Book Review: Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My last and final book in the Kevin Kwan read-a-thon I didn’t even know I was doing, and I have to say, I actually enjoyed it. This book, though it made me long for the days of going to Shanghai or New York with Rachel and the Shang-Young family, but reading about the Chruchills and being in their world was a refreshing thing. The sad thing about the whole entire thing was Lucie’s annoying fucking fiancee, Cecil Pike. Honestly, I can tell right away when I met him that I didn’t like him: he treated Lucie like a fucking barbie doll, he didn’t know her at all, and on top of that all he wanted was to use her for Instagram likes and stuff, and he’s also so very fucking dramatic, and I couldn’t stand him.

But let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Let’s start with…

CAPRI

Lucie is invited to go to Capri by her best friend, Isabel, who’s getting married to Adolfo de Veechi. Coming along with her is her cousin, Charlotte Barclay, because Lucie had never been anywhere by herself, and she needed a chaperon (why. Why does she needs one? She’s fucking grown) but when she gets there, she meets George Zao, and….survey says...she hates him. Like really hates him. But how can she hate him when he kisses her in an ancient ruin? How can she hate him when they nearly had sex during the wedding reception, and then had to stop because of a drone catching them in the act? Why did he come back to check up on her when a man had a heart attack, and she froze on the spot? Not even the beauty of Capri can get Lucie away from George Zao, but she was wrong...totally wrong.

THE HAMPTONS/NYC

Lucie is engaged to Cecil Pike, and everyone in her family loves/hates him (I hate him with a passion). Everything that happened to Lucie in Capri is over...so over...or so she thought. Because once again, George and his mother appeared, and once again, Lucie cannot stand it. She tries so hard to get rid of George and his mother, but it has became useless. George and Lucie’s brother has been hanging out, and there was a movie where a certain scene was in it...and Lucie lied to go to the bathroom, but instead kissed George and told him to fuck her (in which I would like for this to happen, please...like seriously, I want this to happen). She freaked out as soon as she said that, and left him standing there, speechless.

Then when she found out that Rosemary Zao is moving into her apartment, she does the most horrible thing ever: write a really terrible recommendation letter to make sure that she never gets the apartment, and she tried to do a smear campaign against her when Cornelia Guest was in the bathroom, and she overheard her. Lucie caught up with her, and Cornelia said:

Lucie, I’m really trying to stay out of your business, but it seems like you won’t let it go. Who are we kidding here? You were in the middle of a takedown, a total smear campaign. Now, I don’t live in your building, I don’t know any of these people, and this really doesn’t concern me, but please have some self-respect and stop trying to bullshit me. Because the only person you’re deceiving is yourself. And from the looks of it the only thing you’ll succeed in doing is pissing off your mother.

….burn, am I right??

But at the end, Lucie apologized to Rosemary and she and George went back to Capri to live there (yay) and also they went back to the grotto where they kissed the first time. Also they’re together, so I’m very happy about that.

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Book Review: Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians, #3) by Kevin Kwan

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rich People Problems...aka just put my whole entire family in this whole entire book because good lord they act just like the family in this book. Anyway, getting off track, now to the book review...so Rich People Problems is about the Shang-Young family coming together after the death of their patriarch, Shang Su Yi, aka Ah Ma. It was a sad moment...truely, it was...

Actually, no it wasn't. Because honestly, the way Eddie Cheng fussed and fought and screamed and hollered over a frickin' house reminded me so much of my own uncle (who's like Eddie Cheng 2.0). He thinks he's hot shit, he thinks he can do whatever he wants when he wants, and he also thinks that he was going to get the house. WRONG. (No, seriously, he thought he was going to get Tyersall Park). Then they thought that Su Yi wanted to sell the house, and they started getting these offers, but the Nick, the brightest man in this WHOLE ENTIRE BOOK, decided to make a deal with his aunties that he can raise the money to buy the house. It didn't work, so after finding somethings out with his Ah Ma, he went to Thailand to meet with a prince, and he found something about his Ah Ma that changed everything, thus turning Tyersall Park into Tyersall Park Hotel and museum, thanks to a mysterious backer.

And that mysterious backer is...

Kitty Pong Bing. Yes, that Kitty Pong, who in the last two books did so much crazy shit, but she got away from Benard Tai and married Jack Bing, who is the father of Colette Bing, who tried to poison Rachel. Following along? Good, because it's about to get even crazier from here. In this book, Kitty has an arch nemesis...which is Colette Bing, the new Countess of Parsilver or some fancy title like that, and Kitty HATES her. She wants to do everything better than Colette (gee, who does that sound like? An auntie of mine) and tries every crazy thing she can think of. But at the end, she decided to secretly buy in Tysersall Park and turn it into a museum.

The Astrid storyline I enjoyed the most-mostly because it's like she's finally getting everything she ever wanted and then everything came crashing down the moment that sex tape of her and Charlie came out thanks to Charlie's ex-wife, Isabel, having a psychotic breakdown and nearly killing herself. Then Astrid disappeared, making Charlie worry about her and he started to search everywhere for her, asking around and all. Then he went to Palawan where he and Astrid reunited, and I HOPE TO GOD THAT THEY GET MARRIED BECAUSE I LOVE THEM TOGETHER AND I WANT THEM TO GET MARRIED OKAY.

All in all this was a really good book and I enjoyed myself so much. I'm sad that I'm going to be missing my family because I feel like a part of me is with this family now. I'm going to miss every crazy thing they have every done to each other. But one day I shall revisit them. So for now I'm going to say goodbye and that I shall see you soon.

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Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Crazy Rich Asians...what a book. It has everything in it-the soapy-filled drama of a soap, Gossip Girl and nosey, nagging mothers (at least, at my end)-and honestly? I enjoyed myself. I actually started wishing I was rich...without my curse of hating nosey mothers in almost every book I read (no, actually, I hate meddling mothers who don't want their children to be happy with the one they love). But the one part of Crazy Rich Asians I loved so much was (okay, yes it was the parties and the fashion and everything else) but it was Astrid's storyline.

Astrid Leong was married to a man (who I hate with a burning passion and wish he can die somewhere) named Michael Teo. They have a son named Cassian, and it seemed like a picture-perfect life. But it all came crashing down when Astrid realized that Michael has been seeing another woman behind her back (or so she thought), and cornered him about it, demanding him to tell her the truth (well, actually, she picked up his phone and saw the text message MISS U NSIDE ME, and thus, there was me screaming for her to go to Maury, or dig around and be a snoop) and it turns out, dammit, that Michael lied to her. He went to Hong Kong to see his sister and decided to fake everything so he and Astrid can get a divorce. That's why he made up everything for her to find. I hope to God in the next book that actually happens and Astrid can move on with Charlie Wu (the one I really want her to be with).

I also like the Nick/Colin Khoo storyline too, because the way they got away from Shanghai's answer to Spencer Pratt Benard Tai (with friends Mehmet, Alistair, and Lionel) was too funny and sneaky, and also I love their friendship. I was also glad that Colin and Araminta were worried for Rachel and actually treated her like family when she first came to Shanghai. Honestly, I love this friendship altogether.

The funniest one I liked has to be Oliver T'sien and Peik Lin. I LOVE them so much, especially Oliver's witty comments and I really, really love Peik Lin because she's a really good friend to Rachel.

What I didn't care about: the mom, Eleanor. I have this curse where if the fictional mother does something I don't like, I don't care about. I mean, she plotted to get rid of Rachel, even looking up to see who her birth father was. Then before Rachel went to see her father, Nick flew in her mother to explain everything to her and how she was another man's child and not the man who's in jail (thank god-and also the mom I liked in this book), thus stopping Eleanor to get rid of Rachel so she can set him up with someone else (ha ha).

So what's next? I don't know, but I gotta wait till I get my hands on China Rich Girlfriend (which is coming soon since I ordered it).

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