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If I have learnt anything this year, it's that I will devour and enjoy anything that R.F. Kuang writes.

I'm going to be as vague as possible whilst still giving my thoughts because I don't like writing spoilers or anything in particular detailed for reviews, especially when it comes to books that aren't released to the public yet.

Yellowface covered important topics that are not often highlighted in books, especially when it comes to the publishing world. Racism, plagiarism, microaggressions and cultural appropriation are just some of the things that were portrayed in this book. This book was the definition of meta and satire and I loved every minute of it.

June was a protagonist that you didn't want to root for and that's something that you don't see often in books but I think it speaks volumes about how there are many people in the real world, in all types of workplaces and life in general like June who take advantage of the disadvantages of marginalised groups for their own benefit. I found myself so angry reading this at June's blatant disrespect, racism and self-righteous actions throughout the book. Just to name one out of many was when June was annoyed by others rightfully saying that many issues arise when it comes to white people writing stories from the point of view of marginalised groups, a point of view that white people will never experience or understand.

This was so unlike anything that Kuang has written and I'm excited to see what she writes next. I know that I will eat up anything that she publishes.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am wanting to edit this review so I can focus on the issues with this book, most importantly, the problematic ones.

Throughout the book, Israel is mentioned many times and at one point the main character begins to read a book labelled
‘The founding of Israel' and I am going to explain exactly why this is problematic.

The name of the book itself is harmful and erases the true meaning of what occurred for this ‘founding'. This was the Nakba.

The Nakba was the violent displacement and the destruction of their society, culture, identity, political rights, and national aspirations. This caused the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians and the depopulation and destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages by the zionist militias and later the Israeli army and subsequent geographical erasure, the denial of the Palestinian right of return, the creation of permanent Palestinian refugees and the “shatters of Palestinian society”.

reference: Nakba

It is now 2023 and we are witnessing the second Nakba. Survivors of the 1948 Nakba are experiencing it again and this is a direct result, again, by the Israeli army. 2 million Palestinians have been displaced, over 27,000 injured and over 12,000 have been killed (not including those who remain stuck under the rubble) and this is a number that grows every single minute, hour and day.

We are witnessing a mass genocide and ethnic cleansing.

So, yeah. ‘The founding of Israel' let's call it what it is.

An occupation over Palestine that has been going on for 75+ years.

Free Palestine.

“People who are considered normal enjoy putting those who aren't on trial.”

I think this is the perfect book for anyone who has felt like they needed to change just to fit the mould that society has made for them.

I think I chose to read this at the perfect time as a twenty-three-year-old who is trying to learn how to navigate through life. As an autistic person, this book spoke to me in the way of always feeling like a person on the outside looking in. The constant feeling that something is wrong with you because you know you act and see things differently than others is overwhelming and I believe it was the same for Keiko.

This was a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it.

”Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”

When I was younger, we were made to watch The Outsiders at school and I had loved it. I don't know why it's taken me so long to finally pick up the book.

The characters are so well written. I loved reading Darry, Soda and Ponyboy's story and their love for one another was visible on paper. This is such a found family story, especially when it comes to the Greaser gang.

“Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?”“Real good.”“You can see it good from the East Side, too.”

I believe this book teaches an important lesson about how we all can be different but still be the same. I think any person, regardless of what background you have, can emphasise or feel something when reading this.

This is one of those books that it doesn't matter how old you are or when you read this, it will still have the same impact on you.

This is the perfect book to read if you're looking for something that will make you feel something but aren't in the mood to read a large book. This is also a great read if you are wanting to begin reading or smash out those yearly reading goals.

The Troop is the first book of Nick Cutter's that I have ever picked up and I can now happily say it won't be the last.

This gave me everything that I could possibly need for a great horror novel. It was tense, gory and had me squirming. When I say squirming, that is an understatement but it's the best way to explain how I felt without spoiling anything.

The characters were also fantastically written and they each brought something unique to the story. Some had me rooting for them, some had me hoping they would be the next victim... I had great fun and I was on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter.

And the ending?? THE ENDING??

I want to give a quick shoutout to Alli for inspiring me to pick this up. I always trust your judgement and this didn't steer me wrong.

I would recommend looking up the trigger and content warnings for this book if you're going to decide to pick it up.

I can't wait to check out more by this author!