frankieclc's review against another edition
4.0
Went a lil off the rail in places and that's the only reason it wasn't a 5, the conversations made were incredible
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a chance find on Kindle yesterday; after reading Yellowface, the algorithm clearly wanted to give me another amazing take on academia and it’s dark side.
Someone wrote ‘I hope Michael and Stephen step on LEGOs’ in a review and I really felt that 😂 Their despicable treatment of people always left my jaw hanging.
Spoiler
What’s very sinister and twisted about this book is that especially at the beginning, it leads you to believe they are the ‘good guys’, and that you almost want to root for Ingrid and Stephen’s relationship 😦I really appreciated Ingrid and felt a big pull to her throughout this tale. Her growth is undeniable ✨ I also loved Eunice (Yoon) and what a good friend she was to Ingrid throughout ✨
Initially Vivian got under my skin (as was most likely intended by the author), but she started to grow on me.
Spoiler
AZUMI THOUGH. I’m not going to lie, I was shocked when Stephen revealed that she was in fact, not a sex worker and had come from an affluent family, but I also thought… Props to her 🤷🏻♀️4.5 out of 5 stars ✨
Would definitely recommend! 👏🏼
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Racial slurs
beanmilkcantread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Stalking
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence
danidamico's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
La autora Elaine Hsieh Chou logra construir un texto gracioso y perturbador en partes iguales, explorando las distintas formas en las que el racismo afecta particularmente a las mujeres asiáticas, desde la subestimación e infantilización en el ámbito académico, pasando por la fetichización sexual y la misoginia. El tono de la novela me hizo acordar un poco a Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead de Emily Austin, una de mis lecturas favoritas del año pasado. Comparten un sentido del humor absurdo, algo tragicómico, y protagonistas neuróticas y algo problemáticas. Me gustó mucho el desarrollo de Ingrid, en general suelo sentirme identificada con ese tipo de personajes.
Sí tengo que decir que algunas partes de la trama me parecieron un poco predecibles, en especial el descubrimiento que Ingrid hace alrededor del 30% del libro. Creo que el impacto del
Spoiler
caso de Rachel Dolezal y otros académicosGraphic: Misogyny, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Deportation and Hate crime
ilyevebabitz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Drug use, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Violence, Drug abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Slavery, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Outing, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
anitaconchita's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There were a lot of details that threw me off and made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief and enjoyment, even for a satire (How does a 7th year grad student get so close to her defense without her committee seeing ANY chapters?! And Steven is so gross from the very start. Ew.), but I enjoyed it overall. It took me a while to get into it, but worth it ultimately. So many moments where I cackled and laughed out loud.
Minor: Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Misogyny
dfrancis's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Racism, Misogyny, and Hate crime
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Colonisation, and Sexism
arireadsitall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Hate crime, and Misogyny
luckyone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Addiction, Racism, and Stalking