that made me see Noora differently. She oozed with confidence, standards and strength.
Least Favorite Part: Between the time Noora gets hired and the drama in the office starts. It was just slow and didn't feel like much, if anything, was happening. I know it was important to setting the setting and getting to know the characters but it didn't hold my attention as much as the rest of the book.
Other Thoughts:
This book is a little hard to explain because, honestly, it wasn't full of action and I don't think I'd read it again. I've heard it compared to The Devil Wears Prada, but I haven't read that book yet so all I can speak to is the movie. As far as that goes, I'm not sure it's a great comparison. This is mostly because I don't think that Loretta is as hellish as the woman in The Devil Wears Prada.
But there were some things I absolutely loved. Like the amount of representation this book has. There are so many people who are not straight, not cis and/or not white. I loved that Noora was willing to do a lot for her dreams, but she had her limits that she wouldn't cross them.
My favorite thing, however, was the duology of Noora. She lived in this relatable world of grey. She made some poor choices, but she wasn't a bad person. She's an American yet never felt like she was only an American and had strong ties to the culture that her parents were raised in. She wasn't promiscuous but she had a sexual freedom and confidence that was strong and empowering.Even when she had to choose between the physical and digital forms of the magazine, she loved and wanted to protect both.
While I enjoyed the book and I appreciated the aspects within it, I'm not entirely sure I'm the target audience. I think some of what may be the book's strongest assets has to do with finding yourself in a a world that is diverse but doesn't always know how to be diverse and I just haven't had to maneuver through those obstacles like Noora has. I also have never been in a work environment like she was (which I understand was inspired and loosely based of some of Ms. Hariri-Kia's own experiences). Because of these factors, I'd absolutely recommend this book to others, though I don't think I'll read it again myself.
Ratings:
I give this book a
5
out of
makeup closets
But that's just what I think. What do you think? Did you find this book crazy relatable? Did you think that Lorretta was just as bad or worse then the the woman in The Devil Wears Prada? Let s know what you think in the comments!
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