Back-to-Back Review: Crazy Rich Asians + China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians, 1&2) by Kevin Kwan

This post originally appeared in Coffee-Stained Dreams.

Title: Crazy Rich Asian + China Rich Girlfriend
Series: #1 and #2 of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy
Author: Kevin Kwan
Genre: Romance, Contemporary

CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Few days after I finished reading this, one thought runs over and over on my mind: this is a book (series) I never knew I needed. I’ve had this book in my shelf for a while now but for some reason, I always always put it off – but now, I know that I’ve been blindly walking over a gold mine all this time. This book is delicious, light, over-the-top, funny and on-all-marks entertaining. This book was a sleeper hit for me, in a sense that I initially dismissed it as another chick lit that I’m just gonna read for the heck of it — but then pages and pages after, I was hooked! (I even changed my rating from 3 to 4 after a week!) It was fun AND relatable. I am not crazy rich but being an Asian myself, some of the elements really hit home. The importance of family, class, the speed to which gossip travels among the clan (LOL), unrealistic expectations on children, the sub-class societal expectations for women (psssshhhhh!), the sad prejudices for single parents, and gaaaahd, the parading of wealth I can only glimpse following entertainment blogs and news. This was a crazy good ride.

The book introduced too many characters at once that made it a bit confusing at first. The sudden shift in POVs inside a chapter also presented a challenge and needed some getting used to. There were so many things that were left hanging at that ending. Maybe because it has a sequel (thank God it’s already available) but I just wished Kevin Kwan milked out some of it more. There are so many things you can close and work with there that can give this a more decent ending without missing the “wanting” element for a sequel.

But you know what? Despite the obvious flaws, it still achieved what so very few chick lits failed to give me – it kept me wanting, it kept me entertained, it kept me interested. Some reviews remarked that this reminds them of Gossip Girl, but set in Asia – and I can see why. And also, Nick Young? He made it to my book boyfriend list! (Though I seriously think he should’ve prepared Rachel BEFORE bringing her to SG.)

P.S.
Charlie Wu freakin’ broke my heart. *softly cries*

My Rating

Quotable Quote

“At some point, we all have to pay the price for our excesses, don’t we?”

CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND

One word: CRAZY. I knew even before reading this book and finishing the first one that I am signing up for some other-worldly crazy antics of these outrageously privileged people, but I still came out surprised. Color me slightly weirded out that I am still giving out 4s for books in this series knowing that I have this “slight” (what? the term is relative) aversion to shallow and selfish characters — but you know what, I don’t care. It keeps me entertained and I am not any bit sorry for it. Though I loved the first few chapters leading up to Rachel and Nick’s eventual marriage (is this even a spoiler?), the couple took a back seat in this story. Instead, it centered on the opulence of the “china-rich” as they may call them. Of course, there is the over-the-top unnecessary drama – but the books in the Crazy Rich Asians series won’t be complete without it. Hilarious (and annoying) characters were introduced and re-introduced. Plot lines were picked up. I loved Astrid’s story line since Crazy Rich Asians, and this continued on to China Rich Girlfriend. I think I might even like her more than Rachel Chu. As with my comment in the previous book, I wish they made use of some of the more interesting characters – like Sophie Khoo, who mysteriously disappeared from the pages ever since his brother, Collin’s, wedding. I found her to be quite the character and I wish she’ll have some part in the next book.

Overall, this is a fun read if you need a quick pick-me-up. Heck, I just read it during my daily taxi ride to the client’s office and I still finished it in a whim! I never knew I would get hooked to this. Maybe to compensate with the stressful life I’ve been leading these past few days? This is definitely a fine distraction and a hilarious way to pass time. Recommended!