A MOST ANTICIPATED Book (Oprah Daily, Essence, Bustle, Stylist, Missing Perspectives, and more!)
"The first CAN'T MISS page-turner of 2026." —Oprah Daily • "EXCEPTIONAL." —Forbes • "CAPTIVATING." —Essence • "Sizzling...A SEXY, FAST-PACED ride!’ —Tia Williams, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author
In development as a MAJOR TV SERIES with Hulu!
A juicy debut novel that peeks behind the curtain at the cutthroat world of hip-hop music and the glamorous magazine scene in the late 1990s, written by the ultimate insider
It's 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor in chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that ‘Black girls don’t sell magazines,’ she quits to take over Sugar, a struggling hip hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential.
Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence, and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar—and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with New York City’s most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead. But her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo Griffin, her very married, very powerful ex-lover and former boss, who is determined to destroy both her and Sugar. Along the way, Nikki leans on a circle of loyal friends and navigates unexpected romances that force her to reckon with what—and who—she truly wants.
If I Ruled the World is a smart, utterly immersive journey through one of the most dynamic eras in pop culture history—a story of ambition, friendship, love, and finding your own voice.
Genre: Romance
"The first CAN'T MISS page-turner of 2026." —Oprah Daily • "EXCEPTIONAL." —Forbes • "CAPTIVATING." —Essence • "Sizzling...A SEXY, FAST-PACED ride!’ —Tia Williams, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author
In development as a MAJOR TV SERIES with Hulu!
A juicy debut novel that peeks behind the curtain at the cutthroat world of hip-hop music and the glamorous magazine scene in the late 1990s, written by the ultimate insider
It's 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor in chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that ‘Black girls don’t sell magazines,’ she quits to take over Sugar, a struggling hip hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential.
Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence, and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar—and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with New York City’s most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead. But her most dangerous challenge is evading Alonzo Griffin, her very married, very powerful ex-lover and former boss, who is determined to destroy both her and Sugar. Along the way, Nikki leans on a circle of loyal friends and navigates unexpected romances that force her to reckon with what—and who—she truly wants.
If I Ruled the World is a smart, utterly immersive journey through one of the most dynamic eras in pop culture history—a story of ambition, friendship, love, and finding your own voice.
Genre: Romance
Praise for this book
"Amy DuBois Barnett's debut sparkles with drama, scandal, and '90s New York energy. She powerfully captures a pressure-cooker moment of transition-the messy work of growing past bad choices, squaring ambition with integrity, and holding on to your ride-or-dies. It's a pitch-perfect depiction of a world I didn't want to leave." - Essie Chambers
"If I Ruled the World had me hooked from the very first page. This fascinating story from inside magazine publishing-and the music world-really hits all the right notes: it's meaningful, nostalgic, heartfelt, and resonant." - Kate Fagan
"Funny, sexy, witty, and full of grit, If I Ruled The World is for anyone who's spent a lifetime climbing a ladder that keeps adding rungs. This fierce, unputdownable, guilty pleasure of a novel steps back into the uniquely fabulous and ruthless New York hustle at the turn of the century, through the eyes of a real Working Girl and industry insider, when the biggest players moving the needle of culture were grinding for recognition in a society that would rather look away. An utterly intoxicating debut." - Xochitl Gonzalez
"With a keen eye and an accomplished voice, Amy DuBois Barnett takes us on a thrilling ride through the high-stakes world of magazine publishing in 1990s New York. At the intersection of fashion and hip-hop, If I Ruled the World captures the glamour, danger, and magic of a defining moment in American culture. An utterly dazzling debut!" - Robinne Lee
"I'm always here for 90's nostalgia, especially of the NYC variety-and Amy Dubois Barnett's If I Ruled the World scratches the itch. As a major player in the fashion and music scenes of the era, who better than Barnett to weave a world sizzling with such delicious romance, swagger, and intrigue? A sexy, fast-paced ride!" - Tia Williams
"If I Ruled the World had me hooked from the very first page. This fascinating story from inside magazine publishing-and the music world-really hits all the right notes: it's meaningful, nostalgic, heartfelt, and resonant." - Kate Fagan
"Funny, sexy, witty, and full of grit, If I Ruled The World is for anyone who's spent a lifetime climbing a ladder that keeps adding rungs. This fierce, unputdownable, guilty pleasure of a novel steps back into the uniquely fabulous and ruthless New York hustle at the turn of the century, through the eyes of a real Working Girl and industry insider, when the biggest players moving the needle of culture were grinding for recognition in a society that would rather look away. An utterly intoxicating debut." - Xochitl Gonzalez
"With a keen eye and an accomplished voice, Amy DuBois Barnett takes us on a thrilling ride through the high-stakes world of magazine publishing in 1990s New York. At the intersection of fashion and hip-hop, If I Ruled the World captures the glamour, danger, and magic of a defining moment in American culture. An utterly dazzling debut!" - Robinne Lee
"I'm always here for 90's nostalgia, especially of the NYC variety-and Amy Dubois Barnett's If I Ruled the World scratches the itch. As a major player in the fashion and music scenes of the era, who better than Barnett to weave a world sizzling with such delicious romance, swagger, and intrigue? A sexy, fast-paced ride!" - Tia Williams
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