Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Yellowface is a provocative contemporary piece of fiction that will, without doubt, cause a stir within the industry. Whether it’s among its readers, authors or publishers, I believe this book will divide and one cannot be left unphased by it. We love it or we hate it, nothing in between.

I personally absolutely adored it. Yellowface brings fundamental topics to the foreground: cultural appropriation, racism, cancel culture, the industry of publishing, the toxicity of bookish communities - through a narrative voice I had never encountered before. June Hayward is the type of narrator to instigate hostility within the reader’s mind, but one we have to follow and try to understand as the intrigue unfolds. Being the plagiariser, June employs a certain manipulation that seemingly expands to the reader - I personally didn’t trust her nor wanted to understand her, which meant condoning her actions - but also to herself. Kuang explores the consequences of lying and manipulating in a very frightening way, we get to see the thought process of one’s crimes from beginning to finish, making Yellowface a sort of thought-provoking thriller-y read. I think it is important to insist on the fact that we don’t get to follow any other voice but June’s, which creates an ambiguously awkward bond with us as readers - do we end up caring for her feelings and actions? Readers’ expectations and prejudices will be shaken up from beginning to end, leaving nothing randomly on the side.

That greyness the author masters in her works is something I particularly enjoy reading - Kuang doesn’t deceive, the world is neither white or black, everything is questionable and the reader needs to ponder the question of representation in publishing, racism, authorship, friendship or even reality when reading Yellowface. Passages like the bookish community’s response really resonated with me - we constantly see this kind of reaction and proaction from people on Twitter or Instagram - illustrating a turning point in Kuang’s writing where nobody is spared, each character being morally grey, complex and deeply blamable at times. Kuang is a genius at shaking the status quo and at prompting everyone to question the world as we know it: we discover the meanders of publishing, its process but also its much darker corners - I will now think a lot when I hear some new releases, marketing campaigns, or even just browsing at my local bookshop. The author lays the stress on some very interesting realities, especially about the use (to paraphrase her) of BIPOC authors in today’s society in need of more diversity and inclusivity. Kuang’s choice of having a white narrator is all the more interesting that it emphasises how racism and cultural appropriation is constantly in the background of the publishing world.

Yellowface is a satirical masterpiece I would highly recommend, purely to question ourselves as readers, cast a new eye on what we thought we already knew.

I did not want to put this book down! Very different pacing then we are use to from RF Kuang and continues to show her ease at making niche concepts accessible to a reader. If you are a fan of satire of the publishing and media industry this is definitely the book for you.

I have read several books so far in 2023 but Yellowface is the first to really feel fresh and engaging unlike anything else. You are left guessing how the lead will worm their way through each situation they stick themselves into. You will cringe and want to scream at all the characters at times and possibly scarily see them reflected in your life.

There are certain characters that I feel their role didn’t feel fully developed such as Athena’s mother. Possibly that was purposeful to the narrative.
An incredible satire on the publishing industry and cancel culture in todays time. Though did feel a bit misplaced when referring to those on Tiktok as a younger generation when actually BookTok compromises a lot of adult readers. Again however this may just be purposeful to the narrative to display the publishing industries perspective versus reality.

Overall, this book is a ride with many twists as you try to guess where it can possible head next.
Highly recommend!!

I absolutely loved this book. This was a book written for book lovers/ bookstagram/ book bloggers and anybody interested in the publishing world. I am looking forward to discussing this one with many people!

I haven't read anything by Kuang before and I bought Babel after reading this. I am not particularly drawn to science fiction but after devouring Yellowface, I need to read more of this authors writing.

This book is sharp, witty, quite terrifying in parts and wholly entertaining. I found it hard to put down and it evoked so many emotions when reading. I could almost feel the panic the main character felt when her web of lies began to unravel. Kuang examines the erasure of Asian- American voices in both publishing and society in general and does so with an unflinching sharpness and reiterates her point over and over again. Interestingly enough the two real books that sprung to mind when reading this book are both mentioned towards the end of this book. I don't know enough about the author to work out if their are autobiographical elements to part of this book but I am so interested to read the discourse that this book will prompt.

An important, engaging, clever read. I loved it.

4.5 stars.

Might as well not bother reading anything else this year - BOOKS DO NOT GET BETTER THAN THIS!

✍️ 'Yellowface' by R F Kuang, is about an unsuccessful white author called June Hayward who steals the manuscript of superstar Chinese-American author Athena Liu after Athena dies in a sudden accident. Cue: plagiarism, suspicion, paranoia, desperation, & delusion!

📖 I'm going to say it - I think R F Kuang has written another huge hit here. It's going to be on everyone's 'best books of the year' lists, it's going to win awards. It fully deserves ALL the acclaim. I was so gripped by this book I physically could not go to bed until I'd finished it. 100% worth the tiredness the next day.

📚 The satirical / critical element in this is very cleverly done. It's a scathing critique of the publishing industry - mainly in terms of how minorities & marginalised voices are treated. No punches are pulled. There are echoes of some of the bigger 'discourses' in fiction over the past few years - eg, the discussion surrounding books like 'American Dirt,' authors with controversial personal opinions, so-called 'cancel culture' etc. Very topical & so, so relevant.

🤯 There are a lot of really thorny moral dilemmas throughout the story, all expertly handled. Having the story narrated by the white character was a genius move - June Hayward is SO problematic and makes a lot of ethically questionable decisions. Even when you think things are going to be clear cut, another twist or revelation comes along to keep you on your toes.

🗓️ 'Yellowface' comes out on 25th May 2023! Cannot recommend it enough if you're interested in the world of publishing & writing, enjoy thrillers & books about ethical dilemmas, or books with unlikeable narrators.

🎁 Thank you to @netgalley & @harpercollinsuk for my advance reader copy

- Katie

(Review posted to Instagram @katiespencebooks, review to be posted to Twitter @katiespencey on Friday)

If alternative universes were real there's at least one where BIPOC authors got the main spotlight, and white authors scraping for recognition. That’s the universe where Athena Liu and June Hayward live. They were in the same year at uni, same debut year. But being Chinese diaspora, Athena’s career skyrocketed in no time while “white girl” June’s going nowhere.

June can only seething in silence, since she’s Athena’s only friend. One day Athena accidentally died in front of her eye, and she’s the only person who knew about Athena’s recent draft. The fate of that draft is now in June’s hands. Would she let it remain unseen to the world forever or would she do something with it?

Just a heads up for you who are interested in reading this book, I remind you, it’s a SATIRE. It reveals how the publishing industry works in all its ugliness and how authors see us. It points out critical reviewers and online book community discourse. As readers it MIGHT make you uncomfortable, while publishing workers & authors would likely to cackle in delight. I felt unsure about the story at first but then I realized that maybe RFK purposely making readers feel this way🙂

The narrator is a white author (June) and you know how RFK writes her white characters. She’s unlikeable and has an interesting arc. But does that automatically mean Athena was truly an innocent talented author who only did honest works?

One thing for sure is that this book is insightful and thought-provoking. I finally understand why problematic book/author keep thriving despite all the critics and spicy comments addressed to them. So do authors truly care for their readers or do they only care about profits?

TBH, I’d say this is not RFK's best book so far. The writing was a bit repetitive. The word “hurl” was noticeably overused and even though I’m not a native English speaker, I’m sure that word has synonyms. On the bright side, the vocab simplicity makes it perfect for quick reading, the kind of book you can read in one sitting.

To put it simply this book might be a hit or miss but don’t hesitate to pick it up later when it’s finally published! It’s worth to read anyway✨️

I will start by saying that this is my first book by the author, but it most certainly won't be my last.

Yellowface is delightfully unsubtle and our protagonist, the truly awful Juniper, provides us with a barbed narrative to follow over the course of the novel.

White privilege, reliance on social media, entitlement and much more are all dissected with an artful hand. I haven't cringed and laughed in equal measure at a book in a long time.

I'm all for satire, and what's contained here is some of the darkest examples of it I have seen in recent years!

I cannot wait to talk to people about this!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

I really enjoyed this book. I would have finished this in one sitting if I was less busy. Every time I think about what I actually enjoyed while reading, the first thing that comes to mind is the writing. For a work of fiction about writing, publishing, and all that jazz, this book hit the nail on the head with its own writing style. This is my first read from R.F. Kuang, and it definitely won't be my last.

Loved this completely. Utterly absorbing and riveting. As a person of colour who works in publishing, the depictions of publishing were so SO relatable, but the rest of the story was also razor sharp and brilliantly written. Witty, incisive, and completely thrilling, I couldn't put this one down.

Like if dark academia grew up into dark publishing. June witnesses her successful author friend Athena die in front of her but instead of helping she steals her work in progress and, after some light editing, sells it as her own. Her only problem is that June is white and Athena’s book is about Chinese history, written as an American Asian person. What was just delightfully terrible about Yellowface was that every time you started to think June wasn’t so bad, that she was just caught up in something that got away from her, she would hit out with an incredibly racist remark to shut down any sympathy. I found the ending a little bit unsatisfactory - I think I wanted June to realise that she was in the wrong - but overall just fun and horrifying in equal measure.

The world of publishing is thrust into the spotlight in this book, and found lacking.
This is a world in which Bestsellers are seemingly chosen on a whim, in order to fit a particular social media narrative. Where the publishing world is a game, and it's players are self indulgent, inauthentic narcissists. Where plagiarism and pretentiousness walk an author towards their own downfall.
Oh the wonderful cynicism and satire of it all! An absorbing eye opener

Thankyou so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this arc.

I'm gonna put it out there, could be my favourite book of the year so far. It was a highly anticipated read for me so I was nervous going into it. However Rebecca's writing was superb and yeah, where do I start?

Firstly, I don't think I've ever hated a character more than Juniper Song. The way she is so tone deaf about literally everything and when we read snippets of her internal monologue, I'm cringing and saying to myself this girl needs actual help. But that just sheds light on how brilliant a writer Rebecca is, I'm hating this character so much but at the same time, I kind of don't want her to fail??? I've never felt rage and confusion like it whilst reading a bit, I have to be honest.

I will be recommending this book to everyone. And I know that this book won't leave my thoughts for a good while. It shines light on the darker side of the publishing industry and how cut throat it can be, whilst also tackling heavy racial stereotypes.

I want to reread it immediately but my brain needs to process this 10/10 book.

Oh my oh my

I don’t think some people are ready for this book. But me I freaking loved it, I applaud RF Kuang on this book honestly.

It’s going to be that marmite book, you are either going to love it or you are not.

Me personally I loved it, dark as hell. Kuang paints a picture that we all know happens in the industry she was just brave enough to put her pen to paper and write it.

Don’t expect to like the characters one bit. They are HORRID, June especially. There are no heroes in this book, they are all out to get what they can and don’t care who they tread on to get it.

I honestly just adore Kuang’s writing and this is no exception I cannot wait to see if she writes more like this.

Yellow Face by R.F.Kuang


After her friend's Death, June steals her manuscript and uses this as her book and becomes prominent in the Publishing agency and a well knows author under a pseudo. June, a character you love to hate, grated on you, and you think, how can she do that to a so-called friend? It is a story telling us the good and bad about social media and Publishing and what goes into it.

Pernicious, audacious, a menace. And that's just 'Juniper Song'. This is a compulsive story that takes aim at big questions in the literary world right now, like ownership and who has the right to tell certain stories. I enjoyed the main cast's complexity of character; RF Kuang does a good job in bringing nuance to arguments that are very divisive, and to protagonists who could either be cast as shining heroes or downright villains. The villainy on display here is more complex and relatable. As someone who works in publishing, some of what was mentioned cut quite close to the bone, and was very familiar.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to review.

A poignant, unflinching, addictive read from one of the best storytellers of our time. Rebecca Kuang addresses plagiarism and ownership of stories and histories with nuance and insight. A must-read!

would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to its publishing in exchange for a frank and honest review.

I do feel that I am in the minority of people who did not like this book at all! It just went on and on way too much with June’s self-obsessed ramblings. The story never went anywhere and there were pages and pages that could have been taken out and it would have made no difference to the reader. I do not give poor reviews but this book has to be one of the worst I have read in a long long time.

1 star 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted to Instagram (@chloekreads) and Goodreads on or before 25th May 2023.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But years after they first meet at Yale, Athena’s a literary darling, and June Hayward is literally nobody. When June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, edits it herself and sends it to her agent as her own work.

This is the premise of RF Kuang’s latest work, which is worlds away from the fantasy novels she has previously published. Yellowface offers an insight into the ugly side of the publishing world through the perspective of June, who made little progress with her debut novel but finds her feet with Athena’s manuscript, which she edits and publishes herself, with great success.

Following June’s point of view was an intriguing choice, and despite not liking her as a person, it worked very well for the story, and the pacing kept me wanting more right to the very end of the book.

Kuang tackled many controversial and complex issues in this novel, sometimes demonstrating that there’s no correct answer for some of our moral questions as characters’ views clashed in surprising ways, and I love how cleverly she wove some real history into the novel - I have to admit that I didn’t know much about the experience of Chinese labourers in World War I, and important details on this topic were spread through Athena’s manuscript and June’s own research without the novel feeling too heavy.

I would have loved for the story to follow a slightly less predictable path as it was fairly easy to see what was coming, but overall it was definitely a pageturner and will be particularly interesting to those involved in the world of books and publishing. 4/5 stars.

Yellowface

Title - Yellowface
Author - R F Kuang
Release Date - May 25th 2023
Page Count - 350
Read/Listen Time - 10hrs
Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Let me preface this review by saying from the outset that this is a 5 star book; if you read one book in 2023, this should be it. Yellowface is simply brilliant.

There are lots of trigger warnings to point out; Bullying, harassment, rape, depression.

Juniper Song is a mediocre author who is friends with Athen Liu, the darling of the literary world. When Athena suddenly dies, June steals Athena’s latest manuscript and puts it out there as her own.

This is a difficult book to read at times as June is subsequently vilified and hounded and ultimately experiences racism herself. The problem though is that June is also a racist; her micro-behaviours and comments within her inner monologue have a racial undertone - book quote from June-your red dress really brings out the yellow undertones in your skin. June is directly racist without meaning to be.

Although very little dialogue with characters interacting with one another Yellowface keeps the reader enraptured as we try to find out how June is going to get out of this mess and ultimately what stupid thing she will do next.

This is a story about people’s insatiable need to be seen, to be loved and adored, the power and the downsides social media, fear and jealousy. This is a book not to be missed and will no doubt be one of the stand-outs of 2023.

A satire take on white privilege existing in the publishing industry which made me laugh and roll my eyes at the same time. I really can’t wait to see what readers think of this book, especially after the response to Babel.

The story follows June Hayward or shall we say ‘Juniper Song’ who is struggling to write after the failed success of her debut novel. An extremely unlikeable character who is also really delusional about work she has stolen from her dead ‘best friend' Athena and making it her own.
Reading it in June’s perspective, I can see how she’d be able to win certain readers over with her victim complex and how she portrays Athena as the unlikeable one but if theres one thing we see, it is how far June is willing to go to keep her secret. I enjoyed the book a lot, the only issue for me was that it was in 1st person which I don’t tend to read and also the overuse of social commentary - I know its important to the story but it felt very cringe to me.

I'm aware this book will bother people but i also think this is one people will have to sit with and acknowledge plagiarism takes place in a lot of industries including publishing whilst also challenging the racism that is ignored or dismissed.

A scathing read, in the truest sense. Anyone who loves the goss will fly through this in days.
Yellowface raises some salient points on authenticity and trivialising diverse authors, and how they're distilled down to a flavour to otherwise Western fiction.
I have and will continue to read all of R.F. Kuang's books, especially now that she's stretching out into new territories.