This book is a needle in the eye of publishing. Everything about it is completely on point, and the biting wit makes this a compelling read. Loved it.

A fast paced read about the cruelty of the publishing industry. June as the narrator evoked sympathy while simultaneously evoking a lot of rage in me. Her telling the story and painting herself as the victim really emphasised how bigoted the publishing industry is and different stories can seem just by a change of narratives. RF Kuangs writing style is just so witty and intelligent, you can't stop yourself from reading on!

Thanks to the R. F. Kuang, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my review.

After reading Babel, this was different to what I had expected.

From the blurb:
With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

I would agree with most of that, though I can't say I was totally immersed through the whole text. While the author's writing is compelling and thought-provoking, and she skillfully weaves together a narrative that is both emotional and insightful as shown in Babel I didn't connect as well with this pseudo-satire work.

I will still be reading more of R F Kaung in the future.

I don't know where to even START. this has the most unlikeable awful protagonist I've ever met (not counting the ones where I didn't finish the book because it was awful, that's not the case here). I hated her so much. I wanted to reach into the book and strangle her with my own bare hands. Juniper Song Hayward is straight up a Bad person, a delusional racist terrible bitch of a person.

and this book was a like a train wreck in that I couldn't stop reading Juniper making bad decisions and being terrible until the very end where even in the face of everything having blown up in her face she clung to her terrible awful delusions and bad choices. what kind of rollercoaster was I just on?

the thing about Juniper that's so terrifying is that she isn't a caricature - sure, not many people steal their dead friend's manuscripts and pass them off as their own - people like her really exist out there in the world, people who really truly believe with their whole chest that they, as mediocre white people, are victims and passed over in favour of 'diverse people' who 'get put on a pedestal' and whatnot - even as they can see with their own damn eyes that the same people they envy and want to put in their place and trample all over so they can take back their share of the pie, are actually experiencing blatant racism at every turn. at one point Juniper says that 'they can say and do whatever they want' when that also clearly is not the case - JUNIPER GOT AN ASIAN EDITORIAL ASSISTANT FIRED OVER A GOODREADS REVIEW my fucking god the delusions on this woman.

train wreck. terrifying.

also as somebody who works in the publishing industry: this book is nonfiction. I mean yes, it's fiction, it's a story, but everything in there about how the publishing industry works, about how editors and agents behave, about publicity, marketing, author care, how books become bestsellers - all of it is true. this is what the industry is like, down to the twitter discourse and echo chambers and cancel culture and other bullshit - real life events were referenced (in vague terms, but look, when you're in the industry...if you know you know).

I could keep going but I don't want to spoiler, I just, I'm YELLING. I got approved for this on netgalley yesterday and I've been reading it nonstop since (including in my lunch break at my publishing job, what of it) and I have so many screenshots on my phone from the kindle app that I've sent to my friend (also in publishing, also had a netgalley ARC, has also read this) so we could yell about it together. I don't know how I'll recover from reading this.

R. F. Kuang woke up and chose violence and I for one applaud her for it.

obligatory disclaimer: I got an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. my review is it takes some balls to publish this scathing indictment of the publishing industry and the problems it has with racism, my god. will it actually change anything? well. as with many other things in the industry, I think it'll be a storm in a teacup.

I don't know how this is the same author who wrote Babel. It not only had a totally different feel to it, being a different genre, but the writing wasn't that great either.
I DNF-ed this about a quarter way in.

A fast paced thrilling book - but aside from that, it lacked the nuance beyond a simplistic almost didactic way of story telling. The concept is done well, but the ending is predictable and I kept finding myself wanting to have more story - it's easy to point at morally incorrect things and say they're wrong, but to complicate and grey the matter (which was attempted here but not well) and create a story with characters and plot that holds beyond the inital thrill - is difficult.

Yellowface is a darkly funny, gripping read that I devoured in less than 24 hours. Tackling issues of racism, cultural appropriation and the unfortunate reality of the publishing world through the perspective of an entitled white writer trying to justify her actions (and the people around her who allow it). I absolutely loved this book, a real shift from Kuang's fantasy novels, but addictive and weighty all the same.

Well, what can I say about Yellowface? What a brave move to make by Rebecca F Kuang! Not only has she steered off her usual genre but also tackled the many problems authors face with publishers, other authors, and readers. It was incredible. We follow Juniper Song, who is a struggling author whose only friend is a best-selling author, Athena Liu. Juniper feels an intense jealously towards Athena, feeling her successes were down to pure luck. However, life takes a dramatic turn when Athena chokes to death, and Juniper has the unexpected opportunity to steal Athenas newest book. Catapulting her into the limelight, when things start to take a turn for the worst, her lies start to unravel and Athenas ghost plagues Juniper mind. Guilt rears its ugly head. Rebecca looks candidly at the publishing industry and its many flaws, but also focuses on cultural appropriation, “pretty privilege”, racism and plagiarism.

Such an interesting read, that will keep you hooked throughout and until the very last page. Check out the triggers before reading it, Rebecca tackles a lot of topics.

This was such a nice and quick read - I was hooked from the beginning, although I've got to say that the plot is pretty much the same as in THE PLOT by Korelitz. However, it was definitely different from Babel - great to see a very readable novel from the same author. The whole problematic concept of the narrator not only stealing the manuscript but getting in trouble for writing on the subject of Chinese diaspora was gripping and well argued. The writing style was vivid and compelling, although it was quite self-indulgent at times, where I just wanted the story to keep moving rather than June wallowing in the Twitter drama. Fun thriller-like novel with some food for thought on publishing industry!

**this is a free early review copy from netgalley in exchange for a review**

I literally finished this in less than 24 hours.

There is so much to unpack in this book. Like.. it's horrible.. but intriguing.. like a car crash you can't stop watching. It's written with a great flow, so I found it easy to read, but the content makes you feel uncomfortable. Yet it's good. It's just a white woman spiraling into madness, fueled by micro-aggressions and other white people validating her decisions. It's a really interesting angle from R.F. Kuang who I LOVE, and I like the use of publishing discourse/twitter hate/cancel culture. It just highlights how much of a mess our society is. It's not a genre I would usually read, but I'm glad I did. There is sooooo much to think about!!!

3.5 stars from me.

I'm not sure what to say that hasn't already been said, but Kuang is phenomenal. Her ability to shapeshift and swap genres is nothing less than outstanding - Yellowface is going to become a cornerstone in contemporary literature. Phenomenal again!

Loved loved loved.

This is a hilarious satire about diversity in the publication industry and white people’s idiocy. We follow a white woman who steals her dead Chinese friend’s story - hilarious concept & imo amazingly executed.

Athena & Juni are Yale graduates, friends and published authors. Athena is commercially successful & the current darling of the Literary world. Juni is not.
After a night of drinking, they go to Athena's apartment to continue - but an unfortunate accident sees Athena dying and Juni stealing a first draft manuscript that night. A first draft of a book about Chinese Labourers in WW1.

After a re-work of the manuscript & a re-brand Juni Hayward to Juniper Song, the novel is published and so the story really begins.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. It certainly did its job in making me (a white person) uncomfortable with how the world works differently for white people and for people of colour. None of the characters were likeable, which I feel was definitely intentional on the authors part. It was a slow burner but one that makes you think about the horrible consequences of internalised racism & how social media can be weaponised.

Juni is the epitome of "I'm not racist but..." And the author wrote this character very well. And even when I felt I should feel bad for her, I couldn't.

No matter what genre she tackles, it's clear that Kuang is a smart and intentional writer. Yellowface is chaotic and confronting with its commentary, and honestly, I can't wait for the discourse that's going to happen once this releases. No hesitation from me, I'll definitely be buying a copy.

June Hayward is desperate for success as an author. Since her bookish childhood years, success as an author is all she's wanted. The problem is she's a mediocre writer only, her first novel has flopped, and she's doing grinds to pay rent.

Enter literary darling Chinese American Athena Liu, an acquaintance of June from their time at Yale. One evening they go out for drinks, and an alcohol fueled prank in Athena’s apartment goes dreadfully wrong; Athena dies. On her writing desk is an unpublished manuscript about Chinese Labour Camps in World War 1, which presents a highly tempting opportunity.

June, convinced that if she were a little more ‘ethnic’ rather than your ‘average’ white girl, she’d be a lot more successful in the literary world, snaffles the manuscript and attempts to pass it off as her own. Sure, Athena is dead; what harm can come of it? For narcissistic June, it’s the only option.

June frantically works to put her stamp on the book, pulling Athena’s raw material into a story fit for the bestseller lists. After all, she feels this will be the book to catapult her into the recognition she mightily deserves - “I’d somehow absorbed all the directness and verve of Athena’s writing. I felt, as Kayne put it, harder, better, faster, and stronger”.

Her agent loves it; the publishing house loves it, and June banks a 6 figure advance. But it's not all fun for our protagonist June; she is wracked with guilt and anxiety that someone may stumble onto the truth. Not enough to come clean, mind you even when there's a media shitstorm. June may not be a literary prodigy, but she's a great liar, or so she thinks anyway.

I felt the book was a little too long and a bit too drawn out, and the ending was a small bit of a letdown, but Yellowface is well written and a gripping story which will make you laugh and cringe in equal measure.

I particularly enjoyed the inner, dark, satirical view of the publishing world. And it's a bit of a skit against the compelling but potentially damaging addiction to social media. 4⭐

I cannot wait to read Babbel now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in return for an, as always, honest review.

This was a thoroughly compulsive read. The kind of book that made me groan every time I had to put it down because life got in the way. Even though most of the main characters are unsympathetic, it still made me want to keep reading as we surged forward. I can’t say that I LOVED the ending, but that’s just me.

First, an endless thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I am endlessly impressed with R.F. Kuang's progression in each book she comes out with. Babel was a masterpiece and for reasons below I think Yellowface should be considered one as well.

Yellowface is icky, and I mean that in the best way. I come from a mixed background, but am able to pass as white and exist in white spaces, and have witnessed the behavior that the narrator exhibits first hand. R.F.K. puts the reader in such an uncomfortable position having to listen to these absolutely insane and disgusting thoughts, but it is incredibly accurate for someone like Juniper. At the same time we, as the reader, are also put in the position of being somewhat sympathetic to Juniper and authors, as a whole, because we can see the process and the treatment that some authors are put through- especially by those in power in the publishing industry who are racist. Authors run the risk of being called problematic to work with because they want to keep things in their story, but if they don't keep things in their work may become problematic ethically. Many of the problematic edits to the Last Front came at the suggestion of the editor/publisher, including Juniper's name change. This isn't an excuse for the narrator, but I think it helps to underline that some people are not willing to risk what they have for the sake of the dignity of others.

The story itself was a masterclass in character embodiment. The entire narrative from the perspective of a privileged white woman was masterfully done, so much so that I think some readers will not be able to appreciate this book because how uncomfortable it will make them. I have already seen some reviews that wonder if RFK's personal feelings come through this narrative and I really think this is a testimony to how well she has written this story as Juniper. Some reviewers have complained about the twitter discourse, but I think RFK would've been remiss to take it out. I could write pages on this book and whether it was right to include something, but I think that is part of the whole point of the book. I tried to think of anything I didn't like, but everything I came up with I found myself saying "maybe that is the point" or "maybe this is a part of the message of the story". You could take any part of this story and find that there is another meaning to it. RFK is a master of layering themes and if you only look at the words in front of you, you are missing half the message.

Well done, Rebecca!

I could not put this book down. Despite the central character being a thoroughly unlikeable self- serving narcissist, I couldn't wait to see what happened. Beautifully written, with a fascinating insight into the world of publishing, this is a book I will be buying for a writer friend of mine as soon as it is published. Wonderful!

For most of this novel, it kept me gripped: I absolutely love both the central conceit (even though it's not *that* original) and the sharp take on the world of publishing. I did feel the final twists round didn't quite work for me...it felt a little 'easy way out'. But well worth it, and I hugely enjoyed it.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. I read it in a single sitting, which hasn't happened for me in a while.