DID YELLOWFACE LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? IS THIS EMILY HENRY'S THIRD STRIKE? | BOOK REVIEWS [CC]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
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Hey hey! So in May, I read #Yellowface and #BookLovers and I have thoughts. Here are my non-spoiler reviews. Tell me your thoughts if you've read these. Thanks for watching!
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I saw RF Kuang speak about this book and she actually says she feels insulted when people think Athena is a self-insert bc Athena was such a selfish person who did not care about building community or helping those who come after her. Kuang’s story also more reflects June’s since Poppy War took a long time to get off the ground. She’s such an amazing speaker though and she’s definitely an auto-buy for me too!
I went to a talk by RF Kuang and she specifically said that Athena was REALLY NOT like her. RF kuang specified that Athena was an overnight success while RF Kuang's books are actually much slower in getting the recognition that they have today (she gave the example of how none of the poppy war trilogy books ended up in NYT bestseller list). And Athena seems more like a caricature of everything RF Kuang does NOT want to be, as Athena was someone that was also very manipulative and looked down on other ppl, while RF Kuang has always used her platform to uplift upcoming marginalized authors and support staff in the publishing industry (eg the Macmillan strike)
I LOVED book lovers, it is my favorite book of emily henry (I also read beach read and people we meet on vacation). I personally love romance being more of a subplot, because it builds tension and impatience, and usually means plot twists to "waste time" are not present (like miscommunication).
Emily Henry is not for everyone-and that’s ok! I say that as a fan.
I’m excited to start my first Emily Henry, just to have my own opinion! 😂
Yup. Jessica’s lucky she made it beyond Beach Read. Tht was the only strike I needed
I really enjoyed reading Yellowface... However, I wasn't crazy about how she wrapped it up. That's why I gave it 4 stars. And OMG, have you read The Adventures of Amina-Sarfari? It got me outta my reading slump. Thank me later! ❤ 😊
Someone on booktok said that Yellowface is "watching whiteness work" and i think that hits the nail on the head
very racist thing to say. The Asian characters wasn’t good either. Be sure, let’s only focus on the white character actions
@@Regina.Falange yes but there's a conversation to be had about how in many instances bipoc people will lose opportunities and have a harder time in the industry than their white counterparts, which is literally what this book is about. That's not a racist thing to say. It's called systematic racism.
Juniper will be first on the next installment of Characters I Want to Square Up With
Emily Henry writes women's fiction lol I like WF and LOVE her writing. I agree I don't come to her when I want romance but she's one of the few girls giving good banter. :/
Also, have you read The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea? It's really easy to read, short, and feels like a fairytale mixed with Studio Ghibli vibes. Very whimsical and vibrant. And it's very accessible in writing style without being dumbed down.
I loved this book! It’s on my staff recommendations shelf at the bookstore I work at :)
@MG Larson it's amazing. It was one of the first Asian inspired fantasy novels I have read, and I'm so grateful to have gained another type of fantasy that I love.
I gave Book Lovers 5 stars last year. But my memories of it aren’t that high? Did I “love it” because everyone else did? Or, did I enjoy the book publishing aspect? 🤷🏼♀️ Beach Read I gave 3 stars. I did say that the last 1/4 of the book deserved 5 stars. But I’m tired of wading through romances that are “will they?/won’t they? fall in love plots”. It is my least favorite plot…followed closely by misunderstandings. If I recall correctly Beach Read was about a home improvement project. I usually LOVE romances built around this subject. Unfortunately, I am not even tempted to read her other books right now. The public has put her on such a high pedestal that being objective about her work is hard for me.
This is exactly how I felt about this book! I read it in one sitting, very Ghibli vibes
I think what I probably love about Emily Henry is that I’m not a romance reader. Her flavor of romance is perfect for me. I literally just bought Yellowface yesterday. I’m pretty into meta, so I’m hopeful.
Regarding Yellowface: sometimes I too have difficulty reading books that seem too current. How well do they age? Could it be read twenty years from now and still have the same impact?
Thanks for your great reviews!
Especially when they bring up social media and slang terms its the worst
I definitely agree if it's a romance or something like that, but with yellowface i think it's meant to be a snapshot of this moment in time for the publishing industry, so it works
I wanna chime in because this dislike of current time and pop culture refrences is so fascinating too me, because in my opinion it is practically impossible to write something that isn't dated. I mean Language alone is always evolving.
Sometimes I wonder If people 300 years ago also thought about their then current literature that way. Thinking about if it will hold up the next 50 years or so.
I'm coming to this from a german perspective, were a lot of the major (for school at least) literary periods were really short lived and overlapping each other (the classical period was like only five years and only three works by two authors are recognized as belonging there) and a lot of german authors sure do love their cultural refrences. (There is a publishing house that publishes almost all german classics with annotations and further contextual information in the appendix and without them you will be lost when it comes to understanding and analyzing)
Also culture is constantly evolving, so even if you avoid mentioning any refrences to anything current, when you portray people and by extend a society or societies, you automatically refrence the broader culture around them, right? Can there really be timeless literature?
Emily Henry's books are women's fiction in a romance trench coat. I read this online somewhere so it is not my quote but I feel like it perfectly describes her books. I think that's why some people have a hard time liking them, because they are advertised as romance and in the romance section of bookstores, but they don't read like a typical romance. Just my 2 cents!
I like that about Henry's books, because I've read so much romance that they're a nice change of pace.
I really enjoyed Yellowface. I thought it was horrifying and brilliant. But I think I may enjoy more of the meta element because I gravitate to satire (Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou is another favorite).
Also was the word you were looking for “contemporary?” As in, Athena and June were contemporaries.
I think what RF Kuang does so well is that she perfectly displays how bad people can still do good things and have good qualities and good people can still do bad things and have bad qualities. That statement seems so simple written down but I find that lots of characters lack that nuance. For example, in Babel, Robin is a mostly likable character but towards the end of the story we see him "go off the rails" a bit and lose the trust of other characters. In Yellowface, June is clearly a terrible and racist person but every now and then she makes a decision that honestly isn't too bad. And Athena herself is regarded as a literary angel among readers but is revealed to not be the best person behind the scenes. Ugh I love Rebecca's commentary SO MUCH
It’s funny because what you don’t like about Emily Henry books is what I love about them 😂 that they are not just only romance haha! I feel like Happy place was a LOT more romance focused than Book lovers. I can’t wait to read her other books…and also YELLOWFACE!!!! (And maybe the word you were searching for … they were acquainted ? )
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence is one of my new favorites that I just read. I don’t know if it would be your thing and it is 500+ pages, but i absolutely loved it 😭
Also, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century is a short story collection that was very interesting. It’s short and I really enjoyed most of the stories 🤷🏼♀️
F.T. Likens was the author that got me through my depression/book slump. Their queer fantasy novels are fast paced, don’t take themselves too seriously and can be read in a weekend. It may not be for everyone, but they are an instant read for me!
Lukens is the only author I've encountered who can get me to truly enjoy a romance. Never liked it before, but So This Is Ever After is now one of my favorite books of all time
Thank you for being honest and talking about how it’s okay to not have the mental energy to read after work all the time. Loved hearing your reviews!! ❤❤
Loved hearing your thoughts!
So happy to finally have your thoughts on yellowface!
I HIGHLY recommend The Girl From the Other Side manga. There are only 11 volumes to complete the series and each book literally takes 45 minutes to an hour to complete (and I'm slow). Try the first volume and you'll know whether the story is for you or not. They read quicker than most manga volumes do in my opinion. These are full of mystery, love, anger, joy, and sadness. All the feels.
Thank you i keep seeing it everywhere. Now imma actually get it
@@Crabernacker I hope you like it!
I really enjoyed it but fell of after a while waiting for the new ones to come out 😂
@Inami that's how I get with series too. So I'm glad these were finished by the time I got around to reading it
Requested from the library 💜
I wouldn’t categorize Emily Henry as a romance author, she writes women’s fiction with romance as a subplot. I wasn’t a fan either until I read Happy Place. I related to that book so much. 💕
No way! I saw _Yellowface_ on a shelf at Walmart today! Love the cover simple and really beautiful and effective!
I'm hollering!! "I think for romance.. I'm good on Emily Henry." Listen, I completely agree and understand. My first read from her was Beach Read and I was very underwhelmed. So, I decided to take another chance and read Happy Place. It was a cute enjoyable book, because the focus wasn't solely the romance. However, I don't plan to read anymore of her books. You said it perfectly; great writing style, but the way she writes romance isn't what connects with me. First time seeing your video and I'm so happy I found your channel. You're giving refreshing black girl vibes & I need that from booktube! :)
I ate Yellowface up, I don’t think I’ve been so hyped for a book in a long time, and it delivered. HOWEVER, it was just a little too self-aware for me? And also, based on the synopsis I thought that she was going to actually pose as her friend after taking the manuscript, but this worked too.
As for Emily Henry, I read PWMOV, and I think that is enough for me. Her writing really shines in a lot of places, but her ✨quirky✨ characters act really cringy and childish and it’s just not my thing.
Manga is a great way to read without needing to use a lot of mental focus. I've been reading them as eBooks through my library for the past couple of years. They're short but super satisfying to read, I can read a volume in about an hour, (one of the reasons why I am borrowing them from the library)
Yona of the Dawn (there are over 30 volumes out, so if you end up loving it there's lots to read)
Snow White with the Red Hair (about 30 volumes as well, low-fantasy romance HECKIN' cute)
Witch Hat Atelier (Super cute, not that many volumes out)
Something's Wrong with Us (Not sure how to pitch this one, it's more of an "adult" story. It's also shorter only 16 volumes total)
I gave Yellowface 5 stars, it was giving me major The Talented Mr. Ripley vibes with some meta energy like The Player did for Hollywood back in the day.
I also got The Talented Mr. Ripley vibes from it, but I thought I was alone.
I have two or three books from RF Kuang on my TBR audio shelves that I can’t wait to get to. I go back and forth on adding Yellowface to that collection since I haven’t yet read anything of hers. It sounds really interesting but I don’t always click with ultra modern or meta stories.
Bruuuh I watched like 15 secs of the yellowface review part because I don't want it to be spoiled, but your vibes are immaculate! I'm going to come back! Subscribed 😊
Your feelings on Emil Henry are spot on to how I feel. Completely agree!
I felt the same way about Book Lovers! I wanted the main plot to focus on the romance and it felt sidelined. Like it would pop up every so often, but the subplots seemed to take center stage a lot which was not what I was expecting. Worried about my choice now to take People We Meet on Vacation on a vacation in case I want to DNF it 😅
I feel you on the “curse of capitalism”. I used to read more physical books, but my commute now is so heinous that I really only have time for audiobooks. Don’t get me wrong, I love them and the Libby app for the library is the only reason I can stay sane, but sometimes I wish I had more time to just sit down and relax with a book after work.
One book that I love to reread when I go through these can't-focus phases is Ross Gay's Book of Delights. I love that Ross Gay dwells on things that delight him without ignoring life's negatives. It's really enjoyable without veering into toxic positivity. I've found that I enjoy it best by rereading it and noticing a new detail every time, rather than feeling like I have to pick up on everything. I can relax and not worry about missing anything because I know I'll probably read it many more times in the future.
Yellowface was so crazy
I feel you not having the energy or mind space after work.... It sucks. I just read the Whispers and it was crazy. ❤
I’m not really a romance reader but i liked book lovers more for the banter between characters and i’m always a sucker for bookish settings or narratives eg. editor, agent, and the bookstore. i’m also in the middle of yellow face (the part where june calls her EIGHT YEAR OLD niece a “basic b*tch in training)
Was the word acquaintance?
Colleagues! I yelled this word out when I thought of it 😂 is that the one you were thinking of? I couldn’t rest until I came up with something.
The word she was looking for is peers
I ADORED Yellowface.
I’m a writer and it was so true of the publishing industry.
Colleagues! You were looking for that word 😂
The two romance books that I read this month that I really enjoyed were coincidentally both retellings. Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne is a modern day take on Pride and Prejudice. It thought it was fun. It is definitely more spicy than the original and the leads had good chemistry. The other is a historical take on an 80s classic movie, Working Girl. It is called Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh. It was a reread for me. In fact I’ve read it 3 times and ended up buying it instead of getting it from Libby all the time. It has great banter, great chemistry, and just the right bit of angst. Also in rare form, the guy is the submissive one. It is my go to guilty pleasure book.
June made my ass itch but I was glued to the book, lol
Thanks for your reviews! Always replete with passion and humor. I'm starting _Yellowface_ tonight. I have a nonfiction recommendation, _A Fever in the Heartland_, by Timothy Egan. Beautifully written about a loathsome subject from America's past that will resonate with current happenings. Do not read it if and when angry or even in a bad mood.
Where are those bookshelves from? They are so cute!
So not sure if you will love it. We have vastly different book taste but similar writerly politics, but that said I just read Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and it took me by surprise, held me hostage, shook me up and set me free. My mental horizon looks a little different now, and I love it! ❤❤❤
Long drives are ideal for audio books and podcasts :)
I think Yellowface's meta-ness doesn't bother me because it's not used for deprecating laughs, self-awareness, or lampshading etc. It serves both a thematic and political point. I think she's trying to capture this moment in all that that entails both for the digital landscape and the publishing industry. Not what they were three years ago, and not what they will be next year. Now. *Specifically because of the speed at which these spaces transform.* So the meta invites us all here in this "Now" to have a moment of picking our heads up from the continuous relentless monotony that has desensitized and normalized this environment to us, and have a real eye-eye with our reality.
I did a video on "Book Lovers" a few months back, and I felt similarly. Like, I wanted/expected romance/rom-com vibes, but it was more like women's fiction with a romance? I dunno. The cover made me think it was something more fun than it was.
Loved PWMOV, generally liked (but was frustrated with) Beach Read, and didn't finish Book Lovers, so Emily's track record is hit or miss. Happy Place has an interesting premise though, so I'll check that one out.
Every time she releases a new book I’m tempted
My best book of the last few months is Any Man by Amber Tamblyn. Warning, it’s very triggering. But such an impactful and important read
I love People We Meet On Vacation so much 😭
I loved Book Lovers but I don't read a lot of romance? I agree, I loved the small town vibes.
FRENEMIESSS. That is the Juniper/Athena dynamic. I will say, I thought Yellowface was a good book but so unenjoyable to read because of Juniper. Like nothing against RF Kuang at all. I think that was the point but I was just angry the entire time.
Yellowface had some good one liners about how whiteness allows authors and people in general to coast into success, but it felt hollow where character exploration was concerned.
That 180 switch in the end that June had after her mental breakdown needed more time to bake especially after the social media plot twist. I also don't know if I bought her taking that hard right into becoming a stand-in for a Trumplikin talking head after the ending. I could've believed that she would become destitute, but to make readers believe June has enough cache to pivot when she can't even write a real book on her own was an odd ending.
Didnt yellow face kinda happen irl with those authors in New York
To be honest I liked Book Lovers way more than her newest one Happy Place. I'm gonna start reading Yellowface tomorrow.
Jess, you need to read the movement by ayshia malik please
Emily Henry has written some fantasy/science fiction YA that's interesting. I enjoy her adult fiction more, but you might feel opposite. And I agree, I wouldn't categorize her books as romance. Strong romance element, but not quite what I think of as romance per se.
I've read 3 of Emily Henry's books now (the same ones you've read) and I don't totally understand why she's the current Queen of Romance. The books are good and her writing is good but they're not super special to me? If people want a really good romcom author, I'd highly recommend Uzma Jalaluddin!!
Recently finished Yellowface too. Solid 4 I agree. The entitlement!
EH is definitely an author for me but Book Lovers is my least favorite of the 4 romances she has. I thought the small town lacked the charm and fun I look for in books with that trope, I didn’t like the plot line about the sisters and their issues, and I agree that the romance should’ve taken up more of the book. I haven’t read Yellowface yet but it’s the next book I’m gonna pick up!
BOOK LOVERS was my first by Emily and I enjoyed it for all the reasons you didn't like it. I don't read much romance at all. Maybe 1 romance a year for me. So I appreciated that the story had more focus points than the standard trope of "boy and girl meet. hate each other. fall in love." I'm over that. Now, YELLOWFACE, IDK. I had to DNF Babel because Robin was just so weak. IDK if I'll even read it. Maybe I'll do the audiobook. Sounds pretty annoying. This story is so overdone by now.
I’ve only read Beach Read by Emily Henry. I felt like I had been duped. It was NOT romance. 2/5⭐️
Same same...Emily Henry isn't for me. Love her book covers that I am always a suckered for.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride (be aware of content warnings). Delusional fantasy with a murder mystery. Lush language. Epic plot twist. Emotional. Bittersweet ending.
Yellowface doesn't sound like the book for me, I don't do on-line drama period. Thank for the heads up. I have an amazing recommendation, from the author of FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER , WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED it's a page turner.
I feel you about online drama. I wasn't a fan of firekeeper's daughter. It felt like the author had a lot to say, but didn't give herself enough room to address it.
@@colleen6644 Try Warrior Girl Unearthed a lot was said in that one and you can see the growth of the author.
09:39 Peers might be the word you are seeking.
I’m the same way idk how I feel about yellow face like out of all the books I read by her (babel poppy war & yellow face) it’s def not my favorite same with poppy war yellowface is just eh for me poppy war is just meh/eh now babel *chefs kiss* I love babel so f**king much it will always have a special place in my heart (it’s the babel book that I read by her & made me want to read everything by her (but idk if I’ll continue with the poppy war series tho don’t get my wrong poppy war was good & I really enjoyed it but months after reading it, it’s just not my fav by her)). The only book I read by Emily Henry was beach read & I love that book so f**king much I just don’t have any interest in her other books 🤷🏾♀️.
my top reads for May: dirty Laundry Disha Bose, Fire with Fire Candice Fox, In the Lives of Puppets TJ Klune, Murder your employer Rupert Holmes
I haven’t read Book Lovers yet, but that will be her third chance for me as well. I liked Beach Read and gave it 3 stars. I also dnf’d People We Meet on Vacation around 70%. I just did not care about any of the characters. The woman was so annoying to me.
Yellowface sounds so intriguing. I love, that she went there after all these w. girl book content creators bragged about hating Babel.
👀
Yellowface was a trip for me (not a good one). I went into it with very little info. I did the audiobook rather than the physical copy, so maybe that is where I went wrong with my initial confusion starting it, because I definitely feel like I missed on some details in the beginning.
At first, I thought the MC was the Asian, and Athena was the white girl, so at first I thought this was going to be an uplifting story. When I eventually made the race switch/correction, my mood obviously did a 180, wide-eyed and horrified.
Do I understand that this is satire? Yes. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Did I enjoy it?... Not really no. I think this is one of those instances where me going mostly blind into it greatly hindered my enjoyment of it.
Yeah, Emily Henry is not for me. I’ve seen someone say “she’s more literary-written romance,” which might be it. But - respectfully - I’ve got my list of “must-buy” contemporary romance authors and she just hasn’t made the cut 🤷♀️ … I feel like she’s romance for people who don’t read much romance.
perfect timing, I finished Yellowface today. I had similiar thoughts, and hated how athena stole stories too and was a villian? i thought that defeated some of her themes. I also have read everything by Emily Henry and NEVER AGAIN. I could care less about her books. I also can't get it out of my head that the people are sitting on sandwiches on the cover of that one.
Athina and the other characther being awful is the point, unless you think that white = evil
theres a difference though between her just being selfish or otherwise unlikeable, and having her actually stealing stories too; that's what I found a problem with
Companion?
Maybe contemporary?
Contemporary is what I was thinking as well
I enjoyed book lovers a little bit more than her previous works. I just think emily henry is women fiction than romance. Her books are fiction with a splash of romance.
For me the books in 2023 have been terrible - I have dnf a lot of them or they end up being 2 star reads. I dnf Yellowface.
Didn't love Yellowface, and I think its because it's from a white racist woman's pov and like.. we get enough of that in real life.. but I was surprised I didn't love it because I'm so into the anti hero/villainous/ morally grey leads and I usually love being in that pov because they justify all their actions and feelings and its fascinating, but I think because this was specifically written in the pov of an entitled white woman, and I just don't need/want more of that haha. OMG Jess have you read We Are Not Like Them!?! So curious what you'd think ♡
why was she racist? you say she was racist because she stole from an asian character but to me she stole from a succesful writer that happened to be Asian. And Athina was awful too.
EH always spends so much time defending the romance genre like she’s embarrassed by it.
I'm about 80 pages in, and the critiques that June is saying about Athena's writing when she's "editing" the manuscript are absolutely things that have been said to RF Kuang. I would put money down on it.
I'm just like WHAT THE FUCK a lot about what June thinks, and I have to remind myself this wasn't written by an obtuse white woman lol. Kuang has just *nailed* it in that respect. Like, I find my self thinking "no way would anyone...wait, no, they would. Just read a comment section on Facebook where the post is about POC or LGBTQIA+ etc"
Finished Yellowface when June called Booktok the "infants of tiktok." I was like girl...those "infants" are deadly now.
ummm pls in the future prepare more for individual reviews, the thoughts you conveyed in this video were alright but delivered really poorly
"White woman" is a slur at this point. Sure Juniper wasn't a good person but neither was Athina, and being white didn't have anything to do with it.
Juniper being white had SO much to do with most of the themes of this book.
being white had EVERYTHING to do with it, did you even read the book?
@@irlsirangelo3892 so you are saying that the other asian character at the end, wouldn’t steal the novel too? That’s what I mean. She didn’t stole it because she was a “racist”, she stole it because she was a shitty person.
@@reneeelich4893 did she stole the novel because she’s white? Did she lied because she’s white or because she stole it? Wouldn’t the other girl at the end, the one harassing June, steel a novel too if she had the chance? She would’ve lied too. Athina stole from other people, did she do it because she’s asian? Or in her case, and only in her case, race has nothing to do with it?
White women is not a slur. I’ve read your other comments on this video and I’d like to add that white peoples cant experience racism. We create it. What we feel is the consequences of our own actions and the inability to learn what real racism is and grow.
Dnf’ed Beach Read and PWMOV (never read Book Lovers) but I binged Happy Place ? Idk I might give her one more chance because I enjoyed Happy Place so much🥲