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Crazy Rich Asians

(Crazy Rich Asians #1)

Kevin Kwan (Goodreads Author)

3.87 · Rating details · 383,178 ratings · 32,393 reviews

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfrien ...more

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Hardcover, 403 pages

Published June 11th 2013 by Doubleday

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Apr 15, 2013 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: china-chinese-diaspora, reviewed, malaysia-singapore, chick-lit, asian-american-asian-diaspora

I am Asian, I lived in Singapore, and I am not crazy rich - but I certainly heard of enough people on that tiny island who are. Ten years ago, I remember being addicted to a blog (now defunct) called "pinkshoefetish" where one Daphne Teo of Singapore documented every single materialistic extravaganza in her life - endless Tod's bags, Chanel, the luxurious apartment she (or her parents) rented when she was at Purdue (no stinky student dorms for her), her endless jet-setting to the most expensive I am Asian, I lived in Singapore, and I am not crazy rich - but I certainly heard of enough people on that tiny island who are. Ten years ago, I remember being addicted to a blog (now defunct) called "pinkshoefetish" where one Daphne Teo of Singapore documented every single materialistic extravaganza in her life - endless Tod's bags, Chanel, the luxurious apartment she (or her parents) rented when she was at Purdue (no stinky student dorms for her), her endless jet-setting to the most expensive hotels and restaurants in New York, London, Paris, etc. At that time, I wasn't even sure I could afford to go to college, so Daphne's blog was pure escapism (if not a source of resentment). I don't remember what her parents did to afford that lifestyle, but anyway, my point is - the crazy rich Asians of East and Southeast Asia do exist, and man do they live large. When I saw that a Singaporean had written a novel about them, and that it was in the hands of a major NYC publishing house, I couldn't wait to read it, to see what had caught the attention of these editors, so much that they were willing to take on a book about Asians, set in Singapore.

I got an ARC of the book from eBay and devoured it in two days. And, perhaps I am biased because of who I am and my (slight) exposure to that world, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. It satirizes the crazy rich Asian universe, but even with the exaggerations, my college friend, who is part of the Hong Kong version of the Wealthy Asian Club, would recognize so many aspects depicted in the novel - the lightning speed at which gossip travels, the focus on bloodlines and marriage, the clash between old money and new, and - most important I think - the tension between mainland Chinese and overseas Chinese, a phenomenon that is very real, very common, very much discussed in Asia, but pretty much unheard of in the West. When Singaporean Chinese "blue blood" Nick takes his American Chinese girlfriend Rachel home, his family is concerned that, yes, she might be a gold-digger, but their suspicions are heightened by the fact that she was - to their horror - born in mainland China, to a single mother (more strikes against her!). I laughed when I read that, because I was brought up in Asia where those prejudices are part and parcel of everyday life, but an American reader might find it offensive and racist - which it is, but in a "Chinese" sort of way that is not so much about hatred. The book shows how those prejudices are challenged as mainland Chinese grow richer and more influential, and the author sympathetically portrays both sides.

As for the actual storyline - it's a roller coaster ride that might be hard to keep up with at the beginning because of how many characters are introduced (and I always had my finger on the family tree Kwan provides in the book). I found it ridiculous that Nick and Rachel could have dated for years without her finding out about his background, but this is chick lit and so I willingly suspended disbelief and just let myself get carried along into the world of chili crab and nasi lemak. Kwan's writing is clear and breezy and skips along very well, and in the end I was left feeling like Rachel must have when she was plunked into this whirlwind world - amazed, dizzyfied, enlightened.

And it makes me want to go back to Singapore.

A great summer read!

(Oh - the gold and pink hardcover release is cute, but I love how the galley cover plays with the Hermès box design. Clever!) ...more

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May 05, 2018 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, chick-lit

"Imagine wanting to marry a girl from such a family! So disgraceful! Really, Nicky, what would Gong Gong say if he was alive? Madri, this tea needs a little more sugar."

This is some seriously trashy crack-lit. And no that's not a typo-- this book is as addictive and dramatic and ridiculous as you surely imagine it to be. I should probably hate it, but, well... oops.

You've definitely got to be in the mood for it or you'll wonder why you're actively murdering your brain cells. And I guess I was definitely in the mood for it. Crazy Rich Asians follows the drama and scandals of some of East Asia's wealthiest families. Think filthy stinking rich: mansions, private planes, $25,000 dresses (I didn't even know such a thing existed), etc.

It's opulent, it's melodramatic, and it's completely nuts. This bunch of wealthy families all come together in Singapore for an extravagant fairy tale wedding. But the wedding is the very least of the drama. Nicholas "Nicky" Young, who has been living in New York, is about to bring his American-born girlfriend, Rachel Chu, to meet his parents for the first time, and his mother is almost certainly going to dig up some nastiness when she runs a background check on Rachel's family. Also, Rachel has no clue how rich Nicky is-- hell, is she in for a shock!

Then there's the beautiful Astrid, whose husband is probably having an affair, and she is about to go investigating to find out. Plus there's a bunch of other subplots about what these ridiculously rich people get up to. It is like the Asian version of all those terrible eighties soap operas like Dallas and Dynasty, and I say "terrible" but I totally used to watch reruns of those with my mum, too.

I don't know why I liked it; I just did. Maybe it's because I'm nosy and enjoy the drama of other people's lives. Maybe it's because these superficial rich people problems are an enjoyable break from the real world. Maybe it's because it does exactly what it says on the label. Maybe I just have terrible taste. Well, like I said... oops.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube ...more

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Aug 24, 2013 Katie rated it did not like it

I think another Goodreads reviewer said it best: "Shallow characters don't mean shallowly written characters."

And in the case of this book, the author didn't pick up on that memo. Shallow characters can be delightfully, wickedly compelling when they're written well. I mean, look at Anthony and Gloria in Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and Damned", or Becky Sharp in "Vanity Fair" or heck, even Blair Waldorf in the "Gossip Girl" series if you're looking at more "chick-lit" examples. But the characters ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

4.5 stars

Perfection comes at a sacrifice

Nick Young (yes, THAT Nick Young) invites Rachel Chu, his longtime girlfriend, to spend the summer in Singapore and attend a wedding of an old friend.

Seems pretty simple, right? WRONG!

Nick just so happens to be heir to an obscenely large fortune - the kind of rich that are so rich that they don't even acknowledge that they have money.

But they do. And they have money and the money they have is a lot.

From private jets to houses that are more like pala ...more

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Jul 30, 2018 Emma Giordano rated it really liked it

This was a really fun read. I went into it with the intention of consuming it just for entertainment purposes and not quality/depth which I think is the best mindset to read this story in.

CW: racial slurs, homophobia slurs, talk of cheating, prejudice/classism

I did not love the writing style of this novel (which I expected before going in.) The syntax was fairly weak and the voice of individual characters was not that strong. Also regarding the characters, the author has this habit of jumping b This was a really fun read. I went into it with the intention of consuming it just for entertainment purposes and not quality/depth which I think is the best mindset to read this story in.

CW: racial slurs, homophobia slurs, talk of cheating, prejudice/classism

I did not love the writing style of this novel (which I expected before going in.) The syntax was fairly weak and the voice of individual characters was not that strong. Also regarding the characters, the author has this habit of jumping between perspectives without warning? Each chapter begins with a description of what character point of views will be followed but throughout the chapter, but it changes frequently with no distinction. For example, a conversation may begin from Rachel’s perspective and describe her thoughts and internal reactions but two lines later without any indication, we will be in Astrid’s head. Of course, multiple perspectives are commonly featured in fiction, especially in third-person narratives, but the lack of structure and awareness for the reader was quite jarring and nonsensical.

Crazy Rich Asians is absolutely a plot-based series. You read it to follow these unique characters across this absurd journey of wealth, extravagance and drama. I will add that I particularly enjoyed the heavily influence of Chinese and Singaporean culture, albeit the wealthy side of that culture, because it is not something I am frequently exposed to. It’s fun, entertaining, and gripping. I did not expect to be as invested as I was!

I’m not particularly taken with many of the characters although I see their individual value to the story. Rachel was obviously the most enjoyable character of the story and I did end up really liking Nick, though I remained furious at how he handled exposing Rachel to his family situation for the entirety of the story. I have sympathy for Astrid and enjoyed the comic relief added by Peik Lin and Charlie. Though this is not the most ground-breaking cast of characters I’ve ever read, I can see myself becoming more invested in their lives as the series progresses.

I really enjoyed my time reading Crazy Rich Asians. I initially went into this book thinking I would be satisfied reading just the first installment and not finishing the series, but after finishing, I absolutely need to know where the story goes. If you’re a “trashy fiction” lover, this book is for you. ...more

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Nov 02, 2013 Lauren rated it liked it

I have no closure.

I’m not quite sure what that ending was, but it’s really only an ending by dint of the fact there are no more pages.

I was enjoying this book. I could overlook the dull main characters, the hints of family drama and maneuvering that never went anywhere, the randomly dropped storylines … all of that, I could forgive because, hey, at the end of the day, Crazy Rich Asians is mindless fluff and thinking is contraindicated when reading mindless fluff. This mindless fluff, set among t ...more

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Dec 02, 2018 emma rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, reviewed, 3-stars, non-ya, diverse

Even though it is the bookworm stance to advocate for reading the book before watching the movie, there is one inarguable reason why it’s actually good and smart that I did the opposite.

When I am reading a book, I can’t picture the characters. I just have a blurry patch in my imagination where their face should be, like a blobfish. This is fine when I’m not hyperaware of it, but when there is a fictional individual who is UNCEASINGLY described as SO HANDSOME and DEVASTATINGLY ATTRACTIVE and LETH ...more

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Jul 20, 2013 Jaidee rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: under-two-stars-books

1 star (actually half a star but I gave it a bonus half star for a couple of reasons) !!

-Writing-just awful-
-Storyline-started off fair and ended up ridiculous
-Dialogue-some of the worst I've ever read
-Characters- these are some of the most boring, empty-headed, vile and entitled people ever written about

Why the extra bonus half-star?

Surprisingly the writer had some talent in writing interesting and lush descriptions of exotic locales, architecture, fashion, cuisine and luxury goods. Believe it ...more

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Dec 04, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

nothing like a bunch of crazy, rich asians to make me feel like a boring, poor white girl. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

gosh, this book is wild. its a story lush in couture, and drama, and private jets, and drama, and more money than one even knows what to do with. oh, and did i mention the drama? its basically high-class catty gossip and i am here for it. such a funny and entertaining story that deserves all the attention its been getting recently!

also, i do think its worth mentioning that i saw the film before i ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, cultural, humor, overdrive, 2017, contemporary-fiction, women-s-fiction

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is a 2013 publication.

I guess I missed all the hoopla when this book was first released. It wasn’t until the third book started getting a little buzz that I became interested in reading this series.

So, I went in search of this first book- ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, and had no trouble finding a copy at the library- but- there was an abnormally long wait period for a book that is four years old! So, this series must be pretty popular!!

But, I have lots of books I needed ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”And so this exotic strain of gossip spread rapidly through the Levantine networks of the Asian jet set, and within a few hours, almost everyone in this exclusive circle knew that Nicholas Young was bringing a girl home to Singapore.
And, alamak! This was big news.”

I guess this quote is the perfect summary of the entire book. *lol* And yes, the title already tells us everything we need to know. Still, I expected something light and fluffy when I started to read “Crazy Rich Asians” but truth be t ...more

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Aug 04, 2013 Christi Cassel rated it it was ok

From http://iknowwhatyoushouldread.wordpre...

Lest you be confused, this is not a book about crazy [comma] rich Asians. This is a book about crazy rich Asians. As in, stupidly, stupidly wealthy gazillionaire Asians. I had read an excerpt in Vogue, and it seemed like it might be good, fun summer reading, filled with fashion and snobbery and such. I am a lover and regular devourer of US Weekly, who loathes the fact that I do not come from a ton of old money, so this seemed right up my alley.

When I From http://iknowwhatyoushouldread.wordpre...

Lest you be confused, this is not a book about crazy [comma] rich Asians. This is a book about crazy rich Asians. As in, stupidly, stupidly wealthy gazillionaire Asians. I had read an excerpt in Vogue, and it seemed like it might be good, fun summer reading, filled with fashion and snobbery and such. I am a lover and regular devourer of US Weekly, who loathes the fact that I do not come from a ton of old money, so this seemed right up my alley.

When I got the e-book, however, I knew immediately that I’d been swindled. Before I had even begun reading, the book had two strikes against it:

Strike 1: it starts with a family tree, and
Strike 2: it has endnotes.

I just can’t get excited about a book that begins with a family tree. Now, before you get all up in arms and point out all the delightful and amazing books that begin with a family tree, I will admit that this is not a hard-and-fast rule. But my general opinion is that a book’s cast of characters should not be so convoluted that it requires a visual aid (one of the reasons I am content to stick with the television version of Game of Thrones, thank you very much). Plus, when you’re reading an e-book, it’s a huge hassle to have to refer back to the family tree. So, I audibly groaned when I discovered that this book has one. It’s a book about rich people. How complicated can it be? But the Crazy Rich Asians family tree is kind of catty and fun, so I decided to keep an open mind.

The endnotes aren’t a deal-breaker here, either. Normally, I hate them because they break up the flow of my reading. Also, they make me feel like I’m back in law school. And, too often, they’re used for cutesy purposes, which is nearly impossible to do well. That said, e-books make them slightly more tolerable, because you can just click on the endnote and it magically appears (constant page flipping in a “real” book is just too much). And these endnotes in particular aren’t bad, because they are in large part: 1) translations of Hokkein and Malay words and phrases and 2) descriptions of Singaporean foods. I’m a foreign languages nerd and a lover of delicious foods, so I didn’t hate the endnotes.

But all of that doesn’t matter. Because, family tree and endnotes aside, I still didn’t like the book. Here are three more strikes against it:

Strike 3: It’s too damn long (over 400 pages). The book is about a couple (Rachel and Nick) who are both profs at NYU and have been together for two years. Nick is going home to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding and asks Rachel to come with him. Despite the fact that they’ve been together for two years, Rachel knows nothing about Nick’s background and family and friends (it comes as a complete surprise to her that his family is crazy rich). Shocking excess and extravagance ensue. And (not even remotely a spoiler, because the book is so ridiculously predicatable) Nick’s mother and grandmother try to break Nick and Rachel up. WHY DOES THIS NECESSITATE 400 PAGES? It doesn’t.

Strike 4: People have described this as an amazing, hilarious satire. Basically, the book tries to make fun of crazy rich Asians, by showing that they’re snobby and elitist and old-fashioned. Well, I’m sorry, but my grandmother was not a crazy rich Asian (she was just a plain-old crazy Asian), and she was every bit as snobby, elitist, and old-fashioned as the grandmother in this book. The author manages to paint a picture of the fashion and houses and such that is completely over-the-top, but his characters are flat, flat, flat. They just weren’t well developed enough to make you give a shit.

Strike 5: The plot is boring and predictable.

Rating: 2/5 ...more

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Aug 23, 2018 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Irina Humphrey

Shelves: audiobooks

3.5 stars rounded to 4

I'm amazed at how long it has taken me to pick up this book. I remember being intrigued when it was first published; I had my own adventure in Singapore in 2004, which peaked my interest even more but, for whatever reason, it took the film adaptation being released to finally convince me to read it before seeing the movie. It was precisely what I had hoped for, a fun, fluffy read full of delectable "gossip" and drama, and to top it off the diversity of an all asian cast to ...more

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Oct 26, 2017 Carol (Bookaria) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, fiction

This book is deliciously entertaining.

Rachel is a professor of economics in NY who has been dating her boyfriend Nick for two years. One day Nick invites her to go with him to Singapore to attend his cousin's wedding and she agrees.

As soon as Rachel and Nick arrive at Singapore and meet his family, she realizes that Nick's family is filthy rich. Not just wealthy but $200,000-a-dress wealthy and this is a fact that he's failed to disclose to her.

Rachel soon finds herself dealing with nosy relati ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Felice Laverne rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, full-review, cultural-surveys, multicultural-fiction, chick-lit, women-s-fiction, read-2018

With Crazy Rich Asians hitting the big screens in a few short weeks, many readers have decided to re-read this 2013 release – or, as in my case, have finally decided to read it. This, of course, has also been reflected not only in social media trends but on the New York Times bestseller list where Kevin Kwan’s debut novel has again easily nabbed a spot, despite having been originally released five years ago. I, myself, fell casualty to an impulse all book lovers are prone to: buying a book becau ...more

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Mar 10, 2018 Helene Jeppesen rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I can’t believe I actually finished this book because this was really bad. Basically, according to this book, all rich people in Singapore are snobbish and bad human beings. They can’t even see beyond their rich way of thinking when a down-to-earth person approaches them and tries to make them see things from a different perspective. Actually, what they do instead (according to this novel) is to turn that down-to-earth person into someone who actually enjoys the crazy life style of jet planes, m ...more

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Dec 28, 2018 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A pick-your-own-poison type of lit:
> Satirical
> Vapid
> Shallow
> Ridiculous
> Fun
> Twisty
> Trashy
> Tacky
> Sweet
> Soap-operish drama
I've learned more from this one about fashion than I've ever considered wanting to know.

Q:
Thank you Lord Jesus for the fellowship that we shared today, for the nourishing food we enjoyed, for the power of your holy word. Please watch over dear Sister Eleanor, Sister Lorena, Sister Daisy, and Sister Nadine, as they try to sell their Sina Land shares … (c)
Q:
She knew her ...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Roxane added it

Fun and dishy. So over the top it becomes nauseating in the way of such books. It's just too much. A parodic parody. ...more

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Nov 01, 2017 Liz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-clubs

This is soap opera light literature. It’s fun and easy, a beach read. However, someone picked this for our book club, and I’m wondering what the hell there is to discuss.

While Nick is an only child, this book encompasses his extended family. Keeping track of all the names and relationships can be a bit of a challenge. I almost wanted a scorecard. Nick works as a history professor in the States. Most of his family either doesn’t work or “works” for the family business and one of the interesting ...more

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May 25, 2013 Louise rated it it was ok

Shelves: unfinished

They are crazy and they are rich. That is pretty much all I got out of it. 10% in and I can't stand to read any more of this vapid book. Somehow it was not the guilty pleasure I was looking for. Returning it back to the library. ...more

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Feb 28, 2019 Elyse Walters rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf

I’ve shared this story before - many times. Just not in a review.

I met the author -Kevin Kwan when he first wrote this book. He was great! I took my signed physical book home - sure I’d enjoy the book.
I wasn’t enjoying the characters or the drama - so I tossed it aside.
A couple years later - everybody was reading this book. I started seeing raving reviews. So I picked up my book to read again… And I had the same problem
Just not crazy about CRAZY RICH ASIANS.......AS A BOOK.....

SO....I TRIED AU ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, everyone-else-loves-it, poc-mc, chick-lit-women-s-fiction, m-f, exploring-a-different-culture

The movie version of Crazy Rich Asians was so good it gave me chills. It had EVERYTHING: hot men, amazing costumes, comedy, romance, and an ending that I was squealing over.

So, of course, as a die-hard bookworm, I assumed the book would be even better. I was wrong.

The style of the book really didn't work for me. So many POV changes and over-the-top drama. I felt like I was reading a soap opera, and soap operas aren't my thing. It lacked the humor of the movie, the stunning visual effects of th ...more

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Oct 20, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, fiction, literature, romance, novels, united-states, comedy

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1), Kevin Kwan

The novel begins with a quote from the 14th-century Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta: Nowhere in the world are there to be found people richer than the Chinese. - Ibn Battuta.

Crazy Rich Asians is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. The book is told from the perspective of five main characters: Rachel Chu, Nicholas (Nick) Young, Eleanor Young, Astrid Leong, and Edison Cheng.

The story revolves around the grand wedding of Singapore ...more

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Jun 09, 2017 Madeline rated it liked it

After being briefly obsessed with the Gossip Girl book series in high school, and then the show a few years later (and then abandoning it once Georgina reappeared with Dan's baby god that show was trash and I loved it), this seemed like the next logical step. Crazy Rich Asians is Kevin Kwan trying his hand at the ever-popular genre that can best be summed up as "hey look, rich people!" The fact that the rich people featured here are all based in Singapore, rather than America or Europe, gave the ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Words cannot express how much excite I have for the upcoming film version of this book - but this gif does a pretty decent job : )

Rachel Chu has NOOOOOO idea what she’s getting into when she agrees to accompany her boyfriend Nick to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. As professors struggling to make tenure in New York City, Rachel and Nick live a very modest lifestyle. Little does Rachel know that Nick’s upbringing was ANYTHIN ...more

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May 08, 2019 ♛ may rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 500-pgs, asian-authors, audiobook, decent, contemporary, trilogy

this book is the GOOD kind of dramatic trash that keeps you going, honestly this was a ride and i was here for it

pros
- ridiculously dramatic rich asian families
- i'm not kidding, the book begins with this wealthy asian family BUYING an entire hotel bc the front desk clerk is racist and won't give them a room
- they BOUGHT the ENTIRE HOTEL and then fired the clerk so fast i'm
- that's the kind of Petty we're dealing with (i love it)
- i love astrid so much omg give my girl the life she deserve ...more

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Sep 21, 2017 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: cultural, book-to-screen, amazing-audio, humor-comedy, listened-to-audiobook, read-2017, womens-fiction-chicklit, finished-series

Crazy Rich Asians is part satire, part romance, part family drama, part Mean Girls, and 100% entertaining. When it comes down to it, the lesson learned is that every parent wants their child to be set up for success in the best possible way, even though the method may seem maddening. It is the first installment in a series by the same name and I am excited to continue. Check it out!!

My favorite quote:
"There is nothing in the world that good food cannot fix." ...more

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Nov 07, 2018 ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, poc-interracial, kissing-books, you-can-watch-it-on-the-telly

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest

Hi, let me tell you about this book. It was SO good and I say that honestly (#NotSponsored). But seriously, you know that I'm not afraid to take the utter piss out of an over-hyped book (see anything I've reviewed by Sarah J. Maas), so when I read something like this and say it's awesome, please know that I have absolutely no reason to lie. CRAZY RICH ASIANS is crazy good.

So what's it about? Well, the story itself isn't that original. We ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Skyler Autumn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2 Stars

Definitely late to the game on this one but better late than never. Crazy Rich Asians like the title suggests is about crazy rich Asians. Told in multiple perspectives this novel takes readers into the lives of exuberant wealthy individuals think Bill Gates level, the type of people that make millionaires look impoverished.

Here's my unpopular opinion; I preferred the movie. The movie knew what it was about; fun visuals, comic relief from Awkwafina and Ken Jeong, short running time, and 2 Stars

Definitely late to the game on this one but better late than never. Crazy Rich Asians like the title suggests is about crazy rich Asians. Told in multiple perspectives this novel takes readers into the lives of exuberant wealthy individuals think Bill Gates level, the type of people that make millionaires look impoverished.

Here's my unpopular opinion; I preferred the movie. The movie knew what it was about; fun visuals, comic relief from Awkwafina and Ken Jeong, short running time, and simple but cute romantic central story. The book in comparison was about 200 pages too long, had so many characters that for the first few chapters I panicked thinking "shit! which one of these names should I be retaining for future chapters?" The first part also read like a Sky Mall catalogue for the rich and famous, the whole novel had zero comedy, it had these flashbacks of unnecessary origin stories for friendships/relationships that just increased the never ending page count but added nothing to the plot, it had exposition up the wazoo that was brought in with the guise of gossiping communities and then the author decided to give lengthy chapters to the most nauseating spoiled character in the world (Eddie). Honestly Eddie was so annoying to read and disgusting. The author could have been funny and satirical about the spoiled brat nature in those communities and made it like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and his morning routine or emotional breakdown over his business cards but instead it was just as if I read the diary entry of a Kardashian which left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

All and all, I think the movie just was more self aware of what it was, a light fun romantic comedy. The novel tried to be a drama, mixed with romance, mixed with history, and then landed on nothing. I won't be continuing on with this series. Too many books too little time to read about rich people problems (which I think is the title of his last novel) at least he's nailing it on titles. ...more

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May 25, 2018 Trina (Between Chapters) rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, contemporary, audiobooks, 2018

Content Warnings:
-Racial slurs toward black people, Indian people, Romani people. (Used casually by the "likeable" main characters as well as the ones we're supposed to hate.)
-Slurs toward gay people.
-One scene depicting a graphic dog fight (chapter 9).
-One instance of a father threatening violence toward a child.
-Cheating is a major theme throughout.
-Classism (that's probably obvious).
-Lots of prejudice from and toward different Asian ethnicities.

I'm not saying any of these things are unrealis Content Warnings:
-Racial slurs toward black people, Indian people, Romani people. (Used casually by the "likeable" main characters as well as the ones we're supposed to hate.)
-Slurs toward gay people.
-One scene depicting a graphic dog fight (chapter 9).
-One instance of a father threatening violence toward a child.
-Cheating is a major theme throughout.
-Classism (that's probably obvious).
-Lots of prejudice from and toward different Asian ethnicities.

I'm not saying any of these things are unrealistic of anyone's experience within social circles like this, I'm just pointing them out for anyone who may be hurt by these topics and wish to avoid.

I can't personally speak to the Singaporean and Chinese representation but I did enjoy having this peek into these characters lives. I think you'd like this if you enjoy soapy dramas and miscommunication.

The thing I least enjoyed was the constant cattiness of the women. The female characters were all so competitive and judgmental of each other. This can certainly be realistic but I think it hit me the wrong way since this was written by a man. It seemed quite sensationalized.

Personally, I didn't find this fluffy or romantic at all. I spent the entire book being angry at Nick for throwing Rachel into this situation with no preparation. He and other male characters have the mentality that they know what a woman wants better than the woman herself does and not taking no for an answer. There was a lack of depth, especially in Nick's character, that meant I didn't care about their relationship at all. Their supposed romance was all telling and no showing. I wish the story had focused more on Nick and Rachel so that we could get more invested in them.

Despite these things, it was still enjoyable and I've requested the sequel. I'm excited about the movie.

Audiobook: In one or two places I noticed that the book would say a character was shouting but the narrator would read the dialogue in a calm voice. Aside from this, the narration was great and I would recommend the audio version. ...more

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About Kevin Kwan

Kevin Kwan

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KEVIN KWAN is the author of Crazy Rich Asians, the international bestselling novel that has been translated into more than 30 languages. Its sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, was released in 2015, and Rich People Problems, the final book in the trilogy, followed in 2017. For several weeks in 2018, the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy commanded the top three positions of the New York Times bestseller list - ...more