Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

67 reviews

fleur____'s review

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reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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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amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0


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abicaro17's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

God this book was unbearable. I will say first off, that Kuang has a beautiful writing style and the base of this book is really interesting. That being said, the execution of said base is god awful.
Juniper Song Heyward is a jealous, manipulative, vindictive, racist, bitch. She spends the entire book a plagiarist who attempts to convince the reader she's a victim somehow. June continuously uses racist language and defends her actions by blaming Athena for being more talented and likable. Every word that came out of her mouth made her less likable.
The plot is unbearably slow. You spend like 80% of the book reading tweets. Why? Who knows. I considered DNFing so many times it's a miracle I finished at all. I would recommend this to someone only if I hated them. Brb while I go cleanse my aura of this nightmare. 

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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sofiarodriguez's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

I was absolutely in love with this book until the last 50 pages. I feel liek Candance faking being Athena was too expected. I would have much rather seen June end up having some tragic ending due to her own psychosis. I loved the themes and messages--June as an unreliable narrator gave such an interest perspective and how the book views intersectionality and the self-victimization of white woman. I love how this book talks about the duality of social media, especially in times of crisis and reinforcing systems of harm without it being "cringey." I think it fell into some of the pitfalls of thrillers at the end, and should have leaned more lit fic in being able to end with some "loose ends." This book is so beautifully written and self-aware, and I would have given it 5 stars without the last 50 pages. I have so many thoughts I cannot even express in this review. Such a beautiful piece by R.F. Kuang. God I loved this book

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dsalazar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

I expected this book to be really good and all my expectations were met. Kuang’s story telling and writing style were compelling and brilliant. For most of the story, I couldn’t put the book down, especially at the start. 

This reminded me of The Curse on Hulu with Nathan Fielder, Ben Sadfie, and Emma Stone, where everyone (including the audience) is in on the joke except the main characters. I especially liked that the whole plot revolved around the writing/publishing industry and how vicious it can make a writer. It felt like I was reading a fictional story but also questioning which parts came from Kuang’s lived experiences. This added depth and intrigue as I learned more about a failed v. successful novelist’s journey. 

Aside from the language and pacing, diving into Junie’s psyche felt like watching that recent Golden Globes host flop horrendously. It’s as if I simultaneously hated her, needed to understand her more, wanted to stop reading cause of the overwhelming cringe, and pitied her. 

Plot-wise, it was enough of a glimpse into Junie’s life, family, and background to move the story along but not so deep that I would get bored or lost in the details. There was just enough to bring me into the story and Junie’s head, which made this a fairly easy read. I do think the ending was a bit predictable but only insofar as (I think) Kuang intended. Any readers will enjoy this even more if they are super online and have used Twitter. Iykyk 

Anyway, I loved it and everyone should read it!! 


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nabs_co's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny mysterious 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


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sarahmcg's review

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challenging funny 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

4.25

This book was like a train wreck -  cringe-worthy, but I couldn’t look away! A captivating, thrilling, and timely satire. June is the most unlikeable of main characters… and that’s the point.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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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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46jjsg's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-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

4.5

I would rate this 4.5/5 simply because although I liked this book and would recommend it to others- I will admit it did lag in the middle (refer to: June’s doom scrolling). 

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