Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

80 reviews

fiona_apples's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

3.25

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder

annabananadel's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

"Writing is the closest thing we have to real magic. Writing is creating something out of nothing, is opening doors to other lands. Writing gives you power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much."

Okay, hear me out. I’m probably not their target reader especially since I’ve been just reading romance nonstop - hence, my rating. I can see why it’s a cult favorite recently but it just didn’t appeal to me as much as it did for other people - BUT, a big but there, I actually enjoyed reading through it eventhough it took me some time. I don’t know what’s up but whenever I read thrillers, there’s usually a writer involved. But this one is a big writer story because it’s how Yellowface came to be, maybe? 

I love how R. F. Kuang told June’s story and how she let us dive into her mind throughout the whole story - from her friendship with Athena, her writing process in how she evolved Athena’s story, to how it went downhill for her. It’s actually intense the last few chapters where you’re actually feeling the craziness coming out from the book to real life because she wrote it in a way that you’re going thru it with June. It’s actually mesmerizing just thinking about it. Just the story for me is what let me down a bit or maybe okay, thinking about it now while writing this review, it made me think how we’re in a villain FMC. I just didn’t know it was a thing before this book. Plus points for that. I guess that’s why I’m actually hating June more than any FMC I’ve ever read. 

Made me want to read more R. F. Kuang books, tbh. And actually writing this review + thoughts about buying more of her books, made me feel like one of those people online June is reading about…
(slowly raising the rating every time I've thought about Yellowface for the past month as well while reading other books or just from passing conversations)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Islamophobia

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and War

butlerebecca's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

bookswithlauren's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

scruffie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Loved the writing style. A couple of bits towards the end felt less edited but I'm definitely gonna be reading more Kuang 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

choicepotatoes_20231023's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3.50 - enjoyable
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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death and Racism

Minor: Rape, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and War

emfass's review

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.25

A scorching takedown of racism in publishing (and in general), privileges of white womanhood, the toxicity of social media, plus a bit about the echo chamber of marketing and reviews in the book world.

We are trapped in June's head for first-person present-tense narration the whole way through, and sometimes it's hard to breathe in there. She is a decidedly unlikable character, and hearing her inner thoughts as the majority of the storytelling we get was both fascinating and horrifying, but it was hard to look away. I kept wondering how this white woman was going to get her comeuppance after stealing her recently-dead Chinese-American friend's story about Chinese laborers in World War I and passing it off as her own. She twists herself into the knots justifying her actions, and only doubles down harder whenever someone gets close to the truth.

Kuang uses June-as-narrator to deftly point to injustices in the publishing industry and everyday racism of white people/white women who think they are owed something and feel indignant at the rise of BIPOC voices being given space to tell their own stories. There are also examinations of cancel culture and different forms that revenge can take.

I was rather bothered at how alone June was throughout the story. She has no friends, she has family members she briefly visits with on page but I didn't think it was clear why she didn't have a deeper relationship with her sister, at least. It makes it easier to understand her actions when she has literally no one to talk to, but...it also seemed like rather extreme circumstances.

Helen Laser did a truly fantastic job as the audiobook narrator.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Death, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad 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

3.0

hmm this is not exactly what i was expecting. the situation and characters really felt like caricatures, which i assume (because Kuang is such a phenomenal writer) was done on purpose but i think it was a little too much so. i think that just isn’t my style but the underlying themes were important 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

hue's review

challenging medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Excellent writing! Intrigued to keep reading despite the main character being the worst person ever—but as that was the point, it was slightly more bearable. Not to say I still didn't roll my eyes enough times to roll them out of my sockets.

I was, however, dissatisfied with the ending. It came too abruptly, almost hurriedly. I wished for a more "tying frayed ends together" sort of ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Cultural appropriation, and Racism