Read if you like:
🌏Asian Culture
💰Wealthy Characters
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family Drama
#️⃣ Lots of Characters

What a FUN read! Full of drama that is definitely reminiscent of Crazy Rich Asians but updated for today’s social climate.

I enjoyed the storyline, following a man who wants what the heart wants and a mother who wants status instead. The heart opens with a doozy of a predicament and shocking start.

As we move though the story, the characters come to life and I found myself engrossed in the choices they were making and where this story was headed.

This was a great story to get lost in! Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

Kevin Kwan’s *Lies and Weddings* is a dazzling, scandal-filled romp from the beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech. Rufus Leung Gresham, the future Earl of Greshambury, must save his family from financial ruin by seducing a wealthy woman at his sister's luxury wedding. Torn between duty and love, Rufus navigates a tangled web of secrets, lies, and unexpected twists.

Kwan’s witty, sophisticated storytelling makes this a must-read for fans of high society drama. With eccentric characters and luxurious settings, *Lies and Weddings* is a juicy, thrilling escape that will keep you hooked from start to finish!

😇Thank you @doubledaybooks and @netgallet for the gifted galley! Book releases on May 21, 2024

I wanted to enjoy this book. I know that patrons are going to be excited to read it. I just had a hard time getting into this book. The story itself jumps around a lot. It jumps between characters and experiences, that make sense towards the end of the book, but don’t always make sense in the moment. I personally didn’t love any of the characters. Granted they are all rich and snooty, but normally I can find a character to rally behind. The writing was extremely clunky, and it was not helped by all the footnotes that honestly were not necessary. Overall, this book is okay. It is nothing that I will go out of my way to recommend, but if people love the author, I’ll let them know he has a new book and let them make their own opinion.
Thank you to Double Day Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

This was a fun & humorous fictional read about the problems of those with too much money. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think that this would make another great film, just like his previous novel Crazy Rich Asians. This book was a great escape from reality.

Heavily inspired by the plot (and using some names) from a somewhat obscure Trollope novel, Doctor Thorne (1858), the author continues to explore uppercrust Asian and Eurasian society, but without quite capturing the verve of his debut novel.

This time our central characters are an aristocratic Anglo-Chinese family, the Greshams, and their close friends, Dr Tong and his daughter Eden. Marriages, finances, and secrets drive the plot as we move around the globe from weddings to parties to the idyllic British countryside. The novel takes a while to get into a rhythm as early chapters are short and disjointed and though it does settle a little once the characters and their motivations are established, it still felt a bit staccato to me.

We start at the wedding of the oldest Gresham daughter, Augusta, in the family’s resort in Hawaii but the real romance is between Rufus Gresham and Eden. Rufus is a free-spirited artist who’d be happiest just chilling in his $5m surf shack on the Big Island. Personally, I thought Eden was a bit of a sanctimonious pill: though ostensibly an NHS doctor she never actually goes to work and spends the entire novel wearing designer gowns and private jetting to Hawaii, LA, and Venice. Yes, I know it’s a fantasy but still.

As with previous novels, there is much name-dropping of haute couture houses, interior designers, and, new for this one (or perhaps I didn’t notice it before), contemporary artists. It feels like a lot of research was done to get just the right name in the right setting, but there is very little actual description of the gowns, designs, and artwork so, beyond getting the general impression of a lot of money and good taste, I’m not sure of the point.

The tone is again frothy and fizzy, and things zip along hitting most of Doctor Thorne’s beats. Though it is set in a much more rarified strata than Trollope’s Barsetshire, the analogy of contemporary ultrawealthy Asian society with Victorian English aristocrats is well made.

The author has carved himself out a very comfortable niche to play around in and, while he may never again capture the thrillingly fresh effervescence of Crazy Rich Asians, he’s always worth a few hours of my time. Plus I enjoy the witty, fourth wall-breaking footnotes,.

Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I wanted to love this, I really did. The crazy Rich Asians books were so hilarious to me, but I couldn't get into this one!

Soap opera past meets modern day twist....

I had a particular affinity for this book. Why? As a great granddaughter of a duke, whose grandmother had an arranged marriage in Hawaii, this book resonates. This is about Rufus, the Viscount St. Ives needs to marry and marry well, as in want of an incredibly wealthy wife, to save his titled family from financial ruin. He has two solid, rich choices to woo at his sister's wedding. But he really wants his life long best friend, and poor girl next door, Eden Tong. Eden and Rufus have a long history of communicating sweetly with each other, no matter where in the world they were.

There is the backstory set in 1995 (of course there's a connected backstory).
The present day story that takes place in England, the Big Island and Asia.
Recommend for more over the top, crazy money fun. Although, there is no surprise with how the money sitch ends.
Recommend.

Another fun, escapism read from Kevin Kwan - true romance, people behaving badly, insane wealth, sibling issues, and a bunch of crazy characters. If you liked the "Crazy Rich Asians" series then you'll enjoy Lies and Weddings.

This was exactly the book I needed to read this week! It was so much fun. I laughed, I gasped and I got to make fun of LA, which is a favorite pastime of all Angelenos.

As always, Kevin crafts wonderful, superficial, characters mixed in with some true gems. His story pacing is perfect, and I love how scandalous his books are.

I hope this book is also turned into a movie. If you’re looking for a fun read, put this on preorder now!

According to his mother, Rufus Leung Gresham must marry a wealthy woman to save his family from ruin. The family’s seemingly unlimited funds have been squandered but society is not yet the wiser.

Determined to help her son snag a woman of means, his parents throw his sister an over-the-top Hawaiian wedding. When a volcano erupts at the wedding, and a hot mic exposes a secret affair, everything seems to be going up in flames.

Told from a few perspectives, this story is heavy on the drama but light on the communication. It portrays the majority of aristocrats as extravagant ninnies only concerned with money and their reputation, spending little time on underlying motivations. In short, it’s a fun lark but don’t go in expecting depth.

Why I Liked It: While not quite up to Crazy Rich Asians’ level of juicy, this story is still filled with all the scheming, sex, and showboating I’ve come to expect from Kevin Kwan. I listened to my copy and found myself thoroughly entertained during household chores.

The characters and dialogue were wooden and clunky. The plot was beyond predictable. This should have been a romp, but felt like a slog.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Lies and Weddings is a fun, if slightly predictable, read. I found that it lacked both the charm and evocative descriptions of Crazy Rich Asians. While I very much enjoyed Eden, the multiple locales and large cast work against the book as a whole. I found that many characters were flat and real consequences didn’t seem to exist.

A solid beach read, but not a must read.

The author of Crazy Rich Asians is back in his new novel, Lies and Wedding. I have been able to read every book by Kevin Kwan so far, and overall, I really enjoy his writing. I will say, and this could totally be a "me" thing lately, I did have a little bit of trouble keeping all of the characters straight. It is almost like there are 3 stories going on at once, and I had to write down names and descriptions to keep everyone straight. In some ways, this one feels a lot more character driven than his previous novels. Kevin Kwan is the master at creating luxurious and opulent settings, and readers who loved that in his previous novels will find that here as well. Kwan also does a fantastic job of incorporating culture into his stories, and I really felt like I was transported to another world. Wedding season is in full bloom, and Lies and Weddings is the perfect summer read. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early copy of this book.

I was a huge fan of Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series and the movie. Lies and Weddings was another book showcasing what this author does best. Aside from giving us a glimpse into the lives of the 1%, he shows us how utterly ridiculous and hilarious the obscenely wealthy are. It's very reminiscent of another of my favorite authors, the late Dominick Dunne, except Mr. Dunne's novel mostly revolved around NYC's elite.

The story was narrated via dual timelines, and although the former was sporadically sprinkled in, it didn't take long for me to figure out how both timelines were connected. However, there were still many laugh out loud moments to keep me entertained. I can 100% see this novel being a very popular beach read.

4


So much jet setting, I think I have private jet lag!
Finally back to the spirit of “Crazy Rich Asians”, there’s a new book from Kevin Kwan and, don’t worry, it’s much better than “Sex and Vanity”. It’s been so long since I’ve read all the books but I think I would put it behind the “Crazy Rich Asians” series but not too far. It’s long like others of his, almost 500 pages I believe, but moves quickly like it’s predecessors.

No matter how much money you have, this book will make you feel poor, but also thankful that your family, hopefully, is not as nearly messed up as the Greshams. The twist with this book is that it’s set and centers around British aristocracy, taking up the popular theme of flat broke patriarchs. Just like classic romances, there’s a mother who would do anything to marry her children off well, especially when she finds out that she’s broke.

We knew it was coming early on, but I wasn’t sure how it would actually come together and I liked it. Eden, of course, was way too understanding of Arabella (pardon me, The Right Honorable the Countess of Greshamsbury), after her horrendous treatment, but it seems to make sense for Eden who is a kind, understanding person.

I don’t want to give too much away and this book is definitely not for everyone, but if you’ve missed books in the spirit of “Crazy Rich Asians” (and what happened to the rest of the movies by the way) then I think you would enjoy this. Of course it could be picked apart a million ways. The footnotes are over the top and hard to follow, but I think that’s the point, just as every new character is followed by their entire education background. Do people really know that many artists and designers names or creations just by sight? It would be interesting to know who all is and what, like the ridiculous hotspots in LA, are figments of Kwan’s imagination. The book goes all over the place but as I said, this moved faster than many books half its length and was an enjoyable escape with a little bit of everything and a lot of a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This ambitious, hilarious, glamours, and globetrotting book has it all! Juicy gossip, rich people behaving badly, childhood friends to lovers, betrayal, high society scheming, hidden identities/family secrets, sex, and murder!

Rufus Leung Gresham, son of a Duke and former Hong Kong supermodel, would rather make art and life in a surfsude shack in Hawaii than run his father's title or trust. However, when it is revealed their family is flat BROKE, his scheming mother is determined Rufus must marry for money, and quickly. His sister's glitzy wedding will include international high society's most elite attendees, so it is the perfect setting for Rufus to find a match. But instead, a volcanic eruption/hot lava flow literally disrupts the nuptials, and then Rufus is caught in a compromising situation with his childhood best friend and 'humble' doctor, Eden Tong, the Gresham family's plans and reputation are ruined. Rufus must now scramble to make things right as he globetrots from Hawaii to Marrakech to Los Angeles and back to England to save his family and possibly find love.

Every scene is sophisticated and dripping with high fashion labels! It is so fun to see 'how the other half lives' and realize their families have the same amount of drama and complicated relationships. Kwan's skill for social satire, witty humor, and skillful dialogue make this read a pure joy. It was easy to fully immerse myself in the world and characters he's created. I loved the flashbacks to Hong Kong in the 90's and the secret scandals and twist that made the plot propulsive and quite the page-turner. This book is a genre bending read that will charm readers who love romance, family sagas, mystery, and contemporary fiction.

This was yet another fun book by this author. I enjoyed reading more about this crazy world of excess with a new cast of characters. I thought both Eden and Rufus were interesting, relatable, and well developed characters. I wish there was some more development of Bea and Augie to make their storylines more impactful. Arabella was infuriating and my one problem with the book is that even at the end, there were no consequences or repercussions for her actions. She didn't grow or learn anything and I felt disappointed and angry by this. If you enjoy previous books by this author definitely check this one out!

I enjoyed Kwans previous book, i really wanted to dive into this one but i was having a hard time keeping up with the characters being introduced and get hooked to the story line. I did preorder a signed copy and will be giving this read another try.

All the trappings of a Kevin Kwan novel, with lavish parties and jetsetting to international destinations. There's also plenty of family drama and hilarity!

My first Kwan was read poolside in 95° weather, which was Crazy Rich Asians… that sparked my love for this author. Call me a Kevin Kwan completist! OBSESSED! I don’t think I have read a story with so many locations, characters, personalities, glitz, glam and gossip! PURE CHAOS… and he knows how to walk you through it. If you’re familiar with Kwan’s work you know you are in for a treat. This is the book you want to take on vacation with you.

A very very very brief glimpse inside… Rufus’s wealthy family, is well, not so wealthy anymore. His mom has great plans on him marrying for money to help the family but Rufus has other plans… forget money he wants to marry for love, which means he must confess his love for the girl next door!

What he manages to pack or really unpack in this soap opera like novel is really well written and full of arm chair travel! I can’t get enough of his books and may need to do a Kwan backlist re-read!

Thank you Doubleday and PRH Audio! 📖

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