Yellowface
Page turning
Thought provoking
Original

Yellowface

R. F. Kuang2023
What’s the harm in a pseudonym? New York Times bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R. F. Kuang in the vein of White Ivy and The Other Black Girl. Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.
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🥔@tati_be_reading333
5 stars
Dec 20, 2024
Bold
Deep
Addictive
Page turning
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Jovana Gjekanovikj @jovana
3.5 stars
Dec 18, 2024
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Ksenija @ksenksen
2.5 stars
Dec 16, 2024
Shallow
Creative
Long winded
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ghaitsa@saturned
3.5 stars
Nov 18, 2024
Thought provoking
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Keira@kostross
5 stars
Nov 5, 2024
Daring
Conceptual
Unforgettable
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joa@ilybyoshimoto
3.75 stars
Nov 1, 2024
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Joe@joe2267
3.5 stars
Oct 30, 2024
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sar@vivistreia
4.5 stars
Oct 26, 2024
This review contains a spoiler
Intense
Addictive
Unforgettable
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satvi@satvi
4 stars
Oct 15, 2024
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Margo Koss@margwrit
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Lindy@lindy
5 stars
Sep 22, 2024
Unique
Refreshing
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lovelorn@hanbin
5 stars
Sep 22, 2024
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Fatima@raincat
3 stars
Aug 31, 2024
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kari <33@karibari
4.5 stars
Aug 17, 2024
Dark
Unique
Thought provoking
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Jazmin@faeriejazmin
3 stars
Jul 18, 2024
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Mae@maeeam
3 stars
Jul 16, 2024
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rai@lavienrai
4 stars
Jul 9, 2024
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Dora Tominic@dorkele
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andrea valentina @virginiawoolf
3 stars
Jul 4, 2024
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p.@softrosemint
2 stars
Jul 3, 2024
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gishelle@g1shelle
4 stars
Jul 2, 2024
This review contains a spoiler
Convincing
Suspenseful
Page turning
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Amanda @asteil
3 stars
Jun 28, 2024
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sina (she/her) @sina
4.5 stars
Jun 28, 2024
This review contains a spoiler
Witty
Page turning
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miu@miureads
3.5 stars
Jun 22, 2024
Witty

Highlights

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franz@aroaldaw
Page 268
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franz@aroaldaw
Page 225
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Keira@kostross
Page 268
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Lindy@lindy
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Lindy@lindy
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lovelorn@hanbin
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Lindy@lindy
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kari <33@karibari
Page 286
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Lilly @lillxiara
Page 110
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rai@lavienrai
Page 390
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sina (she/her) @sina
Page 205
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Aje@420ghibli
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<3@averyriskygamble
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<3@averyriskygamble
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<3@averyriskygamble
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<3@averyriskygamble
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Alli@maybeitsalli
Page 219
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Alli@maybeitsalli
Page 187
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Alli@maybeitsalli
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Jenna@sinslashcos
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Emiley Jones@emileyjones
Page 263
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Emiley Jones@emileyjones
Page 260
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Emiley Jones@emileyjones
Page 255
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Emiley Jones@emileyjones
Page 247