This book was meant to be a palate cleanser for me as I needed to put down the heavy non-fiction book I was reading about mental health (While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence). Woof. I’ve begun interacting more in Threads and asked that community for a fun book, and someone mentioned that Kevin Kwan (he of Crazy Rich Asians) had a new one out and I was sold: over-the-top and silly was just what I needed, and this book delivered.
I was having such a fun time with it I recruited a friend for a read along which lead to her texting me to say, “OMG, stop what you’re doing, tell your family you love them, and go read this book.” That’s a strong endorsement if I’ve ever heard one. So what is this book about?
Kwan doesn’t mince words, right there in the title, there’s a lot of lies, a lot of weddings, opulence, and scandal. If you liked the Crazy Rich Asians series than you are probably going to love this. There was one part that was so surprising, I literally gasped out loud, like a character in a movie, hand over my mouth. There is royalty, a dwindling family fortune, romance, terrible parenting, and of course so many family secrets. It’s a soap opera of a novel, juicy and dramatic, with some plot turns being predictable, a few even retreads from his other series, but a few more almost too hard to believe. It’s campy and I loved it.
When I was nearing the end and it was way past my bedtime I should have gone to bed, but I didn’t—I was still reading. So, get this book, turn off your phone, ignore your family, and have some fun!