Scan barcode
ninahuynh's review against another edition
- 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
Overall, I like the book. There were just some parts where the writing was a biz clunky for me and I had to re-read the sentence several times to understand it.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
theasi's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and War
clare_dv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
maureenlessreen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Stalking, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexual violence and Suicidal thoughts
likeagilmoregirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I love reading from the point of view of an unreliable, anti-hero narrator. There’s just something so fun about it.
I flew through this book so fast. It was well-written, captivating, and thought-provoking.
I’m not quite sure how I felt about the last two chapters, but overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I can’t wait to read more by this author.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
kristinj1's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Minor: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- 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
Although my review may be full of basic bookish rambling about the perpetual spiral of the so-called delulu in regards to the main character who is a writer, the writing in this book by the witty R. F. Kuang is so sharp, timely, and addictive that you certainly feel like you’re delulu too. (Okay I’ll stop using that word now.)
So this novel is basically a ridiculously well-written reddit thread of “AITA for stealing the manuscript of my dead Asian friend and passing it off as my own since I’m a woman, but I’m also very much a cishet white woman?”
GIRLLLLL. Kuang crafted such a punchy, visceral novel about race, loneliness, envy, and the pros and cons of the publishing industry. I was glued to every page, almost like watching a train wreck. It’s like, chapter after chapter, our white MC (June) goes deeper and deeper into her web of lies and you’re like “there’s no way she gets away with this” in a non-Scooby Doo villain kind of way, and then SHE DOES!! She just keeps at it!! The secondhand embarrassment and utter frustration was so real, especially in the way that could absolutely happen in real life, which is messed up but also shows the reality of diversity in today’s society—not always as advanced or progressive as we perceive it to be when it’s not directly related to us. This narrative was such an interesting piece on how far someone will go to save their reputation, when said reputation is a fabricated construct in and of itself. Fascinating.
Parts did remind me of “American Fiction”, which is another great example of the assumptions made about POC writers, just in a sort-of opposite form. In any case, I highly recommend both.
TL;DR June Hayward is kind-of the Hannah Horvath of this story, but somehow even worse. If you liked HBO’s “Girls” for the writing and not for the characters, this book is for you.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
vvayl's review
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
em_of_swags's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
Minor: Violence, Stalking, and Alcohol
kaelizaco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, and Classism