Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians Book Info:       
Series: Crazy Rich Asians #1
Page Count: 527
Author: Kevin Kwan
Genre: Romance/Humor
Published On: June 11, 2013
Published by: Doubleday


Overall Rating:
★★★★

Goodreads Description:
“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 boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich” -Goodreads

“...it’s far easier for a beautiful woman from an ordinary background to marry into a family like yours than for a man who doesn’t come from any wealth or lineage.”

My Thoughts 

I’ve heard so many positive and negative thoughts on this book, that I decided to take matters into my own hands and give it a try. I didn’t hate the book. It was a fun read filled with romance, forbidden love, and family drama. It was filled with the lifestyle of rich Asians in Singapore, which made me like the book better! But with all that wealth also came with snobbiness, self absorbent people, and rudeness, which is exactly the conflict that our main character, Rachel Chu is dealing with. Speaking of Rachel, she was a very strong protagonist. She stood up for her rights and didn’t let anyone put her down and call her “poor”.  On the other hand, I felt really bad for Nick. His family was extremely uncooperative about Rachel, so it was almost like he had to choose between Rachel and his family. His personality is really sweet and loyal but to me, he was not one of those characters that you fall in love with. 

I first came across this book when the movie was getting more and more hype, and I’ll admit, I came in reading it mainly for entertainment purposes, but it did not disappoint! Except for some aspects, it was a very good read. It was light and airy, and everything I wanted. With that said, I did not feel a strong connection with the main characters. It was as if I knew them, but not really. It wasn’t that I hated them, there was just no real connection. However I hope the bond between the reader and the characters improve as the book series continues. As much as I didn’t connect with Rachel and Nick, I still found their characters really realistic. They made mistakes just like real people and are sometimes really relatable. Also, at the beginning of the book, I was a bit confused because of the wide range of characters, but later on as the book progresses I got more and more familiar with the characters and things started making more sense. Another problem was that the ending was a bit frustrating. There was ABSOLUTELY NO CLOSURE. And it wasn’t even like a cliffhanger. It just seemed like the book just stopped out of no where. I was a little disappointed because I think a book as good as this deserved a better ending. 

Crazy Rich Asians was overall a satisfying read. It was so fun reading and experiencing the lifestyle of the CRAZY RICH ASIANS of Singapore. The best thing was seeing the characters overcome so many obstacles including racial issues, family issues, and culture issues. It was a great read overall but there were some things that could be tweaked and improved.