Where I got I from: I actually got this as a Christmas present, but it’s taken me this long to get through my to be read pile, and get into it! I’ve had a look online though, and found that you can get this almost anywhere! This imagine was from Apple Books alone! And the book has been released as a eBook in multiple languages, and released as an audio book!
After getting through l the apple book options, I found it was also available on Amazon, The Works, WHSmith, Waterstones, and there are a good few available used on eBay! I won’t waste your time by listing every item I found, as this would end up being an accidental sales pitch, rather than a review!
Overall:
The book starts with our main character. A late twenty year old woman, working to become a star of an author. We don’t learn her name at the start, but she clearly has something againstAthena. She’s rich, successful, and independent. Our main character feels that whilst Athena is a good writer, she’s popular because she looks good, is “cool and young and, oh, we’re all thinking it, let’s just say is ‘diverse’ enough”. When we finally learn June’s name, it just nightlights her thought process. Even though the book is written from her brow point, it’s not really about her. It’s all about Athena.
When we get to the end of the second chapter, the story has a huge amount of attention on how difficult it actually is to get a book published (usually), and how Jane is trying not to take anythi by away from Athena, but ends up feeling as though she’s living her life; successfully. The beginning of the story does seem a little predictable. From reading the very first line (“The night I watched Athena Liu die, we’re celebrating her TV deal with Netflix.”) to learning about June’s vivid jealousy of Athena, we anticipate how it’s going to go. While I enjoyed reading the actual development, it felt like the way the story was set to roll.
Unsurprisingly, (thinking about the title), racism and ethics do have quite a large impact on the story. Even before June has the manuscript published, there is a lot of editing required: from taking out some terminology, to changing the ethnicity of some of the characters. As June even comments throughout that it may seem that racism is part of the reasoning for her actions, the way that everything is eventually amended to make the writings more ‘PC’, seems to indicate that sometimes the correctness we seem to have become used to, is sometimes causing barriers in what is released. Several plot points detailed in Athena’s first draft are removed entirely, and June even hints early on that if the book was to have been published with an Asian author instead, it wouldn’t have been removed. The focus on the facial element makes the read feel quite tense, and even a little awkward at times.
Favourite characters:
June: the main character of the story; detailed as a person who is trying her best to succeed, but finds that she has always been in Athena’s shadow. The night June actually starts to recognise Athena as a person, rather than a competitor, is the night we learn how June is going to show a slightly darker side to her character. She the book is written in first person, following June’s thought process while she works to publish the newly edited manuscript. She understands how the whole process could appear rude, and even racist. But her thoughts seem to explore how her main focus at the time is the ability to finally be herself, without trying to compete.
I have to be very honest. When I reached this part of the story, I definitely began to lose interest. It must have gone before a week before I carried on with the sorry. Considering my hardback is only XXX pages, I wasn’t expecting this to be a lengthy read. It just turned out that my reading motivation was cut down a lot when it felt that the story was predictable, and not very eventful. When I finally got my mojo back to start reading again, I seem to have reached the part where the book starts to get to a thriller genre. “It felt as if Athena Liu’s ghost was right there in the room with us.” This turn of plot focuses comes about a quarter of the way though; it does feel like quite a slow development, but it definitely got my motivation to keep reading re-started!
As we do start to hint at a slightly supernaturally plot, there is a bit of a manoeuvre to the negativity that social media can highlight. It seems that any negative comments, reviews, or even video essays are treated as a way that keyboard warrior’s attack authors, and it’s another section highlighting how being an author can be mentally draining. Because this seems to happen shortly after the potential ghost of writing past is seen, it came to me as a way of June dealing with her emotions. The negative reviews or comments being batted away or ignored, mirrored her reaction of potentially seeing Athena; just ignoring the emotional impact these situations could, and maybe even should, have on her. It seems as though there is also a defensive demeanour being demonstrated; June starts to night ways that Athena could be viewed as a negative person, and how she didn’t really like taking on leadership, or tutoring roles for younger developing writers. There’s even a section detailing how Athena didn’t really appreciate other Asian female writers, as she found the stories they wrote too cliché
Once I finically got to the half way point, the story definitely hits a high point with the tension. There’s a strange supernatural potential, twitter trolls, and a lot of grumpy book critics. Going to meetings with other authors, June experiences more and more cynicism. As it builds up, I got the feeling that all of the negative things were happening almost as payback for the fact she basically took a story from her now dead friend. Whilst quite a few other people in the story hVe a similar thought process, June sure has her fair share of supporters. It gets even more interesting when we find out who the troll is, and the truth of how little the actually know.
The gradual introduction of a new character gives us a bit of a further understanding of exactly how June’s selfish actions could backfire, and damaged not only her career, but even her as a person.
Favourite quotes:
“Sweetheart, I’ve seen the stains on her G-strings. She’s an open book. And so are you.”
“Reading should be an enjoyable experience, not a chore.”
How it ends:
June’s career hits a downfall, and the reality of her nature is released; more than just through social media.
Favourite part:
Weirdly, I think one of my favourite parts was actually quite early on. The meeting between Athena & June details how little they actually know of each other, and how the way the write, and even live their lives, is so different. Seeing them actually get to a point where they are actually treat customers other as friends, rather than potentially competing authors, is a great way to build us towards June’s dramatic changes!
Rating out of 5:
I’ve always been too stubborn to not finish a book, but this one brought me very close. The first half of the book sets up the environment, and the relationships between characters quite well. It just feels like the story then slows right down. There doesn’t seem to be a lot that really happens until the half way point. An interesting read, but I think it gets a 3 out of 5 from me.
Hopeless Pluto 