crazy rich asians – Briar's Reviews

Oh man, oh man, oh man!

I was SO PUMPED to find the last two books in this series at a local discount book store. I cannot tell you how exciting it was for that kind of find! I absolutely LOVED the first book and I adored the movie, so of course I would want to continue reading this series! Unfortunately, as a student I wasn’t in a place where I could get this book as quickly as I wanted… UNTIL THAT BOOK STORE!

So here I am! A couple weeks after my purchase since I totally binged this book. It was such a pleasant delight and I am happy to say I liked it! Buuuuut… (yep, there’s a but) it didn’t hit me like the first book did. It’s that funny little problem with middle books. It continues the story but doesn’t hit you with all of the good content until the last book. I’m almost certain the last book is going to knock my socks off, but this book just warmed my heart (and not much more!).

To start my review, I have to say that I LOVE Rachel and Astrid but I wasn’t as interested in Kitty’s story (although, she was quite the interesting character). I also have to say I now hate Michael and wish ill of him (what a jerk bag…), I have a strong fondness for Nick, Carlton seems pretty cool and I have a lot of sympathy for Charlie. NOW HURRY UP AND GET SOME OF THESE CHARACTERS TOGETHER KEVIN.

This story has a lot of interesting (and dramatic) plot points. Rachel’s Father is found by Eleanor (because of COURSE she found him) and he’s CHINA RICH. That’s really rich for those of you who haven’t dipped their toes into this magical universe. Rachel’s Father’s wife is not too impressed with his bastard child and wants her GONE… meanwhile Rachel’s half-brother Carlton got into a major accident but becomes quick friends with Rachel. Jumping ship to the next character, Astrid and Michael’s relationship is on the rocks while her former relationship with Charlie is blossoming. Also, Kitty tries to fit into more with society while giving some absolutely hilarious insight into her life.

AND IT KINDA ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER BUT KINDA DOESN’T.

I found the first quarter and last quarter of this book to be fast and exciting, but the middle was a little slow and boring (as boring as a soap opera could be, obviously). That’s what is making me excited for the last book. You can tell something is brewing and coming down the pipeline but Kevin couldn’t give it to us yet.

I have so many good things to say about this book, so I’ll put some points down to contain my thoughts:

1. I like Kevin Kwan’s references. I am a Canadian with British and French roots, so I don’t know much about Asian culture. The languages, the social cues, and all the other information he gave was awesome! I felt like I was welcomed into this world and could enjoy this book so much more. It also made me really happy to know diverse books like this are being welcomed into the reading space and actually read by people!

2. This book is a crazy soap opera full of romance and drama. AND I LOVE IT.

3. I love these covers. I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book based on it’s cover… but come on! It’s gorgeous!

Things I didn’t like:

1. Now that Awkwafina has cemented herself as Peik Lin in the movie universe… I WANT MORE OF THAT CHARACTER. She wasn’t in this book as much and that made me so sad!

2. The middle was too slow.

Overall, this book is FABULOUS and EXTRAVAGENT. I’m absolutely reading the next book soon (especially since I physically have it! I’m so pumped!). I would recommend this book if you love soap operas, books that have movie adaptions (seriously, I LOVE reading a book and then seeing the movie regardless of the genre… it’s fun!), or a book that will keep you hooked and is a lot of fun!

Side note: WHERE IS THIS BOOK AS A MOVIE?! OMG I WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE BEAUTIFUL OUTFITS.

Three out of five stars.

You can find this book on:
Goodreads
Amazon.ca
Kobo
Indigo

Check out my review of the first book in this seires:
#BookReview Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

If you enjoyed this book (or review!) here’s some others you might enjoy too!
#BookReview Fly With Me by Hudson Lin
#BookReview The Inside Track by Tamsen Parker
#BookReview Tiny House, Big Love by Olivia Dade

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Crazy Rich Asians is a fun, comedic romance that opened my eyes to a whole new world!

Before anyone asks, yes, I read this book because I saw the movie and loved it. Was the movie identical to the book? No. Was it still super cute and a great adaption? Yes. So, now that we’re past the point that the movie introduced me to the book, onto my book review!

I found this book to be the perfect mix of romance, comedy and knowledge! I absolutely loved being introduced to a variety of Asian words and concepts in this book. There aren’t many books out there (that I have read, anyways) that make me feel like I’ve learned so much while having a good time!

The book did feel soap opera-y, but I loved every second of it! I’m at the point that I’m desperate for the sequel, and can’t wait to get my hands on it! The characters were interesting and all had crazy backgrounds, the drama was high, and the family values were intriguing.

I have no idea how honest/true the Asian side of the story is, but it did make me more interested in Asian cultures. I love when books can open your eyes to a world you haven’t thought about looking at before, so I give lots of praise to Kevin Kwan! Books like these truly deserve attention, because not only are they well written but they pull the minorities out of the background. Even if it’s not totally accurate, I’m sure at least a few more readers can appreciate the Asian culture!

This book could easily be binged (if you have time to read a 500+ page book). I seriously wanted to continue reading it, but I just didn’t have time! That being said, every chance I got I was instantly glued to the pages.

I loved Nick and Rachel, I loved Kerry, I loved Peik Lin, I loved Astrid and I loved every little description that Kevin Kwan had woven into this tale. I seriously felt for these characters all along the way (even the “bad guys”…sometimes…). I really hope the drama between certain characters (like Astrid’s story) are expanded in the next books, because they were all so interesting! There wasn’t enough pages to really see all of the characters! Luckily there are at least two more books to devour to learn a little bit more about my fave characters…

There are some cons about this book, but for me it wasn’t to hard to fly past them. The story jumps a lot between chapters (point of view, time changes, etc.). Also, some of the characters felt very… stereotypical (that’s the best word I have for them right now). Is that necessarily a bad thing? No. But many other reviewers are complaining about parts of this book. To me, I didn’t really care. It didn’t take away from the fun of the story.

Would I recommend this book to other readers? HECK YES! If you love romance, a splash of comedy, and Asian representation, then get on it! The movie just makes this book more in the spotlight, which should help it’s sales. The book is dramatic, but it’s a fun and wild ride!

Also, I loved the cover. It’s simplistic and yet perfectly summarizes the story in a weird way.

Five out of five stars!

Check out this book on:

Coles/Indigo/Chapters

Barnes & Noble

Find out more about the author, Kevin Kwan, on:

http://www.kevinkwanbooks.com/

Goodreads – Kevin Kwan