Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Yellowface

The first 2/3 of the book had me hooked - but the ending fell flat for me. I think this book was a little too wrapped up in itself, in trying to tell the reader, "do you GET IT???" It would have been much more compelling if the focus was more on the characters and less on using the characters as a vessel for the point it was trying to make - which, at the end of the day, was not really a revolutionary point at all. We become aware of what the book is trying to say almost immediately and then that does not really grow throughout the book - it's just the same point being reinforced. It was entertaining overall, though.

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naturally's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

absolute page turner! this was my first time reading the work of r.f. kuang; now i'm excited to dig deeper into her bibliography.

for the most part, kuang really nailed the satirical aspect of this novel, so much so that i couldn't help but chuckle. especially, the portrayal of book twitter.

i felt that the analysis of class was lacking though. june's obsession with and hatred of athena could have been made more nuanced by differences in socio economic backgrounds. however, i respect that perhaps that isn't the story kuang wanted to tell.

i've noticed other reviewers calling out the fact that the last front, the historical novel june stole from athena, wouldn't typically be selected for book boxes. whilst i agree, i interpreted this fictional marketing choice as kuang criticising how the publishing industry chooses to promote books about people of color's oppression, wherein stories about human atrocities are packaged as fun, foreign cute, little experiences for white readers to dabble in. real example: the barbed wire decorations at the american dirt party.

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auradelle's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

2.5

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kitfkat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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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ashley_mrose530's review

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I was initially going to give this a relatively low rating and I almost DNF'd it, but I decided to keep reading because I liked the commentary and learning about the publishing industry, as someone who wants to publish my own novel one day. That was the only thing that kept me reading because I really didn't like June. She was a horrible person and didn't have any redeeming qualities at all to make me want to learn about her story. But as I kept reading, I realized that's pretty much the point Kuang was trying to make.
This whole book is a commentary on the publishing industry and social media in general and how narratives can be spun in many different directions and how all narratives can become good and increase the all-mighty dollar. And I think Kuang did a fantastic job showing that. Even though our main character stole someone's writing and was very racist, among other things, she was still considered a good person, given the benefit of the doubt, and people still bought her books and gave her all of their money. This is something we see happen time and time again in all aspects of living. Public perception is very subjective, impressionable, and forgetful especially when it comes to rich white people.
And these lessons weren't meant for June to learn, but for the readers. Yes, June is very unlikeable and I might even go so far as to say I hated her, but that was part of the point of the story and I think it's a really intersectional and important story and lesson to learn. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone to read at least once.

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bookswithlauren's review

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dark fast-paced

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

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sadiaa's review

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3.5

Enjoyed the deep conversations on authors (specifically white) writing on a culture different from their own and trying to show themselves as an expert on the topic. The topic of plagiarism and theft of work was an interesting topic to touch on.

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