This is going to be one of those books that people will love or hate. And if you hate it… you probably need to do some introspection.

This book read like a train wreck. I couldn’t look away and yet I didn’t want to keep reading because June was just THE WORST! Props to Rebecca for writing the most unlikeable character ever. Like wow! Throughout this read, I kept being like “surely she can’t get worse!” And she DOES!

I love satire and the mark of a really great satire is how true to reality it seems even when it is totally bonkers. From some of what I have seen online, I know people like June exist. Rebecca did such a great job merging the reality of how people like June think with their inability to actually see their actions as anything but what they think is just.

Rambly review bc my thoughts are all over the place:

If you’re familiar at all with RFK and/or her books, then you can are definitely familiar with the way her voice and experiences shine through her prose. I know this bothered a lot of people in Yellowface particularly but I personally found it interesting and entertaining, as it really felt like I was being let in on some juicy piece of gossip. Moreover, in some ways, it was a bit amusing and thrilling to see how RFK’s experiences were reshaped and fashioned into a tool to expose the toxic undercurrents of the book community — including publishing companies, authors, and book reviewers.

However, as intriguing as it is to peak inside RFK’s brain, I question where the line exists between her experiences and the characters? At what point does fact become fiction? This may be obvious to some but as a reader, trying to identify that line is its own kind of madness and in some ways is part of the reading experience.

What I really enjoyed was RFK’s crafting of June and Athena, as two complex, unlikeable characters. At times, June’s frustration and jealousy are so undeniably human, so understandable until it veers and takes a sharp turn and we see how she attempts to justify certain actions by rooting them in seemingly logical points. We see June use certain arguments and fallacies in her reasoning which is something frequently reflected in book discourses. RFK has a talent for capturing how quickly things can get out of hand because of feelings of entitlement. As someone privy to the inner workings and dynamics of booktok in particular, I had the same feelings of exhaustion that I do with real-life out of pocket behaviour.

The revelations we get of Athena’s actions prior to her death were so interesting and I wish we got to read more about it but I think it throws an interesting wrench into the question of who gets to write about those experiences. On a side note, it actually felt sinister reading how certain aspects of people's lives (that the characters had personal proximity to) were commodified and rebranded for fiction — which speaks to the complexity of having a right to representation. Moreover, Athena’s personality in particular was really fitting for this question and plot. Does being an asshole justify the theft of her work? Obviously not but RFK skillfully posits the reader into Junes brain that such an action almost feels justified — if not for the clear racist and xenophobic undertones.

Athena and June, in some ways, are mirrors of one another. Questions of who gets to write about what experiences is a connecting thread between the two and something that RFK forces the reader to try to answer time and time again until the reader themselves feels a bit crazy.

June and Athena’s dynamic, as short-lived as it was, was entirely fascinating. Before Athena’s untimely demise, we see a sliver of potential in their dynamic, a possibility of true kinship between June and Athena before it's violently ripped away. I think that's what makes what follows a bit tragic. Combined with the toxicity of the publishing industry, the possibility of something healthier is ground beneath its feet.

This novel cumulates into a horror show of sorts by the last third of the book, when the plot reaches ridiculous, unrealistic, dramatic heights. It was also at this last quarter of the book that there were so many interesting elements that shone through that I wish were expanded or described in more detail.

Overall, this was truly a binge-read. RFK’s imitation of a rambling Twitter feed is so accurate that at one point I felt so sick and exhausted, and if RFKs goal was to make the reader feel like they were going in circles that left them feeling insane, then her goal was achieved.

Hm.

I wish a review could be a single word. This is probably not the kind of book for me, and I really only know RF Kuang from what close friend of mine has told me about how Babylon had problematic representation for her homeland and how Kuang has avoided being part of that conversation, so when this book comes to reviews and criticisms that feel like things Kuang has experienced .... it's a bit too close to the "person in your writing seminar wrote a short story about how all the people in a writing seminar are assholes" vibe for me. One day I'll read the Poppy War trilogy, and I'll probably come back to this book after and see if my opinions have changed.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

This was my first R. F. Kuang novel (I know, I know. I WILL be reading more). And I’m blown away by her voice. I initially came into this book thinking it was nonfiction about Kuang’s experience with the publishing industry. Color me shocked when I first started reading the novel. And how much I LOVED it.
It was such a fascinating read - a very unlikeable character who at the same time was convinced that she wasn’t nearly as bad as others. I’m currently reading the “You” series and although a bit extreme, June reminded me of Joe Goldberg. That no matter how terrible they were - they were convinced that what they were doing was okay. Even justified.
I wasn’t sure where this book was going most of the time. Stuff would happen and I would go “okay now what?” And I was never disappointed with the way this story went.
And as someone who grew up in a conservative home in a conservative town, I noticed the similarities of my young thoughts in June’s head. And breathed a sigh of relief that I am out of that situation and relearning everything I was initially taught. This book is not necessarily shocking, but such a good look into the brain of someone who claims they are progressive and yet is determined white women are the real victims in publishing. Baffling and yet a stunning story. I LOVED it!

I LOVED this book. I am so glad I was able to read the advanced reader's copy. It was phenomenal and I cannot wait to read more of R.F. Kuang's work. I finished the book wanting more.

This book was the first thing I've read from R.F. Kuang and it guaranteed that I'll read everything she writes. Her mastery of language and her cutting critique of the literary world made for a fast-paced read. I'll be purchasing my own physical copy when this book comes out because it's one that I see myself re-reading. I don't often purchase books or re-read them. My only critique is that it felt like R.F. Kuang wasn't sure how to end the book without making it feel very genre. I like genre fiction and there's nothing wrong with writing it, but the ending felt out of place. It went from suspenseful literary fiction to something else entirely. It could also just be a me issue and the ending may work better for other readers.

This book requires the reader to be willing to think and engage in the text. But, it is so rewarding to do so as each layer of what the author is writing comes into play. It follows June who takes her friend's unfinished manuscript after her death. Now it happens to be that Athena was Chinese American, and the book was a World War 1 Chinese labor camp. But, each new moment has the reader questioning June's choices, ownership of writing, and who really has claim to "untold" stories. It's outstandingly done. RF Kaung takes a black and white issue and reminds the reader that every situation has shades of grey to it.

What an absolute barn burner of a book (especially of that barn was the bookternet). Kuang's eviscerating commentary on who can tell which stories and the book internet's fury feels ripped from the headlines of your favorite book blog. You'll hate the main character in the best way.

WOW. For starters, I could not put Yellowface down. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, as the author has primarily written SciFi/Fantasy before this - and this is decidedly not SciFi/Fantasy. Yellowface was shocking in its conclusions, and at the same time, the ending was not surprising. This is certainly a book that traffics in the grey areas, and leaves us unsure who really should "win" in the end. Not being an author myself, the insider look at the book publishing industry was shocking, but certainly rang true from what I know about books. Yellowface never really lets you get comfortable rooting for any of these characters, and it leaves you feeling more than a little unsettled. At one point, I had to force myself to put it down, because I could see where the action was going, and it all made me feel so uncomfortable. This is a novel that deals in hard truths, and doesn't spare any person, or type or person, from it's withering criticism. I will whole-heartedly be recommending this one to my more bookish readers.

I am shocked that Babel and Yellowface were written by the same author. Not from the quality standpoint, but from the ability to craft multiple nuanced stories with more depth than the Mariana Trench. A must purchase.

Content warnings: racism, white privilege, choking, death

A slight caution to readers who will pick up YELLOWFACE because they have read either The Poppy War trilogy or BABEL... if you expect this book to be anything like those books, you'll be disappointed. Sure YELLOWFACE (like Kuang's other novels) tackles the tough topics of racism and colonialism... but the plot and writing style of YELLOWFACE is entirely different.

Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about YELLOWFACE as a novel. This is full of sardonic, dark humor as Kuang explores how white-centric publishing (and readers) are - and a lot of it has been pulled directly out of recent authors' bad behaviors and drama between Goodreads reviewers and Twitter discourse. Which makes me wonder how this book will age if/when these social media platforms are no longer thriving, even though the issues will still be alive and well unfortunately. Our protagonist June Hayward isn't a good person, and she's not meant to be, and truth be told, Athena Liu isn't a great person either. But this isn't a novel about liking or cheering for a character, and I can see how Kuang will face harsh criticism from a certain type of reader because of this novel... which actually will just prove Kuang's point in the end.

YELLOWFACE is well written and is an important topic. For those readers who lean into contemporary literary fiction, I think they'll really enjoy it. Me personally? I preferred Kuang's other works better, but that's not to say this isn't a solidly good novel.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

GRACIAS a Harper Collins y Netgalley por la copia avanzada!!!

Que hermoso delirio es este libro. Me encanta como la autora tomó la mayoría de las críticas que le suelen hacer a ella y las incluía en la trama o tomaba cosas tipicas que podes ver en las redes hoy en dia con muchos autores . Definitivamente es un libro para leer si ya conoces a la autora y ya leiste minimo uno de sus trabajos, no lo recomendaría como primera lectura.
Es diferente pero muy interesante, le tenía muy poca fe porque sólo había visto reseñas malas pero personalmente yo lo disfrute mucho.

An amazing, searing, and meta look at the publishing industry. June, while unlikable and unreliable, makes it hard to put this book down. She had me cringing so hard at points in her internal monologue, but it added so much to this story. Such a smart, brilliant work. A must read.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @harpercollinsinternational for an early copy of Yellowface by @kuangrf. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Yellowface tells the story of June Hayward, a struggling author who after witnessing her friend Athena Liu’s (an Asian American cross-genre literary darling) death, steals her just finished and unpublished masterpiece. Athena’s work is a novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during WW1. June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work, she gets rebranded as Juniper Song despite being white. She deems this novel that depicts history deserves to be told, whoever the writer is. As the book is published and gets popular and June receives her royalties, she can’t get away from Athena’s shadow as the emerging evidence of her stealing Athena’s work threatens her success. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Babel was one of my top 3 reads in 2022, and Yellowface may be just the same for this year. If you found Babel quite daunting, Yellowface is much more intimidatingly impressive. Despite having an awful protagonist with misplaced values, the storytelling was very engaging and engrossing. It paints a picture of how difficult it is in the world of publishing and how June navigates it as a struggling author. She’s jealous of Athena’s success and couldn’t help but steal her work for a moment of fame. It was also interesting how Kuang integrates racism in June/Athena’s novel The Last Front, within publishing and the overall story itself, as June, who is white, publishes a novel about Chinese laborers; she gets a lot of questions about this throughout the book – what gives her the authority to write about Asians with her being white? Additionally,

Yellowface also covers the disadvantages of social media. You know how most of us are so engrossed in the latest tea? Think about how the subject/person feels. It made me ponder and empathize with June regarding how she felt being bashed on social media despite her horribleness.

Once again, Kuang gives us a thought-provoking novel that will make us angry, think, and ponder. Rating this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5! Releases May 16th, 2023.

Is there anything Rebecca Kuang can't write? Just like The Poppy War and Babel, Kuang once again takes on a relevant and heavy topic-- this book is insightful, thought-provoking, and doesn't shy away from anything. Such courageous and unapologetic writing. Definitely getting one for our collection.

I read this book and listened to the audio book - this was immediately engrossing, the narrator is most infuriating and her lack of self-awareness was frustrating, and as the book moved along, she became a little more self aware at least in regards to what she wanted in this life. The truths about publishing and about dominant culture and defensiveness and fragility were excellently portrayed.

This book was thoughtful, shocking, and has stuck with me since I finished it weeks ago. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters, and appreciated the comments this book made on the publishing industry. While the plot stalled here and there, I ultimately enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.

Update 4/2: I’m STILL thinking about this book. That doesn’t happen often because I’m always on to the next. With that said, GREAT job to RF Kuang.

Original review 3/30:
Stellar writing, good plot, interesting and thoughtful subversion, and overall a really interesting commentary on diversity in publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow / Harper Collins for the ARC.

I was expecting to love this book, so these 3 stars are a big disappointment.

Let's start with characters. Juniper was obviously supposed to be unlikable, which it's fine, but I think her portrayal changed too often between big bad villain and humanized bad person. She was also too inconsistent in what she said and what she did. The reveal in the end was too obvious for me, so the fact that Juniper was so completely oblivious was very annoying.

I understand the discussion about publishing, and I'm sure this conversation will be more relatable to writers and people involved in publishing. But I get it, and I really think it's an interesting and important discussion. And although there was some nuance, many parts, in my opinion, were too heavy-handed and were just exposition of the themes, which fit awkwardly in a fiction book.

So overall, it was not a bad book, the plot was interesting to keep me intrigued, but it really missed for me in the characters and the way the themes were explored in some parts.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley to which I am very grateful. Babel and The Poppy Wars were some of my favorite reads of 2022 but despite this novel being immaculately written, I did not like it. The big picture of the plot was interesting but the ending felt rushed. I didn’t like or dislike any characters. The book is just okay.