Kevin Kwan’s best book after his first, Crazy Rich Asians. In Bridgertonesque fashion, the European aristocracy is turned multi-cultural and I love it! A summer must-read!

When Sir Walter Scott penned his famous line, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive," he must have been reading a novel by Kevin Kwan. This newest book by Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series, involves Hong Kong Chinese, British royalty, and various rajas, princesses, moguls and playboys who play hard and are used to the best.
Rufus Leung Gresham, hunky photographer son of Sir Francis, will come into the title of Earl of Gresham when his father dies. His mother, Arabella, a Hong Kong Chinese ex-supermodel, has taken to her role as the Countess Gresham with zeal, and has tasked her son and daughters to marry rich. But Eden Tong, the girl who lives with her dad in a cottage on the Gresham estate, won Rufus's heart years ago when they were kids and best buddies.
Arabella's contribution to the Gresham mystique is the designing and opening of several ultra-luxurious resorts under the "Bella" brand. Her newest resort on the Big Island of Hawaii named Bellaloha, is the perfect place to stage daughter Augusta's wedding to a Norwegian prince-oh, the publicity, oh-the spectacle. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans for the wedding and Pele had her revenge, covering the wedding spot (and the whole resort) in molten lava. But the worst was to come-Lord Gresham gave his family carte blanche to spend money as they wished, but had secretly drained the inheritance, and they were broke. And it turns out that Augusta's wedding wasn't as lucrative as everyone thought it would be. Will Rufus find a rich bride to save the family fortune or will true love prevail?
Kwan throws in his signature tropes-designer clothes, exclusive clubs and restaurants, exotic locales such as Morocco, Beverly Hills, Kona, and Vienna, mega-money, and the exclusive pedigrees of all his characters. If you are looking for a fun read and pure escapism with a little romance thrown into the mix, pick up this novel...but first put out your Do Not Disturb sign.

The joy of Kevin Kwan’s books, besides the humor, is the opportunity to gawk at the excesses of rich people. One could argue that it is also their weakness— consumption so outrageous it inspires a thirst for a return to guillotining. He threads that needle adroitly in this book. Readers get to eat their cake and have it to because there are plenty of the .0001% spending ludicrously on their own whims, but there are characters we care about recoiling from the display. Getting to gawk and feel morally superior at the same time? That’s my kind of party.

Dr. Eden Tong has lived in the cottage on the Greshambury estate since childhood. She is best friends with their children especially their son Rufus the future Duke of Greshmanbury. When we meet Eden and the Greshams they are preparing for the wedding of their oldest daughter, Augie. While at the wedding secrets are revealed and relationships are altered.

We follow the Tongs and Greshams to locations all over the globe while they try to figure out how to handle these life-changing revelations.

This novel reads like a juicy Asian soap opera much like Crazy Rich Asians. It was definitely entertaining although some parts were predictable it was overall an enjoyable read. I feel like the door was left open for a sequel and I would love to follow up with Eden and her family in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I enjoyed this escapist romance which fans of Kevin Kwan will love. The same humor and family drama he is known for carries through in this latest book, and its a lot of fun.

As flashy and fabulous as ever. Just when one thinks this social set couldn't get more outrageously over-the-top, Kwan puts the pedal to the metal. It's a enjoyably bumpy ride!

All the high drama and over-the-top displays of wealth and status we've come to love and expect from Kevin Kwan. The footnotes get longer and conspiratorial as the story goes on. A comfort reads that Kwan fans will enjoy and would also work for Bridgerton fans and readers who enjoy modern day Jane Austen adaptations or retellings.

Kevin Kwan does it again! His books are such escapist romantic fun and Lies and Weddings is no exception. We follow the Gresham and Tong families as they attend various lavish weddings around the globe. I had a blast following the hijinks and high fashion. I also genuinely cared about the central romance! Loved the references to Sex and Vanity.

If you like Crazy Rich Asians, you will like Lies and Weddings. This book was fast paced, entertaining and outlandishly opulent. Despite massive wealth Rufus is pretty relatable and it's hard not to cheer on the underdog, Dr. Eden. Arabella plays the part of the overbearing Tiger mom perfectly, right up to the very end. This is a great 'fun' read!

Interesting characters and good description of locations. Kevin Kwan has written another great novel.

A countess's matchmaking schemes for her children are derailed by bankruptcy and her son's feelings for his childhood friend.

Kevin Kwan's latest entree into the world of the ultra rich is full of glamor and humor, with his trademark parenthetical character CVs, diverting footnotes, and a touch of social commentary. No one is wholly irredeemable, as the countess and even the bad boy billionaire's son get sympathetic backstories. Pure escapist entertainment.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Thank you for the ARC!
Love all his books especially the crazy Rich Asians series so I was definitely excited for this one!
This book was super good and fun! Love all the characters and definitely kept me reading until the end! 5 stars !

Kevin Kwan always manages to create a fun story, and I'm always impressed that he is able to take such privileged characters who live in an unimaginable world of wealth, and still make them likeable and relatable. Of course there will be a villainous mom thrown in there, and some stuck-up socialites to cause some havoc and comic relief, but it always come across as a fun romp rather than a malicious statement against the excesses of the elite. To remain spoiler-free, I'll say the plot is formulaic and the format is as expected. I love Kwan's use of footnotes as both a comedic device and a way to clue in less fashion-savvy readers on settings, designers and trends. He helps make you feel like an insider, viewing the action from within the exclusive social bubble of the story. I think that's part of the charm of this author's books- you know what you are getting (over the top romance in posh and pricey style), and you know how you are getting it (full of scathing, witty dialogue and humorous description of the upper crust lifestyle). Dependable, highly-digestible escapist entertainment.

I can see book clubs having a blast with this one, and I spent half the book fan casting the movie in my head. I know I'll be highly recommending this to patrons looking for romantic comedy and escapism.

Fabulous romance of close friends to lovers! Hilariously quirky characters similar to Crazy Rich Asians storylines. Eden and Rufus grew up as friends together and now as adults they’re falling in love. Add in some meddling family dynamics and ridiculous rich people issues, and you have a romp of a read. I enjoyed the pure silliness of the rich people problems and inheritance games. As a non rich person they seem too preoccupied with money but I enjoyed the fun read.

Henry Kwan has done it again, but even better this time. As with all his books, he sets the scene, this time Hawaii, The English countryside and Venice. Then, he fills it with the most beautiful, filthy rich, wonderful, horrid people and creates a story that keeps you reading until the final page. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this magnificent treat.

I love Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, and I was super excited to read Lies and Weddings, too! Although I appreciated the story line, it was slightly complicated to follow. There were a lot of characters and destinations to keep track of. But, as always, Kevin Kwan brought the drama!! Even though it was a bit tricky to keep track of, I did like seeing different storylines and loved the ending of the book!

3.5 stars
Kwan is back with another juicy, name dropping of luxury brands and obscenely rich people romance adjacent novel. Lies and Weddings is the perfect, fun frothy read.

Lies and Weddings follows a new crowd of the crazy rich - this time it's the British nobility specifically the Gresham's with mother Arabella Leung Gresham as the matriarch a la Eleanor Young. The Gresham family is broke and now relying on their penniless artist son, Rufus to marry rich and refill the bank account. Rufus is unfortunately in love with neighbor Eden, a doctor but not an heiress. Of course Rufus's feelings don't stop his mother from playing matchmaker for him with more eligible women including a princess and a billionairess.

There's also a scandal from 20+ years ago floating around in the background to add a mystery that kept me reading late into the night. No spoilers but it was pretty easy to figure out how it related to the main plot. Still fun to piece it all together though.

Also [redacted] from the Crazy Rich Asian series makes and appearance and I hope Kwan includes this little easter egg character in all his novels because they are so fun to read about.

Overall despite the predictability at times this was an incredibly fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Y'all, I read this book a month ago and full disclosure, I couldn't remember one thing about it when I went to write this review (I have since peeped the summary and remember what it's about now lol). All that to say that the book doesn't stick with you, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The point of this book is basically just "fun". And to a lesser extent, there's social commentary about racism and a bit of an eat the rich vibe which is very much in the vein of Kevin Kwan's other books. I liked this one and think Kwan's fans will as well; it's probably his best since Crazy Rich Asians. 3 stars Goodreads - I liked it. 4 stars Netgalley - I will definitely be recommending it to fans of his other works.

Thank you DoubleDay Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was SO thrilled to see this ARC approval come into my inbox! I was a huge fan of the Crazy Rich Asians series and could not wait to get my hands on Kevin Kwan’s latest work.

Lies and Weddings sparkles with the over-the-top glitz and glam that Kwan can write so well. I loved the soapy melodrama and the characters that were so outlandish and wild. The story kept me engaged from beginning to end, and I was truly sad it was over. I can’t think of a more perfect beach read for this summer!

Thank you again for the ARC!