Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Yellowface

Jesus Christ. This book is a TRIP. Only R. F Kuang could have written a book that I LOVED with so unlikeable a main character. Most of them are unlikeable to be honest. And not unlikeable in any sort of like. Fun way? And no character development. At the very least no development in a good way. Character undevelopment, she kept getting worse.

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jennaviolet's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kjm19's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A very interesting read!

A totally unlikeable character justifying their actions situated in a world of industry decline and cancel culture.

Fascinating to see a character go through the highs and lows of becoming a successful author. A true liberal at heart, Juniper simply thinks that she is a victim of circumstance and that so-called social justice warriors and their tales are steeped in reverse racism and jealousy. Juniper’s conversation with Candace at the end reinforces the reality of a situation like this - you can try to convince yourself that diversity gives underrepresented communities a better chance than cis white het men and women, but the reality is that their success is still often seen as a tick box exercise by corporations. Diversity is one thing, inclusivity is another. And Juniper Song Haywood is completely oblivious to this because she is a self-centred, narcissistic writer who also suffers with crippling self doubt and an inferiority complex.

The story itself is compelling. The unabashed and shameless POV is contemporary and refreshing. Seeing her success and demise through her own eyes was insightful.

Favourite scenes:
- Athena’s death (you knew it was happening but how and seeing that she did it, she took the manuscript!)
- Seeing the first manipulation, of Athena’s mother
- The old man who thanked the protagonist for remembering and telling this story vs how she reacts to it (runs away and thinks it’s too much for no reason other than self loathing, didn’t take it reassuringly)

The last few chapters weren’t the best part of the book, but I appreciate the way in which the protagonist spiralled and seeing how it affected her clarity of thought. It was good to see how she was still trying to convince herself that in the end, she would still be able to find the upper hand by manipulating her version of the story. I feel that the execution of it as a thriller with a puppet master in the end takes away from how strong the writing is because it’s not executed in the best way. Still, really strong and I will recommend it to avid readers.

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r_kennedy's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bridgeca2's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. Just wow. This book will stick with me for a long time. It full displays all the conversations held currently on diversity, tokenism, reverse racism/white fragility, privilege, beauty/horror of social media... All the while providing me a greater appreciation of the publishing world and what goes with it. What a wild thrilling ride Yellowface is. I could not stop listening and thought about it when I wasn't listening.

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