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__mads's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a fun short read that got me off my reading slump.
yarnylibrarian's review
3.0
This was a "beach read" for me (not at an actual beach... though partly read at a water park). Fun and fast, filled with preposterous characters. The writing is not amazing or literary, the characters are all over the top, and the plot is a roller coaster - but I devoured the trilogy just the same. The perfect beach read.
namiadelia's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emstar7522's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I liked the books more than the movie.
harper's review
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
aurasn's review
3.0
This series is getting more unbelievable and outrageous with each book! Of course, I do feel like I have to finish what I've started. A few laugh out loud moments thanks to Eddie's character. One accurate scene was when the ladies ate ramen in their fancy hotel to save money on an expensive meal. I know people like that.
dee2799d's review
4.0
Nick and Rachel are getting married (a select ceremony where most of Nick's relatives weren't invited), and Eleanor finds out something about Rachel's past.
This book is even more lavish than the first one; I think Kevin Kwan was only starting to ease us into the whole 'rich people spending money' scene in the first book. In China Rich Girlfriend we enter the realms of the unicorn and mermaids: I can't even conceive of that much money getting spent on one sitting. Kitty Pong and Collete Bing are the main suspects, but Carlton BaoRachel's stepbrother isn't far behind with his sports cars. Despite all this and in a world where it's getting increasingly attractive to eat the rich, I find it hard to hate anyone in the novel. Kwan does such a great job of humanising them and reminding us that even they have their problems. Even Eleanor Young, who played the part of the evil (future) mother in law was fleshed out to be sympathetic: her family the Sungs were never deemed good enough by the Youngs and the rest of the clan, and she herself had had to face snide comments. You can kind of see that her warning Nick about how the family would treat Rachel if they get married comes from experience.
There's also a lot of girl power happening in this novel. My favourite being Kitty Pong, who is trying hard to fit into Hong Kong society after a series of of faux pas as Mrs Bernard Tai (not to mention her past as a soap opera and porn actress). Polite society would have nothing of Kitty and her showy tastes, but I was rooting for her and I love how in the end she just stopped caring and set about enjoying her riches to the fullest.
A bit harder to like is Collete Bing, daughter of one of the richest men in the world. I found her rather charming at first, if a bit spoiled. But man, her tastes are just as showy as Kitty's and she comes from a working man background herself (Jack Bing her father is hopelessly 'unrefined') and I thought it was kind of unfair that society would love Colette but turn their noses up at Kitty. To be fair, money talks and Kitty had to navigate Singapore and Hong Kong society vs Collete's China. But still.
There's also a ton of Asian things that made me laugh because they're so true. Like the traffic in Shanghai (never been there, but I know how it feels. As Carlton and Nick said, traffic rules are more of a suggestion).
There's a lot more action happening, what with a medical emergency popping up towards the end, but rest assured: all will be well and you can relax for the rest of the ride.
This book is even more lavish than the first one; I think Kevin Kwan was only starting to ease us into the whole 'rich people spending money' scene in the first book. In China Rich Girlfriend we enter the realms of the unicorn and mermaids: I can't even conceive of that much money getting spent on one sitting. Kitty Pong and Collete Bing are the main suspects, but Carlton Bao
There's also a lot of girl power happening in this novel. My favourite being Kitty Pong, who is trying hard to fit into Hong Kong society after a series of of faux pas as Mrs Bernard Tai (not to mention her past as a soap opera and porn actress). Polite society would have nothing of Kitty and her showy tastes, but I was rooting for her and I love how in the end she just stopped caring and set about enjoying her riches to the fullest.
A bit harder to like is Collete Bing, daughter of one of the richest men in the world. I found her rather charming at first, if a bit spoiled. But man, her tastes are just as showy as Kitty's and she comes from a working man background herself (Jack Bing her father is hopelessly 'unrefined') and I thought it was kind of unfair that society would love Colette but turn their noses up at Kitty. To be fair, money talks and Kitty had to navigate Singapore and Hong Kong society vs Collete's China. But still.
There's also a ton of Asian things that made me laugh because they're so true. Like the traffic in Shanghai (never been there, but I know how it feels. As Carlton and Nick said, traffic rules are more of a suggestion).
There's a lot more action happening, what with a medical emergency popping up towards the end, but rest assured: all will be well and you can relax for the rest of the ride.
aliibera's review
4.0
Exactly the thing to read on the plane on a two day trip to do a speech in San Francisco - immersive and utterly indulgent world of money and style. In retrospect, I'm not certain that I buy some character changes and I felt that Rachel and Nick were less well defined than they were in the previous book but still highly enjoyable.