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mycookandbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
I found Sarong Party Girls to be light, interesting and different. For one thing, it is written in Singlish, which takes a bit of getting used to but adds a lot to the character of the book. I would recommend this for anyone who is interested in a deeper and more alternative view of Singapore, as shown in Crazy Rich Asians.
naaytaashreads's review against another edition
1.0
As much as I want to love this book, I did not enjoy it. I mean it was an enjoyable chick lit for a quick read but the content kind off like throw me off.
As a Singaporean female, I just want to say we are nothing like any of the characters in this book so please don't stereotype that.
I was kind of excited to know that the book has a mixture of Singlish. Which Singaporeans are use to every day life (Singapore + English). There are slangs that we used that is most commonly known in Singapore.
However in this book I think the use of Singlish is just too extreme to the point where I'm like who the hell speaks like this?
That threw me off.
I did not like any of the characters. They did not have much personality or character growth. The characters are just a turn off.
It gives off such a bad potrayal of Singapore females. We are definitely not like anything in this book. I know its a work of fiction and everything but I wish the plot was more in depth of a character development.
As a Singaporean female, I just want to say we are nothing like any of the characters in this book so please don't stereotype that.
I was kind of excited to know that the book has a mixture of Singlish. Which Singaporeans are use to every day life (Singapore + English). There are slangs that we used that is most commonly known in Singapore.
However in this book I think the use of Singlish is just too extreme to the point where I'm like who the hell speaks like this?
That threw me off.
I did not like any of the characters. They did not have much personality or character growth. The characters are just a turn off.
It gives off such a bad potrayal of Singapore females. We are definitely not like anything in this book. I know its a work of fiction and everything but I wish the plot was more in depth of a character development.
jessicabeckett's review against another edition
3.0
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review originally posted here at Booked J.
As we all know, I'm a sucker for retellings/re-imaginings. Emma by Jane Austen is one of my favourite works of classic literature. Combining it with an indulgent, modern feeling ala Gossip Girl and Crazy Rich Asians, is basically like screaming THIS WAS MADE FOR JESSICA! at the top of your lungs. You already know I had to have it. It's basically Clueless (also based loosely on Emma) in Singapore.
I mean? Yes, please.
Sarong Party Girls scratches that itching desire for something fun and breezy, full of style and parties and the general glitz and glamour of the privileged, and it does it well. This is a definite beach read that is fun but still pretty heartfelt. You're going to have mixed feelings about the judgmental traits that characters have--but you'll soon discover there is more to them than meets the eye.
Our main character Jazzy is likable and flawed. Basking in her life of privilege, all the sex and the glamour and the partying, we get the front row seat in watching her grow. Her story is one of the coming of age variety, and proof that coming of age happens at any age. We're always growing.
Everything about Jazzy sparkles and leads readers to, depending on the scene, cringe or sympathize with her.
It took me a bit longer than I care to admit to get to reading Sarong Party Girls. I'd kind of burned myself out on this sort of book and just needed a little break. When I did get to it, though, I found myself reading it a little too quickly. That's a testament to Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan's prose--it is light and quick. The very sort of style that calls on your focus and keeps you in place for a specific amount of time.
Ultimately, Sarong Party Girls is a fast read. It has humor and heart, style and pose, parties and sex. If ever there were a book destined to make you laugh and swoon, this is it. I only wish it was a little longer.
As we all know, I'm a sucker for retellings/re-imaginings. Emma by Jane Austen is one of my favourite works of classic literature. Combining it with an indulgent, modern feeling ala Gossip Girl and Crazy Rich Asians, is basically like screaming THIS WAS MADE FOR JESSICA! at the top of your lungs. You already know I had to have it. It's basically Clueless (also based loosely on Emma) in Singapore.
I mean? Yes, please.
Sarong Party Girls scratches that itching desire for something fun and breezy, full of style and parties and the general glitz and glamour of the privileged, and it does it well. This is a definite beach read that is fun but still pretty heartfelt. You're going to have mixed feelings about the judgmental traits that characters have--but you'll soon discover there is more to them than meets the eye.
Our main character Jazzy is likable and flawed. Basking in her life of privilege, all the sex and the glamour and the partying, we get the front row seat in watching her grow. Her story is one of the coming of age variety, and proof that coming of age happens at any age. We're always growing.
Everything about Jazzy sparkles and leads readers to, depending on the scene, cringe or sympathize with her.
It took me a bit longer than I care to admit to get to reading Sarong Party Girls. I'd kind of burned myself out on this sort of book and just needed a little break. When I did get to it, though, I found myself reading it a little too quickly. That's a testament to Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan's prose--it is light and quick. The very sort of style that calls on your focus and keeps you in place for a specific amount of time.
Ultimately, Sarong Party Girls is a fast read. It has humor and heart, style and pose, parties and sex. If ever there were a book destined to make you laugh and swoon, this is it. I only wish it was a little longer.
em_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
This absolutely scratches the itch for a trashy, gossipy, fluffy read about rich people behaving badly while actually being more than that. It's full of the fun kind of booze and sex and luxury, and the bad kind of all those things, but even then the narration is too witty and conversational not to enjoy.
I love the sense of place, how you get thrown into the local language and geography as if you've always lived there and Jazzy's just catching you up on things you already knew - if I had one big complaint about Crazy Rich Asians it was how often it stopped to explain what was what as if the reader couldn't figure it out themselves. Reading Jazzy's narration is like being at a noisy bar with a friend who's warm and fun but won't let you get a word in - especially not if you're about to offer advice about what looks like a bad decision.
I had some small issues with this story here and there but the big thing was how abrupt the ending felt, like Jazzy was reacting to a few bad situations and a couple tender moments rather than really growing and changing. When this story was subtle it worked beautifully, and it told some harsh truths about class and sexism and finding one's place in a world that gives one very limited choices. But when it was heavy-handed, it really clunked.
I love the sense of place, how you get thrown into the local language and geography as if you've always lived there and Jazzy's just catching you up on things you already knew - if I had one big complaint about Crazy Rich Asians it was how often it stopped to explain what was what as if the reader couldn't figure it out themselves. Reading Jazzy's narration is like being at a noisy bar with a friend who's warm and fun but won't let you get a word in - especially not if you're about to offer advice about what looks like a bad decision.
I had some small issues with this story here and there but the big thing was how abrupt the ending felt, like Jazzy was reacting to a few bad situations and a couple tender moments rather than really growing and changing. When this story was subtle it worked beautifully, and it told some harsh truths about class and sexism and finding one's place in a world that gives one very limited choices. But when it was heavy-handed, it really clunked.
lynleybidlake's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hollandreads's review against another edition
2.0
This is apparently based on Jane Austen's Emma, and while I see some loose similarities I really don't think that's accurate at all. I enjoyed the fact that it was written in Singlish, and that our main character Jazzy realises throughout the book how terrible the treatment of women is, but overall there was barely any plot, I didn't really like Jazzy, and there was no real conclusion or comeuppance for all the men who were shit to her and to the other women. Overall, good writing style but I didn't love it. 2.5 stars.
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
Books set in Singapore are a rarity – before Crazy Rich Asians, the only books I could find were by local authors. Sarong Party Girls continues (at least initially) in the same vein as Crazy Rich Asians, but without the dizzying displays of wealth. Oh, it’s still there but this is much more of a heartland kind of book with a normal heroine. At the start, I thought this would be all party party party (and drink drink drink) but as the story continues, our heroine Jazzy finds the darker side of the club scene.
Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan writes this book in Singlish, the local patois of Singapore. If you’ve been to Singapore, you may be familiar with the some of the expressions (such as lah to end a sentence, aiyoh as an exclamation and ang moh for a foreigner). If not, you will get an idea of what they mean as you read. But if you want to brush up on your Singlish and make sure you’re not talking cock, I recommend http://www.singlishdictionary.com/. I promise you that the book is easy to read and guniang here was pretty much fluent at the end.
The premise of the story is pretty simple on the surface – Jazzy and her friends are getting old (nearly 27!) and need to find themselves rich expat husbands to have beautiful Eurasian babies. This needs to be done quickly so they set themselves a deadline of 1 year. Jazzy’s former best friend is already off the table – Sher has disgraced the team by marrying an Ah Beng (local) man. Imo and Fann take up the challenge, but it’s really only Jazzy who takes this super-seriously. She plots and plans how to find a rich husband and gets herself entangled in the shadier sides of the club/expat scene where women are nothing but pieces of meat. By day, Jazzy is worried about her job as her boss makes noises about trading her in for a younger model and the deterioration of her friendship with Jazz. Will this sweet social climber find true love or the ang moh of her dreams?
Jazzy is a simple girl who gets caught up in all sorts of odd stuff at night. Initially, she’s happy to be there looking shiok, making the boys steam for free drinks and VIP areas. So what if she’s not always comfortable with the way the men are acting? It’s a small price to pay. But her eyes begin to open at a Chinese club where the girls are the entertainment for the men and how the women are treated as sex objects at a KTV lounge. And when people she thought she trusted begin to act like she’s nothing but a plaything…will Jazzy accept things or will she revolt? She’s a strong character with an iron will but not always in the right direction. I came to love Jazzy as the book went on as she faced up to some facts she had carefully been ignoring.
I liked how Sarong Party Girls started off like a big party life then went on to explore the dangers of excess (drinking, money and the like), rebellion against tradition and the marginalisation of women. The reactions of the different women were interesting and sometimes astounding in my opinion. It’s still a fun read though and I’d recommend it for those looking for a fun read that also comments on issues below the seemingly perfect surface.
Thanks to SocialBookCo for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan writes this book in Singlish, the local patois of Singapore. If you’ve been to Singapore, you may be familiar with the some of the expressions (such as lah to end a sentence, aiyoh as an exclamation and ang moh for a foreigner). If not, you will get an idea of what they mean as you read. But if you want to brush up on your Singlish and make sure you’re not talking cock, I recommend http://www.singlishdictionary.com/. I promise you that the book is easy to read and guniang here was pretty much fluent at the end.
The premise of the story is pretty simple on the surface – Jazzy and her friends are getting old (nearly 27!) and need to find themselves rich expat husbands to have beautiful Eurasian babies. This needs to be done quickly so they set themselves a deadline of 1 year. Jazzy’s former best friend is already off the table – Sher has disgraced the team by marrying an Ah Beng (local) man. Imo and Fann take up the challenge, but it’s really only Jazzy who takes this super-seriously. She plots and plans how to find a rich husband and gets herself entangled in the shadier sides of the club/expat scene where women are nothing but pieces of meat. By day, Jazzy is worried about her job as her boss makes noises about trading her in for a younger model and the deterioration of her friendship with Jazz. Will this sweet social climber find true love or the ang moh of her dreams?
Jazzy is a simple girl who gets caught up in all sorts of odd stuff at night. Initially, she’s happy to be there looking shiok, making the boys steam for free drinks and VIP areas. So what if she’s not always comfortable with the way the men are acting? It’s a small price to pay. But her eyes begin to open at a Chinese club where the girls are the entertainment for the men and how the women are treated as sex objects at a KTV lounge. And when people she thought she trusted begin to act like she’s nothing but a plaything…will Jazzy accept things or will she revolt? She’s a strong character with an iron will but not always in the right direction. I came to love Jazzy as the book went on as she faced up to some facts she had carefully been ignoring.
I liked how Sarong Party Girls started off like a big party life then went on to explore the dangers of excess (drinking, money and the like), rebellion against tradition and the marginalisation of women. The reactions of the different women were interesting and sometimes astounding in my opinion. It’s still a fun read though and I’d recommend it for those looking for a fun read that also comments on issues below the seemingly perfect surface.
Thanks to SocialBookCo for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
tracyx11's review against another edition
3.0
DNF after a few chapters. Still giving it 3 stars only because I didn't think it was terrible, but I don't think I want to waste time reading a book I most likely won't like. I just didn't think that, even with character development, I would like the characters. And understandably, I probably wasn't meant to like them ?
andrea_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit, this took me a really long time to get into and and even longer time to get to grips with the "Singlish" style. When I read the first impression I thought it would be interesting and wanted to give it a go however, I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would and sadly lost a bit of interest half way through. Jazzy seemed to be quite obnoxious and quite a narrow minded person. Considering she totally disowned her best friend for marrying a man from Singapore rather than a rich white expat. I did enjoy the ending and found that she did learn to find herself through out the book. Perhaps that is why she was made to come across as so obnoxious at the beginning, so you could see the gradual change in her personality. I did find the ending to be quite rushed though and I would have liked to have known just a bit more at the end about how she went on after having this realisation. Thank you to Readers First for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.