From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, #1)

Kevin Kwan

Start date: March 1, 2019

Finish date: March 31, 2019

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: Group pick for Mar. ‘19 - Modern Classic/Popular
[close] Group pick for Mar. ‘19 - Modern Classic/Popular

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 226 topics — 6,095 comments total

MODERN / POPULAR READS

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - *SPOILERS*
By spoko · 8 posts · 51 views

last updated Aug 26, 2025 11:57AM

The Alchemist — *SPOILERS*
By Joanna Loves … · 105 posts · 512 views

last updated Aug 25, 2025 02:19PM

showing 10 of 33 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 17, 2018 Summer rated it did not like it

Shelves: kindle, book-club, 2018, series-dnf

Oh my god, this fucking book. This is definitely the worst book I’ve read this year. In fact, I hated pretty much every moment and every page and if I had a paper copy, I’d Angela-Bassett-in-Waiting-to-Exhale the shit out of this thing.

So there are a few things to object to here. (view spoiler) Oh my god, this fucking book. This is definitely the worst book I’ve read this year. In fact, I hated pretty much every moment and every page and if I had a paper copy, I’d Angela-Bassett-in-Waiting-to-Exhale the shit out of this thing.

So there are a few things to object to here. (view spoiler)[First, whatever the author’s goal was, he failed to achieve it. If he was trying to write a satire, he spent too much time trying to make his characters likeable and give us a happy ending, which really took all the bite out of what could have been a very sharp novel. If he wasn’t trying to write a satire, then he severely miscalculated and assumed that reading a book about horrible people would somehow magically transform into a pleasant experience. That’s not how it works. For three, the plot was paper thin, there were far more characters than there needed to be, and the POV and time jumping was difficult to follow.

But the bit that bothers me most is treatment of women. Let me shout this out for the folks in the back like Kevin Kwan, who apparently haven’t heard this enough yet: NO MEANS NO. If someone says, “I’m breaking up with you,” take them at their word. If someone says, “I don’t want to see you again,” take them at their word. If someone says, “Leave me alone,” take them at their word. “No” is not an invitation to a negotiation, it’s not romantic to follow someone around and harass them under the guise of winning them back, and it’s infuriatingly disrespectful to assume you know more about what someone wants than the person themselves.

And! If you’re going to ignore all of that and try to sell the toxic idea that someone will love you if you just wear them down enough, then for the love of all that’s holy don’t undercut your own point. If you write about Couple A, wherein John listens when Jane tells him to leave her alone, and play that up as the right thing to do and true love’s noble sacrifice (when really, I’d just say John is being a minimally decent person), then you can’t turn around and play up Couple B, wherein Max hounds Sasha until she gives in and then tell us that’s the way it should be done. That just highlights how much of an asshole Max is, how incredibly immature he is, and how much better off Sasha was without him. And if the best note your grand love story can end on is one of resigned acceptance because one partner was badgered until she gave in, well...take another run at that draft, homie, because that does not a good story make. (hide spoiler)] ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2018 Ellie 9218 rated it really liked it

Rachel Chu, an American Born Chinese (ABC), has been dating Nick Young for two years. Both are professors at NYU. Nick's childhood best friend, Colin Khoo, is getting married back home in Singapore, and he wants Rachel to go with him and spend the summer in Singapore. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Nick is from one of Singapore’s richest families. They only wear designer clothes, travel in private jets, yachts, and luxurious cars, eat at the best restaurants and are considered royalty (Nick is one of th ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 Laronica Conway rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Overall, I thought this book was a fun and entertaining read. I don’t think there’s a need for me to give a long review since many know what the book is about and/or have seen the movie. I’m one of those who like to read the book first and then see the movie.

I couldn’t really give this book four stars because the author took a long, really long, time to share with us some major plot twists. I felt like this book could have EASILY been 150-175 pagers SHORTER! I get that he needed to use a lot of Overall, I thought this book was a fun and entertaining read. I don’t think there’s a need for me to give a long review since many know what the book is about and/or have seen the movie. I’m one of those who like to read the book first and then see the movie.

I couldn’t really give this book four stars because the author took a long, really long, time to share with us some major plot twists. I felt like this book could have EASILY been 150-175 pagers SHORTER! I get that he needed to use a lot of extra words and sayings and Asian slang to really help us understand what that world is like and at some points it was really helpful (and actually educational). But dragging the entire store out made it seem like more would occur.

The entire premise is based on the girlfriend Rachel not knowing just how REALLY wealthy her boyfriend Nick’s family really is. That’s it. They are both professors at NYU and lived generally common lives as a couple. But when he invited her to spend the summer with him and his family in Singapore, he failed to educate her on his family’s complicated history with money and titles. Once they arrived, she was completely overwhelmed by the excessive spending and lavish surroundings and rightly so.

Everyone plotted together to ruin their relationship because the women in his family and other friends of his mom were caught up on titles and wealth and designer clothes and labels. They didn’t think Rachel was good enough and felt that her family didn’t measure up. I don’t think it was realistic that Nick had no clue his family was like that. He did not prepare Rachel AT ALL and it was completely unfair. In the real world, that conversation would have occurred LONG before taking that trip. On Rachel’s side she should have IMMEDIATELY told Nick how nasty and vile she was treated during the bachelorette party and how she really felt.

There were way too many characters and names and locales/homes/cities to keep up with. I had to continually look at the genealogy and family tree to figure out who was who. Way too complicated.

In the end, the book was a good deviation from my normal legal thriller books. But I almost didn’t finish this one due to length and boredom. ...more

Like · see review