Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for providing this audiobook advanced copy for review!

Yellowface tells the story of June Hayward and her relationship with her writing rival from college, Athena Liu. After witnessing Athena’s death, June steals her unpublished manuscript about Chinese laborers contributions to World War I and passes the manuscript off as her own.

I overall really enjoyed this book. The book’s pungent satire really highlights criticisms and ongoing trends in the publishing industry and how bookish culture interacts with social media. The book fills the reader with a sense of suspense and anxiety that makes it hard to put down.

The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser and she does a wonderful job bringing the narrative to life.

Highly recommended read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of R.F. Kuang's, 'Yellowface'. I did not enjoy this book, it was monotonous and boring. The main character stole a book from a dead author, made it her own and sold it for money. She gets caught and just whines and whines the entire time, when she fully admits to stealing it. Don't waste your time!

This timely satire is a rivetingly wild ride from start to finish. Engagingly narrated, with a propulsive plot, and characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want, I just couldn't stop listening!

This book slowly builds up to absolute insanity. The satire is razor sharp, but as an Asian American reader, I'm unsure how white readers might react. The narrator is unlikable and increasingly unreliable as the book goes on, but hate reading her thought is a delicious part of the experience.

Like every book by R. F. Kuang, Yellowface is a page turner.

Yellowface follows June, a relatively unknown author, who steals the just-finished, groundbreaking manuscript of her very successful friend Athena. The story unfolds as June navigates her newfound fame and success inside and outside the publishing industry. Until, of course, suspicions start rising.

Yellowface is a conversation-starter; there's simply so much to discuss! June as an unlikeable narrator kept you constantly on your toes, and it was fascinating reading about her thoughts - definitely a new perspective. It's not as simple as "June is the villain, and Athena is the hero", and by the end you come to realize people are more complex than that binary classification. Although I did not understand or agree with most of what June said, there were times I found myself sympathizing with her. The conversation around authorship was particularly noteworthy, and I wish R. F. Kuang had gone into more detail about it. Also, the commentary on cancel culture, especially Twitter, was nice, but it felt a bit excessive at some points, and I would have liked to see less of an online-centered approach to the drama. Other than that, the ending was genius and as someone in the publishing industry it was a gift to read about it. I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks about Yellowface, and I don't doubt for a second that this will be a controversial read!

I've never read anything like Yellowface before. I would recommend Yellowface to fans of the author's other work.

This book is very hard to review! On one hand, it's a compelling slow motion car crash and you have to know how it ends. As a satire, though, I thought it lacked the element of humor? It certainly does point out the way the publishing industry works to keep whiteness at the top, and that part isn't really exaggerated. The main character is a hapless and deplorable white feminist, but there's no nuance to her. But then the lack of nuance to the characters seems kind of like the point, in the way publishing will flatten nuanced characters of color to make them more palatable to white readers. But still, that's not particularly enjoyable to read. And like Sally Rooney's latest, the author is clearly folding some criticism leveled against her into the narrative, which I don't love. It's like, save that for the group text. So in the end I guess it still feels like it's on the defense, and that's not the place from which the best writing is going to come? But it is still a compelling book, and then I'm back to my first point...

THIS WAS SO GOOD. I love R.F. Kuang but it is always nerve-wrecking to have a favorite author switch up their genre but when you've got a great writer on your hands, like Kuang, there is nothing to fear. I hate to say it but this is a perfect book to go into without a ton of information on the story's content because Kuang's storytelling is all you will need. This is really a title that I will need to re-read pretty soon because there is SO much to unpack and I cannot wait. This was perfect and I loved every moment of it.

Best known for historical fantasies including Babel and the Poppy War series, here Kuang turns her attention to the modern-day publishing industry. June Hayward and Athena Liu are friends more out of circumstance than affection, coming up through the same prestigious writing program and both landing in Washington, DC after graduation. But while June struggles to get her writing career off the ground, Athena is an instant and stunning success. When a freak accident cuts Athena’s life short, though, June is there to pick up the pieces – or, rather, a complete draft manuscript of Athena’s next book. Now writing as Juniper Song, June rockets to fame on the strength of “her” World War I novel exploring the plight of Chinese laborers. Told from June/Juniper’s perspective, Yellowface is a dark, funny, and deeply uncomfortable novel about the world of books and the racism, both casual and direct, that pervades the industry.

Wow!! This audiobook grabbed a hold of me and didn’t let go until the very last sentence. I binged it on audio in less than 24 hours. The narration was engaging and she did a fabulous job at portraying Juniper. Readers will be entertained and find themselves cringe as June just digs herself into a deep dark hole. The commentary on racism and diversity will resonate especially with those in the bookish world. I’ll be curious if it opens the eyes of others. This would make for a fabulous book club read.

Helen Laser’s performance takes June, manuscript thief and liar, from absolutely despicable to almost sympathetic – at least for as long as June feels any actual guilt. The audiobook’s impact is strengthened immensely by her portrayal, that works seamlessly with Kuang’s writing, immersing listeners in the downward spiral from (somewhat delusional, internal) plausible deniability to outraged literary monster. Laser makes it easy to want to believe June’s inner narrative that thinks alongside her envy is a slice of altruism towards Athena’s legacy. Yellowface’s satire is sharp, quickly replacing concern for Athena with a falser benevolence often displayed in the real literary world – the idea that authentic voices can be replaced by more privileged voices that publishers assume are more marketable. Collaborating with an unethical editor and marketing team soon has June’s ego too inflated for remorse to remain, and Laser’s performance reflects this. June’s voice becomes more smug, more snappish, more entitled. All traces of doubt are replaced by a self-righteous anger that pushes her to attack any critic – but also leaves her vulnerable to Athena’s ghost.

Juniper and Athena are writers. One successful and one not. Their friendship is of convenience until one night Juniper witnesses Athena’s death. Before she leaves the apartment she swipes Athena’s latest manuscript and decides to rewrite and publish it. It’s a sensation but quickly people wonder about a white woman writing a masterpiece about Chinese oppression under a vaguely Asian pseudonym. The madness begins there… as Juniper tries to hide the truth and reckon with the ghost of Athena stalking through her conscience.

What a car crash of a book! The main character is entirely unlikable and every choice she makes is giant cringe but boy did I enjoy every second of it. The weaving of the story with the scathing takedown of the publishing industry and a unique take on the impact of race is masterful. I’m not sure who the perfect audience is for this one except people who love trolls, comeuppance and a wild descent into madness.

I sweated my way through every second of the audiobook but loved every second of it. I was tempted to take half a star off because the baddie was a bit obvious but then the last few chapters turned me back around. Definitely a 5 star reading experience.

Read this one if you liked The Plot or Kill all Your Darlings.

Thanks to Harper Audio for gifted access via Netgalley. I did go on to purchase a copy. All opinions above are my own.

First of all thank you so so so so much to Harper Audio for the ALC of Yellowface. I dropped everything to listen to this!
I think Kuang nailed the satire and I loved how meta this book got. It's possible that my knowledge about book social media and (to a lesser extent) the publishing industry made me appreciate this book more.
With the story itself, I thought Kuang presented the mood of the unreliable narrator really well. The novel felt claustrophobic sometimes (in a good way), and there was a lot of cringing.
For the audio narration, I loved the narrator and thought she captured the tone of the novel really well.
Overall I found this one to be quite entertaining and engaging and now I'm curious to read anything extra on how Kuang came to this idea.

Thank you to netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very compelling story, it was hard to put down. The main character gives psychopath vibes. Juniper was a very unlikable character but hearing the story from her point of view was challenging. There was lots of talk about race and racism.
I really liked the inside look at the publishing world, very interesting. I would definitely recommend this story.

I screamed so much in the end! This book was fantastic on audio. I loved it so much and plan on buying my personal copy. I've also ordered the book version for the bookmobile and will be requesting this for our digital collection as well!

In the literary world, June Hayward and Athena Liu were expected to achieve success together after graduating from Yale. However, only Athena's writing was well-received, while June's was largely ignored. After Athena's tragic death, June takes advantage of the situation by stealing Athena's latest unknown manuscript and presents it as her own to her agent. With some questionable rebranding to become more ethnically ambiguous through name and look, June becomes Juniper, and Athena’s final work about Chinese laborers in WWI, The Last Front, becomes hers. Despite the controversy surrounding authorship, The Last Front becomes a bestseller. Juniper struggles to keep her secret and is haunted by Athena's legacy, as well as the evidence that could expose her deception. In Yellowface, Kuang explores the lengths people go to for the recognition they crave and the secrets they keep to maintain it.

Yellowface is a fast-paced and incredibly compelling novel that had me on the edge of my seat from the moment the story picked up, about page 50 in. Kuang's talent for writing morally gray characters created an anxiety-inducing atmosphere that had my heart racing until the very end. The whole story is like a train wreck, but in the best way possible, because I did not want to take my eyes away. I found the narrative voice to be a really interesting choice, although it could be exhausting to live in the MC's head at times, I personally loved it. I think this title is likely to be a divisive one from Kuang. But, even as someone who is not usually a fan of thrillers or mysteries, I found myself enjoying the book. The ending, however, did leave something to be desired.

I’d recommend Yellowface to anyone looking for a fast-paced and thrilling read with complex characters and an intriguing narrative voice.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the audiobook ARC! The latest from R.F. Kuang takes us out of the fantasy realm and into the darkly real world of book publishing. None of the characters in this book are likable, but they all feel authentic. The narrative is a thought-provoking look at the publishing industry as well as the review space and how social media has changed this space. June Hayward and Athena Liu were classmates and Yale and bonded over their shared desire to become published authors. While Athena's career took off, June's stagnated. They continue to orbit each other's lives until an accident takes Athena's life and June takes Athena's unfinished manuscript. Now reworked by the industry, June's (now Juniper Song) career is on the rise, but she's being haunted by the truth of her work and by Althena. This book stirs a complexity of emotions and thoughts that make it well worth a read (or listen). The audiobook is fantastically narrated by Helen Laser and feels like someone is telling you their story (or perhaps making their confession).

Wow, this book had me from the very beginning and the more I listened, the more cringey it got, but I mean that in the best way possible. This scathing tale of the publishing industry and the racism and micro-aggressions that populate it was both entertaining and depressing. The author held nothing back. The humor was razor sharp and despite hating Juniper Song / June Haywood, I almost felt sorry for her when the social media trolls piled on despite her deserving every awful thing that happened to her and then some. The story is very claustrophobic as we're in June's unreliable twisted head throughout all of her emotional roller coaster journey, but it's done so skillfully that I felt every anxiety spike, adrenaline rush, and paranoid outburst and couldn't wait to find out how June would handle the haters this time. Absolutely loved this and the narrator was spot on.

I've been wanting to read an R.F. Kuang book and this novel seemed like a great place to start. I enjoyed the insider view of the publishing world and the part social media plays in launching a new book. The plot is fascinating and disturbing at the same time and I found June's choices and reasoning very interesting. It also highlights the darker side of social media attention and the havoc it can wreak with mental health. The audiobook is well-done and I enjoyed listening to the story.

This book was so much better than I imagined., I wasn’t expecting this perspective on the publishing industry.

I loved the characters and the depth we get to experience both the main and side characters.

Yellowface is seriously one of the funniest books I've ever read. It makes fun of everybody and pulls no punches, especially in regards to the book publishing industry and Book Twitter. Book Twitter drama made me laugh multiple times because it all seems so ridiculous yet l've seen this exact stuff play out, on Bookstagram, she mocks it relentlessly in the way only an insider can.

Don’t think this book is politically correct in any way, because it’s not. And you will love the ride!

The audio is done so well. I loved the narration, she nailed the emotions and the story.

The entirety of the book I felt so weird. It's an unreliable narrator who is trying to make it in the publishing world. It grabbed me and I couldn't stop listening to it. It was a car crash in slow motion, where you see exactly where the car is going to flip but you cant do anything but watch it flip over and over and over again. It has a haunting feel to it. It's not what I was expecting to read, I have only read the first Poppy War book and loved it but didn't continue bc well life, but I'm gonna have to read RFK's other works. Yellowface has you seeing how crazy the publishing field is, and all done from a pretty popular author... Makes me wonder who pissed her off. But on the other hand, impressed that she wrote about it in the first place. The characters are done so well, main character will never take the blame always finding a way to manipulate the story to make herself look good. Super morally gray.