Title: Crazy Rich Asians
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publication: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Anchor
Genre: Asian Fiction
Pages: 546
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor.
On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.
REVIEW:
I had no clue that Crazy Rich Asians was actually a book/series until after watching the movie. I had never heard of it even though it had been out for a while. I loved the movie so much I knew that I had to read the book. Let me just say I was not disappointed. If I didn’t have other things to read on a deadline I probably would have read the entire series one after another.
As the story opens, we are with Rachel and her boyfriend Nick. He is trying to convince her to spend the summer with him in Singapore. He is going home to be best man for his best friends wedding. While they are talking and eating their food, Nick is photographed by someone who recognizes him. The photo gets sent around to a ton of people and the rumor that Nick is dating a women gets back to his mother. She has no clue that her son is seeing anyone. She sets some wheels in motion to find out all about Rachel Chu. Rachel agrees to go with Nick to Singapore. She is starting to look forward to it. She can’t wait to try all sort of new foods and authentic ones at that. Rachel begins to wonder about who Nick is when he is called Mr. Young at the airport and the stewardess says she has his regular drink ready for him. She is even more shocked by the first class accommodations that Nick booked for them. What Rachel doesn’t know is that her boyfriend of the last two years is rich and crazy rich at that. Will Nick’s mother ruin their relationship with her information? Will Nick come clean and tell Rachel about his family before its too late?
I absolutely devoured this book. It was sooooo good. It added so many more layers to the characters that we meet in the movie. The book is well written and easy to read. While you are not going to get some sort of deep philosophical plot line it is still a good book. I fell in love with all the characters again. The book made me love Astrid, the cousin, even more. She didn’t seem as helpless as I thought she seemed in the movie. The book shows how, even though they are rich, do not have their lives together as much as it seems. Just because they are rich doesn’t mean their lives are perfect. They all have flaws and they all have family problems no matter how they present their lives to the press and media. I will be reading the other two books in the series as soon as I can. I will also be doing a book to movie comparison as well so watch for that coming out soon.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your own copy of Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check out more books from author Kevin Kwan, including the second book in this series, China Rich Girlfriend, on his website HERE.
