This book is the cornerstone of the unreliable narrator trope. As the story progresses, she goes further and further off the deep end. It got to the point I could hardly stand to finish the book. June is just so insufferable the important message of the book just falls by the wayside.

This book takes a powerful stance in terms of the state of the literary world and the inherent racism within it. That said, it did feel like Kuang made this book overly personal. It morphed into a misguided perspective on racism in the form of self-insert fanfiction.

I went into this book as blindly as I could given this book's popularity. In a way, I wish I hadn't. This book would've had more value to me if while reading it I was taking it as more of a literary commentary instead of a narrative. My perspective while reading definitely negatively impacted my rating of the book.

Overall, if this book lost its last portion where June becomes insane in her delusions to the point of neuroticism, this story would be a lot easier to get through and still get the message. I highly respect this book for its commentary aspects, especially in terms of what would slide in the publishing industry as it stands today. I recommend reading it for those involved in the publishing industry or highly interested in it. If that is not you, the annoyance you will feel while reading is not worth the hype.

For a more in-depth review please see my blog:  https://readintowonderland.blogspot.com/2024/04/yellowface.html