Blurb:

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

Review:

I’ve heard a lot about Yellowface over the last year or so, so I was very keen to see what it is all about. I can see why it’s been on social media a lot, as it raises a lot of questions about not just the publishing industry, but our lives in general, particularly in terms of our attitudes to racism and diversity.

The premise of the novel is set up fairly early, and it was fairly easy for me to see, at least in general terms, where the plot was going. However, this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it – quite the opposite – as I got to know each of the characters. The novel is written in first person from June’s perspective, and it’s clear almost immediately that she’s insecure and jealous. Her perspective was almost uncomfortable, yet so compelling and it was difficult to stop reading. I wasn’t sure if I should feel angry towards her or sorry for her, but it’s these kind of moral questions that make Yellowface a really interesting story.

I’m always rubbish at guessing the end of books, so it will come as no surprise to anyone that I didn’t guess this one. However, the ending does have a much more tense feel than the rest of the story and I enjoyed reading as this played out. The ending isn’t neatly tied together and I will be thinking about the future for the characters after I finish reading.

Yellowface is available from Amazon.