Sex and Vanity seemed to have taken the lives of those crazy rich Asians we read about in his first series and brought them to American soil. But with the change in scenery, the story needed to change as well. What would a blue blooded Chinese American look like? How would the world react if there was one of us among them? Kevin Kwan definitely answers those questions in this new novel.

Lucie Churchill was just invited to the wedding of the century. She alongside her cousin, Charlotte, jet off to Capri for a few days of bliss and topped with an extravagant wedding. They immerse themselves in the culture, basking in the beautiful coastlines of Italy while eating deliciously described foods. When she's in Capri, she meets George Zao. For all intents and purposes, George sounds like the kind of guy you would most definitely catch and keep forever. A hottie with a 12-pack who loves surfing and the environment? He's also got money and ambitions and loves art and appreciates beautiful music? He's also putting others first? He loves his mother? Did I mention he was hot? I'm sorry, but if Lucie doesn't want him, can I have him?

And at this point in the novel, Lucie most definitely doesn't want him. After seeing how her cousin Charlotte reacts to George and his mother, Rosemary's, behavior and then the fatal kiss between Lucie and George at the wedding, it's no wonder that Lucie doesn't want anything to do with George. Being with George would mean ridicule and torment for not only marrying into an eccentric family, but also marrying into a Chinese family.

Five years later, everything is different. Lucie is engaged and ready to marry into one of the wealthiest families in America. Now that she's engaged to a socialite, her priorities are changing as well. It's planning her opulent wedding, renovating her multi-million dollar townhouse in New York with her fiance, and spending time with her mother and brother as these two families start to get to know each other.

But there's no way to pull herself out of the attraction with George especially when George shows up everywhere she goes and their families start to get closer.

For the most part, this is most definitely a story about love, friendship, and family. The coastal scenes of Capri and even their vacation in the East Hamptons will definitely wish you were on vacation right now.

However, Kevin Kwan is super clever and he added a little something extra to make this story just as authentic as he could make it. He talks about racism. Lucie's experiences with racism are so obvious that you can't read this book without noticing them. Within 20 pages, you already have Charlotte introducing Lucie to some friends emphasizing how she's half-Chinese and she's related through her "American" father (despite her mother being born in Seattle). From that moment on, it was a series of microaggressions throughout the rest of the novel. As Kevin Kwan describe it, they're like little paper cuts that accumulate over time. I think that's the perfect metaphor for it and what you see over the course of this novel.

I really loved Lucie in this book. She was a brilliant artist who didn't like to make a splash the way her fiance did. She was understated and that just made her shine. I loved the way she would light up when she spoke about art and when she heard her favorite piano concerto. I felt deeply for her when she recalls the day her dad died. However, Lucie kept a lot to herself and kept up appearances frequently. I felt for her in those moments especially as a person who's felt like she had to suppress a major component of her personality.

And Lucie gets it from everyone. From the wealthy family friend who asks if she sides with her Chinese side or her American side more to the Filipino sisters who asks her specific ethnicity (if you didn't know, there's a lot of racism within the Asian countries) to see if she's one of them. She gets it from her fiance who is always trying to "fix" her the same way her grandmother used to try and "fix" her as well. There's even some internalized racism from her own mother that's most definitely had an impact on her life. I found myself asking how do you navigate when the people you're supposed to trust and love you unconditionally find fault because of your Asian heritage?

I did like the conversation Lucie and Charlotte have about her racism towards the end of the novel, but I also felt like Charlotte was gaslighting her a little bit. I don't want to say that Charlotte didn't learn anything or felt the embarrassment of being racist toward her own cousin, but I would have really liked to see Charlotte own up for her mistakes in the past. The reason why I would have loved this kind of resolution is because it's so obvious that Lucie struggles with a lot of internalized racism. She's pushed down the "Asian" part of her life to a point where she couldn't love someone because of who they were and part of that is because of her family and her upbringing. I think Lu

I would have loved to see more of George and the discussion regarding racism with him. I know being born and raised in Hong Kong is a different experience than being born and raised in New York City, but I can imagine George struggling through some daily convos with westerners and Americans who don't understand or appreciate the culture he came from. I wanted George and Lucie to have a much deeper convo.

To be honest, this was the part that kind of annoyed me the most about this book; the relationship between George and Lucie. I feel like George would have brought insight or at least opened Lucie's eyes a bit if their relationship was allowed to grow on the page. Much of their encounters are met with either sexual tension or just tension, which made their relationship questionable at the end. It didn't necessarily be the main part of the story like a true romance, but I would have liked there to be more conversations between the two even if it was in the friendly sense.

The only other issue I had was the pacing. The entire book seemed to read quite laid back. It wasn't necessarily slow, but there wasn't a lot of events that would keep you turning the page (at least for me). But within the last 100 pages, everything picked up. Characters started acting out of character and my hopes for a bigger discussion on the racism components were truncated to a few simple paragraphs. It felt rushed and tidy, which made the ending less fun for me.

Overall, a great book that many book clubs should pick up and chat about! I think that the books would be a great read for book clubs especially since it was fun to read, but then have those deeper discussions about racism. I hope the discourse you all have will be a productive one!

this was a DNF for me. It felt like it was a wanna be Crazy Rich Asians and I couldn't engage with the characters. Wanted to love it. Bummed.

Thank you @netgalley and @doubleday for the opportunity to read this book! The cover alone had me drooling and after the success of his past books I was eager to devour this book. Though once I got to Chpt 2 I realized something I recognized this story. I had to Google to be sure. Charlotte and Lucie complaining that you must have a view on your first visit to fill in the blank. Oh, we have a view take our room! Wait what? This is loosely based off my childhood favorite Helena Bonham Carter movie that I watched all the time with my mom and giggled at the bathing scene in the pond (if you've seen it you know what I mean). I adored Room with a View, now that version was decidedly extremely English and proper well as proper as George was, the scamp.

George and Lucie were my favorite romance growing up and this gives them a whole new layer of romance that stuffy 1908 Britain/Italy couldn't. I couldn't be more pleased with this book!
This book didn't disappoint me. I couldn't put it down!

This book has gotten mixed reviews and I have seen but not read Crazy Rich Asians so I can't really compare writing styles. This does hold the same plot points as the original RWAV but it has very different details about the super rich that I am for sure not privvy to. I found it entertaining and correlated them all to the original storyline. I can see how Charlotte was trying to protect Lucie's reputation that's what old money does. There is a big difference between old and new money and WASPs and everyone else. This did talk about a lot of that which is very relevant. People with old money don't want to share it, flaunt it, or use it. People with new money want to show it, wear it, flaunt it, and use it.

It was a self discovery for Lucie realizing that her families views of her did not have to dictate her life or be her views. She could write her own story, live her own life! She was refusing George and her Chinese heritage to please her family until she realized she didn't have to. She was pretty hard on him but he could see through all of them into her true self. She just needed a huge push.
Thank you for the ARC for an honest review!!

Meh - not my favorite. Being predictable was expected, but it was predictable without the satisfaction of a wonderful ending. There were a few curves at the end but not sure why - just left feeling like it wasn't great. Because I didn't love it, I won't be rating/reviewing on Goodreads or elsewhere.

This was a fun, entertaining book and while I did not pick up on the references to A Room with a View, realizing that based on the reviews actually makes me feel even fonder towards this. I found it enjoyable, and it has much of the over the top, unimaginable actions of the insanely wealthy that made the Crazy Rich Asians book so interesting. The Capri parts, with the beautifully described setting, was quite fun, but I also enjoyed the New York set parts as well. A great summer read!

I have really enjoyed Kevin Kwan's other books and this one is just as fun. This is a great romance and beautiful descriptions. The only drawback was the character of Lucie. I just couldn't connect with her. She is very mean. But I did enjoy the book.

Kwan proves has another more characters to start a new series with a modern telling of A Room with a View. Traveling to a wealthy Capri wedding with her cousin, Lucie Churchill is knocked off balance when she meets George Zao. Their families meet again when both have moved in new directions but the sparks makes Lucie question all her choices.

2.5 stars

This was my 2nd attempt at reading a Kevin Kwan book, and sadly, it just didn’t work for me.
Granted, I am not the biggest fan of contemporary fiction, but dang it, I loved the movie version of Crazy Rich Asians SO MUCH and was hoping I’d fall in love with his writing. That didn’t happen.


On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can't stand him. She can't stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can't stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can't stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. "Your mother is Chinese so it's no surprise you'd be attracted to someone like him," Charlotte teases. The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world--and her heart.

I loved the character of Lucie. She was charming and smart and I liked how stubborn she could be. And the cast of “side” characters were sometimes amusing. My main problem was the pacing. For a book that is less than 400 pages long, it just felt like it dragged on and on. I wasn’t fond of George or the many misunderstandings that kept popping up. And while I’m glad I stuck with it to the end, I can’t really drum up much enthusiasm for this book.


*ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion*





https://this-bookish-girl.blogspot.com/2020/07/sex-and-vanity-by-kevin-kwan.html?m=0

FINALLY. I feel like I've been waiting for this book for years! I loved the tone, the writing, the setting and pacing. Everything about Kevin Kwan's writing is sold gold.

Another glitz and glamour tale from Kevin Kwan. This time, the wedding is set in Italy, but readers will delight in the tawdry tales of the Uber rich.

I reviewed this book for Bookreporter.com. It is a very clever and entertaining book, much like his last series.

Not quite as engaging as Kwan's earlier trilogy, but just as fun and bawdy. I liked the characters, I loved the setting, and the story was fun and kept me reading. A good beach read, fireplace read, read for those of us stuck inside for who knows how long.

This book was exactly what I wanted to recreate how I felt while reading Crazy Rich Asians, though it was slightly less crazy.

I loved Lucie and enjoyed the fact that there was a little more diversity in these characters, yet they were all still very rich and very crazy. I was glad to see how this ended up, while reading I was prepared to be disappointed in Lucie's journey.

I would recommend this for anyone wanted to make their crazy family seem normal.

Another glittering story from the author of Crazy Rich Asians. This time a classy woman is caught between her WASPY fiancé who her family wants her to marry and George Zao, who she doesn’t want to fall in love with. You might want to reread or at least watch E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View. Forster was way to early to envision this instagramming, techy group more familiar with technology than speaking with one another. And there are drones. And maybe its just the focus on minorities, but there’s an undercurrent of microaggression against Asian, even within the family. The characters are flamboyant and outrageous. It is a good choice to read since most of us will be stuck at home for the foreseeable future.

The descriptions of Capri and the decadent wedding had me hooked right from the beginning. The extravagance and wealth described are enough to make it feel like you're enjoying these luxuries along with the eccentric cast of characters. I couldn't put it down. Kevin Kwan certainly did not disappoint on this follow-up to Crazy Rich Asians.

Oh my goodness, this book was so fun!! I read it in a day and felt like I was on vacation the entire time. I love all of the characters (George 😍) and the way Kevin Kwan’s satirical style calls out truths among his characters in the most captivating way. This story wove layers of important thoughts on race and class, while not interfering with the beautiful levity and fun that is this book. I highly recommend everyone take a trip to Capri this summer and read this book!

This book, like the others by the author is soooooo much fun. The extras that he puts into the story, the brand names, the descriptions, and of course the CVs of all the characters makes it more real, although the reader knows that there is no townhome in NYC that has a Venetian canal in the living room with a gondola and gondoliers that are also lifeguards. The characters are all bigger than life as is the story, but there are always a couple that are a hoot and Rosemary Zao and Cousin Charlotte are really hoots. Even if Capri or NYC or the Hamptons are someplace you've never visited, you may want to after reading this book.

First of all, I have to be one of the few people who have not yet read Kwan's Crazy Rich Asian books so I came to his latest novel with no preconceived notions or expectations and cannot make any comparisons to his other novels.

Lucie Tang Churchill (age 19) attends the fabulous destination wedding of a friend on the isle of Capri and falls in lust with a handsome and multi-talented fellow named George Zao. They are caught in an embarrassing position and Lucie is whisked away by her chaperone of sorts, cousin Charlotte. They don't see each other again for the next five years and when they do, Lucie is engaged to marry a wealthy NY socialite named Cecil. But is he the right man for her? "He's in love with the social media impression of you, how you enhance his brand. It's all about sex and vanity to him, nothing else!"

Because Lucie is 'hapa'--half Chinese, half WASP--the story touches on racial prejudices towards Asians in this country. Lucie's father's family traces its roots back to the Mayflower and she has always felt judged by them for looking 'Asian' like her mother while her brother has their father's looks. The family makes those little comments that seem nice on the surface but have a slight sting to them, if one is at all sensitive.

While on the one hand this is a fun, easy-reading romantic comedy about some ridiculously rich people devoted to conspicuous consumption, it makes one ache for our society and what it has become--at least for the top 1%ers. I have to say, I quickly grew tired of reading about them: what schools they went to, what designer clothes they wear, their network of social connections and especially their shallow little problems. A well-written book that maybe just wasn't the right fit for me in these particular stressful times.

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks for the opportunity.

Arghhh I wanted to love this so badly! I really loved Crazy Rich Asians, but this just didn’t click for me. I didn’t like the timeline and the random jump forward (really threw me off). There really wasn’t much of a storyline? I feel like all the things that happened didn’t REALLY matter. Just read CRA instead.

QUICK TAKE: the book is split into two sections: an extravagant wedding in Capri, and an engagement in The Hamptons. I loved the Capri portion of the book and the homage to A Room with a View. However, the book kinda lost me in part two and felt a little frivolous and less fun. I didn't quite buy into the romance (both men were duds to me), but the discussions on class and racism kept me engaged and invested in the story and I recommend this one for anyone looking for escapist fun this summer.