Author: R.F. Kuang
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Pages: 319
Publisher: William Morrow
Year Published: 2023
Format: Audiobook
"Authors Juniper Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena is a literary darling while June is a nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls? June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse, stealing Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song- complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? The piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.
But June cannot escape Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves."
My Rating: 4/5
This is an important read. Being knowledgeable about where our stories come from, and thinking about how different perspectives come into play. This book brings up a lot of conversation pieces for readers, writers, and other people who engage with literature. The only aspect I didn't like was our main character. I know the purpose was that she is unlikable, but it was to the point where I sometimes didn't want to pick up the book because I knew that June was going to be a rough character to read from.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
