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Yellowface
By R.F. Kuang
William Morrow,9780063250833. May 2023, 336 pp.

The Short of It:

Grabs you from the get-go.

The Rest of It:

Some books grab you as soon as you turn that first page. Yellowface is one of those books but I had a love/hate relationship with it. Oh no, not that I hated it at all but I found myself frustrated that I liked it so much even though the book’s main character is less than honorable. I should not have enjoyed a book, which at its heart, is all about deception and lies.

There is really nothing redeeming about June. June and Athena started off on similar footing. Both, should have been up and coming young authors of incredible talent. But June never truly breaks through as a successful writer, even though she can write quite well. Athena on the other hand, has that special something that sells books. She wows her agent and publicists and they tend to bend over backwards for her.

June, slightly bothered by Athena’s popularity, sits back while a freak accident takes the life of Athena. June’s lack of effort to save Athena tells you everything you need to know about June. She’s a little bit self-centered, obviously jealous, and has no problem stealing Athena’s manuscript and passing it off as her own.

Her justification? As a White writer she will never be on level ground with an author of color. Especially when the book is about Chinese laborers. So June takes Athena’s work and “makes it better” and then calls it her own.

But we get hints early on that all is not smooth sailing when June begins to “see” Athena at author events. Is she imagining her? Is someone playing games with her because they know what she did? As a reader, I eagerly flipped those pages to find out but in all honesty, I was a tad disappointed with the ending. No spoilers, though.

This was read for book club and it was an excellent book for discussion. Was anyone Team June? No. Did we even like Athena? Not really. But did it keep me reading. Yes. Big yes.

Have you read it? Thoughts?

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The Block Party
By Jamie Day
St. Martin’s Press,9781250283191, July 2023, 384 pp.

The Short of It:

If you like neighborhood drama, in that “train wreck” can’t look away category, The Block Party is your book.!

The Rest of It:

The folks on Alton Road are about to host their annual summer block party. The anticipation is palpable as the neighborhood prepares their dishes, opens up the wine, and settles in for a lovely evening. What they don’t anticipate is the sound of sirens blaring through the neighborhood. You see, there’s been a murder.

The author takes us back to Alton Road a year before the murder. As a reader we are introduced to each household and all of their secrets. There’s an alcoholic in denial, paternity questions, teens battling depression and worse. As a reader, I had the feeling that I was listening in on private conversations. It’s deliciously wicked and at times so stressful! I was wondering how the author would carry that pace throughout but Jamie Day does! I could not put the book down. Every time I picked it up it was like returning to a favorite show.

The Block Party was just what I needed. Flawed characters. Secrets. Beautiful people with a lot of insecurities. All living in gorgeous homes with manicured lawns. It’s as if someone lit a match and set the neighborhood on fire because it is non-stop drama. I loved it.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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