Member Reviews

This was a fun, if somewhat over the top read. It felt like a soap opera - an Asian version of the old TV show Dallas (which I loved). A mix of dysfunctional family drama mixed with with some nice sentimental moments. Just goes to show that having lots of money doesn't mean a problem free life.

My thanks to Doubleday, via Netgalley, for providing this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I applaud Kevin Kwan's efforts to entertain readers, but this novel failed to hold my attention.

Was this review helpful?

I'm sorry to see Kwan's series end, but Rich People Problems is as exciting and humorous as the previous volumes, so it's a fitting conclusion. When the family matriarch is on her death bed, the whole family gathers to pay their respects - and try to get their hands on the prime real estate of the family mansion. All of our favorite characters come together to try and prevent unscrupulous relatives from taking it. Super fun!

Was this review helpful?

Kevin Kwan has done it again. The third book in the Crazy Rich Asian series brings just as much crazy shenanigans that take place in Singapore, throughout Asia, and even in Europe too. It was fun to revisit the characters, see what situations they get themselves into this time around, and enjoy laugh-out-loud moments. While a lot of the plot may often seem over the top, it still has a lot of heart running beneath it to so that you actually do care what happens to these crazy rich folks!

One caveat: I do think that this book would be very difficult to understand and appreciate if you haven't read the first two books in the series, so I highly recommend that you read them in order. The books have a long list of characters and jumps around from people to locations so do yourself a favor, and don't read this one in a vacuum.

Was this review helpful?

Another instance where I wish I had read the first two books first.

I DO think this CAN be read as a stand alone but with all the characters it becomes a bit cumbersome and confusing.

As an Asian it's funny to see this side. I enjoy Kwan's ability to describe the outlandish behaviors that happen... and while some seem extremely satirical (which I THINK is what he's trying to do anyways). it certainly is plausible - just on an extreme level.

I definitely laughed out loud quite a few times and the characters are absolutely outrageous.. in the best way possible. Sometimes I feel he went a bit overboard but that's what's to be expected. I definitely would want to read the other two before I would move forward if the series continues.

Was this review helpful?

I am a huge fan of Kevin Kwan. I have read and enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend. I'm sad to see this trilogy come to end. It did indeed live up to expectations. It was outlandishly funny and the ridiculous over the top antics just brought more high drama to the novel. One, actually two complaints. I felt the ending was a bit rushed. It was as though Kwan said, 'okay I don't have anything else to say so here you go.' And two it seemed like there were way more characters to keep track of. A couple of times I got confused as to who was who.

Was this review helpful?

This book maintains all the delicious fun of the first installment but adds some heart. I found myself gasping from some outrageous shock one minute and mourning the loss of an era the next. The ending was satisfying.

Was this review helpful?

First book was the best; this third installment seemed to revolve solely around name dropping status brand names. Not good.

Was this review helpful?

First off, I just have to say how annoyed I am that the publishers changed the cover of the LAST book in the series. Now my collection of one of the best chick lits I've ever read doesn't match. Why?!

Aside from the little nitpick with the cover, Rich People Problems was everything I wanted and more. Its predecessor — China Rich Girlfriend — fell a little short (still really good though!), but Kwan manages to bring the sparkle of this series back with the conclusion to the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy.

In the concluding book, we have flashed forward a few years in time following the events from the previous novel. This was unexpected, and we find out that Nick and his grandma Su Yi have been on bad terms in those years. I'll have to admit that I did manage to forget about most events that happened in the previous book, but Kwan does a great job in subtly weaving previous plot points into the current story without it being too obvious.

In Rich People Problems, Nick and Rachel are finally living the life they've always wanted in New York. Everything comes spiralling out of control again when they find out that Nick's grandma, and the matriarch to the Young / Shang family, has had a sudden heart attack.

Shenanigans ensue as the whole extended family flies back to Tyersall Park to be by Su Yi's side — it's never a dull moment when it comes to Nick's family at all. What's really great about this entire series is that it doesn't focus on one particular person in Nick's or Rachel's family. While the series starts off with Rachel as the main protagonist, as the story progresses, so does the characterisation of the whole entire gang — from the inner Young / Shang circle, to smaller characters like the head of Su Yi's maids. Everyone's stories — while disjointed sometimes — all come together beautifully, and I'm truly sad to say goodbye to characters that I've grown to love over the last three years.

Thank god there's a movie coming out soon!

Once again Kwan has managed to bring the glitz and glamour of Asia's elite to life. I laughed, I gasped and I clung to every word in this book. I've grown super fond of all the characters (yes even Eddie and Kitty), and it's nice to see that while we have a content ending, not all storylines were tied up for the sake of being the final book in the series. It's just like life in a sense, and these characters truly felt real to me.

Safe to say, I absolutely adored this book. I'm definitely looking forward to the movie. And here's to hoping that Kwan's next book is just as fabulous as this series.

Thank you to Doubleday for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Oh my god!
It is so interesting. One can seriously laugh out loud.

I really like the idea of the format.

Was this review helpful?

I've read the 2 books prior to this and was in love with the lavish and often gaudy world. The class differences, the family scandals, the various type of rich people. But this one fell short for me. Although I still finished the book and enjoyed some parts, it was more of a struggle to get through. There wasn't as much drama, excitement and illicit activities.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! It had the trademarks of the first two books in the trilogy: great characters, great plot and lots of heart! A great way to end Rachel and Nick's story.

Was this review helpful?

During a particularly troublesome reading slump last year, Catherine (of The Gilmore Guide to Books) recommended Kwan's debut novel, Crazy Rich Asians; I was immediately hooked. Rich People Problems is the third installment in what has become a series about a highly entertaining, flamboyant group of prominent Asian families and their nonstop shenanigans. It's like Real Housewives, only much better.

Was this review helpful?

Rich People Problems is the final book in Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I highly recommend reading the first two books, Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend before reading Rich People Problems. I don’t think it will make much sense if you aren’t already familiar with the characters.

Rich People Problems takes place about two years after China Rich Girlfriend left off. Nick’s grandmother is sick and probably close to dying. Nick was the heir apparent to Tyersall Park but he has been estranged from his grandmother since he married Rachel against her wishes. If Su Yi dies who will inherit Tyersall Park now? Nick’s conniving cousin Eddie thinks it should be him. He hasn’t changed a bit over the past two years – he’s still a pretentious snob. Some of what he does and how he acts is funny but sometimes I just wanted to punch him in the face.

Meanwhile, Nick’s mother is after Nick and Rachel to give her a grandchild. If you thought the lengths she went to try and keep them from getting married were over the top, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

We also check in with the Michael/Astrid/Charlie situation. Since getting rich, Michael has continued to become more and more of an asshole. He and Astrid are in the middle of an acrimonious divorce. We learn more about Charlie’s wife Isabelle, who has major problems of her own.

And then there’s Kitty, who has either forgotten or rejected everything her consultant Corrina taught her about fitting in with the old money Asians. Now that she’s married to Jack Bing, one of the richest men in Asia, she can and will behave however she wants.

The life-styles of most everyone in this book are even more outrageously lavish than in the two previous books. But Kwan, who grew up in Singapore has said that the way his characters live is totally based in reality. Regardless, it’s fun living vicariously through these people. I was mostly satisfied with the way Kwan wrapped up this series. My only problems were that Astrid’s ending seemed a little of character for her and Peik Lin’s ending felt rushed.

The book starts off a bit slow but soon returns to the level of humor that China Rich Girlfriend had. (I don’t think Kwan will be able to top Crazy Rich Asians.), including his droll and informative foot-notes. If you’re looking for a light, funny summer read, this is it.

Was this review helpful?

I gave both of the other books an easy five stars. This series is the perfect summer read. It’s gossip-y, dramatic, romantic, jaw-dropping at times, and so funny. Learning about the tiny demographic of the Asian super-rich was not something that I thought I would have enjoyed, but I was pleasantly surprised. This one lost a star for me for two reasons – (1) because it lost me for several chapters at the beginning, but started to flow again and ended on a good note and (2) because I had a hard time remembering who everyone was and what their connections were because it’s been so long since I’ve read the others. All in all, this series in general is definitely a recommendation from me.

Was this review helpful?

I requested this book from NetGalley based on the description..."uproarious new novel of a family riven by fortune, an ex-wife driven psychotic with jealousy, a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage, and the heir to one of Asia's greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance. "

This book was only lukewarm funny, in my opinion. It had its moments, of peeling back the curtain on Asia's elite family lifestyles...but the characters still felt hollow to me. And I'm not sure what is so funny about cruel and shallow people. Maybe it's because I'm not Asian...but I felt sad for most of the characters. As for the ex-wife driven psychotic...she wasn't psychotic, she had bipolar disorder, which shouldn't be made light of. The couture gown sabotage was one scene...and the inheritance battle was more of a skirmish.

I did get sucked in because I liked the grandmother and I kept waiting for the big secret reveal...again, sort of unsatisfying. But it was an ok read, worth at least 3 starts, since I did finish the whole book. There were two books before this one, so maybe it would've helped if I had grown to know these characters in the prior two books.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

This book is super hard to track if you are new to this author. There are many, many characters with names that aren't common enough for me to remember who they are and how they are connected with each other. The author does have a good amount of wit included in the writing - I love the footnotes at the end of each chapter but wish it was easier to flip back and forth to read/reference them as they come up without interrupting the flow of the story.

Was this review helpful?

You don't have to have read Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend to be entertained by his new novel. Rich People Problems (Knopf Doubleday, digital galley). Kwan catches us up quickly on the major characters -- Nick Young, who risked disinheritance to marry less well-off Rachel, and his cousin Astrid, desperate to get out of her marriage, and Kitty Pong, insanely jealous of her fashionista stepdaughter Colette. All these people be crazy rich, but the richest of all is Su-Yi, Nick's grandmother and matriarch of the Shang-Long clan. When it appears that Su-Yi is on her deathbed, family members from near and far rush to her massive Singapore estate, where they can share their rich people problems while waiting to share in the family fortune. It's all over the top and wildly funny: the people, the clothes, the jewelry, the food, and, yes, even the footnotes.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

Was this review helpful?

Kevin Kwan is an amazing writer. This is his first book that I've read (Although it's the third one) but it felt like I've known these characters for so long. At first I was confused by the names because there are a lot of characters but I was able to remember who is who as I read the book. I'm definitely buying the first 2 books!

Was this review helpful?