"ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀᴄʀᴏꜱꜱ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴜᴍꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴʜᴇʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴜɴꜰᴀɪᴛʜꜰᴜʟ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴇxᴛᴇɴᴛ"

I am not actually sure how to review this one but it was extremely clever and peverse storytelling in the most immersive way!

The premise pulled me in immediately and the tension and spite that ran through the story is what kept me hooked.
I think it's refreshing to get a better understanding of the bare bones of the publishing industry and I enjoyed that the story was more complex and nuanced than simply being that Juniper stole Athena's book and had it published under how own name.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED the dramatics of it but some parts felt... hmmm I can't think of the right word. Something adjacent to forced- but I think this may also have been a deliberate choice by Kuang (having read and adored some of her other works, I feel that there was a level of satire that she was aiming for to make the characters caricature's of their perceived stereotypes).
Just to be clear... no one in this book is particularly likeable and it suggests a pretty insidious nature behind all the glitz and glam.

I think if you were to really pull this book apart and study it, we would discover so many techniques and criticisms of the publishing industry in the way that it deals with "striving for diversity" and I found that clever as hell. The tension was perfect and the odd justifications for people's behaviour had me audibly scoffing (but out of sheer enjoyment at the audacity... not sure what that says about me😃)

I myself did not pull the book apart, instead I gobbled it whole because as frustrating as some of these personalities and mindsets could be, it was ultimately addictive and a very easy read.
A little over descriptive in some parts but very glad I read it even though the ending was somewhat unsatisfactory, indulgent and flat. (Tbh, even that felt deliberate. I think I came out the other end of this book feeling the way Kuang meant for me to feel...like I'd just had a rollercoaster induction into the highs and lows of the publishing industry and then been hung out to dry; with more than I ever wanted and not enough of what I needed😅)

Wow. This is so very different from Babel and the poppy war series. I’m used to googling large words and taking long breaks in between chapters. That was not the case for yellow face.
I started this on Tuesday and was finished by Wednesday evening.
No one write morally grey and COMPLETELY UNLIKEABLE characters like R.F. Kuang. June is the worst and you’ll want to pull your hair out listening to her internal monologue.
This books hits on really important areas - whiteness in western publishing and Marginalisation and how white people continue to profit from the hard of people of colour.
Like most of Rebecca’s writing, I’m sure this can be picked apart further. I’m just not smart enough.

This was absolute madness and brilliant at the same time. R.F. Kuang is such a talented author, and the story was so captivating, satiric and so dangerously realistic at the same time.
I think this book is so provocative and I am sure it will spark many debates in the booktok world.
I was already in love with Rebecca after Babel, this story just made me entirely fall for her writing. She is just so good.

Oh, what a wild ride! This book surpassed my expectations!
Despite June being an unreliable narrator, there's no clear good or evil here. This novel reads much more like a thriller, exposing the dark sides of publishing. As a bookseller, i deeply appreciate these insights (although I am aware that they are more likely than not exaggerated for the drama)! A wonderful book that kept me glued to the pages.

June Hayward, an unsuccessful white novelist, steals the manuscript of her recently dead friend - bestselling Chinese-American author Athena Liu - and passes it off as her own. June gets everything she ever dreamed of, but how long can she keep up the pretence, and to what lengths will she eventually have to go to preserve her lie?

This is the plot of Rebecca Kuang's 'Yellowface', the first non-fantasy novel by the acclaimed writer. It's a deceptively simple plot concept which is surrounded by a whole web of complex ethical questions that will have you arguing with yourself for days to come after reading. Where should the line be drawn about what people should write outside of their own lived experience? Is it OK for a white woman to write a novel about the experiences of Chinese workers in World War I? Can such a book, no matter how well researched, be authentic? Is that denying (or at least reducing) the opportunity for a Chinese author to get published with a book on the same theme? At a simple level, it seems logical that in a free country people should be able to write about whatever they choose, but the consequences of that concept are more complicated.

I learned a lot about the world of publishing, which I found fascinating. As someone who loves books, getting an insight into what goes on behind the scenes is really eye-opening and presumably that will be true of most readers who aren't part of that industry. It's a whole world I knew nothing about. It also increased my awareness of how racism within the industry happens - for example, publishers deciding they 'already have an author from XYZ ethnic/religious group' - but doubtlessly not having the same limit on white authors. It's certainly a much more cut-throat world for writers from any background than I had realised. And generally when that's the case, people from less advantaged groups are disproportionately badly affected.

Kuang presents a more nuanced and sympathetic portrait of June than might be expected from a character whose behaviour is disgraceful. In fact I found I had a sort of Stockholm Syndrome where I sympathised with the character far more than my rational mind knew she deserved, particularly in the earlier and middle parts of the book. This is partly due to Kuang's brilliant portrayal of the horrible way people behave on social media, which makes it hard not to feel sorry for anyone on the other end of it - particularly as the social media haters don't know what the reader does i.e. that she did steal the story. There's a whole other set of questions posed here about 'Twitter mobs' and 'trial by internet' to which there are no easy answers. I even found myself feeling indignant on June's behalf at one point - despite knowing that the underlying point of the criticism was true. Ultimately two wrongs don't make a right, and piling onto a bandwagon with limited evidence, trolling people and making death threats is not the appropriate response to anything.

Aside from the thought-provoking nature of its themes, it's also a compelling story. Like all novels where the protagonist has committed a crime, the reader is driven forwards to find out whether they will get away with it or not. And if not, how will their comeuppance come about? As so often happens in such stories, the need to cover up her original misdemeanour leads June into more and more questionable actions. The lie becomes so big that preventing the truth coming out starts to take priority over any other moral consideration for June and the reader is left wondering just what she will do to cover up the truth.

In summary, this is a brilliant novel that is both full of complex and thought provoking issues and compelling to read. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys literary fiction, and it would be a brilliant choice for a book club or to read in a school setting for older children as there is just so much to discuss and think about here. I'll never look at a freshly purchased new novel in quite the same way again - and a book that can make you see something differently is a fine book indeed.

This book is a pure definition of a page-turner. A wild journey through modern publishing industry and all the characters that populate that fantastic (and brutal) world - from a bestselling author and a darling of hardback charts, to an underpayed assistant editor lurking in the corner of a Zoom screen, thinking of her revenge!

"Yellowface" is sharp, brutal, sarcastic, engaging and, occasionally, quite scary! I loved the voice of the main character, her search for inspiration and her love of creating. I loved everything about this book, expect the last 20%, when I felt the pace slowed quite a bit.

I thought the cover was quite blah, initially, but after finishing the book I believe it is perfect!

Where do I even start with this? So many people have commented on this book's satirical nature, and it's certainly got heaps of that. But it's also so, so much more than that. It is almost a Tell-Tale Heart of it's own, except with social media notifications instead of a heartbeat. It's the haunting, thrilling ghost story of an unhinged woman, desperate to do anything to become the author she thinks she deserves to be.

This is also a book where there are no clear lines in who is the 'good' character and who is the 'bad' character. Except maybe Athena's mom, she was just struggling with her daughter's death and trying to do right by her.

If you've read Kuang's other works, you know she's a big world writer. A lot of background, extra details and often a slow build in the story. While we still kept the details she's known for, and to an extent that slow build, the rest of this story's composition is entirely new. This is a whole new level of Kuang's writing and I cannot overstate how insatiable it was while reading. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of uncomfortable things addressed in this book, the pigeonholing of writers based on their ethnicity, the overwhelming influence of social media (which I can appreciate the irony of as I review this and share on social sites), the commentary on what is appropriate for white authors to tell (and by extension white readers to review - also appreciating the irony of this as a white cisgendered woman). But part of that discomfort also kept me needing to read the next page and the next one.

From the blurb: But now Athena is dead. And June has her unfinished manuscript…
We already know where this is going but also you can't possibly know where this is going to end. The whole thing is, as I said, the ghost story of an average, unhinged and spiralling author and the role of publishing and social media in that spiral. You just can't really fault it.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Stars

Yellowface is one of those books that I find it hard to write a review for (the irony is not lost on me). In both academic and emotional terms it struck a chord with me to the point I was swearing out loud. Still, at the same time, I often found it unpleasant to read (again, I appreciate why) and towards the end, things dipped into melodrama for the sake of a wrapped-up plot.

Regardless, I kept picking it up. I wanted to know where it went, who would connect the dots, and how the wrong-doers would get their comeuppance - which in itself is a sad reflection of the human impulse Kuang often looks at in the story. The ending (once past the climax that felt sort of forced) was no surprise, and there's no denying that it was a joy to read Kuang embody yet another genre, time and cohort of characters.

Yellowface is a book with a lot of courage to point and prod at everything wrong with the publishing industry, an industry that like several profiting off the creative arts pigeonholes, rigs, discriminated, tokenises, torments, strings along and creates a respectable about the identity of its storytellers. Poignantly aware of the wider social, economic and political frameworks established to keep everything circulating back to the same status quo, Kuang brings the narrative back down to the responsibility, and humanity, of the individual, whether it be writer, reader, reviewer, publisher or witness.

This was entirely different to Kuang's other works. After loving the Poppy War trilogy and feeling underwhelmed by Babel, I was curious how this one would sit with me.

I found this book had a fantastic hook from the beginning which kept me wanting to read more, including sneaking a few pages in while waiting at the bus stop or on my lunch break. Juniper was a complex and insufferable character and always felt like an unreliable narrator which added extra depth to the story for me and always had me questioning her actions and narrative.

Whether it was a deliberate decision by Kuang or whether it was unconscious, I felt the lengthy pages about writing and publishing processes were patronising to the reader and often had me skimming these paragraphs as it didn't seem to add anything to the story.

This got 4 stars as I felt like the "twist" turned this into something over-dramatic when it didn't need to be - it felt like more of a Gossip Girl moment than a big tumultuous finale. Everything ended up becoming rushed after a quite slow pace for the first 75% of the book which felt quite jarring.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is there a more anticipated book of 2023 than this? I don't think there is. I admit, that whilst I own a copy of Babel, at the time of writing this, I hadn't actually read it yet, but thanks to all the adoration and praise that's been thrown on it, I knew she would be an author I'd jump for if it meant reading her work.

I do wonder how much of the character's experience with publishing is similar to Kuang's? It just feels so personal and raw and honest. I also love the issue around who has the rights to write a story. If a book focusses on the plight of the Chinese during World War 1, can a white, non-Chinese author write about it? Or should it only be for Chinese authors? As a Chinese-American author, I wonder what experience Kuang has had with this - I am really interested to find out, but my gut reaction is that, as long as you're respectful, I think anyone should be able to write about anything within fiction.

My chapter 3, I just had to stop to take a breath. She's writing about this character who writes so beautifully, and I'm sat here thinking the same way about Kuang. Every single word is so intensely magical and beautiful. I've never felt like that before so early on in a book.

Maybe it's not the main thing I should be taking away from this book, but the way June talks abut writing, that love and passion, is exactly how writing feels. I may not be a published author and I may have about a dozen WIPs, but it doesn't matter. Just that feeling of writing is unlike anything else.

Because it's about an author and their writing process, there's little story ideas littered through the book, so it's almost like Kuang is having to come up with several book plots in one, which is very impressive, and gives us an insight into her mind which is a nice addition.

It really looks at the idea of ownership and censorship. Can a white person write a book about Chinese people or can only Chinese people do that? Can a black author write about white people, or can only white? Can a gay person write about straight relationships, or only homosexual ones? I think, if it's done with respect, understanding, care, attention, and the relevant research has been done, anything can be written by anyone, and I think it's a bad place for publishing if we start specifying what stories each individual could do. It would stifle creativity, and Kuang's writing along shows how much we need creativity.

It also shows how bad a space social medica can be and how it can affect your mental health. From my experience on Twitter, there's been nothing but positivity, but I'm aware I'm lucky in that regard. But this shows how one thing can spiral out of control and really affect people. It's a great piece of social commentary without feeling too forced or over the top.

I've seen other reviews say it's a satirical look at the publishing world. I kind of get where they're coming from, but for me, satire wasn't what came to mind. To me, this is a complex, multi-layered, dark, all encompassing look at the hardships of this career that, from the outside, looks immensely glamorous.

I generally prefer character development over a convoluted plot, but this has a nice balance of both. The characters are fantastic. June is a complex character and you want to root for her even if she's morally questionable. And then the plot is easy to follow, exciting, entertaining, engaging, thrilling, and dark. She hasn't sacrificed one for the other, which is good to see.

I think this is the book I was meant to read. Whilst not always uplifting, I think it's so powerful, and I think anyone interested in writing, or those already published, will feel this same power. I could see this being on the best-of-2023 books in every corner of the globe.

I devoured this in less than 24 hours, it was so perfect. I definitely need to get started on Babel now. She is an author I'll definitely be looking out for in the future.

There are so many reasons why this book will probably end up on my favourite books of the year list, and it's only March (at time of writing)!

What a story. Kuang’s writing is superb yet again, I feel like she could write anything and I would love it.

This thriller/social commentary is brilliant. The issues talked about are done so in such an intelligent way! Every character is awful in one way or another. I was hooked throughout.

Drop a star, as I just wanted a little bit more from the twist.

Thanks to net galley and publisher for my arc!

I've heard all the hype surrounding this book and, honestly, it put me off a tiny bit because usually hyped up books never really live up to it all. But holy shit this one did. It's been such a long time I literally couldn't put down the book... My eyes were actually sore from staring at the screen for so long but I just couldn't tear myself away for even a second. It's incredible. Phenomenal. I've raved about it to anyone who will listen and will continue to shout about it. WHAT A BOOK.

R. F. Kuang steps away from fantasy and alternative histories for this searing examination of contemporary American literary culture. Kuang’s story’s narrated by June (Juniper) Hayward a struggling writer whose closest claim to fame comes from her ties with former college friend Athena Liu. Athena’s star’s in the ascendant, her fiction’s critically acclaimed and she’s just closed an impressive deal with Netflix. Then Athena dies and June’s the only witness, alone in Athena’s apartment she takes the opportunity to scoop up Athena’s latest, conveniently-typewritten manuscript. June then proceeds to transform Athena’s book into her own.

I was impressed by Kuang’s ability to make her unreliable, obnoxious narrator sympathetic enough that it’s hard not to root for her and sometimes even hope her deception won’t be uncovered. At least, that is, until her outrageously blinkered worldview is fully exposed. Although this is billed as crime, it’s more an inventive hybrid: part biting social satire; part gothic ghost story; with a hint of Crime and Punishment and even a dash of Rebecca. Kuang’s narrative builds on personal experiences and broader concerns raised in her talks and lectures: teasing out issues around cultural appropriation; authenticity, race and identity; the model minority myth; as well as the complex, often reductive, marketing strategies that publishers deploy for their “diverse” authors. Along the way Kuang also takes on fandom, celebrity authorship, the anxiety of influence and America’s politically polarised cultural landscape.

Kuang’s novel’s fluid, accessible and, for me, frequently very funny. It’s not without its problems, the questions it poses are clearly too weighty to be fully addressed - particularly from June’s limited perspective - and Kuang is trying to pack far too much in here. Nor is it a particularly nuanced piece, and I found the sudden shift in tone between the earlier sections and the conclusion a little jarring. But it’s still a gripping, thought-provoking read, and June’s a fascinating creation. Angst-ridden and self-deluded, she’s a recognisable version of the kind of messed-up, troubled, almost always white, women made famous by writers like Ottessa Moshfegh. Only in Kuang’s iteration, rather than placing the emphasis on how damaged June is, the spotlight is on the damage she so blithely inflicts on the world around her.

This was fantastic! I’ve previously enjoyed The poppy war series by R F Kuang. This is obviously a completely different genre but I loved it just as much. I adored the writing and the characters. I’ve also bumped Babel up my TBR after reading this.

I found the premise of this book intriguing. If you were a struggling writer, desperate to be published and a guaranteed hit of a novel manuscript fell into your lap, what would you do?

If your friend left behind a skeleton of a book and as you read it, the inspiration flowed, what would you do?

If you knew that your explanation would never be accepted by the general public, would you just lie?

June Hayward finds herself in this situation. The new darling of the publishing world - but is the work really hers? Her friend Athena Liu left behind a final manuscript - handily written only on a manual type writer - when she choked to death and June took it. Changing her name to her name to Juniper Song is an easy step to take when the book is all about the Chinese fighters in World War 1.

But someone knows what she’s done. Just how much will June do to keep her secret?

This book was gripping and intriguing. An insight into the world of publishing, and an unreliable narrator who you can’t trust in the slightest. Recommended.

A powerful and compelling book that was hard to pull away from. This thrilling satirical story on its underbelly is a reflection of the cracks in the publishing industry. The main protagonist June unravels throughout, being haunted by a ghost that is a reflection of her own insecurities, jealousy and guilt. The further she unravels the more she tries to justify her deluded actions. I honestly can not wait to add this book to my bookshelf.

Very eye opening and great read. Informative on the writing and publishing industry. A few typos littered throughout but I’m sure those have been rectified since writing this. I found it extremely fascinating watching June go through a journey of not believing she’s wrong, to believing she’s wrong, and then ending on adamantly believing she had done no wrong.

June and Athena were contemporaries at Yale. They are writers but Athena’s career has skyrocketed and June’s is dead in the water. When Athena dies in a freak accident whilst the two of them are at Athena’s luxurious apartment June takes the raw manuscript of Athena’s latest work on Chinese labourers during the first world war, edits and reworks it as her own to critical acclaim. But accusations of plagiarism hound June, how far will she go to keep the fame she believes she deserves.

Told in first person narrative this is not only a satire on cultural appropriation, racism and the abuse of diversity politics but a scathing commentary on the publishing industry. It is a compelling and utterly addictive read. The scandal, the machinations, the justification, the betrayal, the fear of being found out, the jealousy, it is brilliant and not only a powerful story of corruption but it is laced with a delicious seam of dark humour.

I was lucky enough to receive an E-ARC from NetGalley but I will be buying this on release, Rebecca is such an incredible writer and this is so different from the Poppy War trilogy which I loved, but totally in her unique voice. Spectacular!

Yellowface is satirical, dark and hilarious. It is written in the first person from the point of view of the villain of our story, entitled author June who steals a novel draft and passes it off as her own. This is such an interesting and conflicting perspective to read, as it's natural to want to root for a protagonist, and yet she is undeniably in the wrong! Of course she convinces herself she's doing the right thing, and often paints herself as the victim even, justifying all the little wrongs and manipulations that make what she's doing all the worse.

I also enjoyed the sneak peek into the 'behind the scenes' of writing and publishing for someone like me who's only ever been on the side of the reader. There was lots for readers to relate to too, with references to goodreads reviews, publicity events, pre-order campaigns and the like.

I believed at the beginning, very naively, that this story would be one of two parts - the wrongdoing, and then the fallout. However, it is so much more twisted and complex than that. Yellowface is so easily readable, and I found myself both hiding away from and anxiously anticipating June's comeuppance.

One night when June is visiting at Athena's apartment (even though she really doesn't want to be there), Athena chokes and dies in front of her. June is in shock and while she waits for the ambulance she finds a finished manuscript and takes it with her. The chaos of the book then ensues when she decides to publish the book as her own! This is a very interesting and gripping story. I was fascinated with the insight into the publishing industry and the horror of twitter! You won't want to put this book down.