My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
The novel is a meta-novel working at multiple levels. On one level, it is about the relationship between two authors, one successful and one less so, and the jealousy that drives the former to do plagiarise, an act that drives the rest of the story. On another level, it covers issues of racism, sexism, social media, cancel culture, identity politics. On yet another level, it's a story of how guilt can contribute to psychological breakdown. Finally, it is also a dissection of the publishing industry and the toxicity (and wonder) that sits at its core.
It's a wonderful book, and, having read all the author's other novels, it's the best. It's the most mature, the most well articulated, and the most solid and cohesive. The writing style is addictive - it's written in the form of a semi-confession, which places the reader in the head of the protagonist, creating an almost eerie feeling of fascination and horror (especially as the emotional balance starts to unravel). I couldn't stop thinking about the book while reading it. The pacing and energy are captivating - it's written like a fast moving thriller with non-stop "action". I also loved its cohesive nature - everything just works and fits together. The story components fit well together, there are no plot holes, random coincidences, or deus ex machina moments. It's slick and all encompassing in its completeness.
The form of the novel is incredibly intricate in its structure, which directly contributes to the critique of the publishing world at the core of the narrative. The ending is particularly stark, making you wonder where the book you are reading fits in the protagonist's thinking and the extent to which the narrator was really unreliable. It's inception, for authors and books.
Finally, the book makes you think critically and consider many assumptions you might have had about publishing, racial relations, etc. It doesn't take a clear stand and allows many interpretations. Not sure how well it will stand the test of time (many topics are hyper contemporary), but I loved it.
I recommend this to anyone frankly - the multiple levels in this book make it very approachable and relevant for most readers. Can't wait to continue reading the author's work. A genuine and unique talent, and if she keeps reinventing herself with this magnitude, she will exceed all expectations.

Wow, I absolutely raced through this novel, part thriller, part satire on the books industry, wholly addictive. I absolutely loved the plotting and pacing, my only reservation is to wonder if people outside the industry will get all the references and nuance? But I loved it

📚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.

If you have read and loved Babel, don’t assume you will like this book. Because in this new release, Kuang has moved away from her usual epic fantasy and went for something completely different here, a dark satire and thriller with an unlikable fame-obsessed protagonist who has no self-awareness of her wrongness. As a reader, I was in her head, in her troubled mind the whole time I was reading. I knew she was wrong, but I was trapped in her mind. That was uncomfortable😂

The central theme is cultural apparation. The book raises the question “who has the right to tell a story”? It also examines the modern issues in the publishing industry and social media. How writing a book has become about the person who wrote, not about the writing. Are we making the world better? Or are we just kidding ourselves? What is truth and justice in this modern age?

It is a very uncomfortable read, but Kuang’s razorsharp and daring writing is so compelling, I could not put it down. While I think this book will not be as successful as Babel, this book proves that Kuang is a very talented, versatile writer. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

"And I wonder if that's the final, obscure part of how publishing works; if the books that become big do so because at some point everyone decided, for no good reason at all, that this would be the title of the moment."

In an extremely meta book, the brilliant and visionary R.F. Kuang has savaged the publishing industry, readers, writers and "nice" racists in one fell swoop.

Yellowface narrator June is a struggling writer, who was overjoyed to publish her first novel only for it to sink into obscurity. Her agent doesn't return her emails and her publicist spells her name wrong. So is it any surprise that she is jealous of her friend Athena who is a literary darling, nominated for every prize going and with three successful novels under her belt? And when Athena dies in a freak accident, is it any surprise that June takes it upon herself to finish her unpublished drafts - it's what Athena would have wanted, right?

This book made me fizzle with excitement and rage. Complex, messy and fantastic - highly recommended especially for anyone with even a passing interest in books.

This was a little difficult to rate. While I did enjoy it I also felt some parts just didn't work for me.
The writing felt too slow and hard to get into. I found it a struggled to pick up. But by the second half it hard become easier to get through.

The story itself was interesting one to follow. Showing how people online behave felt very real. How easy it is to jump on a bandwagon and sent hate without doing any research then jumping to the other side once new information comes out. Also showing a behind the scenes of the publishing industry. Especially the side when a controversy hits.

However June was unlikeable in every way. Its hard to have sympathy for someone who truly doesn't think she did wrong. While also being racist throughout the book, she believes in her own hype that she never deserved. She doesn't learn in fact she becomes worse as time goes on. Fame and attention hungry she will do anything to get that next book.

June is a struggling writer who feels like she is always in the shadow of her university friend Athena. Athena is Asian-American and writes stories that reflect her culture. When Athena suffers a tragic accident, June seizes the opportunity to pass off some of Athena's unpublished works as her own. Yellowface raises a lot of questions about who has the right to tell what stories and examines cultural appropriation. This is definitely going to be one of the big books of 2023, it had me gripped throughout.

I was totally mesmerised by this book, such is the potent importance of the story it tells and how Kuang masterfully writes it. A pitch black satire that personifies how to do nail the genre, we follow June Hayward as she explains her rise and fall - how none of it would happened without bestseller frenemy Athena Liu. June is uncomfortable company, an unreliable narrator who swings between unknowingly and wilfully manipulating the truth to us & all of those around her. When Athena dies in an unfortunate tragic accident, June steals Athena's manuscript in the heat of the moment. As you do...
This would have been Athena's opus, a meticulously researched novel about Chinese labourers during WW1 - a passion project rooted in personal connection. Publishing it now, in the aftermath of her death as a posthumous tribute would do a disservice to the text and Athena, so June nobly edits it. And rewrites it. And has it published under her name.
The journey that follows, recounted exclusively by June, is one of the finest takedowns of publishing, mainstream and social media that I have ever read.

The first thing that caught my attention when reading this novel is the progression, or rather, downfall of our main character June (or, Juniper, as she later goes by).

June is at first presented as a sympathetic character, she’s living in the shadow of her friend Athena, constantly trying to live up to something she can’t meet. Throughout the book, liking June becomes increasingly challenging — and for good reason, as her actions get increasingly worse as she steals work from her dead friend (already a red flag, am I right?) and continues to pretend she’s done nothing wrong, providing a healthy dose of micro-aggressions along the way (Think: I’m not like the other white people! I’m one of the good ones!).

Not only does this book capture racism within the publishing industry with small details such as their refusal to hire a sensitivity reader for ‘Junes’ work, but it also masterfully captures the art of ‘cancelling’ and the power of online resistance — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This book is fantastic examination of online spaces from someone who seems to truly understand them. If you’re sick of reading ‘online dialogue’ written by someone who clearly doesn’t use the internet — this book is the perfect example of someone who has lived a life online and understands the space, the lingo and the anxieties surrounding existing within such a turbulent world. If the internet is good for anything — it’s giving everyone a voice.

It’s an anxiety-riddled work that hits close to home; as extraordinary as the situation may seem, it’s also something that very plausibly could happen in the real world. It reminds us to examine the media we consume, and the way we choose to educate ourselves about marginalised communities and their histories.

I could not have named a writer more capable or equip to write this story that R.F Kuang. Her prose simply leaps off the page and makes this a fast-paced story that doesn’t lack depth in any way, sense or form.

4.5.

I really enjoyed this book. This was my first Kuang read and I was surprised by how quickly I was taken in by her writing. It was quite addictive, with quick pacing and unlikeable but compelling characters.

The thing that’s most interesting, however, is the discussion around authorial voice and who is allowed to tell what stories. There was also a discussion around how popularity and celebrity can be addictive: to the point where we can forget ourselves and do grossly immoral (and even illegal) things.

Overall, a v strong story.

June, darling. I hate you.

But I loved to hate her.

Yellowface is a book that doesn't need an explanation, it's explained right in the title. It is, however, a book that needs a certain mindset going on.

You are going to laugh and scoff, and want to occasionally punch something from reading it. What you're not going to want to do, is put it down.

That would be a mistake.

Now, it's not my favourite of Kuang's works. There were some issues with style in my opinion and occasionally I felt like I was being told the story almost in bullet points. They made the writing feel jarring. Just a sequence of events with no connective tissue.

Sometimes though, it's the whole that prevails and I'm glad to have read Yellowface. I think a lot of people will enjoy it.

As someone who has had Babel sitting unread on Kindle for a little while, I was hesitant to request an ARC of Yellowface. Kuang’s writing has been so highly praised that part of me was worried I had fallen trap to the social media hype, and would be let down.

I can tell you categorically that every positive thing you’ve read online has been justified - but equally, so have a few of the negative pieces.

Every writer has a voice, a style - and Yellowface has been written in a way that I was immediately hooked. Kuang’s prose - for me at least - is easy to follow, easy to read, and makes it almost impossible to resist the call of “one more chapter”. It was undemanding, and while I don’t like the main character/s (you’re not meant to), it was a straightforward read.
With that being said, having seen much of Kuang’s online rise, I did feel that there was a lot of overlap between the text and Kuang’s own voice. There were definitely sections where I felt the invitation was there to form my own opinion or thoughts, but with great big neon signs pointing in certain directions. I don’t necessarily think this is the worst thing, there are thousands of books that do the exact same thing for reasons that are evident later on in the plot - this just didn’t feel like one of those examples.

Writing style aside, the premise and the plot have the potential to be truly excellent - and don’t get me wrong, this was almost excellent - I just felt there were some areas that felt… eh. With context, those eh moments can leave a sour taste.

This is darkly satirical - or at least it’s meant to be. For the most part it is, but if you’re like me and have (had) absolutely no clue how the publishing industry works, a lot of the finer details would be lost on you. You get the basic idea though: publishing is cutthroat, it’s difficult for authors to break in and be marketed (or seen as marketable) and there are always going to be authors who experience a meteoric rise to fame that may seem undeserved to some and completely justified to others. It’s learning more about the details - specifically about Kuang’s own journey as an author - that caused the problems for me.

While it’s well documented that Kuang writes herself into her characters and her books, some sections felt less meta, and more like thinly veiled opportunities to right some wrongs or make light of real issues. Maybe it’s me projecting my own uneasiness around the voice telling the story being one of Harper Collins’ best selling authors in 2022, or maybe it’s the way that many very real criticisms of Kuang and her previous books were not so subtly addressed.

HOWEVER - and this is a big however - if you like the premise, and you like the writing style, you’re probably going to like the book. I enjoyed reading it, it felt easy, and if you ignore all the context I’ve written above and can find online, it is a semi-satirical take on a very complicated and controversial industry. You will HATE our leads, and you’re meant too.

I’m also conscious that I’ve read an early copy through NetGalley and there maybe be more changes - but for the moment, this is a solid 3.5 star read for me.

Well what can I say about this book. I was drawn in straight away. It’s exactly what I would except from this author. Rebecca always manages to captivate the reader near enough instantly. As usual with this author it’s a very original story, it’s thrilling and I honestly could not put it down. It’s a fictional novel but the themes ring true and are very relevant to real life occurrences. The story flows very well and is easy to read even when tackling more complex parts of the story line.
I would 100% recommend

Judged on its own terms, this is a great book - incredibly subtle, clever, and compelling. I couldn't put it down, and felt like I was reading real-life literary gossip - it rang incredibly true to my own experiences of publishing. However, it's not a book which bothers too much with conventional plot or with particularly beautiful writing - Kuang fully embodies her narrator, and what she gains in subtle, gruesome wit, she loses in conventional craft. That said, this is a masterpiece of craft in its own right - the narrator's voice is insidious and compelling, and the book is a real achievement, a perfect execution of the concept.

To say I was blown away by this book is an understatement, but that's what I have grown to expect from Rebecca! She's the master of creating new genres, I can always count on her books being new and original. It's a very thought-provoking book, I found myself shouting at quite a few parts at the audacity of some of the narrator's thoughts and I don't think I have ever read a book where the lead character is so unreliable.

I feel like I have never read such an original thriller that both shocks and makes you think about bigger societal issues at the same time. I want this review to remain spoiler free, so won't go into the details about particular parts I enjoyed, but I would recommend this to anyone!

This is the first RF Kuang I have read and it's safe to say I will be reading every other book she has written and will write- even if they are not the in the general fiction space. I really enjoyed it. I watched an interview with Rebecca where she says that she hopes the reader 'cringes'- safe to say, I definitely cringed and it’s prompted my longest review ever…

This book is the perfect critical analysis on today's society when it comes to; who owns a story, who has the right to tell certain histories, can you use another persons real life experience for your own personal gain and how effective is online ostracisation? It asks all the questions but never fully answers them directly. Leaving the reader to pull together an answer themselves. The discourse Kuang brings up is an interesting one and two days since finishing, I am still thinking about it.

The irony of how divisive the reviews are on this book before it's release just leans into how meta this book is. No one is safe. Not the authors, the readers and reviewers, the publishing pr and marketing teams, the editors, the agents, the twitter users, the book clubs, the writers workshops, the book panels and prizes, the universities and education system, the mothers and the families; not one character really comes out of this book unscathed.

Another ironic point is, just like June and Athena ask- would this book be as hotly anticipated if R F Kuang's previous work was not so loved and well received? Would this book have worked as a debut? The answer is, probably not, it would be met with ‘it’s not the right time’, ‘it’s too defensive’ or ‘we are not sure who the right audience is for this.’ The book is great in calling out this industry double standard- forget about the story itself- how this book came to be is probably just as interesting.

I was on the edge of my seat as I never could tell where the story was going to go. The only thing I did know was from the moment that June Hayward (or the re branded ethnically ambiguous Juniper Song) steals Athena Liu's (a Chinese American) manuscript and starts messing with her words to ‘improve them’- I just knew- that the story was probably not going to be a happy one.

There are TW needed for this one including SA, xenophobia, suicide. Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy.

⭐️Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an early copy to review⭐️

“Without Athena, who am I?”

A brilliant examination of writers, the world of publishing and what writers go through to become successful.

Rebecca does a fantastic job of crafting a complex main character who we root for to get her comeuppance, but also feel sorry for. Yes she’s a terrible person, and does many terrible things, but don’t we all desire to be successful? I loved this examination of publishing and the obsession of being a ‘best seller/acclaimed’.

It’s a book with a lot of complex themes. The issue of race, appropriation and how Asian voices are erased and edited is something I found interesting and thought provoking. Yes it’s a fictional novel but at times the book is so realistic as to what is happening with publishing and potentially Rebecca’s own experience.

The writing is as always brilliant and flows easy, even when tackling complex themes and situation. But always manages to keep it uncomplicated for the reader to understand.

It’s defiantly a book that will be very divisive. As I feel it’s marketed as a crime thriller, but the majority of the book doesn’t feel like it. The first couple of chapters are crime thriller, but as we get further into the novel it’s more of a publishing examination and character study. It’s not to say it’s not enjoyable, just maybe not what people will be expecting going in.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel. It’s something new and different that I didn’t expect to come from R.F Kuang, but I’m not mad about it. It just solidifies that Rebecca is a fantastic author that can write in many genres and still deliver every time.

I came in here with no expectations. Even at first glance, it was so very obvious that this book is different from every book Kuang has put out so far excluding the present themes of racism and such. I mean what I loved about Kuang was the elements of physical brutality and harshness of the situations she puts her characters in. Her bold and unapologetic approach has always been my favorite thing about her as a writer, and never her prose. Goodness, so imagine my shock when I found out that this is being marketed as literary fiction and I had to be impressed solely by the idea of these themes and the way they would dance in Kuang’s command in writing. I’m in no way saying she writes bad prose; she’s just not one of the authors I’d point to when talking about exceptional prose. And, well, perhaps not expecting anything led me to fully enjoy and appreciate this book more than I could ever imagine.

The premise tells us exactly what would happen in this book. We have our protagonist, June, a flop novelist who is “friends” with Athena, a successful writer. While they are the same age and have the same undergrad background, they were presented with different opportunities in the publishing industry. In June’s mind, this is because Athena is Asian and is therefore “more marketable” these days, considering how diverse and inclusive the industry is trying to become. It is safe to say she is rather way too jealous of Athena’s success and creativity. The book then begins with Athena dying in such a comical way and June stealing this first draft for herself. From there, it explores the consequences of this from every area in June’s life (including the space Athena has left, the ghost of her, if you may. *wink wink*). While I do hold this book in high regard, I would be the first to claim that this is not perfect. The events leading to the resolution were rather lackluster for me, but overall I think this did its job.

Several reviews claimed that Kuang just kept writing about this theme which, for them, represents her lack of creativity. This made me laugh because this is exactly what she addressed using the characters of <i>Yellowface</i>. This is different from her other works for a few reasons such as: 1) It’s written in first person, to the point that the main character felt so real and I wanted to strangle her if I ever come across her, and 2) the points she was making here were given and executed through this satire style that just… works. Others claimed that Kuang’s voice kept on popping here as if she wanted us to just listen to her point of view instead of thinking for ourselves. I could not disagree more with this sentiment because this book is literally written from a racist white woman’s point of view, and her comments and sentiments always go back and forth to the side of things readers would agree on and otherwise. June’s voice even feels delusional and I found this comical and done well throughout the book. I mean, I personally never rooted for June but I also found myself not wanting her to get busted if that makes sense. Also, Kuang took her time introducing the different characters, including the minor ones you have to look very carefully for to see their importance at the moment of their introduction and later on.

Overall, I think I’m part of the small niche that this book wants to reach. I mean, I’m a chronically online Southeast Asian book blogger and aspiring novelist who understands all of these references to the online book community as well as the publishing jargon used. It’s easy to miss the point of this book as a whole, but fortunately, I’m assuming I’m part of the target audience, and for me, it was a solid read. If you’re intrigued about which side of the discussion you’ll be on, then I suggest you pre-order this now and see for yourself when it comes out!

(Thank you for the ARC and rest assured that I am also posting this review on my blog and that it's already been posted on my Goodreads page!)

While reading this I just kept thinking one thing: Thank God I am not a member of today's younger generation! While the book is well written and I got through it very quickly, it constantly left me with a bad aftertaste. Maybe that is the point the author wanted to make. I suppose the world, and especially the world of publishing, has always been a "dog eat dog" one, but this book takes it to the extreme and underlines the fact that with social media everyone's opinion seems to matter equally. Unfortunately most of what makes its way on social media comes from spiteful, unpleasant characters, who know very little about anything, are unsatisfied with their own lives and are relegated to criticising others rather than use their energy in more constructive way. Today's buzz words are diversity and cancel culture and while I wholeheartedly approve of the fact that there are more diverse voices in literature than ever before, things can sometimes get out of hand when this becomes a goal in itself. Do we look at the author or the book? And isn't the most important part of art the fact that one can create literally anything? It is the prerogative of the author to use the voice they want and the prerogative of the reader to read or not to read. And if one doesn't have anything intelligent to share, maybe it's better to just stay quiet. But I think that's probably quite an old fashioned and unpopular opinion in today's world where you don't exist if you are not seen on heard on a daily basis. Anyway, this book brings up a lot topics worthwhile discussing, maybe some of them a little too blatantly, but it may be best to do so with a small circle of friends.

Started 2023 with a BANG! This will definitely be in my top reads of 2023!

This book is one of a kind. Truly. I haven't read anything of this sort ever. Yellowface is a brilliantly crafted satirical thriller that reveals human nature and the ruthless publishing industry. This book is dark, funny, and outrageous! I absolutely loved it!

This is my first book by R.F. Kuang and I'm blown away by her captivating and witty writing style. It is safe to say that I'll be picking up more of her books!

Athena and June started their journey of becoming bestselling authors from college. A decade later, only Athena has been able to achieve the dream of every aspiring author. She is the epitome of success while June is nowhere near Athena's success and is envious of her life. June encounters an opportunity of a lifetime when Athena dies unceremoniously and untimely leaving behind an unfinished manuscript of possibly one of the best historical fictions ever. June pursues ethically questionable goals crossing the fine line of brutal plagiarism while battling with her own messed up moral compass. The book exposes the blood leeching publishing industry for what it truly is. It also masterfully illustrates racism that will have you cursing under your breath every time.

Moving onto the characters, Athena Liu is a beautiful and successful Asian American author while June Hayward is an average white struggling author. Both women are complex and infuriating. The story is told from a first person perspective of June who is the classic villain narrator and is insanely unreliable. She is the anti-hero of this story and you'll find yourself physically cringing at her blindness to her own racism and her loose justifications of her action.

This story is a satirical social commentary on issues we all feel strongly about but aren't able to articulate as seamlessly and brilliantly as R.F. Kuang. I'm adding her to my favourite authors list now!

Can't wait for the masses to read this one!

Thank you NetGalley, R.F. Kuang, The Borough Press for this ARC!

5 STAR READ!!!!!

This is genius, truly genius. I haven't savored a book in a while and this was fantastic. Kuang tackles themes other authors would not touch with a ten foot pole. From the shallows of twitter, cancel culture, all the way down to the depths of what defines history and who can and should tell stories of the past and present. What does today's author experience look like amid tokenization and cut throat world of publishing? Best book of the year.