From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

Yellowface

R.F. Kuang

Start date: July 1, 2025

Finish date: July 31, 2025

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What Members Thought

Feb 05, 2024 Christi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2024-reads, kindle

I saw a review for this book that declared it "hilariously awful and awfully hilarious." It is the perfect description of this book. Juniper Song Hayward is such an unlikeable, unreliable narrator. What a trip following along with her rationalizations, machinations and scheming. This was also great look into the behind the pages of the publishing industry. Fantastic book. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2023 Mandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, 2023, pop-sugar-challange-2023

This is a story ripped from social media and the last, many, 10 years of publishing where Goodreads, Twitter (RIP) and cancel-culture have been super influential. It's a story with all the tropes and stereotypes and a message perhaps? It's like the reading equivalent of driving past a car crash where you know what's happened but you can't help but look anyway.

June Hayward is white. Athena Liu is Chinese-American and her "friend". They're both writers but Athena is the star - she's had bestselle ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2024 Niki McDowell rated it liked it

I have spent the last few days thinking about what I wanted to say about this book. I didn’t struggle to get through it, but I also felt extreme unease when I finished it.

The book revolves around June Hayward, a writer who steals the manuscript of fellow author Athena Liu, upon her death. She takes ownership of the manuscript, editing and subsequently publishing the book under her own name.

Her book, centered around the Chinese involvement in WWI, comes under critical scrutiny, as people accuse r ...more

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Mar 01, 2024 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, race, mystery, listened-to, writing

June and Athena were writing students at Yale and remained in professional contact while Athena's career soared and June's floundered. Sometimes their relationship crosses into what June might call friendship, but she wasn't sure. June happens to be present when Athena dies unexpectedly and has an opportunity to take Athena's unpublished manuscript which she takes.

Engaging and kept me wondering just how far June would go to cover up her first transgression and ensure her success. Brings up inte ...more

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Jan 07, 2024 Brenda rated it it was amazing

R.F. Kuang has a winner in Yellowface. This book was very well written. Even though the characters were unlikable,this story kept me reading. I just could not put this book down. A 5 ⭐ read for me. I highly recommend it. What an ending.

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Apr 11, 2024 Sarah rated it really liked it

I’ve always enjoyed the tragedy plot (Greek definition n) of someone making worse and worse decisions until their ultimate downfall. My one critique is that there were too few characters in the story, so the ending was a little predictable. I really enjoyed the monologue at the end, though.

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