Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

I was sent a copy of Yellowface as it’s the first read in my new book club which starts next month. It was already on my TBR list so I was happy to get a copy.

The Blurb

THIS IS ONE HELL OF A STORY.

IT’S JUST NOT HERS TO TELL.

When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity… and takes it.

So what if it means stealing Athena’s final manuscript?

So what if it means ‘borrowing’ her identity?

And so what if the first lie is only the beginning…

Finally, June has the fame she always deserved. But someone is about to expose her…

What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

My Review of Yellow Face

As someone who hopes to publish a book someday myself, this was certainly an off putting story of how brutal the publishing market and Social Media follow can be! You have to remember it’s fiction though and hope that it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be in this book.

The story draws you in straight away with a dramatic accidental death. It is written in first person and June witnesses the death of her friend, and that word is used loosely, then she steals her manuscript.

To give her her dues, she does work really hard on the book, researching the history and making it her own. But then it becomes a big success. And with success comes the downside of jealousy and the cruelty of Social Media.

June is also haunted by her former friend Athena, in many ways.

June is not portrayed as a nice character, I mean, who steals a manuscript from someone who has just died and makes it out to be their own work? But she does pay for her ‘betrayal’ in many ways and it’s sad how the attacks affect her mental health. We also see that she has little support from her family and a sad history. She may have done wrong but she is trying so hard in a cut throat business. Her next book is also taken from Athena’s notes but someone seems to be on to her and June needs to get to the bottom of it.

The ending is quite dramatic and just when you think things are going to go terribly wrong they don’t. But June doesn’t come out of it well. As a character that you are supposed to hate, she has to be admired for her persistence. She never seems to give up.

I’m going to be very happy to discuss my thoughts about this book in detail at the book club, I think there is a lot to pick apart.

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