Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

84 reviews

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-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

disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. Thus, no stars doesn’t indicate that the book wasn’t worthy of any starred system. It just means I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Happy reading! Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Cursing, Bullying, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

heather_harrison's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective fast-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? Yes

4.5

This book is ironic and dark satire of the world of story telling, publishing and consumption of media. The book is compulsively readable, the pacing rips by even with our unlikeable and untrustworthy protagonist June Haywood, aka Juniper Song. 

Some parts were a bit predictable but otherwise this was strangely enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

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

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

4.0

Some parts were iffy but all in all it was a fun read 

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Content Warnings

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

tini_turtle's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.25

I devoured this book in a single sitting and it got me out of an awful reading rut. Huang makes a completely despicable character incredibly engaging and fascinating, and this comes through in not only the plot but also in June's narrative voice. I love the metafictive aspects of the book, too; with the blurred lines between the book's world and reality, Huang gives a really compelling commentary on race and publishing. Even though I just finished, I *wish* I could read it for the first time again!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Racism, War, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent, War, Colonisation, Ableism, Bullying, Violence, and Xenophobia

heatherjchin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, and Medical content

baccou's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexism, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders

mmayern's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.5

I’m normally not a fan of writer main characters but I’m so glad I picked this book up anyway! Not sure if I devoured the story or if it devoured me, but I couldn’t put it down. The main character is horrible, but you can’t look away from the whole train wreck

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Vomit

lexihworth's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

Absolute insanity. Every plot point was just adding up to a nightmarish train wreck that got worse and worse as the story went on, but in the best way possible. I️ absolutely couldn’t look away. Written beautifully and perfectly by Kuang. No surprise for those who are familiar with her work. She’s not one to half ass anything. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Death, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Violence, Racism, Gaslighting, Cursing, Blood, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship