Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

43 reviews

tarnaflake's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, Racism, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, War, Stalking, Violence, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

readingtotravel's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent

yuzu_149's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Enjoyed this one a lot! Loved the many twists and turns throughout the book, and the aftermath of every reveal were cleverly written. June's story alwo gave a lot of insight into the dark side of writing and publishing. I loved how the tensions in June and Athena's friendship were fleshed out.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Racism

Minor: Grief, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking

meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m between a 3.75 and a 4. Then beginning and middle of the book I thought were so good. The quips and short sentences were very engaging to read. The plot was very creative.

The back end of the middle started to drag. The end felt rushed and fell a bit flat, I guess I was hoping for more, but not sure what I would have preferred instead.

I think this book would lead to good discussions in book clubs about authorship, representation, and race. Hmm I guess for the beginning part of the book and convos I’ll give it a 4. I think if you asked me to rate it early on it was a heavy contender for a 5, but the ending really just lacked. To some extent I did feel like the authors other work Babel had a bit of a rushed ending. But in that book I thought the beginning and middle dragged and the end saved it. 

I give props to the author for branching out well into different genres.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

natlikestoread's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Rape, Racism, and Self harm

kiwichill's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Minor: Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Murder

cullenr_d's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Sexual assault, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

broccoli_j's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

Wow, just wow.

This book is a must read for everyone!

Is is a well written genius critique in which we follow the „villain“.

June is an unreliable narrator and the definition of white women tears. You are meant to feel bad for her and in conclusion feel then bad, for feeling bad for her. 
This book is brilliant, shocking and most importantly of all not at all far fetched!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Death, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Bullying, Racism, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

espookita's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface is a biting commentary on white privilege, entitlement, cultural appropriation, and the publishing industry. It explores the inherently exploitative nature of writing as a whole, and digs into ethical questions regarding storytelling. It is fast-paced, compelling, and impossible to put down. Our narrator is a Karen caricature unable to resist doom scrolling on Twitter, and the many social media and pop culture references are somewhat jarring. While the sharp critique on both the industry and whiteness were valid, I found myself wishing more of the relationship between the narrator and the victim of her theft was more drawn out. I feel I am left with more questions than answers—especially about what it means to be friends with someone whom you both fear and admire. Worth the read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and War

Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Medical content, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

mads_jpg's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

The Joker for authors.

Nah but for real, this was a great read and helped get me out of my reading slump. The commentary on the publishing industry and 'cancel culture' and cultur l appropriation was super interesting. My only issue was that the ending felt a bit rushed/cliche. I also found that pretty much every character was unlikable in some way, I'm sure this was to add nuance and show that there's 'bad people on both sides' but it just frustrated me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Vomit, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, and War