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aurora4847's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs, Violence, Islamophobia, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Deportation
michellewords's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
What a surprising book!
Yellowface was so good on so many different levels. On its surface-it's a story about Juniper Hayward/Song, who is friends with a super cool Asian-American writer. During one of their outings, there is a terrible accident and Juniper/June finds a draft for her friend's next novel on Chinese Labor Camps in Canada. June takes the draft and adapts it as her own. During her publishing journey she must face the role of race in publishing as a white woman writing/adapting a book on the Asian experience. (I still feel like that description is too poor for all that this book is--but I gave it my best shot).
At the end of this book, I feel like it's a wonderful re-telling of the Telltale Heart with a book as the heart that beats under the floorboards. June tried to keep the book for herself, but the book didn't keep her secret.
Also how does Kuang do that? They capture so much around racial issues in publishing. As an aspiring white woman author, I can relate to some of this story in a big way. I can't necessarily relate the Asian experience, but this book broke it down so well that I could see that side a lot better too. It's such an eye-opening book in so many ways. It would be a really good book club book for the discussion alone.
This one will leave you thinking, but it's also got one hell of a plot that keeps you guessing and reading as you go. Highly recommend.
TW: Rape, SA
Yellowface was so good on so many different levels. On its surface-it's a story about Juniper Hayward/Song, who is friends with a super cool Asian-American writer. During one of their outings, there is a terrible accident and Juniper/June finds a draft for her friend's next novel on Chinese Labor Camps in Canada. June takes the draft and adapts it as her own. During her publishing journey she must face the role of race in publishing as a white woman writing/adapting a book on the Asian experience. (I still feel like that description is too poor for all that this book is--but I gave it my best shot).
At the end of this book, I feel like it's a wonderful re-telling of the Telltale Heart with a book as the heart that beats under the floorboards. June tried to keep the book for herself, but the book didn't keep her secret.
Also how does Kuang do that? They capture so much around racial issues in publishing. As an aspiring white woman author, I can relate to some of this story in a big way. I can't necessarily relate the Asian experience, but this book broke it down so well that I could see that side a lot better too. It's such an eye-opening book in so many ways. It would be a really good book club book for the discussion alone.
This one will leave you thinking, but it's also got one hell of a plot that keeps you guessing and reading as you go. Highly recommend.
TW: Rape, SA
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
katiepotatey's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
josmrrs's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Sexual assault
miranda_alexis's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
espressa_books's review against another edition
I was nervous going into this book, since I thought the writing would be heavier so that was a pleasant surprise. While the writing and premise were interesting, I just felt it was not for me. I did find it ironic that the MC complained about Athena’s writing going on tangents when this book seemed to. I even skipped to chapter 19 from chapter 12 and read the whole chapter and felt like I didn’t miss anything besides skipping about 100 pages… the MC was intentionally unlikeable, as well as everyone else, so it was not an enjoyable book. It was a very easy to read book while tackling a heavy topic but I feel like it just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
themaciface's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
Read if you mean it when you say we need more fictional women who are just fucking evil.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
danny100's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
10/10 for content
7/10 for the story itself
I think that this is a book everyone should read. If even half of what was said or done in this book is actually happening in real life, we have a huge problem in publishing and the bookworld. I did find the story itself to be boring but I carried on reading because I thought that the FMC couldn't get worse. Spoiler: She did.
The FMC was written to be a tragic and blindly racist idiot, which is exactly what she came across as. Besides being racist, she truely is her own worst enemy. So desperate to find fame and so obsessed with Athena. I'll never understand how someone can be dumb enough to steal and still set themselves up to be exposed multiple times. If you're going to be stupid, at least be smart about it.
Was she seeing ghosts because she felt guilty? Because if she was worried about being found out, she certainly wouldn't have continuously given herself away!
Anyway, not the book of the year but definitely glad that I read it.
7/10 for the story itself
I think that this is a book everyone should read. If even half of what was said or done in this book is actually happening in real life, we have a huge problem in publishing and the bookworld. I did find the story itself to be boring but I carried on reading because I thought that the FMC couldn't get worse. Spoiler: She did.
The FMC was written to be a tragic and blindly racist idiot, which is exactly what she came across as. Besides being racist, she truely is her own worst enemy. So desperate to find fame and so obsessed with Athena. I'll never understand how someone can be dumb enough to steal and still set themselves up to be exposed multiple times. If you're going to be stupid, at least be smart about it.
Was she seeing ghosts because she felt guilty? Because if she was worried about being found out, she certainly wouldn't have continuously given herself away!
Anyway, not the book of the year but definitely glad that I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
aislinghelen's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I could not put this down. The only reason I marked it down was because I found some parts a bit slow and long. A few paragraphs felt like they were dragging on. Overall, it was a really interesting commentary and it became a "life imitates art” kind of thing. I hope one day this book won’t be relevant to the present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War
nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Cultural appropriation