Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Yellowface

Wow. What a book.

To start- I'll reiterate what other people are saying about the book, which was that it taught me a lot about the nature of the publishing industry and just how cutthroat it seems to be. Several of the points that June makes through her narration (I can't definitively say whether they're true or not, given that June seems to be a terribly unreliable narrator at best, but I digress) seem to be poignant reflections on the author's own publishing journey, or details that were gone over in the few publishing classes that I took throughout my university years, and it's a nice change of pace to see a book that isn't afraid to shy away from the issues surrounding the publishing industry and exactly how they can affect potential authors.

I have to admit that I almost read this book in one sitting. It was impossible to look away from, like some kind of car wreck that you know is awful but you can't take your eyes off of. June is not a likeable protagonist by any stretch of the imagination- she's apparently incapable of critically thinking about her own actions for how much she bemoans them, she's blatantly racist despite insisting that she's not (pro tip, June, if you have to actively confirm the fact that you're not racist you might be at least a teensy bit racist), and she's privileged to the extreme- and yet her narration was somehow compelling enough to make me want to continue, despite the fact that she's probably one of the first narrators in a book that I've utterly despised. At certain points in the beginning, you could probably be forgiven for thinking that her motives sound somewhat sympathetic, but as the narrative goes on and she holds on tighter and tighter to the self-serving narrative that she's conjured up to excuse her own plagiarism and racism, you find yourself wondering exactly how far she's actually willing to go to try and hold on to her ill-deserved fame. It was gripping, in an extremely dark and twisted kind of way.

The star rating would be even higher had the book not taken kind of a weird dip into semi-horror territory near the end- something which I didn't think flowed very well with the rest of the plot's progression, but maybe that's just me- but as it is I'm still going to be sitting with this book's message for a long time after reading it. Highly recommended.

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avonleagal's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.5

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neonskylite's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

Did you know that Melbourne is also the name of a city in Florida, not just the second most populated city in Australia? I learnt this when June was bemoaning how its so boring she's just from Melbourne when the worldly Athena Liu grew up in Sydney and I got confused because I was thinking they spent their childhood in the same place.

Yellowface is good as a skewering of the publishing industry and cultural appropriation - the ending loses me as it goes more into being a thriller and invoking unreality

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aestass's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.75

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marina_michelle's review against another edition

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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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corabookworm's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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

4.0

This book was absolutely sickening in the best way. The actions and inner-monologue of the main character, paired with the building stakes, create constant discomfort and anxiety for the reader.

I skimmed some reviews for this book after reading it, and while I understand the mixed feelings, if you go in expecting a very meta dark satire book with a very unlikable main character and just roll with it, you'll be able to appreciate the story a lot more. If references to real-world companies and social media sites bug you, I don't recommend Yellowface—the author references these companies, platforms, and cultures to weave in commentary on the modern publishing industry. She addresses many aspects of it: "cancel culture," the racism of "token diversity," and the loneliness of the job, to name a few. (The last one there felt very exaggerated for the point of this book; that, or the real world is just very depressing.) If you do enjoy that "meta-ness", or if you're willing to accept it as part of the satire and social commentary (like me), then this book is pretty damn good. R.F. Kuang never disappoints.

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ammybutcher's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.75

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mmsbrooks24's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative sad 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

4.5

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