Yellowface: A Novel

Written by Rebecca F Kuang

Narrated by Helen Laser

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

“Hard to put down, harder to forget.” — Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… 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, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who 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 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 grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063250864

Rebecca F Kuang

R.F Kuang is the author of The Poppy War Trilogy, Babel: An Arcane History, and Yellowface. Her work has won the Nebula, Locus, and British Book Awards. She is pursuing a PhD in East Asian Language and Literature at Yale.

Reviews for Yellowface

[malloryschroeder0821 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this is was first lit fic book in a long while and it was very interesting! audiobook was very well done as well and it was an easy listen. hearing the main character just make the most irrational choices and seeing the outcome unfold was very intriguing. would recommend to my friends but probably won’t reread.

[martymartinez126_691 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book was entertaining up to chapter 24. I see why the book ended the way it did but did not like it at all! The character arc was nonexistent … character stated and ended as a frustrated, jealous thief who justifies her behavior with every cliche in the world! Then again, perhaps that was the point of the story ! There is no integrity or honesty nowadays and we are all to blame since all we do is move from one spectacle to another.

[kykp7x4t2h · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I just finished this book. I had many moments where I had to ask myself why I kept going. Upon reflection of it, all I can say is that I really didn’t like it. This is an irritating, boring read. Does it touch on racism? Sure. Yes. It does. But the entire time, I kept waiting for a plot or character development that simply never happened. It’s nothing but the pretentious ramblings of a deluded MC who refuses to acknowledge the error in her ways all the way to the very end. Juniper was incredibly redundant and unlikable. Disappointed this just didn’t live up to the hype for me.

[ytq4gx4wzn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting concept, insightful industry details but the story felt emotionally flat.

[Sr. Pritzel Diseño · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to give a 4.5, but it seems I can't on this app.
It's a really great book that reminds us as readers that the fiction writer it's a storyteller.
June takes us on a roller coaster through loving her and hating her in seconds.
I loved it.
Although it was the ending that did not let me give 5 stars. I felt like I was left at a 99% buffer.
But definitely recommend it!

[liliane.guelfi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A masterpiece. The story is incredible and will make you feel every emotion possible. June is a deeply flawed narrator who will both be very aware of the truth of the her world and fully delusional about the truth about herself.
The narration/audio is extremely good too and got me engaged from start to finish

[tef2leal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Social classes, privilege, and obtaining opportunities at any cost no matter who is on your way.

[Wasitora · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I hated almost every character in this book but I couldn't stop reading. Most were, quite frankly, pieces of crap. This felt like such a scathing critique of the publishing industry that it was funny. The way they tokenize black people and POC, even as they rarely give us a chance. And then to watch white people lose their minds and blame us for their lack of talent or luck. The MC was in no way relatable for me and found myself exclaiming out loud whenever she said or thought something out of pocket. I wanted to see her crash and burn but I guess I'll take what I can get. She learned absolutely nothing and the cycle keeps repeating.

[bridgettetonia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved how every chapter was captivating and engaging. I was fully engrossed to it!

[Rahel Heinz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book absolutely hooked me and I listened to the whole thing in three days. SO GOOD!

[TaxBacc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

*I listened to this book via Everand. * Wow. A brilliant depiction of one woman's spiral. Juniper, the main character, is a person you are not sure if you would hate to love or love to hate. But her obsessive behaviour draws one in. Kuang expertly shows the reader a rise and fall of an not so lovable character. The novel includes underlined commentary on modern publishing, covert racisam, but ultimately it is a map to a head of an obsessive person. A great read.

[ansedinos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a lot of things. The main character is totally unlikable, but still I couldn't let go. Highly recommend

[Christine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I'd expected. It took me for a wild ride through the thoughts of a woman who very deftly convinced herself that she was doing the right thing, and the way it's presented is so nuanced and realistic I could see myself thinking such thoughts as well. I might pick up another of her books after this, despite The Poppy War not hitting for me. Great book.

[emmabooks96 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked it, i enjoyed it, but i had something phenomenal in mind for a plot twist or something. still, i have enjoyed it anyways ?

[emilyann1620 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

RF Kuang, I would read your grocery lists. You haven’t let me down yet. Absolutely incredible, I never knew what the end would be until I knew.

[Syara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this read! Finished it in two days. The perspective is great and I enjoyed how it made me question the ethics of each character.

[Natália Pastorková · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Expected more but the story was too boring to follow

[challengecirclecore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jesus such a good read... I had so much fun listening to it.

[Payal Chawda · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I held off on reading this because I thought it would be a heavy read. It was and it wasn’t. It kept my attention, for the most part, and I predicted the ending but there were so many questions left unanswered that it ticked me off. What was Athena’s family history that terrified her mom so much? How did the ex boyfriend suddenly stop caring once June admits to stealing Athena’s idea? The characters were shallow and I didn’t care for the writing and I didn’t want to get to know the characters more. Read it if you want to. I should have just kept holding off on it.

[Carmen Worthy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book I have heard in ages! Loved every single, unfiltered and raw moment of it. Proud that storytelling like this is still possible. Can’t wait for it to become a film! Special thank you you to the narrator for giving it life?

[AJ · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

June presents so many entitled women. They seek out any chance to take credit for work and concepts they didn’t come up with themselves simply because they think they’re more deserving.

[n.sagioglou · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Captivating and unique!
Exploring issues that we all face, read ot

[marie.madeleine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be quite enjoyable, despite the very unlikeable characters. I loved R.F. Kuang's other books, so my expectations for this one might have been a little too high. 3.5 ☆

[Lynne Chaloux · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I expected a much better book. The main character is so unlikeable, and I almost gave up at the 25% mark… but continued on based on the positive reviews. There is some interesting psychology on rationalization and buying into one’s own lies, and the narrator was very good. Overall though, meh.

[Annette · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic themes! Absolute masterpiece. Kuang is at her most raw and most honest ?

[Rachel Schultz Dickerson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very entertaining. It shows how quickly we can create versions of events to meet our needs! Looking forward to more from this author.

[kristin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the writing was phenomenal, deserves the hype it got .

[celia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating story we follow along all with all the twists and anxieties. Learnt about how novel writing to publishing proceeds. Very interesting

[KayCei Moton- Melancon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was fine it took me a long time to finish and often fell asleep while listening. The protagonists is very unlikeable and irritating

[zoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow absolutely fantastic book. I loved every word. Great narration too.