I don't know how to start. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. The main character was so unlikable and that normally puts me off finishing a book, but in this case, the plot was way too interesting for me to stop. The book raises questions about how the publishing industry (and any industry tbh) treats people from a BAME background. I just wish the writing would have given me a bit of space to actually think through this myself instead of telling me what to think. Also there were too many real life references (like Harry Styles and famous authors) that threw me off a bit. Other than that, the plot was fast paced and didn't stagnate at any point.

Stop what you’re doing and get your hands on this! I inhaled this: it’s witty, smart and of course a very humorous, satirical and scathing look at the publishing industry. Was hooked from the first page and I’m confident many others will be too…

I'm not sure if I'm more pissed off with myself, the hype machine making expectations impossible to live up to or the book itself, but ughhhhh.

I went into this expecting a LOT. And maybe that is the problem, I LOVED Babel and I expected the same detailed interrogation of topics. This book doesn't do that - Yellowface is all vibes. Great vibes. Excellent premise/start, complete ability to make the reader sit in the mind of a deluded racist and feel deep revulsion kind of vibes.

And then it....stays as vibes. I messaged a friend saying it reminded me of a Nickleback song - it never quite kicks in and leaves you wondering if you missed the main bit. It's irritating because I loved this at the start. The entire set up of this book is excellent, you TRULY think it's about to wipe the fucking floor with everyone and then it just kind of...doesn't.

In fact, for a book that publishing are marketing as a vicious take down of publishing in a peak meta-literary title....this book feels distinctly like one of the success as chosen by the house books that the plot is actively lambasting. It's all very interesting, very meta, but ultimately it also felt to me like it fell into the trap it discusses - Yellowface thinks it is inherently more than it is and could have probably done with more time in the oven.

The book does manage to really set the reader up to investigate and question the nature of the publishing industry. The plot focuses so much on the factual behind the scenes without making the reader attached to the process though and I have to wonder if this will just not land with the reading masses the way it does with those working in or alongside publishing.

What is done very, very well is the depiction of a dismissive attitude towards those of other races pointing out your racism. As the book progresses our narrator makes some incredible mental gymnastics to continue believing that she isn't racist whilst progressively leaning more and more into her inherently racist take on the world and those around her. The thoughts that go through her head disgust the reader, you want to strangle this woman and make her look at herself honestly. Yet ultimately her reckoning doesn't actually come in the book, everything either gets managed away, because she's white so obviously it does, or it happens off screen and fades to black.

The promise of the first half of this book just never quite materialised for me. I know others are loving it, and there are so many great elements, I just wanted to see them pulled together. Kuang is clearly a capable and very interesting writer, I've loved some of her other work and I can't wait for more of it, but this isn't destined to be my favourite of hers.

"Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang is an incredible read that I highly recommend.

RF Kuang's proves again that she is an excellent writer and has written several different genres, each of which has been an excellent read.
As always her writing style is engaging and thought-provoking, and she skillfully tackles issues of race, identity, and belonging in a way that is both entertaining and enlightening.

The main characters in "Yellowface" are complex and multifaceted, with each character bringing their own unique perspective and experiences to the story. Kuang expertly weaves together their stories, creating a rich tapestry of cultural experiences that is both enlightening and deeply moving.

The story is both captivating and thought-provoking, weaving together issues of race, identity, and belonging in a way that is both entertaining and enlightening. Kuang's masterful storytelling takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions, from heartbreak and sorrow to joy and triumph. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the pacing is excellent, ensuring that the reader is always engaged and invested in the story.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of multiculturalism and the Asian-American experience but set within a literary thriller.

"Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang is a tale of rivalry, deception, guilt and entitlement like none I've ever read before.

"I'm just brown-eyed, brown-haired June Hayward, from Philly - and no matter how hard I work, or how well I write, I'll never be Athena Liu."

Athena Liu is the new darling of the publishing world, and everything fellow author June wants to be. When tragedy strikes, so does June - she steals an unfinished manuscript belonging to Athena, makes some edits, and submits it to her publisher as her own work. June Hayward is no more - she's now Juniper Song, ready to take Athena's place on the bestseller lists and finally start living the life she deserves. Easy, right?

June breaks the fourth wall repeatedly throughout, and she's so horrible (a scene featuring a discussion about Chinese names made me cringe myself inside out) - she's an incredibly unlikeable protagonist and I was hoping that she'd get her comeuppance. I could sum up the entire book with the words "THE NECK" - because the audacity freely flows from the very first page to the last.

It's definitely a page turner, and I found it very hard to put down once I got into it. It's also a very clever look at diversity in the publishing industry, and how much of it is box ticking as opposed to making any real commitment to change.

A cracking read, definitely one for your Summer reading list!

I really enjoyed this searing depiction of the world of publishing and the very modern ways of social media and cancel culture.

It reminded me in some ways of Florence Given's 'Girl Crush' when it came to very quick online success and the spiralling sense of a loss of control and self identity, but whereas the FMC of Girl Crush frustrated me, I found myself feeling for Junie. Her actions were abhorrent and not at all sympathetic, but I could see how easy it would be to make those stupid mistakes in the wake of a traumatic incident and how difficult it would be to escape from those mistakes in any way that wouldn't leave her destroyed.

I thought it raised interesting questions about originality in any kind of art form - surely most literature takes from others and their experiences - just as Athena took from people's personal stories to complete her masterpieces and Junie took the skeleton of an idea and made it her own. Is anything truly original? One of my favourite current genres is the new feminist retellings of Greek myths or fairy stories - stories which themselves have travelled verbally through generations. Is any life experience truly unique, or are we simply repeating the experiences of others through centuries of living? and if we are just repeating history, can anyone be criticised for using other's works as their inspiration?

I felt uncomfortable with the racial element of the book, which I presume we are meant to. I don't doubt for a moment that women from minority cultures struggle in business such as publishing, but the book almost felt like it was promoting the opposite for large parts of the book, emphasising how easy it was for Athena to make it big and be successful while Junie struggled as she didn't have a unique identity or 'hook' to promote. It scared me how quickly everyone within the book seemed to turn on each other at any given opportunity, but I am aware that this is reflective of current society, especially how the internet polarises opinions and gives voices to each camp whereas those in the middle are often scared to speak their (balanced) minds for fear of coming under fire from the two opposite sides (I have just finished listening to the podcast 'The Witch Trials of JK Rowling' which also covered this in depth).

This wasn't a comfortable read with a happy ending, but it felt like an important read and was extremely engaging.

Absolutely loved every second of reading this and it hasn't left my mind since. RF Kuang has that something special that gets you hooked. This one was addictive and repulsive in equal measure, bringing us inside the pov of a narrator with a skewed perspective, An author who thinks she deserves the world and decides to take it for herself. It's deeply uncomfortable and biting - filled with scathing commentary on identity, racisim and self interest in the publishing industry.

I'll need to sit with this one for a bit, definitely not surprised it's proved to be another hit for this author.

Complex, layered, and at times brutal, and definitely timely. It's not an easy read however. There are moments that feel as many readers are excluded from knowing what the jokes are. Which is possibly a deliberate choice by Kuang? Her wonderful success with Babel and it's awards will bring readers flocking to Yellowface, but I feel as though it may be even more divisive that the poppy War books. In your face, semi-meta, examinations of race politics and performativity are needed, but not easy.

This is a boom I was sceptical to read as it is far from my usual reads buy I was pleasantly surprised. R.f kuang is an amazing author and so smart, I can't comprehend how someone could write such amazing books time and time again

I moved this one up the tbr because everyone seemed to be reading it and I didn’t want to be left out. And, like pretty much everyone else, I was gripped.

It’s such an easy read, a page-turner, but also has so much to say about publishing, monetising identity, racism, cancel culture, entitlement, loneliness and more.

I was slightly disappointed by the melodramatic ending, but that’s a minor complaint because I really couldn’t put it down.

Utterly delicious. A book that will appeal to many people but is likely to delight writers most of all.

"The truth is fluid."

An interesting and fun read following a main character who goes beyond the morally grey and unreliable.

The story plays with the reader's anxious and nervous energy, waiting for the story to further evolve and more details to come to light.

I did find that the pacing of the third act was more enjoyable than the earlier sections. I found that, personally, some of the heavier sections involving Twitter and other social media platforms sometimes interrupted the pacing of the overall story.

Overall the story remained interesting throughout, with a good characterisation showing the varying levels of human flaws and the overwhelming pressure of desire to succeed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I'd heard so much hype about this book I was extremely intrigue to see if it lived up to it!! I'm a bit 50/50 with it though. It was amazingly written & I got the dark satire side to the book but apart from growing to detest June Haywards character due to her lack of morals & the lengths she was willing to go to - to become famous- I can't say that the book held much more of a story for me. I was hoping for more of a twist from the character of Athena's mother maybe rather than a publisher's grudge! The book seemed to finish suddenly, although this could have been written that way in purpose, making me want to read how June's life continued. All in all an interesting read.

This is the second book I've read from R.F. Kuang and it did not disappoint at all. A satire on the publishing industry that focuses on the lack of diversity, rampant racism and cultural appropriation, all told from the POV of a white woman who has stolen her Asian friend's manuscript.

This was a very believable story and Kuang expertly balanced exposing facets of the publishing industry in a serious way but with a bit of humour. June was an extremely unlikeable character and I wanted to keep reading just to see what ridiculous thing she would say or do next.

The conversations June had with her peers were so eye-opening and though they may have seemed exaggerated it's not hard to believe that those conversations actually take place in the real world.

I also really enjoyed the thriller/suspense aspect of this book with Athena continuing to haunt June and make her think more about her actions - even if she still continued to make bad choices.

Overall, this was an instant 5 stars and I admire how Kuang is able to write so eloquently on so many different topics and in so many different genres.

What a great book!

In insight to the publishing world as it exposes that it is fifty shades of f**cked up.

It's probably not fair to put it all on the publishers, because social media and how we now have a sort of access to authors via social media is to also blame.

There was a time before twitter and Instagram and Facebook where we didn't have an insight to authors daily lives and beliefs and this book gave me anxiety reading about how quickly things on social media can get out of hand with no evidence.

I loved to hate June and it's always a special kind of writer that can make you enjoy reading about such a terrible character.

Definitely recommend!

“The best way to hide a lie is in plain sight.”
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This book is SO GOOD! I was completely hooked from the beginning and I binged it all in one sitting!
This story is equal parts addictive and infuriating. It’s like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion but being unable to look away.
Rebecca does not hold back in discussing the many issues in the publishing industry and book world and it was beautiful to behold.
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We follow June who watches her friend, Athena, die and then steals her manuscript, edits it and passes it off as her own. Getting a huge deal with so much publicity and is rebranded to look and sound ethnically ambiguous. She goes from June to Juniper Song and sees absolutely nothing wrong with any of what she does.
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June is an unreliable narrator who jumps through all the hoops to justify what she is doing and that she deserves all of it but when things go wrong for her, she does not take a step back to reflect. She digs her hole deeper and doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions.
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There are discussions around who gets to write which stories. How publishing fails BIPOC authors and so much more.
There are parts where June gets defensive when asked why she thinks it’s okay to profit off the trauma of Chinese labourers in WW1. She says she did research and she’s doing this FOR the BIPOC community because someone has to share these stories.
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It reminded me of so many instances that have happened over the last few years in the book community from an author saying they can write about Japanese inspired fantasy because they drank sake and watched anime to barbed wire cages as decor for a launch party for a book about a mexican mother & son migrating to the US. And just so many more!
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This book is a witty, satirical look into the publishing world and book industry with discussions on white privilege, racism, tokanism, cancel culture and more and I highly recommend you all read it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 5

📖 Athena Liu is a literary superstar. June Hayward is a failed writer and Athena’s “best friend”. When Athena dies (no spoilers, happens in the first sentence), June decides to steal Athena’s new manuscript and publish it as her own, under the racially ambiguous name of Juniper Song. As evidence threatens Juniper’s newfound success, how far will she go to cover her tracks?

💭 OK first off, I loved this book and think it will be in my top 10 of 2023. The writing is so razor sharp and I sped through it. Secondly, there are SO many things to talk about that it’s hard to contain them all within a caption, but I think this would make a fab book club read 🙌🏼

Essentially, this book is a scathing satire of the publishing industry. We have an unreliable, unlikeable, fame-hungry protagonist - and we’re stuck in her head. June manipulatively paints herself as a victim, believing that publishers are only interested in diverse writers and that she’s discriminated against as a white woman. We know she’s wrong, but her excuses seem so reasonable inside her own head, that you almost can’t help falling for them!

This book centres around the idea of cultural appropriation and who has the right to tell a story, particularly if it’s a story outside your own culture or heritage. It’s genius that Kuang wrote this through the “white gaze” of June, as it truly exposes how white privilege is so engrained within society.

Kuang also provides darkly compelling insights into the publishing industry, detailing both its racial bias and also how certain books are chosen to be bestsellers before they’re even released. I thought this provided interesting food for thought, and made me think about all those lesser-known books that don’t have a big marketing budget (shout out to Booksta for showcasing debut authors!).

I also loved the “meta” nature of this story, as June becomes obsessed with Bookstagram, Goodreads and Reddit. It felt like I could log into my phone at any time to check how the drama was unfolding ☕️

It was like a car crash - I knew it was all going to come crashing down for June, but it was fascinating and I couldn’t peel my eyes away.

Yellowface is R. F. Kuang's first venture into literary fiction and I really hope that she writes more novels in this genre. It is addictive, thrilling and sharp. The premise is really fun and excellently executed. Cleverly written, I would highly recommend this!

I really enjoyed this book. It was very different to what I'd usually read and I found it very different from Rebecca's usual fantasy worlds that being said I think she pulled it off perfectly. I found myself enraptured by the story and also June is my new favourite love to hate character!

I probably inhaled this book quicker than I did any other this year.

Yellowface is an addictive and clever thriller set in Washington D.C. about a literary heist and the most brazen of protagonists. June Hayward was in the same Yale graduating class as Athena Liu, but while Athena has flourished into a literary darling with three novels and a Netflix deal to her name, June's first novel never made it to paperback publication owing to poor sales.

Athena has a freak accident one evening and June is unable to intervene to save her. Before leaving Athena's apartment on the evening in question, June grabs the recently finished manuscript of her dead frenemy's new novel, a story about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I. And what starts as an exercise in proofreading and editing soon becomes a completion of the novel-in-progress, with June's name attached as author. The publishing industry have their part here too: They play up June’s nomadic childhood and publish the novel under the quirky and ethnically ambiguous birth name given to her by her hippie mother: Juniper Song.

Despite the growing controversary that surrounds the release, June basks in the glow of success, making excuses within herself to justify her actions, and always seeing herself as the victim in this scandal. But external forces continue to lay on the pressure, and the internet has its field day.

I found Yellowface to be an utterly gripping social commentary that is both zeitgeisty and very meta. It is essentially a book by a Chinese American author taking on the persona of a white American author who is pretending to be Chinese American, and in doing so tackles topics such as diversity, racism, cultural appropriation and the erasure of Asian-American or own voices by Western white society. It provides a fascinating look at authorship and cancel culture, and also offers quite the critique of the publishing machine! And it says a lot about art and the creative process: Is art authentic? Or is it all just an act in pilfering.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface will appeal to anyone who loves a riveting, tense story. It will also appeal to those interested in the book industry or those fascinated by literary controversies and social media spats.

I LOVED this book! And kudos to the author for THAT scene on the Exorcists Steps in Georgetown. It was the perfect setting given the tension, and it gave me chills. Just brilliant.
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