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allisonbraun's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Medical content
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
cnjg88's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The ending was really good. I feel like the plot twist was done well, and using news articles to give the aftermath was an interesting choice that I think fit well with the theme of the book. I really want a book focusing on Astrid. I loved Rachel and Nick's story in the first book, but Astrid's POVs were the main reason I kept reading through the first half of the book. With that in mind, Rachel was as classy as ever, and her argument with the final antagonist was excellent.
The format was also fun. Kwan rotates the conversation medium in addition to the POV in a way that I personally enjoy. It's like if the emails, texts, and news bits from 50 Shades was done well.
That said, there were some topics that I think could have been handled better. I'm not Jewish, so I don't know if the use of the term "Nazi" being used to describe loyal employees is okay when a character you are meant to loathe uses it. I am autistic though, so I do feel comfortable saying that I wish the conversation about r-slur babies had either gone differently or if other characters that we are supposed to like had one discussing eugenics and ableism. I think that the author's goal was to make them seem out of touch and shitty, similar to how he uses classism and racism, but I think it could have been executed better. The were also some casually ableist comments from the MCs about schizophrenia and OCD that felt weird.
All in all, 3 out of 5. It's overall a good book, political/social commentary is almost always my jam, the format was very unique in the best possible way. My main issues were pacing and some questionable handling of sensitive topics
The format was also fun. Kwan rotates the conversation medium in addition to the POV in a way that I personally enjoy. It's like if the emails, texts, and news bits from 50 Shades was done well.
That said, there were some topics that I think could have been handled better. I'm not Jewish, so I don't know if the use of the term "Nazi" being used to describe loyal employees is okay when a character you are meant to loathe uses it. I am autistic though, so I do feel comfortable saying that I wish the conversation about r-slur babies had either gone differently or if other characters that we are supposed to like had one discussing eugenics and ableism. I think that the author's goal was to make them seem out of touch and shitty, similar to how he uses classism and racism, but I think it could have been executed better. The were also some casually ableist comments from the MCs about schizophrenia and OCD that felt weird.
All in all, 3 out of 5. It's overall a good book, political/social commentary is almost always my jam, the format was very unique in the best possible way. My main issues were pacing and some questionable handling of sensitive topics
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Classism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Ableism, and Misogyny
Minor: Excrement, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Drug use, Blood, Child abuse, Vomit, and Alcoholism
emilywemily6's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Despite this book’s flaws, I enjoyed it more than the first one! I think it’s because this book had less bullying and had only a couple antagonists against Rachel. This book felt a little long, though, with not a lot happening, and the drama ramped up for the last 30% of the book in an excessive way. There were also a lot of major plot happenings at the end of the book that didn’t really tie up loose ends. Some things ended up too nicely without issues. And Astrid and Michael drove me crazy. And yet I enjoyed the process of reading this book more than the last lol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Medical content
frmvivian's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Alllllll the drama and then some
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
sop17hie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lots of characters! Great book if you like to keep changing character chapters. Check content warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Medical trauma, Violence, Medical content, and Car accident
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Murder
pastellymoon's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
I felt like it did not have as much depth as Crazy Rich Asian did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, and Vomit
Minor: Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Alcohol
esme_t's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol and Infidelity
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this book - not as much as the first, but it was an enjoyable read. It’s even crazier than the first book, not that I thought it would be possible.
I do think it was a bit longer than it needed to be as some elements of the plot were dragged on for way too long. Literally, the plot reveals all happened within the last couple of chapters.
However, I did love getting more of an insight into the minor characters from the first book - mainly Kitty. It was nice to see a proper storyline for them - even if I wasn’t that interested in them in the first place!
Even though I hate Eleanor, she kind of just disappears halfway through the book and doesn’t crop up again until the very end. Seemed out of character for her to be honest, considering she likes to interfere in literally everything.
Astrid is still my absolute fave and I just want her to be happy!!! And Eddie is still a dick.
I’m so looking forward to reading the final book - but also sad because then it’ll be over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Medical content, Car accident, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol and Infidelity
Minor: Eating disorder
abhirupa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked this book a lot more than Crazy Rich Asians! I'm glad that most of the characters from the first book came back, and the new characters introduced were also super interesting.
This book started off really strong and then kind of went off the rails at the end. I liked that it started off with an event that had almost nothing to do with the events of the first book; it was shocking and very satisfying to see how it tied into Rachel's story. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was not that satisfying at all, but that's probably because it is a setup for the next book in the series.
I'm a little annoyed at the way Collette's character arc ended up. It felt like a waste for Collette to throw Roxanne under the bus for the poisoning and swear she had no ill will against Rachel, but then immediately start berating her for not helping her with Colton. I think it would've been so much cooler to have her be a villain all along, especially because she seemed so nice throughout the whole book. I'm really confused as to her character, and I hope she gets a satisfying arc in the next book. The thing with Kitty and Jack Bing made absolutely no sense to me. I'm not sure if I completely missed it, but there wasn't even a hint towards Jack cheating on his wife or Kitty having an affair with someone.
My favorite characters were definitely Karina and Astrid. I found Karina hilarious, and Astrid grew up a lot throughout this book. My least favorite character was probably Michael, who is very different from the last book!
As always, there is so much cultural context explained in this book. I thought the parenthetical explanations were so helpful and a great addition. All in all, I'm excited to read the next book!
This book started off really strong and then kind of went off the rails at the end. I liked that it started off with an event that had almost nothing to do with the events of the first book; it was shocking and very satisfying to see how it tied into Rachel's story. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was not that satisfying at all, but that's probably because it is a setup for the next book in the series.
My favorite characters were definitely Karina and Astrid. I found Karina hilarious, and Astrid grew up a lot throughout this book. My least favorite character was probably Michael, who is very different from the last book!
As always, there is so much cultural context explained in this book. I thought the parenthetical explanations were so helpful and a great addition. All in all, I'm excited to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
pachelrooley's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is fun, addictive, and nostalgic for anyone who has spent any time in Singapore - it's great fun if you recognise all the settings! There are some fun characters, but I have to say that Rachel and Nick are excruciatingly boring and naive. The reader is obviously meant to root for them but they have literally no personality other than being 'nice', which is not particularly compelling.
The descriptions of opulence can be fun but take up too much space that could have been spent on the climaxes of the plot - which seemed to be completely rushed at the end, which was a shame.
All that said, I read it in about 24 hours, so evidently the author is doing something right!
The descriptions of opulence can be fun but take up too much space that could have been spent on the climaxes of the plot - which seemed to be completely rushed at the end, which was a shame.
All that said, I read it in about 24 hours, so evidently the author is doing something right!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Minor: Eating disorder, Violence, and Xenophobia