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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This was a book filled with the most insufferable characters, dear lord. I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes, every single one of them had the most trivial problems and were shallow and deplorable to the core, barring maybe the main character, Rachel, and Michael. The author's storytelling method was awful as well, for some reason, Kevin Kwan tries to fit in multiple characters' thought processes within the same conversation in a way that blends each character into one. Consequently, none of the characters in the story felt unique, or distinct, but rather like a singular specimen. One thing that stuck out was how different the story in the book was compared to the movie, all in all, I think the movie possessed a certain charm that the book simply couldn't bring out, the extra star is for the movie.
challenging
medium-paced
Pass. A few chapters in I knew this was not my kind of book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was a bookclub pick from our books to movie adaptations theme. I watched the movie when it came out but never read the book, but I did listen to the audiobook a couple of years ago. The audiobook was really good and I did enjoy reading this book. However, there are a lot of PoVs to keep track of and can be confusing at times, but I did enjoy reading their thoughts and seeing their character development.
One of many things I wish we had gotten more in the movie would have been the relationship of Peik Len and her father. In the book they had no idea who the Youngs were but in the movie they knew them. It was fun to see Wye Mun trying to figure out who the Youngs were. Of course he says he is doing all of this to ensure that Rachel’s boyfriend Nick comes from a good family, but really it’s all about connections and money.
Another part of the book that I enjoyed more than the movie was the relationship between Astrid and Michael. He created this narrative that he cheated but in reality he was looking for a way out of the marriage and so that her family can save face. They have this complicated relationship dynamic because her family is wealthy and never accepted him into their family. They never included his family with their celebrations and traditions. In a way I feel like Astrid knew about it because why else would she warn Nick to prepare Rachel to meet the family. She knows how they can be but somehow missed how her family treated Michael. It is interesting now to see the similarities between Astrid and Michael’s relationship to Nick and Rachel’s.
I wish that this series was made into a tv show and not a movie. I think we could have gotten more backstories with a show than what was fitted into the movie. I definitely enjoyed this book and may even pick up the next one in the series.
One of many things I wish we had gotten more in the movie would have been the relationship of Peik Len and her father. In the book they had no idea who the Youngs were but in the movie they knew them. It was fun to see Wye Mun trying to figure out who the Youngs were. Of course he says he is doing all of this to ensure that Rachel’s boyfriend Nick comes from a good family, but really it’s all about connections and money.
Another part of the book that I enjoyed more than the movie was the relationship between Astrid and Michael. He created this narrative that he cheated but in reality he was looking for a way out of the marriage and so that her family can save face. They have this complicated relationship dynamic because her family is wealthy and never accepted him into their family. They never included his family with their celebrations and traditions. In a way I feel like Astrid knew about it because why else would she warn Nick to prepare Rachel to meet the family. She knows how they can be but somehow missed how her family treated Michael. It is interesting now to see the similarities between Astrid and Michael’s relationship to Nick and Rachel’s.
I wish that this series was made into a tv show and not a movie. I think we could have gotten more backstories with a show than what was fitted into the movie. I definitely enjoyed this book and may even pick up the next one in the series.
the guy who cheats on gemma chans character is objectively morally superior to her
It's a light-hearted, fluffy read for those that want to just escape into another world for a little while. The characters are interesting, but there are a lot of them and sometimes it's difficult to track until you get further into the novel. The ending was kind of "meh" to me, but do I regret reading it? Nope! :)
adventurous
hopeful
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes