I haven't been this invested in a story with a character as unlikeable as June in........I really can't remember the last time. This book is so cutting and clever in its evisceration of the world of publishing. A world in which whiteness reigns supreme, as it does in most of the western world (global north), to the determent of us all.

Just wow! ( )

I have always been interested in the publishing of a novel - the agents, the editors, the politics and those who make the final decision about the worthiness of a book. This novel explores all of that in depth and also the racism that may exist when a person of one culture writes about the culture of another. It also examines the influence of social media, usually anonymous, which many authors feel compelled to read, creating a rollercoaster of emotions.

Caucasian June and Chinese American Athena are both graduates of Yale pursuing their dreams of being published. June's debut novel receives modest interest while Athena becomes the toast of the literary world. Athena has completed an unseen manuscript about Chinese laborers in America during WWII. When Athena dies unexpectedly, June takes her manuscript and makes it her own to huge critical acclaim and great financial gain. What follows leave her shaken that her secret has been discovered. ( )

I love the snark. I love the sass. As someone who has recently gotten into booktok/booktwitt/Goodreads writer drama, I was amused. As a white woman who grew up in Asia, I was very amused. Terrific satire, I will be looking into more books by this author.
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Hard to get through. I absolutely ended up hating the main character. Total manipulation of the truth with no moral core. Waited for her to redeem herself but along with the story, it never did. I would pass on this book. Can't believe it is on the NY best seller list. ( )

While the idea of who owns a story is fascinating to me, and the book offered many ideas as well as a treatise on publishing and Twitter feeds, I found it dragged despite its good writing and fine character development. Moments went on too long as the protagonist pondered her enemies and tried to determine their identity. I felt impatient with her and with the details in that they were not serving the story and its pacing. ( )