China Rich Girlfriend (Book Review) • Kevin Kwan

China Rich Girlfriend (Book Review) • Kevin Kwan
• Effie Cecilia •

A good way to start on this blog when it comes to book reviews is staying where I'm passionate. My first blog post was about Crazy Rich Asians--the first book in a three book instalment by Kevin Kwan and after reading number one in the series, number two didn't deserve to be shoved to the side until I    had the time. So I made the time.  

This review will be a lot shorter in length than the in-depth character analysis of my Crazy Rich Asians book review--just a heads up. 

As usual, I  will begin with a synopsis from the back of the book before we dive in. 

'On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiance willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won't be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore's It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia's most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it's like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.'

The characters still gave me that weird sense of love and attachment I    felt for them originally. The different personalities of such a large family kept me going. I  didn't have any complaints about the characters as characters. Although, I  will say that Rachel trying to insert herself into a family that didn't know she existed before China Rich Asians was a bit much. From a humanity standpoint, I don't think I would be too comfortable trying to force a comfort between my apparent biological father and half sibling. By default, Rachel Chu's 'step mother' from a technicality was by far my least favourite character. She was super childish and made me want to scream. 

Astrid Leong-Teo still remains the princess of the group in the sense of her not allowing her money and status to define her. Her character traits are so unique to those of her mother and cousins that just keep every penny they own in their back pocket. Yes she spent her money in whatever she wanted but there wasn't an occasion where she used her status and success against someone. 

Nick Young is still an angel and doesn't let his family interfere with his love for Rachel. His mother still worms her way back into their lives--whether they like it or not. But, whatever him AND Rachel are comfortable with, he tries to make happen. God, he just loves her so much and I adore him every time I    picked up the novel to read. 

Rachel Chu isn't the star anymore even though her wedding with Nick is what sparks the story's beginning in the second part. She stays true to who she is and nothing makes me happier. The character development from book one to book two wasn't too overbearing and the most important part? It was believable! She became such a strong character!!

General Thoughts~~
Off the bat, China Rich Girlfriend gives my homegirl Astrid the time she deserves. The story suddenly became a different focus from its counterpart, Crazy Rich Asians. The desire was no longer showing just how difficult being yourself can be but it sheds light on the 'could have been' aspect of Rachel Chu's life. Here, we meet her biological father who just so happens to fit in more with Nick Young's family than she does. We see the Rachel and Nick wedding and all the chaos it can cause. The secondary characters are very much present and there is the grand opportunity of seeing more of their stories and what they're up to when Nick and Rachel aren't up to anything exciting. Astrid get's the start of her love story with Charlie which then causes her to be the one that causes family drama. Her large heart is still in play for her son and she does her best to live out the life she knows she deserves even if according to her mother--it can cause her family some grief. The drama in this instalment I  admit is very hyped up which in itself can be kind of disappointing. Something just felt like it was either missing or it was too much-- the problem with that is that I    have no idea which one it is. Some parts were lacking while others were over the top (as much as the Crazy Rich parts could be.) With very minimal disappointment though, it kept me reading. I    had plenty of hopes that it would get better or the storyline would progress into something beautiful. And honestly? It did for me. I wasn't 100% disappointed and had no regrets when I started reading China Rich Girlfriend. 

The short version of my thoughts: I  still enjoyed the story and the characters for different reasons than I    had originally experienced while reading Crazy Rich Asians, but something just felt disappointing that feels nearly impossible to pinpoint. I  was still invested in the world of characters that Kevin Kwan had created. 

Overall Rating--
I  would give this one 3/5 stars as far as a comparison goes. Reading the first book made me just want to read all of the books at once (which is exactly what happened) but as far as the way the story went and keeping me hooked--it deserved a 3 from me. Again, something felt like it was missing--or something was too much. But, the 3/5 rating didn't stop me from continuing on to the third book in the trilogy-- Rich People Problems.