I definitely went into this book with the wrong attitude which is probably why I disliked it. I was expecting a "Crazy Rich Asians" type of book and instead got a serious family drama, the writing was excellent and it is a good story. it just wasn't;t for me.

If I hadn’t been reading Family Trust for review, I quite frankly can’t imagine finishing it. I was bored less than two chapters into the book, and I never got less bored, I just got more and more disenfranchised with each of the characters the story follows. Patriarch Stanley is diagnosed with cancer at 75, which spirals this book out to the current state of the lives of his ex-wife Linda and their adult children Fred and Kate (and briefly three quarters of the way into the book his current wife Maria). I suppose if I really wanted to I could dig into the inner psyche of what may Stanley and Linda the way they are, which subsequently contributed to Fred and Kate being the way they are, but they are whiny and irritating and I have no desire to. These are people that are better off than the majority of the population but can’t help side-eyeing people with more and coveting it while at the same time imploding their own lives doing stupid things. The only point at which I can engender some sympathy is when Kate endures marital issues with her husband Denny, because she isn’t really the cause of that problem. But she brushes most of this aside with dismissiveness after an initial fascination that it has made her like everyone else she knows. The book wanders back and forth across time and points of view and meanders into soliloquys of unnecessary thought that do nothing but drag out a story that already feels WAY too long as it is. I suppose if you really enjoy character studies and want to spend a lot of time analyzing why people make themselves so miserable this would be a great book, but I would not recommend it.

I was invested in finding out how this all unfolded but at the same time I didn't feel like I liked any of the characters. Sometimes I don't mind books where I don't like the characters but for some reason with this story, it really irked me that no one was likable. I would give this author another chance though.

I did not care for it. The only character I could relate to was Stanley. The flow seemed choppy st times. Some of the characters were predictable. It was not what I was expecting. I wanted more of the family trust and not everyone's individual story.

I feel like something was missing. I couldn’t quite connect to the characters as well as I’d like, especially one that revolves around a family dynamic. It felt like too much time was taken to flush out Fred and Kate’s life and careers, versus sticking to the main story line of their father dying and everyone working out his trust/will. His second wife, Mary, had (I think) one chapter thrown in from her perspective, and I’m not sure it added any value to what was already created. Out of the 386 pages of this book, about half could be cut to shorten and improve the focus of this story. The only person I found intriguing that I wanted to learn more about was Linda.

A great story of a Chinese Californian family whose members lives are thrown into chaos when the patriarch finds out he is dying. A beautiful story of family ties!

I made it a third of the way through this book and it’s hard for me to want to know what happens in the other two thirds. I’m just not invested. What I know of the characters isn’t enough for me to continue on

This was a unique story! I found it it to be really entertaining but also very well written. The writer develops characters really well and that is what draws you into the story. There are many different threads that intersect in unexpected and funny ways. I enjoyed it!

Family drama at its finest, I’m not going to deny that I could relate to some of the characters and situations; however, some of the characters are not as relatable but don't let it stop you from giving this a chance. It has its charm, dramas, and some funny and awkward moments.

Family Trust by Kathy Wang. I'm really not sure what to say about this book. I wasn't fond of the characters. Although I was glad the women showed grit and independence. I didn't really like the male characters. They seemed weak. This was a very long read. I don't think I would recommend

I loved Crazy Rich Asians and thought this would be very similar. Family fighting over money and who gets the biggest amounts. What I loved about that book is what I didn't enjoy about this book. I just never felt any connection with the characters. The family drama here was just too consuming. I realize it is Silicon Valley but dang. More family and culture, less greed and yuck. This one was not for me.

Family Trust is a story about a Chinese-American family living and working in the Silicon Valley. This book reminded me that no matter what, things can alway be worse. Our story begins when Stanley, the family patriarch, is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Taking each chapter in turn we meet his two children Fred and Kate, and Stanley ex wife Linda. Fred, a graduate of Harvard Business school, is disappointed in his stalled career and is telling his girlfriend half truths about his success to keep her happy. Kate, a mother of two, earns the only paycheck in the family as a manager for a successful tech company. Her husband spends his days trying to get a start up going. Linda, spent years carrying Stanley as his dutiful wife and now lives alone. Mary, Stanley’s current wife, is 28 years younger than him and dedicating herself to fighting the cancer.

I found the story very entertaining and enlightening. It represents a culture and a world of business I am unfamiliar with. The author weaves the tale in an engaging way, showing us the family going through bad times. The family dynamic was well written with the women of the family bring very strong and capable.

Stanley has led his family to believe he has money to leave in his will. Mary wants the money to support herself after Stanley has gone. Kate wants it to provide for her family due to her impending divorce. Fred wants it to garner status and a house. Linda, financially savvy, wants to make sure her children get their due.

Ultimately, this family makes lemonade out of lemons.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow