A blistering critique of the publishing world, this breakneck satire is compulsively readable and so addictive it feels like a crime. It’s sharp, no-holds-barred, and sparks conversations that can only get more and more important.

RF Kuang has such a distinctive voice that really shines in ‘Yellowface’. In its way, it’s an exposé on the publishing industry and its bad business, racism, and misogyny, to name a few.

In a way, I feel like I’ve read this before because it’s so obviously based on actual publishing issues, Twitter and Goodreads drama, reviewer spaces, etc. Writing from the point of view of the “bad guy” was a great decision from Kuang, it starts and slowly builds into something that made me feel a little bit insane as I was reading. There’s an almost Hitchcock feel. Obviously this whole situation was nuts! But June’s character is written so well, it almost makes you forget she’s the villain. Which of course is the point and it’s excellently done. Groupthink and manipulation, especially through social media, happens so easily.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reads like a thriller and confronts issues like whether anyone has more of a right to tell a given story than anyone else, why we allow the rampant ebb and flow of social media to wield the power it does, and where humanity fits in chewing up and spitting people out. Excellent.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

This was the first of Kuang’s books that I've read and now I’m chomping at the bit to read more. The story itself is exciting and interesting, and the characters were extremely well-written. I loved that I didn't like June, but I didn't want to put down the book (I've found that sometimes when a protagonist is incredibly unlikable, they can be hard to read). I can see why this book is getting the acclaim that it is, it's well deserved. There was a point in time when I wanted to work in publishing, so it was extra interesting to see into the publishing world. I really loved this book and am excited to read more of Kuang's work. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

I have never in my life encountered a character with more satirical unhinged audacity and a complete lack of both self and cultural awareness, than Juniper Song.

This book follows June Hayward, a struggling author, who is perpetually jealous of her close friend, Athena Liu, a bestselling writer. When Athena dies, June seizes the opportunity to publish Athena’s last novel on the ‘unsung contributions of Chinese labourers during World War I’ under her own name… Well, her new name, the racially ambiguous ‘Juniper Song’.
What follows is discourse on who can write about cultural experiences that aren’t theirs, the viciousness of the court of public opinion, morality in the face of losing everything, the systemic flaws in the publishing industry and, internal to Juniper… delusional white entitlement that knows no bounds.

June has convinced herself that her years of bad karma in the publishing industry, subtle belittlement at the hands of her friend Athena, and her hard work editing Athena’s novel, have entitled her to her actions (and spared her from the consequences).

Interestingly enough, despite the countless moments where I was wincing and flinching and recoiling from the abhorrent behaviours in this book, the most shocking part was that it wasn’t shocking at all. If you’re white and you read this and can’t see yourself in it even a little… you’re not looking hard enough. This book is a magnifying glass held up to western society, to the publishing industry, and to the very real (and not always subtle) culture of oppression and indignity that Asian communities continue to experience.

This book caused visceral reactions in me, yes, but more importantly, it caused a lot of pause and introspection. I highly recommend it, I’ve never read anything like it. Thank you for the ARC, Harper Collins 💛

Juniper "Junie" Song Hayward goes out with Yale classmate and coincidental acquaintance Athena Liu. Athena is celebrating her publishing success, as well as her latest Netflix deal. Junie has not attained this level of success, but she has also published with a smaller press. Junie simmers with envy, but she tries to be a fun companion as they celebrate Athena's successes. At the end of the night, Athena chokes on a pancake and drops dead. Junie has Athena's latest WIP in her bag. Thus begins the darkly funny and satirical journey of Junie as she shortens her name to "Junie Song" and appropriates Athena's writing and culture as her own.

R.F. Kuang writes a bitingly sharp and intelligent novel about racism, white superiority, cultural appropriation, and publishing. Junie manages to bury herself deeper and deeper into scandal and the dilemma she has created for herself looms larger and larger. This is also a critique of the publishing industry. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback. Loved this thriller, it's very different from Kuang's other works but hits hard.

This book was incredibly enjoyable.
The fast-paced plot was written in such a comical way that even though it is an extremely relevant critique, it goes down quite easily. As crazy as the main character gets, she never fails to one-up herself with her next terrible decision (to my exasperated amusement).
Yellowface is my top read for 2023 so far.

An excellent commentary on racism and cultural appropriation specifically in the publishing industry! You can definitely tell that the author was passionate about this narrative and had a clear vision about what she wanted to achieve. The narrator is purposefully an awful person with her actions making the reader feel like they're watching a car crash in slow motion. It's horrible but you just can't stop watching.

”Who has the right to write about suffering?”

Have you ever read a book that is so timely and effective in its message that you do not feel the slightest bit qualified to review it? That your thoughts on such a masterpiece are not even worthy of being put to paper, literally or figuratively, because they are trite, vapid, and banal in comparison to the quality of the text being discussed? That’s how I feel trying to put the proverbial pen to paper with my thoughts on YELLOWFACE.

Is this book satire? Obviously and not quite so much. What I mean is, it’s clearly satire, but to an extent that these characters are not exact flesh and blood, but the issues discussed in this book are far from farcical. Most reviewers have noticed the central themes in YELLOWFACE rearing their ugly head in the real world, especially in the past few years, so it is refreshing and exhilarating to read a fictional novel encompassing these issues in a way that only R.F. Kuang could create.

”Give me your bruises and hurts, she told us, and I will return to you a diamond.”

Let’s be clear: June is not a character that you will feel empathy for. She will not be redeemed, rooted for, or endeared by the end; however, watching her downfall is oddly satisfying in a way that I cannot quite explain. The insight into the process of releasing a book with a Big Five publisher is compelling and intriguing, and it’s, sadly, easy to see how something like this story could transpire. The beauty of this tale is no one is safe from criticism; Kuang makes it clear that there are various forms of privilege that transpire across lines of race, class, gender, etc., and every single character really has something to answer for.

In one word: Brilliant.

A terrific page-turner. And so relatable on many levels for writers of any stripe because of how Kuang dives deep into how the publishing industry works. The line that stayed with me the most and that I've been quoting the most to fellow writer friends is about how bestsellers don't happen, they're chosen by an elite, select group of gatekeepers. Ain't that the truth?

Yellowface is a speculative fiction novel by R.F. Kuang, published in 2023. The novel follows the story of Juniper (June) Song Hayward, a female caucasian, and Athena Lee, a young Chinese-American woman who was a highly revered author who writes about Asian heritage. June and Athena were together on the last night of Athena’s life when she suddenly chokes and dies in front of June. Right before Athena dies, June stumbled upon Athena’s latest and highly secretive manuscript in which Athena asks June to do a read over and let Athena know what June thinks. This is important: Athena has no computer when she types her manuscripts out. She uses an antiqued typewriter and puts all her notes into a moleskin journal. June, being too drunk with Athena, puts the manuscript into her bag and tells Athena, they both are too drunk and she will review it when she is sober. With the sudden and shocking death of Athena, June has the only copy of Athena’s last work.

Yellowface is a well-written and exciting novel that explores themes of identity, race, and power. Kuang's writing is sharp and witty, and her characters are complex and believable. You may not like any of the characters but as you continue reading and peeling back each layer, you realize how realistic the flaws are. Not just these two people but all the characters in the novel.

Speaking of flaws, Yellowface is not without its flaws. The plot is sometimes convoluted, and the pacing can be uneven. Additionally, the novel's treatment of race and identity is somewhat simplistic.
Overall, Yellowface is an enjoyable and thought-provoking novel that is well worth reading. However, readers should be aware of its flaws before reading it.

Triggers ⚠️: diaspora, canceled culture, woke, racism, suicide, rape, and cyber bullying.

Writing Style: 3.5/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Pace: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Intrigue: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Thank. you to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for my e-copy for an unbiased review.

What a brilliantly-done satire—the critiques of publishing and privilege in the industry are sharply drawn, and June's character—while disturbing—is fully-developed into a person I understand. A thriller that mad me laugh in horror and will be lingering with me for a long time.

It really gets at the way white liberals give themselves a pass on racism because at least they didn’t vote for Trump and some of their best friends aren’t white.

I'd be really interested to see how this book to received by non-book people. It's a really nuanced conversation, that this book gives all sides a voice. Really interesting to read as a member of the book community.

This book is extremely readable. It’s told from June’s perspective, the ultimate unreliable narrator, and it reads like a casual conversation with your most try hard white liberal work friend. She’s v basic. I applaud Kuang for really taping into that voice. Where the novel stutters for me is that being with that character for so long (300+ pages) stops being interesting and gets a touch boring. Same can be said for the plot. It starts strong and is very provocative but ultimate it fizzles as the story unfolds and tries to figure out how to end.
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YELLOWFACE is full of critique for publishing, white creatives, and consumer culture as a whole. There are clearly pieces of this book that are ripped from the headlines (if not Kuang’s own experiences and observations) and they resonated with me as I read. The flip side to that praise is that this book feels dated. So much of what is said here has been hashed out publicly online for the last 5-10 years (if not longer). This book didn’t say anything new, nor did it pack a new punch. It felt tame given what we’re living through and especially for a work of satire on racism and ownership.

This book by R.F. is brilliant. To write a notice in the villain's voice and accurately depict the thought process of the villain's behaviour.

Although the characters seem extreme, the message is apparent.

June has stolen the manuscript of her "friend" when she dies in a freak accident. June will never feel remorse for her actions - she has the all too familiar mindset where she can easily justify anything. At no point is there remorse for her effort, only remorse for the consequences

Although June is extreme, she is not an unknown type of person - the little things she does are very clearly steeped in racism and microseism.
June doesn't want to understand the story of the minority. She would instead assume they have it easier because of their ability to gain from their struggles.

The ending was also fantastic and reminiscent of how this situation pane out in real life.

I loved this read, especially for its brilliance in writing

A stunning and smart look at the publishing industry from the inside out. R.F. Kuang is a scholar in many areas, and publishing politics is clearly one of them. It's also plain fun to read, totally engrossing, with intriguing but simple elements of mystery that will appeal to those who aren't even traditional mystery readers (like myself).

YES! This book was so good. It left me feeling totally unsettled because despite DESPISING the main character, I was also rooting for her! I kept thinking of the American Dirt scandal while reading this one and I loved the way Kuang gave the reader what felt like insider info about publishing. It's an interesting catch-22 of a plot as well, because Athena was also not that likeable. Loved it. I will read anything Kuang writes.