Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

80 reviews

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

vael's review

funny inspiring reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death, and Stalking

linneak's review

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Bullying, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Death

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Cursing, Grief, Rape, Stalking, Violence, and War

Minor: Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

redvelveting's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

Yellowface is a thought-provoking social commentary while being wildly entertaining. The perspective is absurd but does well to make Kuang’s points on racism, privilege, tokenization, and social media. And honestly speaking, it’s been a while since I’ve read a book this fast. The sheer audacity in this book is nuts but honestly it unfortunately isn’t that far-fetched and I think that’s part of what makes this such a well-written satire.

And to be clear, both June and Athena are terrible people in their own ways, which I believe ti be intentional :)))

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Cultural appropriation, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Suicide attempt

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

When I say you need to read this book, you need to READ this book. I literally just finished this book and I am still so speechless. 

If you’re familiar in the bookish community, you most likely heard about this book in some capacity since its release this past Spring. Yellowface has been on my radar for months and I was so excited when I heard that this was one of my book club picks. With all the accolades this book has received, as well as being selected as a Reese’s Book Club Pick, I can say without a doubt that this book is worth all the hype. 

This book is addicting in every way and I had such a hard time with putting this book down. I really liked how this book serves as a mirror to the biases currently found in the publishing industry and I would recommend this book if you want a novel that dives into those issues. Additionally, with its narrator (June) being one of the most unreliable narrators in all of literature, Yellowface is a wild ride of one woman’s length to maintain her status after stealing her late friend’s unfinished manuscript and publishing it as her own. In no way is June a likeable character in any sense (as with for almost all of these characters). At the same time, June is such a master manipulator and you will just know that you can never be certain if she feels any remorse for her actions in the book or if anything she said in her accounts are true. 

That being said, if you haven’t read this book already, you need to do so as soon as possible. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Grief, and Vomit

Minor: Suicide, Sexism, and Islamophobia

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Death

Moderate: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs

abicaro17's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Alcohol, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Islamophobia, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, Sexual assault, Stalking, Cursing, Rape, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

emma_sky's review against another edition

dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Xenophobia and Gaslighting

Minor: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book gave me the same feeling I had when I was in high school and reading the Kite Runner for the first time. It was the perfect amount of discomfort and intrigue that I would get upset or emotional and throw the book across the room and then immediately run to pick it up and keep reading without wasting too much time. RF Kuang has been able to tackle so many themes in the pages of this book with criticisms on publishing culture, white saviourism, social isolation, the harms of Twitter and social media, morality and copywrite, among so many others. She spins a web upon web of deceit and lies that it becomes so hard to understand what the actual truth is. It really becomes a psychological horror book as June devolves into madness under the pressures of her own guilt. The most painful part of this being that it could have all been avoided had she asked Athena’s mother if she could work on the manuscript instead of stealing it. Considering she was asked to speak at the funeral, I doubt her mother would have many objections. Even then, however, how she acts toward Athena in the writing process is terrible and colonial. All that is wrong with the book is Athenas and all that is right is hers. It also drove me crazy how she stole the first paragraph for Mother Witch, it’s crazy that she couldn’t just change it.. it would have been so simple. I have so many things to say but finally with the ending,

although she did not get what she deserved (or kind of did? It’s complicated) it really hammered home the themes of this novel and how, throughout the entirety of it, June has victimized herself to the point where she will do anything to hold onto that title no matter the cost.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Racial slurs, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

crownoflaurel's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders