Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3) by: Kevin Kwan

Genre: Fiction, Romance
Published: May 23. 2017 by: Doubleday
Pages: 398
Rating: 4/5 stars
Content warning: on-page attempted suicide, manic episodes brought on by bi-polar disorder.

Su Yi, the beloved matriarch of the wealthy Young family, has taken to her death bed, and the entire family from all across the globe have rushed to her bedside. However, some of these family members have more malicious intentions, as Su Yi's prized estate Tyersall Park will be a hot commodity after her death. Nicholas Young vows to make things right with his grandmother after she disowned him. Meanwhile, Su Yi's granddaughter Astrid is caught in her own troubles, as she is trying to reclaim her love with Charlie Wu while her ex-husband tries to ruin her reputation. Rich People Problems is the last installment in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, and showcases the lavish lives of families from all corners of Asia, all dealing with their own rich people problems.

You know when you've enjoyed a series so much that it actually pains you to let it go? That was me with the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. The dialogue across all three books is just so hilarious, the stories both heartwarming and drama-filled. I didn't think that this book could introduce even more characters with inter-lapping storylines, and yet it did.

What I appreciate about Kwan is how he is able to keep track of so many characters. Seriously, the family tree of all of these people is such a feat in itself. Kwan is able to have so many intersecting storylines, because some characters are related to others, some are newly divorced, some are illegitimate children, it's all just wild. With all of these characters, you are able to love some, loath some, and overall you just get an entire range of diverse individuals who represent every inch of Asian elite life. It's so fascinating.

I wouldn't have wanted Kwan to end this trilogy in any other way. The series starts with the drama of the acclaimed Young clan, and it had to end with it. Su Yi's illness is expected, as is the bunch of greedy family members who want Tyersall Park in their name. But what wasn't expected, is how many Young family secrets were spilled in this book. Things did shock me, there is no doubt about that. Overall this book was anything but predictable.

I would definitely say that I preferred this book to the second, however the first is still my favourite. Since this book introduces even more characters, I did find myself missing the antics of Eleanor Young and the other core Young family members that is more present in the first book. That being said, we definitely see more of Eleanor in this book than in the second, which was a big improvement.

Overall, Rich People Problems was a satisfying conclusion. I think Kwan came up with a really unique storyline through these three books, and I am sad to have to part with it. But, I do see many re-reads in my future and I can't wait for the series to continue with the movie adaptations.

Have you read Rich People Problems? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2) by: Kevin Kwan

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published: June 16 2015 by: Knopf
Pages: 378
Rating: 4/5 stars

Rachel Chu is about to marry Nicholas Young, the man who sacrificed everything in order to be with her. However, Rachel longs for more details about her birth father, and a surprising piece of information is about to whisk her into the lavish world of China's elite. Rachel is able to travel to China and meet her father, and along the way she is befriended by Colette, a glamorous model, and Carlton, a spoiled heir who just happens to be her half-brother. But, life in crazy rich families is not easy, and Rachel, along with many other characters, will learn this the hard way.

I was really excited to get back into the world of Crazy Rich Asians. I absolutely loved the first book, and I knew that I needed to give this one a try. While I was still impressed with Kwan's witty footnotes, vivid attention to detail, and of course, the lovable (and sometimes unlovable) cast of characters, I can still say that I preferred the first book more.

This book has even a larger cast of characters than the first. While Crazy Rich Asians mainly focused on Rachel and Nick's story with other characters affecting that, this book has multiple storylines going on. Rachel and Nick are back, as well as Astrid, who has got her own problems going on completely separate. Then, there is also stuff going on with Kitty Pong, which is a whole other issue. I kinda went back and forth as to whether or not I liked the extensive character arcs. And I think I didn't mind it all that much. I think the supporting characters drive this series forward, and add to the tensions between families. However, there were some notable absences that I wish we saw more of.

For one, with all of these characters, I wish there was more of Eleanor Young! Eleanor is an absolute queen in my opinion. Yes, she is judgemental and did not treat Rachel right in the first book, but she is such a badass Asian mom with incredible grace. I can't help but want to be her. Can you imagine having that much power? Anyways, she appears at the beginning of the book, but doesn't really show up until the end. I needed more of her. She is one of my favourite characters.

I thought that Rachel and Nick's storyline was interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about how absolutely ridiculous Colette's life was. She was a character very easy to dislike, but still well written nonetheless. And can we talk about that twist at the end!? I won't spoil anything, but I did not except that much shit to go down and I frantically flew through the end to make sure that everything turned out alright. It's definitely a lot of action that you would not expect from a romantic comedy.

So overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the twists, and I liked that we got into more character's storylines. However, I just wish we saw a bit more of Eleanor. She is such an important character to the first book, that I think she needs to have a big part in every book in this series. Still, I would totally recommend this book to fans of the first, as Kwan's signature humour is still there, and the drama just gets even more intense.

Have you read China Rich Girlfriend? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Crazy Rich Asians by: Kevin Kwan

Genre: Fiction, Romance
Published: June 11, 2013 by: Doubleday
Pages: 403
Rating: 5/5 stars

Rachel Chu is a successful university professor, who agrees to accompany her boyfriend Nick to Singapore for his best friend's wedding. While there, Rachel soon discovers that she doesn't know all she thought she did about Nick's life. His family are members of the Singapore elite, and Nick's mother is less than thrilled that Nick has brought home an American girl who knows nothing about the lavish lifestyle they lead. As Rachel starts to get to know Nick's family, divisions of class and a crazy family tree could threaten their relationship.

This book was AWESOME. I did not see the movie before reading it, but after I flew through this book I watched it immediately and found it just as good. The story is so lovable; full of cute, fluffy moments, hilarious family banter, and an incredible setting. All 403 pages went by so quickly for me.

I think one of the main things I liked about this book was Kwan's footnotes. As there is an extensive family tree in this book, as well as a ton of various Asian (and just general rich people) references, his footnotes were so well received by me. I found them not only to be informative, but they also added such humour into the story and it was a great way for me to get more information.

The characters were so lovable. I want a Nick Young of my own, and Rachel was hilarious as well. I understand some people critique her and find her naive, but I found her to be so relatable and resilient. I can also totally relate to the extensive family tree that the Young's have, so the whole family dynamics was so fun to read.

I have pretty much recommended this book to everyone in my life. I think the setting is so lavish and so incredibly detailed, and the plot was captivating from start to finish. I now need to get my hands on the sequel!

Have you read Crazy Rich Asians? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess