Frothy, frivolous, fun! These are descriptions that come to mind after closing the pages on Kevin Kwan's latest book, Lies and Weddings. The book starts and ends with a wedding, and the volcano pictured on the cover is a clue to some of what happens at one of the weddings. Kwan's characters move in the rarified world of big money and privilege, and it's fun to take a visit to their world. But money brings it's own set of problems, and the worst of those is when you're in danger of losing it all!

This is the case for Rufus, the future Earl of Greshambury. The family estate is in huge debt, but Rufus' mother has a plan. He will be introduced to some fabulously wealthy young women, and marriage to one of them will save the family from ruin. There is only one problem. Rufus is in love with his childhood friend Eden, a doctor with the NHS, and not a heiress. Will love or family duty win? Family, if his very pushy mother has her way!

This is an entertaining light read with over the top drama. I thoroughly enjoyed it and rate it 4.3.

Thank you to NetGalley, Keven Kwan, and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The crystal blue waters kissed the edge of the soft white sand as she walked barefoot along the shore. It was quiet here, private, away from the craziness at the resort behind her. This wedding was beyond extravagant, a showcase for all the best things the world had to offer. Her family took pride in it all, but she preferred the peaceful moments the earth provided, like right here beside the ocean.

Lies and Weddings is another contemporary romance by famed author of Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan. This story follows the Gresham family, who are throwing a lavish wedding in Hawaii for their eldest daughter, pulling out all the stops to impress the world. Little does the world know all they’re hiding behind the glamour.

This book was wildly entertaining! Signature Kwan style with many over the top moments and family fueled drama on every page. The footnotes added to the story (don’t skip them!) and added to each character and the overall comedic plot. Know going into this book that it’s just for fun, the characters are extremely spoiled, and is meant to truly be the over the top experience that it is.

If you’re a fan of Crazy Rich Asians, rich-people/family drama, and gorgeous destinations… then I recommend picking this one up.

Be ready to enter the world of the filthy rich in @kevinkwanbooks newest novel.

It starts with the overtop wedding of Auggie at a resort in Hawaii when a volcano begins to erupt right in the middle of the resort. Auggie’s mother is distressed as this was her night to shine and to find an equally wealthy match for her son Rufus. But Rufus is torn between marrying a wealthy woman who could ease his parents’ financial burdens or to follow his heart with their family doctor’s daughter, Eden.

Filled with notoriously spoiled rich people, crazy Asian mothers and Aunties, buried secrets and affairs and lots of travel by private jets, immerse yourself in this entertaining story new novel with all the elements you expect from this author. This was a fun read with many characters to dislike and a few that are in fact likeable. If you enjoyed his Crazy Rich Asians books, you will enjoy this one too. The story is ridiculous and fun and perfect for summer.

Thank you to @netgalley @doubledaybooks for a digital review copy of this novel.

4 ☆
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

In Lies and Weddings, author Kevin Kwan delves into his favorite milieu - the world of the privileged and uber wealthy. And his characters have plenty of imagination.

The jet set readily hopscotch from continent to continent, as the whim for a certain cuisine or the need for a particular fashion house hits them.

Millions are won and lost on the tables of Macau's casinos.

The wife of titled British nobility has developed a lifestyle brand of ultra luxurious resorts.

But where's the fun in that if all is truly as it appears?

The jet belongs to a brother who possesses an actual fortune. The gambler who won big at the tables lost spectacularly in a different respect. And those ultra luxurious resorts are creating more debts than revenues.

So what happens when the next generation doesn't want to play by their parent's rulebook?

Rufus Leung Gresham, the sole heir to his family's long and respected lineage, isn't casually falling in line with his mother's social machinations. Formerly a super star model from Hong Kong, Lady Arabella wants to cement her son's position and legacy so that means a future daughter-in-law with an impeccable family reputation matched by a commensurate level of wealth. But neither the Thai princess nor the hotel heiress can hold a candle to Rufus' longtime affections for the girl next door. Trouble is brewing just as surely as volcanic lava is bubbling too close to one of those upscale eco-resorts.

I haven't read anything by Kevin Kwan since the end of his Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. But my Netgalley request for an ARC was approved, and I was happy enough to save this as a vacation read. It was a perfect pairing. Lies and Weddings was fun with a sympathetic hero and heroine, a dastardly "villain," and a bit of intrigue from a spectacularly gruesome event that jump started the novel. Do the events feel realistic? Not quite, this is pure escapist fiction.

Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley for this advance reader copy. The publication date was May 21, 2024.

I knew I was going to love this book as much if not more than Crazy Rich Asians. It’s summer and I’m on the prowl for vacation reads. Expect twists and spoiled rich kids, and expect to like some of the characters and despise some others. I liked Kwans device where he introduced a character and then listed their education credentials, very clever. No pretension there. Thanks to Doubleday for the ARC. Have fun!!

Classic Kevin Kwan! I can't get enough of the designer namedropping & fabulous locations. And I loved every character. Highly recommend!

*thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

If you are looking for a rom com full of surprises and family drama to get you out of your reading slump, this is the book for you! Honestly, I have nothing but praise for this stunner of a story. Kevin Kwan is so brilliant that he can put footnotes in a novel. Footnotes in a novel. Did you catch that? But instead of being all academic, the footnotes keep you up to speed with family gossip and celebrity news and other humorous tidbits that had me completely obsessed.

Like Crazy Rich Asians, this book features the Chinese elite and juggles a lot of themes, including responsibility, social status, family secrets, and love. This one also touches quite a bit on internalized racism, and I really loved how Kwan handled the topic so graciously. But don’t misunderstand me—this book is full to the brim with crazy adventures, and if you’re like me, you’ll certainly laugh at all the absurdity.

The characters in this book are just incredible. And I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just mention a few— Rufus is the perfect Prince Charming—I mean, Viscount St. Abs. 😏 He’s all golden retriever and such a romantic. Eden Tong is the literal girl next door, and there’s just something about her that feels so comfortable and normal. She has the biggest heart, and while maybe her character could have been more complex, I really liked her. And of course, Martha Dung is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is so unserious, and I need to know so much more about her. Some of the characters will enchant you, and some of them will make you hate them. But the cast of characters is diverse and will keep you spellbound for sure!

The plot has a lot of twists and turns, and while some of them are easier to predict than others, there’s no way you will be able to anticipate them all. But we end up with more than one love story and more than one dead body, so… 👀 Believe me, it’s so worth your time. I’m ready to read it again right now.

Irreverent and surprisingly funny, although perhaps not in the ways Kwan intended.

So, I know that I have achieved peak-baddy when I kinda get were Arabella is coming from—and her own critiques on Rufus' laid-back, easy-going lifestyle that actually costs millions, because he's not aware of how money operates. But also Arabella is the the worst.

Anywho, I needed more Hemsworth. I needed more Martha. Despite a rocky start with Eden, who felt like another go-with-the-flow Rachel or Lucie, she has a backbone (AND integrity!) and she uses it judiciously throughout the book. She's also a doctor, and has absolutely no desire to become the next countess of Greshambury or lady of anything.

As for the actual villain in the book—I appreciate Kwan's humanizing him through Eden, although the way he resolved the issue was a bit too pat, and too much like the Crazy Rich Asian series (of which there were several callbacks—and also to Sex and Vanity).

I think more introspection needs to be done with the heroes of Kwan's stories: the laid-back, above-it-all, heir to mass fortune (or a title, or supposed fortune) who is incredibly handsome without realizing it. Arabella obliquely hints at the privilege Rufus doesn't really see (I mean, he does see it, to an extent, but doesn't seem to realize that his little surf shack in Hawaii is a fucking mansion, or that his super casual lifestyle costs a literal ton of money to fund), but I kinda want it to be addressed a little more. Rufus is just his father in a different font.

What would happen if the Greshams lost it all, and became truly insolvent?

I kinda wanted that story.

Regardless, this story was entertaining. More obscenely rich people being dramatic and obscenely rich, and an ambitious mother scabbing over her own hurts by fucking everyone else over.

P.S., it's a complete throwaway line, but I will forever and always been #TeamKittyPong.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

This book has all the hallmarks of a classic Kevin Kwan romp; beautiful people, obscene amounts of money, drama, and just the right amount of snark. It reminded me of how much I’ve loved his other books, and while it was still a pleasure to read, it fell a bit flat in the end. There were a few holes in the plot, characters that were inexplicably friends, and a twist that was just too convenient. To be clear, I enjoyed the hell out of it, and it was perfect to read by the pool but certainly not Kevin Kwan’s best work.

What a fun soap opera like drama of an adventure! The author of Crazy Rich Asians has returned to the world of the uber wealthy to spin ridiculous stories with a wild cast of characters and more opulent adventures. Great light and fluffy escapist reading!

I love Kevin Kwan books and I loved this one just like all the others. His characters are so fun and I love all the footnotes and them. I really liked all the settings and just had so much fun reading it.

Do you enjoy reading about over the top lifestyles? I love it and I get sucked right in.
Lies and Weddings was just that. It was a wild romp about a future Duke and a doctor whose lives keep crossing paths, including at completely over the top weddings. This was so much fun. I loved all of the LA references, I loved that they are just at the same hotel in Hawaii where we spent spring break, I loved the sarcasm and very dry wit. It had romance, family drama, statements about today’s society - socioeconomic, race and sexism. I can’t wait for the movie (please say there will be movie).

I've been chasing the Crazy Rich Asians high ever since Kwan wrote it.. and I have yet to find it in one of his newer books.

What a fun read! The characters each had very vivid personalities and the pages practically turned themselves. I know that it added to the character development, but the name dropping of popular couture was a bit distracting. It was too much. But the antics of the Gresham family and their friends were hilarious. Augie's wedding was so very well written. This was my first book by this author and I've never seen Crazy Rich Asians. I suppose I"ll have to. It was nice to read something light-hearted after a few thrillers.

I have always enjoyed Kwan's novels and this was no exception! He has a way with story telling that hooks you in and then you cannot stop.

Rufus and Eden are introduced as merely really good childhood friends. Rufus is the heir of an old English title and has been given every luxury from his parents. His mother, Arabella, has spoiled Rufus and his two sisters rotten. And spent a lot of money doing it. The wedding of Rufus' older sister starts the cascade of cracks in their world and everything starts to fall from there. Eden, a doctor and close friend of all the Gresham children, learns secrets about her past and her fate is interwoven through out.

A fun read - a great novel to take to the beach or on the plane.

Lies and Weddings is the newest juicy read from Kevin Kwan. This one is the perfect book to toss into your beach bag. It's full of label-dropping and fantastically wealthy getaways most of us can only dream about. However, the reader soon learns that not all is as it appears when it comes to the ritz and glamour being portrayed in the pages of this book. Read and enjoy!

(Actual: 4.5⭐, rounded up) Honestly, as much as I loved the CRA series - as well as having read some of Kwan's other books - I do believe this is Kwan at his best and brightest. A fun and dazzling romp, filled with both enough laughs & drama/tension to satisfy, as well as some solid history lessons to boot despite being set in modern times. I think L&W/Kwan managed to successfully find the perfect balance between substance and escapism with this, and I think many will be able to find something to relate to within it!

I enjoyed this fun and well written book. There were a few too many mentions of brand names and the schools people attended, (imagine my surprise when I saw my kids’ elementary school!) I know that they were there to enhance the atmosphere, but it got a little tiresome.

The book is focused on an exclusive, no expenses spared destination wedding on a private island. Everything is not as it seems when it comes to the bride’s family, and the powerful matriarch is demanding that her son, a future Earl, marry into a wealthy family. Unfortunately, he’s in love with someone else whom his mother would deem “unsuitable”.
It was a lot of fun to read about the habits of the super rich, and watch this family try and hide their troubles from their super rich friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Kevin Kwan, the mastermind behind the Crazy Rich Asians series, returns with another outrageous and hilarious comedy of manners in Lies and Weddings. This time, Kwan takes us on a wild ride through the decadent world of high society, where a forbidden affair ignites amid a luxurious tropical wedding.

The story centers around Rufus Leung Gresham, the future Duke of Greshambury. Rufus's family fortune has been drained by years of extravagant spending, leaving behind nothing but a mountain of debt. His scheming mother, determined to restore their wealth, sends Rufus to his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort to seduce a wealthy woman.

Rufus finds himself torn between three women: Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress; Martha Dung, a venture capital genius; and Eden Tong, the humble daughter of a doctor and his childhood best friend. As a volcanic eruption disrupts the wedding, a secret tryst is revealed, and the Gresham family’s plans go up in flames. Can Rufus follow his heart and rescue his family from financial ruin?

Lies and Weddings is a globetrotting adventure, whisking readers from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the opulent estates of England, from Marrakech to Los Angeles. Kwan’s signature style—full of wit, extravagance, and social satire—shines through, making this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

While some parts of the plot felt a bit predictable, the colorful characters, lavish settings, and humorous twists more than made up for it. The blend of romance, drama, and Kwan's sharp commentary on the ultra-wealthy makes this book a perfect escapist read.

A huge thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC. This delightful novel is an excellent pick for anyone looking to dive into a world of glamour, love, and outrageous drama.

Too ridiculous for my taste… thanks anyway for the ARC, but it’s immediately apparent that this is not my kind of book and I will not be continuing.