The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2023

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

It’s been incredible watching R.F. Kuang effortlessly genre-hop over the last few years. SFF readers know her from the epic fantasy trilogy The Poppy War, but then she dazzled with last year’s Babel, an alternate-history fantasy that takes down British colonialism by way of magic-infused silver bars activated by the power of translation. While Yellowface is her first book more rooted in realism, it’s clearly a tonal successor to Babel, as a satirical literary thriller skewering the publishing industry’s deep-rooted diversity problems.

Rising author June Hayward watches fellow Yale grad Athena Liu outshine her in their debut year, but when Athena dies in a freak accident, leaving behind a brilliant unpublished manuscript, June leaps at the chance to rebrand herself as ambiguously ethnic Juniper Song. Because what’s most important is telling this woman of color’s story, even if a white woman has stolen it… right?

Wow! Yellowface was an absolute wild ride. I loved this book and R.F. Kuang's writing really made me think. While it was a departure from her other books, it showed the breadth of her skill as a writer. I particularly loved how Kuang brought us into the mind of June. She inhabited this character well in her writing.

I loved this book. The unlikeable characters and ultimate conclusion. This reminded me a lot of Disorientation.

I realized by a third of the way into the book that the title, Yellowface, refers to the old practice of using ethnic white actors to portray East Asian characters in film and on stage.

The title was fitting for this novel, I thought, as the main character and book narrator, June Hayward, not only stole the unpublished manuscript of her Yale college friend - acclaimed Chinese American author, Athena Liu - but also tried to claim to be Chinese by changing her name from June Hayward to Juniper Song. Her book photograph also made her seem to be Asian.

Athena's book detailed the World War I Chinese Corps of workers who went to Europe to help the Allies by doing the drudge work of war. June had to justify knowledge of that subject matter and appear to be an expert also on the Chinese and Chinese history.

This was a complex novel as it was told from only June's point of view. I didn't know whether to hate or to pity her for her devious strategies to gain fame and fortune from the stolen manuscript and to maintain her false identity as a Chinese writer.

I saw the book had two purposes, however, to show the history of Yellowfacing and racism, and also to reveal the pitfalls of the publishing industry for writers. June felt the publishing world's need for diversity, which led them to focus on promoting promising authors like Athena Liu, giving extra publicity and help to get a book on its way.

I thought this novel was a brilliant addition to literary fiction and Asian American literature.

The hype surrounding Yellowface is REAL, my friends. Or it was for me, at least.

This book is wild. An absolute train wreck that you can’t help but devour. So cringy in its believability. Juniper Song is the quintessential privileged white woman and this book so clearly demonstrates racism in publishing that it is jarring at times. It is exceptionally written (I love that it was told in first person narrative) and I will definitely be buying a physical trophy for my shelf!

Amazing novel. Poignant and entertaining but also very interesting. I couldn’t wait to read this and once I started, I couldn’t stop. Trailblazer author with wit and determination for storytelling .

This is my first R.F. Kuang book and I could NOT put it down from the moment I started it. The main character is just this despicable person who honestly, isn't that different from a lot of white people you know. Her microaggressions and casual racism are so woven into her defense of stealing this book that she almost sounds reasonable. It's crazy. I absolutely loved this title and I can't wait to see more of Kuang's work.

I give this book four stars because, one, it’s highly entertaining. For maybe the first fifty pages or so the writing felt a bit dry, though when the plot picks up, I found myself so curious to know: will this white woman who stole an Asian American woman’s work get caught?? Will she confront her own insecurities that led to this? Is Athena actually dead?? R.F. Kuang creates a selfish, self-absorbed main character in June Hayward, with a consistent voice that kept me engaged in Yellowface’s story.

I also think this book does open up important conversations. Yes, at times it makes its point bluntly/crudely and in an obvious way, though through this satire Kuang raises deeper questions too, such as whether anyone can remain truly ethical or generous in a brutally capitalist publishing industry. I liked how Kuang didn’t make Athena a perfect character because by doing so, she highlights how people of color can engage in problematic and oppressive practices too.

So even though I didn’t agree with all of Kuang’s satirical commentary in Yellowface (e.g., I think Asian Americans should be asked hard, critical questions about glorifying whiteness both in dating partners and in other areas of life), I respect that she seized a popular topic in the publishing industry and made a novel out of it. The exaggerated nature of satire doesn’t always lend itself to a deeper emotional connection with the characters or the story, though I don’t think a deep emotional connection is necessarily the point of this novel. Overall, while I don’t see this novel breaking into my top ten list at the end of this year, I found it an interesting read and one that may be fun to discuss.

*also, just to add, this type of thing is still happening all the time, including in other industries. Recently I saw a white woman publish a research paper on Black and Latinx mothers and when I emailed her and asked about her research practices with these communities, she literally just ignored me. And, as I've written about in at least one other review, one time I gently called in a white woman for doing her dissertation on Asian American women (with no Asian American women as coauthors) and she called me aggressive and "untrusting." sigh!

QUICK TAKE: I liked the overall story, didn't love the narrative device (felt like a big 300-page exposition dump). Definitely biting satire that takes down the publishing industry that I thought was clever and really well-done.

I don't want to comment much to not spoil anything but god...the main character really made me lose my mind at the end 🤡 delulu till the last moments girl get help

How cutthroat is the publishing industry and getting a book published? This book, man. Whew! Junie has had a book published, but it didn't do very well. Her friend/not friend, Athena, has written a bestseller and has everything Junie wants. When Junie sees Athena die in a freak accident, she steals the book Athena has just finished. Then, craziness ensues. This book was so good! It really shows just how hard it is to make it as an author, but also the things people may be willing to do to make it big. Loved it!

A razor sharp satirical look at publishing, race and creative theft. June (a mediocre, struggling White author) is given the chance in a lifetime when her arch rival Athena Liu (Talented, successful, Asian) dies right in front of her....leaving behind an unpublished manuscript. What's June supposed to do? *Not* take it and write it under her own name??? The train wreck that follows is pretty much what you'd imagine but it's still extremely enjoyable.

When I found out that R.F. Kuang was writing a contemporary novel, I was super excited to see what she would come up with. I fell in love with R.F. Kuang’s fantasy, specifically The Poppy War series. I did enjoy Babel, but nothing can really top my love for The Poppy War.

While Yellowface is a contemporary story, it was a genre bending story. At times it was thrilling and even a touch gothic. This is not Kuang’s typical writing style, but more simplistic. This made for a fast-paced and easy to digest story.

I tend to struggle with unreliable narrators, however I found that I had to keep reading about this awful main character, Juniper. She was consumed by her jealousy and driven to do horrible things by her ambition. Parts of this book were deeply uncomfortable to read.

Yellowface is a needed look at the problematic nature of the publishing industry, including racism, white privilege, diverse representation only centering around trauma, etc. The way Kuang approaches this topic was absolutely brilliant.

While I liked how Kuang left things open ended at the end of this book, the ending did feel rushed and abrupt. Despite my slight issues with the ending, this was a compelling read.

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review***

This is one of the best books of the year! I have never read anything like this before. Kuang is an incredibly gifted storyteller, she really made me think and question how I speak and my moral compass. Highly recommend!

While it did get a little repetitive at times, this was definitely a thought provoking book on who should be able to write about what. I really liked it and definitely have some students that I would recommend it to.

Yellowface is a (satirical) account of a white woman named June Hayward who has published a book but is struggling to find success in the industry and inspiration for her next project. Athena Liu, June’s fellow Yale classmate, is a rising star and adored in the publishing world. One evening June and Athena meet for a night out and Athena meets her demise in an accidental choking. June steals, edits and sends Athena’s, now passed off as her own, manuscript to her agent. What transpires is a whirlwind of success for June, entirely based off a stolen manuscript. When allegations come out against June’s legitimacy, we see just how far a person is willing to go to keep her secret.

In this immersive first-person voice, Kuang places us, the readers, in the unhinged mind of June. By sitting in June’s seat, we are privy to her inner thoughts, delusions really, and her ability to twist everything to benefit her and make herself the victim. The constant justification of her criminal, racist, entitled, and abusive actions was insane to witness.

The other part of this book was the unveiling or peeking behind the curtain if you will, into the publishing world. Kuang does not hold back, and we should commend her for it, because she delves into racism, misogyny, plagiarism, privilege and so much more that is still prevalent in the publishing industry. The most meta book I’ve ever read – a twist of the knife into the publishing industry and the ultimate experiment.

Watching this story unfold had my eyes glued to the pages, my stomach in knots and my emotions raging. Thank you @hccfrenzy for sending me an advanced copy, 4✨!

This might just be my favorite book of 2023, and we're not even done with September yet. I could not put this down -- R. F. Kuang has outdone herself!

My first RF Kuang book ever did not disappoint! This literary satire novel is just fabulous and everyone needs to read it!

This book was absolutely stunning. I've only read The Poppy Wars so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the twists and turns of this book just absolutely sucked me in. 10/10 read.

Yellowface is a book that you have to consume all at once, there's almost no way to stop yourself. This book had me feeling so many different emotions. I was feeling bad for people I shouldn't have felt bad for and rooting for lies while also hating everyone involved. It is important and has a lot of worthwhile commentary.