Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

107 reviews

j_emerson18's review

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Pleasantly surprised. I don't normally enjoy books that I've seen trend over booktok. Been burned too many times over "must reads". This book was phenomenal. 

I enjoyed the main character being both easy to sympathize with and easy to be disgusted with. Incredibly complex. June Hayward was greedy, distraught, hurt, betrayed, frustrated, and overall conflicted. I loved her inner turmoil while also going over all the ways she could move past wrongdoings (either done by her or to her). The ways she couldn't tell that she was micro-aggressive to minorities even though she was giving them a voice. The double edged sword of being supportive of minority authors/narratives but having those passing thoughts about the individuals she came across in public. So well done!

The overall plot was great. I particularly found myself enthralled with the way cancel culture and reasonable doubt were used as weapons. Both by the main character and those surrounding her. 

Also want to show my appreciation for the audiobook narrator. Oh my God she was phenomenal. Her inflictions, emotions, changing her tone when in the final scene. You could hear June spiralling and it was made believable by Helen's talent. 10/10 job well done. 

I would absolutely recommend this to others. It's a narrative that isn't widely discussed that needs to be. No matter what side of the fence you're on. Publishing and the art world are vicious, and it's foolish to think otherwise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Cultural appropriation, and Cursing

Minor: Racial slurs

marina_michelle's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Bullying, Rape, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Grief, Xenophobia, Racism, Cursing, and Vomit

Moderate: Stalking and Classism

Minor: War and Colonisation

kristapeters's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Racial slurs, and Cultural appropriation

readtomea97's review

dark funny tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Racism, and Death

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a narrative about personal jealousy, racism in publishing and interrogating race politics 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Murder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content, Eating disorder, Medical content, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, War, Drug use, Grief, Biphobia, Classism, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Rape

The entire narrative of this book is about a White American woman excusing and justifying her actions against a college friend and writer colleague who is Chinese American plus the varying moods and swings in action to conceal what she is doing. We are in the mind of the white woman character the whole time and it’s intentionally uncomfortable to be in this character’s head. Pace yourself if you need to though this novel isn’t that long.

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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

5.0

I hope R.F. Kuang had as much fun writing this as I did reading this! 

R. F. Kuang is a master of language. This book had everything I love about a very fast paced read. She hooked me from the very beginning with the death of Athena and I was here for the thrilling ride of June Hayward. The ending even keeps you guessing. She has a way with toying with perceptions that is just delightful. 

I am not so slowly making my way through her catalogue and I have not been dissatisfied yet. This a refreshing way to take on the racial challenges within the publishing industry. 

Any book that I can’t put down in three days deserves nothing less than 5 stars! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cursing and Rape

ambaright'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Racism, and Bullying

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

winterwoodbooks's review

dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism

ninahuynh's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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

4.5

Ok. How do I start?! I have so many feelings about June and how the book ended. I found it funny with the

ghost elements (with Candice, the hallucinations and social media accounts

. Is it trying to comment on how out of touch she is with reality? All I know is Juniper Song Hayward needs help ASAP, especially before she taps into another novel.

Overall, I like the book. There were just some parts where the writing was a biz clunky for me and I had to re-read the sentence several times to understand it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and War

mayze's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

A pretty funny book by Rebecca F Kuang, tells story of two writer frenemies June (White) and Athina ( Asian). Athena is young, successful and attractive while June is remarkably average in every aspect. 
This all changes when a freak accident kills Athena and June unethically gets access to her next story's drafts and appropriates them to publish a book under her own name. 

If you are willing to suspend disbelief and ignore the multiple plot conveniences, then this is a really funny (audio)book. I think younger millennials and Gen Z readers will totally understand the inside jokes peppered throughout the book and can see a bit of themselves in how much importance we give to social media and our increasingly worries of not coming across as culturally/socially insensitive.  

The book gets really melodramatic at times and I wonder if having

June actually getting away with stealing Athen 's work

would be a more thought-provoking ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence