This is a really tricky book to talk about because it’s incredible and perfectly done, but it’s not enjoyable to read and is profoundly unsatisfying. But it kind of feels like that’s the point.

The social commentary is really heavy-handed and kind of spoon-fed to the reader, which makes perfect sense because we’re seeing it through June’s eyes. She's absolutely insufferable and unlikable and her internal monologue becomes frustrating to read within five minutes of picking the book up, and yet I didn’t want to put it down.

No one makes you root for a morally grey character like R.F. Kuang, but she did something really special here: she makes you root for their downfall instead, and it makes turning the page almost addictive.

At times, I did feel that the publishing industry and social media book world were a little over-explained, but I think that’s probably necessary if someone is picking up the book with no knowledge of the publishing world. If you’ve been following R.F. Kuang’s career, it’s easy to see pieces of her in Athena’s rise to literary fame and, while I know it won’t be popular across the board, I really appreciated the honesty with which she discussed her first few years in publishing.

At this point, I will pick up anything R.F. Kuang writes with zero hesitation. With Yellowface being so different to her fantasy, I can’t wait to see where she takes us next.

It was refreshing to read a book that didn't fit the "narrative" of today's political correct. Unlike some of the great classics of the past where censorship was not a driving force in storytelling. We have some of the greatest classics today. If we keep censoring books to fit what is not triggering. Then are we missing out on some fantastic books that should be published? I think that is why I adore this author. It is a breath of fresh air when an author has no real boundaries about what they can write.

This book has a lot of attention and I understand why.
But first, this books is super easy to read. I read it all in one day. The writing is fast and quick to move the plot along. The perspective is from June and as the reader we can see how she convinces herself of the actions she's taking to not be as bad as they seem. Even to the reader we have to use our own heads to step back and know that her actions and dimissivness is not ok.
The criticism of cultural approriation and the publishing industry is present but doesn't delve as deeply as one may think it will. Whether that is due to the pace fo the plot (which moves very fast) or the narrator being a white woman with her own performative agenda.
I think this book will definitely rouse discission. But whether it will be deeper, I don't know. But it's great that someone wants to try.

I enjoyed reading Yellowface and this was the first book by Rebecca F Kuang I had read. I thought the start of the book was great and I couldn’t put it down. However, I felt the middle slightly dragged for me. It was a good look into the publishing industry and I found that interesting.

I could not put this down.

Honestly I went into this pretty blind and I’m so happy I did. A masterclass in morally grey characters, I never knew how to feel about any character in this book. I was constantly oscillating from loving to hating them and it was done in such a refreshing way.

Go read it, you won’t regret it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the advance reader copy of Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.

The story follows authors June Hayward and Athena Liu both were at the same year of Yale, both had their debut published on the same year. However Athena is classed as a literary darling and June didn't even get a paperback release on her book.

When June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident she impulsively steals her just finished experimental novel on the unsung contributions of Chinese labourers to the British and French during World War 1.

June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent. She gets a new publisher and rebrands as Juniper Song complete with a new ethnically ambiguous author photo. After all doesn't this piece of history need to be told no matter who by.

However June is stuck in Athena's shadow and evidence emerges threatening to bring June's successes down around her. How far will June go to protect her secret?

After struggling to get through Babel I thought I would give another of Rebecca's books a go and I am glad that I did.

I finished this book in a day and found it an enjoyable read which raises debate and social commentary on alot of important topics surrounding the publishing industry and diversity.

I really enjoyed the in depth look into the background of the publishing industry. This book is told from June's perspective in first person and while you know that it is not going to end well you just cannot stop reading.

June is not a saint she is two faced and dishonest and it is amazing the lengths she goes too to manipulate those around her and the narrative to keep hold of the success she has achieved from the stolen manuscript.

I also found it fascinating how we learnt more about Athena's character as the book went on through the perspective of June and how her character is crafted through these experiences and memories.

This book definitely felt like a social commentary on how the world of publishing works and an authors struggles within it and I was gripped by this!

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to seeing what R. F. Kuang comes out with next!

I think this book started off really strong. It was a page turner and the concept was so interesting in it's blunt delivery of the main themes of the story and Juniper's infuriating character.

The middle dragged a little and went off in a few tangents, but the message and honest observations about the publishing industry was still keeping me invested.

It got increasingly harder to read because, seeing as it was written in first person POV, I felt the emotions of the main character more acutely, so all the cringey, anxiety-inducing moments gave me secondhand embarrassment.

The conclusion was a little frustrating. I imagine Juniper mirrored RF Kuang's predicament where she didn't really know how to end her story. It felt a little rushed and erratic. The whole Athena's ghost plot device to elicit a confession was a bit contrived.

But, overall, I liked it and enjoyed the subject matter. I think it explores the themes well and comes at it from all angles.

There was no character to root for in this story, but I'm sure that was the whole point as no side is as right and just as they like to think they are.

The book follows June, a writer, who after witnessing the death of her more successful writer friend, Athena, decides to steal her unfinished manuscript and pass it off as her own.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was funny, satirical, and dark at times. I think Rebecca Kuang did an amazing job going into some of the nuances of cultural appropriation vs appreciation and racism and bias in the publishing industry. I have never rooted AGAINST a protagonist this much. I will say that the ending, for me personally, fell a little flat (and possibly a little rushed) but overall I enjoyed reading it.

Juniper Hayward has known literary darling Athena Liu since university. However, while Athena’s career has soared, June’s debut flopped and she feels like a nobody. She harbours a deep resentment for the beautiful, talented Athena, who she sees as more frenemy than friend. So, when Athena dies before June’s eyes after a freak accident, she does what any good friend would do…steals her unfinished manuscript and passes it off as her own.

June, now marketing herself as Juniper Song to make herself seem more racially ambiguous and therefore the right person to tell a Chinese war story, convinces herself that her theft is for Athena’s legacy, not herself - that it would be a crime for the novel not to be published. Of course, she gives no credit to Athena. From here, a series of events begins to unravel - as does June’s grasp of reality - and she starts to wonder where Athena’s writing ends and hers begins. What is she, without the ghostly influence of Athena, and what could possibly tip the scales and be enough to make her confess her crimes?

My thoughts:

I don’t have the necessary words to describe how brilliant this book is. Kuang has created a protagonist so delusional, so wholly unlikeable and yet so compelling, that I was completely wrapped up in the story line despite being disgusted by June.

This is a book that skewers the publishing industry, morality, cancel culture, privilege and race, and the ending was perfectly executed. I think this book will be one that stays with me long past finishing it, and as always at the end of an R.F. Kuang book I’m in total awe of her talent. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Just so, so brilliant! Clever, sharp, scathing and oh so timely. Will be pushing this into the hands of everyone I know!

Writing a review for Rebecca F Kuang's novel "Yellowface" is an odd prospect. Set in the publishing world, this is a story of a writer who acquires the first draft of a manuscript following a more successful writers death, and proceeds to base her career on it. Good Reads reviews feature, alongside twitter comments, blogs and articles. The lead character Junie, spends time reading the reviews and comments both in search of acclaim and in acts of self sabotage. Therefore after reading this novel I am even more aware of the impact of my words!

However, I loved this book so Kuang does not have to avoid reading my review. I found their description of the publishing industry and the experience of writers extremely compelling. There has always been a part of me that would love to be a successful novelist, but having read this book, I am now a bit less keen! I also liked the questions raised about whether writers should be allowed to tell the stories of different nationalities, particularly those less represented in the publishing world; and whether writing about experiences you are told about is theft. Finally, I enjoyed the tension of whether Junie would get away with what she did, or whether she would get brought down. Frankly I ended up rooting for Junie. I would highly recommend.

Yellowface follows June a struggling author who steals a manuscript from her friend after she dies. June pretends it's her work and goes ahead to get it published. After the book becomes a bestseller things start to get out of control as someone claiming to be June's dead friend tries to call her out.

I have to be honest I had no idea what to expect from Yellowface as it's so very different from Kuang's previous books, but it turned out to be a very interesting read, especially the insight into the publishing industry.

This book isn't action paced and a little slow in places but the topics are well written and very interesting!!

I didn't find the main characters particularly likable but I liked the way Kuang develops them each. They felt realistic and although I couldn't support their decisions or actions I still felt sorry for them, especially June.

Yelowface is another one of those books that is difficult to review in full due to giving away spoilers but it was definitely a dark yet thrilling read that left me reading to the end.

This book may not be for everyone, but if you're interested in finding out more about the behind-scenes of publishing then this is definitely a good place to start.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins for my eARC. These are my honest and unbiased thoughts and I am sharing them voluntarily.

Wow, this is one thought-provoking novel. I found the characters thoroughly unlikeable and was squirming in my seat for most of the read waiting for seemingly inevitable ending. At the same time I was riveted to what is a fascinating discourse on racial politics, the downside of social media and cancel-culture.
A deviation in genre from previous work I’ve read by the author, but no less compulsive a read. It’s an incredible piece of writing.

“Don’t we all want a friend who won’t ever challenge our superiority, because they already know it’s a lost cause? Don’t we all need a friend we can treat as a punching bag?“

Athena Liu is a literary darling. Juniper Hayward is literally nobody. When Athena dies in a freak accident, Juniper steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name June Song. But as evidence threatens Juniper’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

This is, in all likely hood, the most meta thing I’ve read on the subject of writing. One that gives an in-depth view of the publishing industry showing the good, the bad and the ugly.

Kuang’s writing is almost hypnotic in how she manages to brainwash you layer by layer using an unreliable narrator and a skewed version of events. Her characters encompass multiple shades of grey and expose the toxicity embedded in seemingly normal relationships.

As much literary fiction as a thriller, this is a razor-sharp, twisty satire that questions the concept of morality and marks the line between truth and reality.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

A fast read and good for those who want to gain an understanding of the publishing industry.

Apparently this is a dark satire and meta. I have no idea what meta means and wouldn’t have realised it was satire.

Slightly above an okay read for me.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC

Rebecca Kuang is an incredible writer and with 'Yellowface' she has proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, that she can turn her hand to any topic or genre. Kuang imparts a lot of historical information through her text, almost without the reader realising. As with her previous work, 'Yellowface' has layers and works on several different levels. It's meta to the max and offers insight into the murky (and oftentimes ridiculous) world of publishing. I find it hilarious to see this book being heavily marketed by the very industry it exposes and critiques. Brilliant! Well played. The book is also a bit of a love letter to creativity and the act of writing. Kuang's trademark dry humour brings it all together beautifully. I'm in awe of R. F. Kuang's skill as both writer and storyteller, and I eagerly anticipate whatever she chooses to bring us next.

Loved this one so much - dark, funny and incredibly insightful about the publishing industry and cancel culture - this was a brilliant read and I will be seeking out more from this author!

Athena Liu is a hugely successful young author. One evening when she is celebrating a Netflix deal with less successful writer friend June Hayward, she chokes on a pancake and dies. In her apartment is her unpublished work and June decides to pass it off as her own. Will the truth be discovered?
The narrative of The Last Front was originally highlighting the discrimination and racism that the Chinese suffered in WWI whilst helping the British but in the hands of a white author and editor much of the real story is excised in their alterations to make it a more "universally relatable" work. The publishers change June's author name to Juniper Song to make it more ambiguous over her origins.
When the book is published it has some truths to say about criticism and online trolling. It highlights the stress undergone by any author on social media these days having to deal with negative comments and fear of cancellation if any past comment or wrong step is made. Valid points are made about living in a multicultural society and that if white writers only write about white characters it becomes unrealistic and segregated.
The story is a multi-faceted examination of diversity in publishing and who should have the right to tell a particular narrative. Ultimately it is about inspiration - the age old question of where you get your ideas from. Whether it is a historical event, using other people's experiences and dialogue or the author's own relationships to explore and exploit, it generally suggests self-interest and manipulation of reality for a writers own ends.
An enjoyable, fast paced read with lots of topic to generate discussion at a reading group.

A fun, entertaining read, which brings up some difficult topics on reverse racism, cancel culture, jealousy, and the brutal world of book publishing. The characters are over the top and difficult to empathize with, but the story has such a strong drive that it really doesn't matter. I will definitely be looking out for more of Rebecca F Kuang's books.

I'd heard so many good things about this book and I was really looking forward to it and I really did want this to be a 5 star

I loved how it gripped you right from the start, the book felt quite short but covered a few years and sometimes it felt like some bits were really rushed through and suddenly we were several months later. And I had to reread parts a couple of time because I thought I'd missed bits.

Rating this one has been really hard (I started this review with it as a low 3 star but have upped it to 4), I'm not sure if it's the unlikeable characters in it - although that's the point that they're not likeable. It gives a great insight into the publishing world, but will make you scour your books looking for diversity (not tokenism). It's an uncomfortable read as the main character June Hayward adopts the ambiguous moniker Juniper Song after she steals her friend's, Athena Liu, manuscript after her death, literally right after her death. June becomes a bestseller but it all starts to fall apart as people question her ethnicity and relationship with Athena and then she starts seeing Athena or her ghost...

It deals with twitter pile-ons and cancel culture, tokenism, and the attempted rationalisation of what was done and consequential actions throughout.

I think what let it down, for me, was the twist and again how rushed that was, but the last few pages pulled me back into it and June's thoughts after it.

I really do think everyone should read this, it makes you think, it's a great insight into unconscious (and frequently very conscious) bias. It can be an uncomfortable read in parts.

I will be thinking about it for a while and really look forward to reading more reviews when it's released.