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lynseyreads_'s reviews
412 reviews
Making a Scene by Constance Wu
3.0
This memoir is honest, but not as introspective as I like memoirs to be. Often, Constance leans on explaining away moments as “I know, I’m so uncool..” or “you know me and how big my emotions are…” and I just want more. Each chapter and memory is written so well with lovely concrete details (albeit sometimes with *too* many details), but the order she tells us her stories in feels… unorganized.
Also, I’ve been told in storytelling 101 that if you haven’t processed the story, then it’s typically not ready to be shared. I feel that there are sections she still hasn’t fully processed. Even the ending doesn’t feel fully processed.
Another issue I have is when she writes about the cars she’s owned. In high school she had an unreliable car, and seemingly without sarcasm, she mentions how exciting it is to not know if her car will start from one day to the next. She says she doesn’t need to be like the other rich kids at her school with a flashier car. It reads so privileged and out of touch to me. I listened to the audiobook and didn’t sense any sarcasm.
The core of her book is how she discusses sexual assault and the tremors that lingered as a result, especially on the set of Fresh Off the Boat. I also like the opening, and am still thinking about how I as a reader can carry the impact of the opening to the rest of the book, but I also wish she would have done more of that work for me.
Also, I’ve been told in storytelling 101 that if you haven’t processed the story, then it’s typically not ready to be shared. I feel that there are sections she still hasn’t fully processed. Even the ending doesn’t feel fully processed.
Another issue I have is when she writes about the cars she’s owned. In high school she had an unreliable car, and seemingly without sarcasm, she mentions how exciting it is to not know if her car will start from one day to the next. She says she doesn’t need to be like the other rich kids at her school with a flashier car. It reads so privileged and out of touch to me. I listened to the audiobook and didn’t sense any sarcasm.
The core of her book is how she discusses sexual assault and the tremors that lingered as a result, especially on the set of Fresh Off the Boat. I also like the opening, and am still thinking about how I as a reader can carry the impact of the opening to the rest of the book, but I also wish she would have done more of that work for me.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
4.0
Academic rivals to lovers, magical realism YA with Chinese rep and sweeping statements about class and privilege. Lots of layers and well written overall! The last 20% wasn’t my *favorite*, but it wasn’t necessarily bad either.
We Are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza, Christine Pride
2.0
Interesting plot line, and dual POV done well, but overall I wasn’t invested in the interracial friendship of Riley and Jen. The emotional labor fell to the Black friend, Riley, while Jen, after being best friends with Riley since kindergarten, is only now (in their 20s) starting to learn about the injustices her bff faces daily, why she can’t say, “I don’t see you as Black though,” and why she can’t claim “I have a Black friend” as a racist shield……..
Lastly, a few too many plot lines woven through that didn’t add much to the main conflict.
Lastly, a few too many plot lines woven through that didn’t add much to the main conflict.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
4.0
Not quite a 4 for me… 3.75, 3.5? (Omg Goodreads, when can we get in-between ratings?!) Also, very stream of consciousness review incoming….
Ultimately, this book is a not-so-satirical look into the drama and injustices of the publishing world. It’s about who has power to tell and push specific stories and who doesn’t. Pretty much every character is unlikable, unreliable, and flawed which is part of what makes the story dynamic. Most impressive to me is how alive the character of Athena is even though she died in chapter one. Actually, the most engaging parts of the novel for me are any parts where Athena is present. Second most engaging are the moments when June interacts with others via book visits or teaching. Third most engaging are the moments she is in conversation with editors and publishers. The parts where June is grappling with her choices and obsessed with Twitter are by far the least interesting, and probably take up about half of the book’s real estate.
My critiques of this book aren’t the same as other reviewers—that the book is lacking subtlety, that it’s too much of Kuang’s voice beating you over the head. I can see why others feel that way, but I think this story has enough nuances that I’m okay with it.
The thing that actually makes this a mid-range rated book for me is the arc of the story. There were enough bread crumbs that this book could have pretty much been a “choose your own adventure” book. (And to this I am wondering if this is Kuang playing with satire and tropes, or if the red herrings were simply just distractions.) I actually think the climax could have been more interesting with any one of the other red herrings. I don’t read too many thrillers, and I don’t often have the foresight to predict endings, but this one I did (not completely, but enough). So while the ending best speaks to the overall theme of Yellowface, the other breadcrumbs are then just left at best as unfinished, ~slightly~ useful plot pushers, and at worst, not fully developed and tbh annoying that they even existed in the first place!
I’m also reflecting on my own understanding of “satire,” and how maybe I could have read this (especially the ending) with a different lens. In interviews, Kuang mentions that much of Yellowface is drawn from real experiences. I feel like the best satire is just one deep lunge away from being real, and muddles the boundaries of reality, but Yellowface is a quieter sort of satire, most of it being real with some threads of exaggeration. It’s like the satire-to-reality ratio is flipped and stretched. Like the satire strength equivalent to a La Croix. (Okay.. I’m laughing about this… I hope someone out there is too.)
I was able to see Kuang on her Yellowface tour and she is equal parts hilarious, quirky, and academic. I loved the moments in Yellowface when her sense of humor come through, and I wish there was more of it. Although I don’t believe that satire requires humor, I enjoyed the quirkier moments of this book.
Anyways, this book has made me think a lot, so maybe it deserves a higher star rating, but my enjoyability-level-gut check after reading isn’t wanting to scream about this book. BUT the things I would’ve liked to have seen in the plot just aren’t what this book’s purpose is, so here we are. You should probably just read it tbh.
Ultimately, this book is a not-so-satirical look into the drama and injustices of the publishing world. It’s about who has power to tell and push specific stories and who doesn’t. Pretty much every character is unlikable, unreliable, and flawed which is part of what makes the story dynamic. Most impressive to me is how alive the character of Athena is even though she died in chapter one. Actually, the most engaging parts of the novel for me are any parts where Athena is present. Second most engaging are the moments when June interacts with others via book visits or teaching. Third most engaging are the moments she is in conversation with editors and publishers. The parts where June is grappling with her choices and obsessed with Twitter are by far the least interesting, and probably take up about half of the book’s real estate.
My critiques of this book aren’t the same as other reviewers—that the book is lacking subtlety, that it’s too much of Kuang’s voice beating you over the head. I can see why others feel that way, but I think this story has enough nuances that I’m okay with it.
The thing that actually makes this a mid-range rated book for me is the arc of the story. There were enough bread crumbs that this book could have pretty much been a “choose your own adventure” book. (And to this I am wondering if this is Kuang playing with satire and tropes, or if the red herrings were simply just distractions.) I actually think the climax could have been more interesting with any one of the other red herrings. I don’t read too many thrillers, and I don’t often have the foresight to predict endings, but this one I did (not completely, but enough). So while the ending best speaks to the overall theme of Yellowface, the other breadcrumbs are then just left at best as unfinished, ~slightly~ useful plot pushers, and at worst, not fully developed and tbh annoying that they even existed in the first place!
I’m also reflecting on my own understanding of “satire,” and how maybe I could have read this (especially the ending) with a different lens. In interviews, Kuang mentions that much of Yellowface is drawn from real experiences. I feel like the best satire is just one deep lunge away from being real, and muddles the boundaries of reality, but Yellowface is a quieter sort of satire, most of it being real with some threads of exaggeration. It’s like the satire-to-reality ratio is flipped and stretched. Like the satire strength equivalent to a La Croix. (Okay.. I’m laughing about this… I hope someone out there is too.)
I was able to see Kuang on her Yellowface tour and she is equal parts hilarious, quirky, and academic. I loved the moments in Yellowface when her sense of humor come through, and I wish there was more of it. Although I don’t believe that satire requires humor, I enjoyed the quirkier moments of this book.
Anyways, this book has made me think a lot, so maybe it deserves a higher star rating, but my enjoyability-level-gut check after reading isn’t wanting to scream about this book. BUT the things I would’ve liked to have seen in the plot just aren’t what this book’s purpose is, so here we are. You should probably just read it tbh.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds
5.0
This is a “down to earth” not-history, historical text and it should be required reading. Before this weekend, I had only read excerpts, but now this is a book I plan to revisit every year.
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
4.0
Some reviewers are out here telling on themselves and how little they know about autism, and especially autism and late-diagnosis that tends to occur with women and others that aren’t white/cis/male (note that this is the trend, not the *always*—the history of autism research is dark and deep, and, as most medical research is, biased towards white, cis, male.)
I enjoyed this portrayal of autism in Cassandra. Unlike other reviewers, I found her to be extremely likable (again, if your reason for not liking the book is Cassandra’s character herself, please re-examine your biases!). The time travel plot *can* get slightly repetitive, such is the nature of a the plot device (I wonder if anyone has ever said “oh I didn’t like Groundhog Day.. it was just too repetitive for me”?). Cassandra’s story is infused with so many little “lol” moments that it was still enjoyable for me.
I do agree that the pacing of this book could be a complaint of mine. For the majority of the story, Cassandra has one objective: to use her gift of going back in time to fix her and her boyfriend’s story so they don’t break up. The last 25% of the book, her objective changes. But this, too, feels like a manifestation of autism: the tendency to hyper focus and lean in to the familiar.
I’m grateful for this own-voice autistic MC that isn’t infantilized like so often happens in media with autistic rep. I hope that reviewers with negative opinions of things that are quite literally aspects of autism can re-examine their positions to see that we get an unfiltered, unmasked look into Cassandra with the first person MC, but some reviews are basically saying that they’d prefer she mask because “the Greek mythology is too much,” among other reasons.
Spoiler ahead:
For those saying that you wish Cassandra’s diagnosis wasn’t treated like a “plot twist” or wasn’t revealed at all…. I highly disagree. Cassandra receiving her diagnosis created a heart line directly to her mother which then allowed her to feel permission to 1. Be like her mother and 2. Follow her special interests. This diagnosis wasn’t for us (the reader), it is for Cassandra, and I am so grateful that she finally got it.
I enjoyed this portrayal of autism in Cassandra. Unlike other reviewers, I found her to be extremely likable (again, if your reason for not liking the book is Cassandra’s character herself, please re-examine your biases!). The time travel plot *can* get slightly repetitive, such is the nature of a the plot device (I wonder if anyone has ever said “oh I didn’t like Groundhog Day.. it was just too repetitive for me”?). Cassandra’s story is infused with so many little “lol” moments that it was still enjoyable for me.
I do agree that the pacing of this book could be a complaint of mine. For the majority of the story, Cassandra has one objective: to use her gift of going back in time to fix her and her boyfriend’s story so they don’t break up. The last 25% of the book, her objective changes. But this, too, feels like a manifestation of autism: the tendency to hyper focus and lean in to the familiar.
I’m grateful for this own-voice autistic MC that isn’t infantilized like so often happens in media with autistic rep. I hope that reviewers with negative opinions of things that are quite literally aspects of autism can re-examine their positions to see that we get an unfiltered, unmasked look into Cassandra with the first person MC, but some reviews are basically saying that they’d prefer she mask because “the Greek mythology is too much,” among other reasons.
Spoiler ahead:
For those saying that you wish Cassandra’s diagnosis wasn’t treated like a “plot twist” or wasn’t revealed at all…. I highly disagree. Cassandra receiving her diagnosis created a heart line directly to her mother which then allowed her to feel permission to 1. Be like her mother and 2. Follow her special interests. This diagnosis wasn’t for us (the reader), it is for Cassandra, and I am so grateful that she finally got it.