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setaggu's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Grief, Stalking, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming
broccoli_j's review
- 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
5.0
This book is a must read for everyone!
Is is a well written genius critique in which we follow the „villain“.
June is an unreliable narrator and the definition of white women tears. You are meant to feel bad for her and in conclusion feel then bad, for feeling bad for her.
This book is brilliant, shocking and most importantly of all not at all far fetched!
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Death, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Bullying, Racism, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
jackieyvette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At the surface it's pretty straightforward. A white woman stealing an Asian woman's book. Stealing is wrong, end of. But that's just scratching the surface of this book. The tale of Juniper and Athena is one every girl can relate to but elevated to the clouds. Every girl has had a friend they were jealous of. A friend who you feel has everything you want and happened to get it so easily it's blood-boiling. Yellowface is just that.
The writing is so quick and sharp and inviting. And you can see the author being sensitive with the situation, but doesn't pull any punches with Juniper and Athena.
This is the perfect beach read for someone who is looking for more than fluff. I wish I could clear my mind so I could read this again for the first time.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
aamina's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, Vomit, Bullying, Islamophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Prose: 2.75★
Pace: 3★
Concept/Execution: 5★/1★
Characters: 2★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 1★
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, War, Physical abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Stalking
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
"Yellowface" follows a young woman named June Hayward. June attended Yale for writing, where she met Athena Liu. The two developed a sort of friendship, but as the years go by, June becomes more and more resentful of Athena's success, especially because writing is all June has ever wanted to do. After one evening out, June goes back to Athena's apartment with her to hang out more. The night takes a sinister turn when Athena dies, and June decides to take Athena's latest manuscript and publish it as her own under a new pen name: Juniper Song.
This book was absolutely phenomenal, and I recommend it to every reader who has even a fraction of an interest in publishing. The publishing world is so difficult to get into, especially for minorities. Athena's Asian character reaching such success at an early age is hardly the norm. June is a white woman, who takes an Asian woman's story about Chinese history, changes her name to sound more ethnically ambivalent, and still tries to justify her blatant plagiarism as what "Athena would have wanted." I do not think June is an inherently evil person, but she is clearly in the wrong and is blinded by jealousy that she does not understand. She thinks it has been easier for Athena to get published because she is a minority and publishers what to be able to market themselves as diverse and empathetic to racism. There may be some level of truth to this, but Athena's life was not easier because she was Asian.
R.F. Kuang writes THE best morally grey characters. June is obviously in the wrong, and she makes the wrong choice again and again, but as a reader, I still felt for her. It is difficult to see someone successful when you feel like you are drowning, but it is all the more difficult when they are reaching success in a field that means so much to you. June should not have plagiarized, and she should not have tried to change her name to sound more Asian to help with sales, but I am sure that level of success was intoxicating for her, and she got herself in too deep to get out.
I really love seeing a character slowly lose their mind, which is exactly what happens to June. She saw Athena die, but she starts to see Athena everywhere after the book comes out. Did Athena fake her death, or is June losing her mind? Can June live up to this fame she has created for herself, or is this the only book she will have published?
The ending takes a bit of a cliche thriller trope turn. I did not love it, but I loved the rest of the book so much, I did not care. However, I can appreciate for those who read a lot of thrillers, how this may come across as something that is overdone.
I 100% will read anything R.F. Kuang writes in the future; I am ADDICTED!
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders
abrasieve's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Stalking
Minor: Vomit
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
everyone already knows what this book is about so I'm just here to say that R.F. Kuang writes *everyone* in the bookish industry (publishers, editors, white women performative ally authors, tokenized snobby authors, book bloggers, bookstagrammers, booktokers, literary agents, etc.) TO FILTH !!!! No one is left unscathed and it hurt. It was aggravating, exhausting, infuriating, hilarious, and a goddamn rollercoaster. I think if anything, this discouraged me from ever wanting to become a writer hahaha. I know that was not the intended point of the story, but holy crap. I already deal with the politics of academia and I don't know if I could handle the publishing industry, because though this is meant to be satire, I know SO MANY PEOPLE JUST LIKE JUNE. June was in her delulu era, and R.F. Kuang is MOTHER. I am immediately sat.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Cursing, Bullying, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
heather_harrison's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Some parts were a bit predictable but otherwise this was strangely enjoyable read.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Death, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, Rape, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying
iforgotilivedhere's review
- 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
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Islamophobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Violence, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence