Athena Liu is dead. And June Hayward is the only one who saw it happen.
It wasn’t some grand, cinematic murder mystery. It was a pancake. A single, stupid pancake that choked the life out of the literary world’s golden girl right in front of her “best friend.” But as June watches the life drain from Athena’s eyes, she doesn’t just see a tragedy, she sees an opportunity. She sees a thick, unpublished manuscript sitting on Athena’s desk, a masterpiece about the forgotten history of the Chinese Labour Corps during WWI. And before the paramedics can even zip the body bag, June has tucked that manuscript into her bag and walked out the door.
Welcome to the twisted, addictive, and deeply uncomfortable world of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. If you thought Kuang’s The Poppy War was intense, buckle up. This isn’t a high-fantasy epic with shamans and gods; it’s a modern-day horror story about the publishing industry, social media, and the lies we tell ourselves to sleep at night.
The Protagonist You’ll Love to Hate (Seriously)
Let’s talk about June Hayward. Or, as she rebrands herself, “Juniper Song.”
June is, without a doubt, one of the most frustratingly brilliant unlikable protagonists I have ever encountered. As a reader, you are trapped inside her head for the entire ride. You feel her bitterness toward Athena’s effortless success. You hear her rationalizing the theft of the manuscript as “polishing” or “saving a lost work.” You watch her get a tan and take a strategically ambiguous author photo to look “diverse enough” for the marketing team.
Have you ever read a book where you’re constantly screaming “DON’T DO THAT” at the page, yet you can’t stop turning it? That’s June. She’s stumbling through a minefield of her own making, and the tension comes from waiting for the inevitable explosion. Kuang captures the specific brand of white mediocrity that feels entitled to success, making June’s inner monologue a masterpiece of self-delusion. She truly believes she is the victim, even as she’s profiting off a dead woman’s heritage.
A Sharp-Edged Satire of the Publishing World
If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the closed doors of big publishing houses, Yellowface pulls back the curtain, and it’s not pretty.
Kuang doesn’t hold back. She skewers the way publishers treat diversity like a checklist, the way they pit female authors against each other, and how they’ll overlook almost any sin if the sales numbers are high enough. The book explores the uncomfortable reality of who gets to tell which stories. Does June, a white woman with no connection to Chinese history, have the “right” to write about the Chinese Labour Corps? The publishing industry says yes, as long as they can market her as “exotic” enough to avoid a Twitter scandal.
Speaking of Twitter… the social media commentary in this book is lethal.
The way Kuang describes the “cancel culture” cycle is so accurate it’s almost painful. The sudden shift from being the internet’s darling to its most-hated villain happens in a heartbeat. The screenshots, the threads, the anonymous “receipts”, it all feels so real. I found myself checking my own phone after certain chapters just to make sure I wasn’t being dragged into a digital dogpile.
Why I Couldn’t Put It Down
I’ve been a massive fan of R.F. Kuang since I first picked up her work (you can check out my thoughts on The Dragon Republic if you want to see me fangirling). But Yellowface is a total departure from her previous work. It’s fast-paced, punchy, and feels like a thriller even though it’s technically a satire.
The pacing is incredible. Just when you think June has gotten away with it, a new threat emerges. Is Athena Liu actually haunting her? Or is June just losing her mind? The horror elements start creeping in, cold breezes, strange messages, the feeling of being watched, and they transform the story from a publishing satire into a psychological nightmare.
I picked this book up “as a goof” on a Saturday afternoon, thinking I’d read a chapter or two. Five hours later, I was still on the couch, my tea stone cold, completely immersed in June’s spiraling life. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel a little dirty for enjoying it so much. You’re essentially complicit in June’s lies because you’re seeing the world through her distorted lens.
The Final Verdict: Is it Worth the Hype?
Absolutely. 100%. A thousand times, yes.
Yellowface is easily one of the best books I’ve read in years. It’s brave, it’s angry, and it’s hilariously mean-spirited. R.F. Kuang is a genius for being able to pivot from epic fantasy to this sharp, contemporary commentary without missing a beat.
If you love a story with:
- An unlikable, unreliable narrator
- A “behind-the-scenes” look at the book world
- High-stakes social media drama
- A touch of the supernatural (or is it?)
…then you need to run, not walk, to your nearest bookstore. Or better yet, check out our other book reviews to find your next obsession.
By the end of the book, you’ll be left questioning everything: What is “authenticity” in art? Who owns a story? And how far would you go to achieve your dreams if you thought nobody was looking?
So, have you read Yellowface yet? Did you find yourself accidentally rooting for June, or were you counting down the seconds until her downfall? Let’s chat in the comments! I need to know if I’m the only one who felt like I needed a shower after finishing this brilliantly toxic masterpiece.
Happy reading!
( Brooke)
