After careful consideration, I have to change my rating to 4 stars. There is a huge Wow factor to this book. The three-body problem is fascinating, as well as all science incorporated into the story. Cixin has an amazing talent for explaining most abstract theories in a very approachable way. Same as in Andy Weir's books it's a huge plus in this genre. At first, I felt almost obligated to give it 5 stars.

But I could not ignore concerns nudging my subconscious. It all came down to women's representation which I think is quite problematic.
All female characters are described physically, while male have almost no descriptors. All women have at least one feature described, even nameless women from a village. Reading again how one was pretty, and another had round arms gave me serious icks. It very much brings to mind virgin-slut-mother triangle, where all female characters fit in one of those roles. This tendency comes to an extreme when we meet unnamed female warriors straight from Tarantino movies. They fight with sex appeal and can be defeated by mommy issues ***eye roll***
Wang's wife is so blank and inconsequential, in the cartoon she would have had her head cut out of the frame and be walking legs and torso.
Even poor, dead Yang Dong that is mentioned only a handful of times is somehow still being sexualized by Wang.

All the violent and crazy things are done by women. Of course, it is implied that many people get hurt by revolution, and those crimes are being done by men and women both. But every brutal or malicious act on the pages is being executed by a woman. Men are all, with one exception, forgiving and calm. Women murder with cold blood or in fury. Men only act in self-defense. Women manipulate and deceive. Men are docile thinkers. Not to mention that is complete opposite of the actual world.

Ye, who made every significant historically decision, by the end was robbed of all her agency. Her story, no doubt, central to the entire plot, was left underdeveloped. Things like her relationship with her daughter, which started this whole book, were left completely forgotten and unfinished.

It all combined really doesn't sit well with me. I'm scared to start the second book. Usually in my experience, those hints of misogyny are only getting worse and worse.

Now, we got Wang who I just have to roast to the ground. Let someone tell me what is the point of this character. Doesn't he feel like the author's self-insert? He's there to give his POV to present a very cool three-body problem and later his studies have use in one scene. But from a typical storytelling point of view, what are his motivations? His dreams? What drives him? Where is his conflict? Nowhere. He's there to be there. First, he has very awkward hots for the dead chick, no matter his wife. Then he's neglectful to his family. In no moment he even considers them in any of this. Later he's just there and has zero impact on the ending. Completely useless.

Original review 04/14/2023:
Simply great Sci-fi.
I have the pleasure of tandem reading this book with my husband who's just finishing it. Can't wait to discuss it with him. He's much more knowledgeable in astrophysics and will be able to answer my questions.
I will write down our opinions but for now I need to sit on mine for a moment.