Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

149 reviews

jayden_314's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

This book was an incredible read! Rebecca F. Kuang perfectly writes such a hateable main character, and by hateable I mean that this insane white woman goes off the rails by the end. Kuang gets you to sympathise with her for a chapter or two before throwing right back in your face that June is completely unhinged. This way of writing is so similar to emotional abuse and gaslighting in real life and the quality is unmatched. You get to see the way that June justifies her actions and how she positions herself as the victim. I have not read anything like it and it was amazing. If you are reading this novel, be prepared to be gaslit out of your mind and just remember, June is a psychotic racist who will go to any lengths to cover up her plagarism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and War

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Rape, Cursing, Racism, Gaslighting, and Grief

lottie1803's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Rape, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Grief, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, and Sexism

bxnny's review against another edition

dark 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Racism

Moderate: War

Minor: Alcohol and Cursing

espereads's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Racism, Sexual assault, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

moond4ncer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Absolutely riveting take on cultural appropriation and representation in literature. I was enthralled from start to finish by this dark look behind the curtain but find myself relieved to leave Juniper behind me.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Violence, Sexual assault, Death, Physical abuse, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol

rubellaface's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Talk about an unreliable narrator... 
This book is triggering, fascinating, and has messed me up for the foreseeable future. 

Highly recommend to anyone who has been vilified by white fragility or would like to be taken on a wild ride by an unreliable narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Toxic friendship, Racism, Violence, Rape, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Sexism, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Colonisation, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Hate crime

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

This has been a much-anticipated read for me, and I am happy and unsurprised to say that R.F. Kuang absolutely lives up to the hype. My skin was crawling throughout, and yet I couldn’t look away. It reminds me of the show You (or at least its good seasons), where you get a front row seat into the mind of someone who you somehow hate, fear, and yet find compelling in the same way as watching a train wreck. A scathingly accurate satire of cultural appropriation and cancel culture that I simply could not put down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Rape, Stalking, and Sexual assault

jackierobinson's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Bullying, and Death

Moderate: Stalking, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

amaya_jam's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

4.0

I'm not sure what to rate this. I got this book early and as a signed copy by R. F. Kuang. I guess hearing her speak about it, along with all the glowing reviews I've heard over the past year, gave me high expectations. 

I should mention that this is the first book I've read by her so I'm going completely based on the hype.

Ultimately it didn't meet my expectations. The commentary felt simplistic, repetitive, and obvious. But I also just couldn't put it down. Though the topics are quite serious, the language was a nice break from my usual classics reading. I'm giving it four stars for now since I can't deny that I enjoyed my reading experience. It was just fun and that's just what I needed at the moment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racism, Death, Cultural appropriation, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and War