A fast-paced whirlwind of a downward spiral that is ridiculously hard to put down and while it felt like a surprising follow-up to last year's Babel, it's probably my favourite thing by R.F. Kuang thus far.

Yellowface is told by the writer June Hayward, who since graduation from Yale had to watch her former classmate Athena Liu rise into literary heaven, while her own debut was a mild and irrelevant disappointment, followed by not much else. When June witnesses her friend's unexpected death, she's facing the opportunity to take on Athena's last unfinished masterpiece and pretends it's hers. What sounds like a terrible idea turns out to trigger a series of unexpected events that investigate the nature of the writing industry, cultural appropriation and living with a burden.

For anyone who is interested in literature, this novel feels like a peak behind the curtains. I suspect that R. F. Kuang drew from her own experiences as a writer when penning this and what we can take away from June's story is that the writing world is a tough and cruel business. In the end, it's about money, it's an industry like any other that thrives off headlines and the-next-best-thing. There's immense pressure on authors to keep churning out bestsellers, with the stakes and competition always high. June is a highly problematic character, but you do get to understand her way of thinking and connect to her fears of not living up to her own expectations.

It's also an investigation into who can write about what and how the public decides if it's appropriate. June Hayward is White after all and when stealing Athena's work she suddenly becomes the woman who writes about the unsung Chinese laborers' efforts during World War I. It's a strange position to be in, because she tells the story of a minority that she is not a part of and while some people are happy that this finally gets some attention, others feel offended and uncomfortable with it.

"For the first time since I submitted the manuscript, I feel a deep wash of shame. This isn't my history, my heritage. This isn't my community. I am an outsider, basking in their love under false pretences."

But the questioning goes deeper than that – who owns a story? Was even Athena entitled to speak of these hardships? She herself certainly wasn't in any war. That question arises in different retellings as well, when both June as well as Athena's ex-boyfriend remember how Athena would pry on their lives and feelings in order to produce fictional work. Is she allowed to do that? How is inspiration supposed to work? While the novel might not provide a direct answer, I think these things are very interesting to think about.

There's also the part that examines how fame in the age of the internet works. June certainly suffers from the problem that even when you get what you want, it sort of just fades away. Write one bestseller and watch people forget about you still. The next Twitter debate will follow, the next rising star will appear. It's hard to keep your head above water in a world that is so fast-paced and cares so little about individuals.

Reading this novel was surprisingly difficult – while the story is gripping and immersive, it's also incredibly frustrated. As a reader you have to live with June's lies and her bad decisions and a lot of the situations she gets herself into are so cringe-worthy and downright horrible that I almost felt relief when the story came to an end. And yet I couldn't put this down, ultimately being appreciative of the many interesting questions Kuang poses.

It really pains me to give this book only 2 stars since the Poppy War trilogy and Babel are one of my favourites.
When I learned that it was supposed to be a dark satire I got excited to read something new. The description was also intriguing. Unfortunately, it was not at all what I expected. I feel like this specific genre isn't for her. While her previous works feel like works of art this one was more like a "diss" on communities like twitter, goodreads, etc. and the whole book was more focused on that than the main plot. Also, I'm aware that the main character was supposed to be annoying and unlikable but in this case, it was too much for me. I couldn't stand Juniper and reading about her was like torture.
For the positives, the language RFK uses is beautiful as usual. Her writing style is what saved this book a little for me. Because even though I didn't like it I still admired the work of Kuang. I also enjoyed the aspect of looking a little more into publishing houses and how the process of publishing a book looks like.
I hope this work is only a one-time thing and she'll continue to give us great books in the future.

Giving this a solid 4.5 stars - Kuang has created a truly hideous narrator in June Hayward, and yet I couldn't put this book down!
A scathing and satirical look into the world of publishing, it was horrific yet compelling.

Rebecca Kuang is a brilliantly talented and varied author. Babel was one of my favourite books of last year so I was intrigued by this one, with its very different setting and style.

June Hayward is a struggling author with a debut flop. Athena Liu is a rising star with a bestseller and a 6-figure book deal. When Athena dies in freak accident (it will surprise you even though you know it's coming!) June takes the just-finished manuscript of Athena's latest work on Chinese soldiers in the first world war. She tells herself she just wants to see what her rival-cum-frenemy was working on, then that she just wants to complete it for her own satisfaction, then that her edits and additions mean that the book can get the credit it deserves. And finally she submits the manuscript to her impatient but inattentive publisher as her own work. Soon June is the new literary darling, outwardly mourning the tragic death of fellow writer and friend. But June is in some murky waters, not least because her publisher encourages her to use the ethnically ambiguous pen-name "June Song" questions are raised about her suitability as a white writer to tackle a little-known part of Chinese history. Soon June is struggling to maintain her credibility and, worse, someone knows that she stole the manuscript and is out to destroy her...

Kuang has written a witty, engrossing, darkly funny story about race, identity and privilege. She addresses issues of authenticity and exploitation and she doesn't undermine the complexity of issues she raises for white writers or writers of colour. June's voice, her inner turmoil, is brilliantly rendered as she struggles with the ethics and consequences of what she has done. The pleasures of success and her sense of entitlement battle with he guilt (suppressed) and her fear of being revealed as a fraud. Her paranoia grows as she realises someone is onto her and plots to destroy the threat all-the-while constructing a inner narrative to justify her actions. Athena's character is largely seen through June's eyes but also evolves steadily throughout the story as less savoury aspects of her personality and her writing process come to light and we discover that no-one is immune to criticism. The various Twitter-storms and controversies propel the narrative along and cleverly reconstruct the breathless pace of a social media pile-on and the frantic, furious responses that often emerge as part of the "discourse". It goes to some unsettling places but there are plenty of dark chuckles along the way and a breakneck, thriller-like pace that make the whole thing hugely enjoyable as well as thought-provoking.

I really enjoyed this book, such horrible people! Juniper Hayward and Anthea Liu, her college friend, are both writers. Anthea is successful and famous, and Juniper is not. Anthea dies in a freak accident and Juniper steals her last novel about Chinese soldiers used in WW1, rewrites it and gets it published as her own work. Lots of people are suspicious about this book and raise concerns, and Juniper's guilty conscience sends her in all sorts of directions.
The writing is really fresh, the situation gets worse, then is temporarily resolved, then gets bad again. It is brilliant. I read it in one day as I couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended.

Ooooooh I loved this and how! I love the title too playing on the “blackface” trope. This novel follows our young white ordinary female protagonist who is surviving as a an author. Her debut novel got a small advance and press, and she’s trying to make ends meet by working on her next book. In comparison to her Chinese-American friend Athena is a big shot writer with a number of books on the bestseller list. When Athena dies unexpectedly by choking on a food, our protagonist seizes her WIP impulsively. She rewrites it and passes it off as her own, which receives a massive advance and press. She’s like the Tom Ripley of the publishing world. But she finds herself haunted by Athena.
This was a superb book. I loved the voice of the entitled and whiny white protagonist. Kuong is fab at taking the piss. Part of it felt like an angry rant. But I was nodding so many times. I will definitely purchase this book when it’s released to underline my favourite lines. My only gripe was that plotwise it was underdeveloped and I wished there had been more plot, as certain parts were predictable and descriptive in a non-exciting way e.g. describing how Twitter worked. However it is a short book and a quick angry read about how crap publishing can be and how entitled people can be. 👍👍👍

A thoroughly gripping and enjoyable read- it was so hard to pull myself away from the twists and turns. Bound to be a big hit I’m sure .

Yellowface was an absolute delight filled with unexpected twists and turns - I couldn't put it down. As someone who works in publishing, it was great to read a book that accurately portrayed the industry, as well as sharing a fascinating insight from the other side of things as a writer. In the past I have struggled with reading books that have a dislikable main character, but Rebecca F Kuang's style of writing made sure that I was hooked, despite not rooting for Juniper!

I ADORED THIS BOOK.

R F Kuang is an incredible fantasy author and her recent delve into contemporary fiction was a complete success.

Athena Liu is the next big thing - a successful young author who is cool and enviable by all who surround her. That is until she dies. Her friend decides there's no harm in taking her unpublished manuscript and shooting herself to fame with it - even if it's a Chinese history book.
This is a brilliant satirical book and Kuang has no problem poking fun at the publishing industry. I absolutely demolished this and it is definitely going to be a big hit once it hits the shelves.

A compelling and gripping book about the world of publishing, frenemies, and racism. A brilliant read that had me hooked from start until finish.

Athena Liu has it all. A successful author with three novels published so far at an early age and just after signing a major deal with Netflix, when she tragically dies in an accident. Her friend June Hayward witnesses her death, and in a panic takes Athena’s most recent finished manuscript. Never had the success that Athena has had, June decides that this is her chance to live the life of success she’s dreamed of. Rewriting the novel and publishing it under the name of Juniper Song, June reinvents herself for a fresh start.

Told from June’s point of view, we truly get to see how her mind works. An utter narcissist June has no thoughts outside herself. She trawls through online posts and reviews, hyper fixated on anything negative. Any comments calling out racist tropes or her writing is met with excuses or denial. Her overt racism is constant throughout. Having “written” a book detailing the experiences of a marginalised group she then proceeds to find opportunities to continue to use that community for her own gain.

This book delves into the world of publishing and highlights the darker side of its world. From calling out the need for diversity, plagiarism, racism, and cultural appropriation it is an eye opening book. As June goes through the editing process we watch in horror as throughout the editing process the work is ravaged and altered to make it more appealing to white readers. No one is left unscathed as Kuang shines a light on critics, editors, publishers, and other authors.

This was a gripping book from the beginning and I look forward to getting my hands on a physical copy.

An absolutely outstanding and compelling novel. An incisive and devastating look at the realities of the publishing industry and racism and white privilege. In a way this book is three different stories cleverly combined into one narrative: a story of frenemies, a story about the rise and fall of the protagonist and a thriller/ghost story. Really exceptional.

Though I have a number of books by Kuang on my TBR pile, this seemed an interesting one to start off my 2023 reading with. Yellowface is a book that explores the publishing industry and its intricacies. I’m not sure how realistic it is, but this definitely seems to be a book written by someone who has, perhaps, had to grapple with some of the dilemmas posed here.
Our main character, Juniper Song Hayward, has always wanted to be a writer. She has been published, but has had nothing like the success of her friend Athena Liu. There seems to be some professional jealousy on Juniper’s side but because Athena dies early on, we never really get to see anyone else’s view.
When Athena suffers her freak accident, Juniper is with her. She tries to save her, to no avail, but she also leaves Athena’s apartment with a first draft of a manuscript for her latest novel. For reasons that are never satisfactorily explained, Juniper uses the draft and rewrites elements of it, passing it off as her own. It seems she’ll get away with it…at least at first.
The publication of Juniper’s latest novel causes problems. Rumours of plagiarism follow her, but more damning is the fact that a white woman has written about something she has no experience of.
Once we enter into the territory of authorship and narrative voice, I honestly found myself feeling as if everyone else was in on a joke that I hadn’t quite understood. The narrative became acutely aware of how it would be perceived and I was never sure what was the writer’s voice/commentary on the issues and what was the view of the character. By the end it felt as if the plot was tying itself in knots as it tried to set up something far cleverer than was needed for the occasion.
From the reviews of Kuang’s other novels I understand this is something of a departure for her. In some ways that’s good because this didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and I had been really looking forward to reading Babel. I might opt for something in between, though I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this prior to publication.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy of this most unusual novel. The "anti-heroine" of the novel steals the unfinished manuscript of her deceased friend and rewrites it under her own name to great commercial success. The "stolen" book relates to the work of Chinese labourers in Europe during the First World War. The writer, June, who is a white American uses the name Juniper Song as a pen name, though she has no Asian heritage, to make the book seem more ethnically authentic rather than something written by a white girl.
This is not any easy read and is told completely from the standpoint of June; one can sympathize with the choices she makes but we know that her starting point was dishonest. There are interesting threads relating to the question of cultural/ ethnic appropriation which are highlighted by the various critics of June with extreme views. This is also a well written critique on the role of social media in the world of publishing together with what i hope is not a general situation within the world of book publishing.

A story so masterfully woven, so enticing and yet so deeply embedded in our modern world that once could easily believe the main character is a real person. Although I sure hope that she isn't!
Juniper Hayward is a young writer who hasn't yet had the success she thinks she deserves, it's hard for her to stomach looking at her old classmate Athena Liu who is already at the height of her carreer and receiving praise from every which way.
As the two girls celebrate Athena's latest success, the latter dies in a chocking accident. June soon gets over her shock and takes advantage of the situation by stealing her colleague's manuscript. She finishes it, tweaks it and decides to publish this book under her own name even if the story is very much rooted in Asian history, in Asian pain, one that isn't part of her personal history..

Yellowface is a real tour de force in revealing some of the underworkings of the publishing industry as well as how social media now operates, from bullying to full on canceling. Of course it tackles racism head on, and more impressive even, the way some white women may use the current climate to their advantage all the while believing they're the really opressed one.
This book feels like really good satire but also could absolutely be classified as dark academia.
It could be the most gripping work I've read all year, I've just finished it and I already want to read it again. I couldn't have loved to hate June any more!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and The Borough Press for providing me with an ARC! I highly recommend this read.

This novel was just so much fun!

A perfect double bill with Alice Slater’s Death of a Bookseller, I loved another book on messy female friendships, death, obsession and books.

I absolutely loved how well-realised June, our protagonist was, and how I felt like I knew Athena even after death. I loved how complicated and messy and morally questionable she was, and how she sunk deeper into her deception through the book.

Another novel which is going to spark a lot of conversation and make a huge splash next year.

I loved it.

5 stars

A Meta-narrative about the ins and outs of the Publishing Industry, mostly the dark undercorners. How the Diversity sells and people are forced into cutthroat competition of creating the next best piece. As someone who also wants to join this industry one day, this book shook me to my core. Beautiful ending. Resolution? Not to my understanding, but life is ever so simple. Cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this. Coming out in May, 2023 (Around my Birthday 🤣🤣).

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

There’s nothing quite like reading a book, eating up every page, while knowing it is going to make people mad. Yellowface by RF Kuang manages this straight out the gate, burning through pages and giddily building a bonfire of publishing industry hot-takes for its perverse pleasure.

June Hayward is an unsuccessful debut author and begrudging gal pal of industry darling, Athena Liu. When Athena dies in a freak accident June swipes the rough draft of her next novel, determined to enjoy the prestige and acclaim of being a diverse, beloved voice in the market.

What follows is a masterclass in denial, bargaining, contradictions, prejudices and entitlement - Juniper Song (rebranded such by her new publisher) is caught in a death spiral of self-justification for her theft of an explicitly Asian diaspora story and it is simply impossible to look away as a reader as the wheels come off.

Kuang expertly builds the ultimate straw man, before dowsing it in gasoline at every turn - every micro aggression, every paranoid encounter sharpens Juniper’s story into the ultimate house of cards. At several points I was amazed that Kuang had managed to embody the deranged entitlement of her white woman protagonist to such a perfected point that I began to wonder if Yellowface itself was part of a plagiarism nesting doll scenario.

Critics, fellow authors, reactionary readers and the publishing industry fail to come out unscathed either, as the underbelly of the book world is pulled apart underneath June’s grasping hands, desperate to maintain the narrative she has convinced herself, and the world, of. The lack of redemption may frustrate more conventional readers but Yellowface is utterly elated as it takes everyone down with the ship.

Yellowface argues that the boldest stories writers tell are often the ones they convince themselves of. What readers take from the story will inevitably be a reflection of their own preconceived ideas but Kuang can undeniably write one hell of a takedown.

a stinging, disturbing, mind-twisting, darkly funny satire about a white woman's contemptible crimes — and the lengths she goes on to protect them. written in a blithe and breezy style, quite unlike rebecca's quintessential devouring prose, but just as welcome, 'yellowface' deals with racial identity, whiteness in the publishing industry, and the horrors provided by the terribly artificial world of social media everyone — authors, reviewers, readers, bloggers, editors — belong in today.

what makes it unbelievable and unforgettable is the narrator rebecca has chosen for her story — a self-victimizing white woman. by picking her to voice a story majorly based with whiteness in the publishing industry, miss kuang sets the stage for an indelible tale. readers will be pulled into the narrative, will find themselves rooting for the scoundrel that is the protagonist, and will be horrified at their own acts; but the ones who'll read between and beneath the lines from the start will thoroughly enjoy the nuanced and subtle themes miss kuang has so artfully melded into her satirical writing. a true masterpiece. <3

I was drawn to Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang by the cover of the early copy - eye-catching and tantalising. After requesting an arc on @netgalley, I began to see this book mentioned on a lot of hype lists for 2023. Happily, the publisher @harpercollinsire also sent me a print proof copy. I devoured it in a couple of days over Christmas - it’s absolutely worth the hype. .

Yellowface is an immensely enjoyable and hard-to-categorise book. Written in the first person present tense, it’s billed as a thriller but it’s mostly not. It’s contemporary literary fiction, an addictive pageturner and a gripping story of plagiarism, jealousy, diversity in publishing, cultural appropriation and paranoia.

June Hayward reinvents herself as Juniper Song after she witnesses her successful novelist friend Athena Liu’s death. In a rash moment in the immediate aftermath, Juniper steals Athena’s very rough manuscript, refines and perfects it, and turns it into a bestseller, claiming it as her own work. Will Juniper get away with it or is she destined to be haunted by the spectre of Athena forever?

The book is very meta and clever. There are sections that make the reader feel like you’re reading your Twitter feed (probably my least favourite part of the book) and there are plot points that reference one star Goodreads reviews - I mean, this is a book that is made for avid readers!

The fact that Yellowface is written by an Asian American author using the voice of a white American woman pretending to be an Asian American woman leaves you with the impression that the author is poking fun at her audience, challenging assumptions and prejudices.

The novel offers interesting insights into the publishing industry and gives you pause for thought on issues such as diversity and representation in publishing. Above everything though, you will love to hate Juniper, she’s really irredeemably awful. A rollicking read.

Thanks so much to @harpercollinsire and @netgalley for the proof copy and the e-arc. Yellowface will be published in May 2023 and is destined to be a much-talked about book next year.