Welcome to Litsy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ • I think this is a such a fun modern take on A Room With A View, but I wonder how many CRA fans know ARWAV and know this is a retelling? Could account for the meh reviews. Anyway, like all of Kwan‘s novels, I didn‘t want it to end — a really delightful escapist read. (I do think the title is wrong, though. And not making a bigger thing of the pond skinny dipping scene is a miss.)

https://travelswithboooks.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/sex-and-vanity-by-kevin-kwan/

After a couple chick lit books, it's time for the new Carol Goodman.

This was fun but lacked the fizz of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I mean, don‘t worry, there are still rich people (Asians and also WASPs), but the couture and location name dropping was egregious. I did like the fun detail of how characters were introduced with their full educational pedigree in a parenthetical aside.

101 of 2021. #littenlisten #20in4 #readathon #seriesread2021 #stackingtheseries

Book 1: 4:45 hours

This was a fun read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

#curiouscovers #building #littenlisten

Next up- a fun read. I hope this lives up to the hype.

Fun. Light. Different.

#CurrentlyReading — I‘m hoping it‘s as entertaining as the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy! #ImmersionReading

I loved this book! This is only the second book by Kwan that I have read and I definitely need to read the rest of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy! I thoroughly enjoyed the footnotes throughout the book. It was definitely a different concept and they were quite funny at times. I also disliked Cecil very much. 🌟🌟🌟🌟!

I‘m not sure if it‘s me or the book. I loved the Crazy Rich Asians series, but I don‘t think I‘m in a place right now, after watching what the rich & powerful can get away with in this country, to truly enjoy a book about insanely rich people.

Book 2 of the Year done!
Cute story. Love all the comedic lines he always adds to his stories!

Book 2 of the year.
I decided this year to use an app to keep count of my books I've read. 🤓

With the tagged book (finished last month, but just now updated), I finished all the #Booked2020 prompts (spring was the only season I had left). Looking forward to starting on the 2021 challenge!

Predictable but entertaining.

I loved Crazy Rich Asians but this book just did not do it for me. Still enjoyed the insane descriptions of homes and outfits, though.

Started this a couple days ago but only got about a chapter in. Excited to dive back in now. I recently reread A Room with a View (a favorite), and hope I will like this modern retelling.

Just an ok story for me. I feel like the lavish descriptions of EVERYTHING was overboard and annoyed me a bit. I know it‘s to set the scene but I feel like it could have been cut in half and instead focus more on the story plot and I would have liked it more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spending the rest of my Friday by the fire with the new Kevin Kwan book. 😍

I'm having one of those weeks where ALL of my digital library loans are coming in at once. I'm about to drop everything for this one, though. I absolutely loved Kwan's Crazy Rich Asian trilogy, and I'm so excited to read his new standalone.

Who has read this? What did you think?

NOPE! This just wasn't for me. I found the characters dull, and the storyline was just boring to me. This is why I don't often read romance. #Scarathlon2020 #TeamHarkness #bookspinbingo #cocoturns50 #fallintoreadathon #readallweekcgb #ReadYourWay

@StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks @CocoReads @TheSpineView

Up next! Not a team theme... but I've got to knock out these library loans that all became available at the same time. Believe it or not, this is my first Kevin Kwan. #Scarathlon2020 #TeamHarkness #bookspinbingo #cocoturns50 #fallintoreadathon

Kevin Kwan has fast become my go-to author when I want to indulge in a fluffy, indulgent escape from reality. Just the way to spend my day off on this very chilly Wednesday.

I really tried to finish it. I mean, I'm practically done—why stop? OMG, I just can't anymore with this book. It's not worth another minute of my time. I'm bailing at 79%.

3

Pretty disappointing, sadly. Lucie was set up to be such an interesting character with her mixed ethnic heritage, but she was so incredibly unlikeable, I couldn‘t get over it. The Crazy Rich Asians books somehow just balanced the snark, humor and romance but this one is all snark and no substance.

Teachers had to go back to the buildings for the new school year Thursday and Friday...tomorrow is our first Monday back. There‘s been a lot of horrible things being said about us and an ongoing fight to get the school board and admin to take COVID seriously. All this is to say that I needed a fun, distracting read for my final weekend, and this book did not disappoint!! It wasn‘t quite as magical as Crazy Rich Asians, but it still swept me away!

It‘s been a while since I posted an #audiorun pic. What a perfect end of August day here; this is the view from the bridge I like to run to from my house. This book is entertaining, but it‘s no Crazy Rich Asians, sadly.

Meh. I found it hard to work out who - if anyone - i was meant to like. I‘m hoping the answer is that I wasn‘t meant to like any of them...

Anyway, not as good as Crazy Rich Asians. Never mind.

Loved that is had the same gossipy, luxurious tone as Crazy Rich Asians. Liked majority of the characters but COULDN‘T STAND Lucie, the main character. She was an annoying, people pleasing pushover that played games with George. She caused so much unnecessary drama because she couldn‘t put on her big girl panties and admit the truth to herself. Otherwise a good summer read

Not enjoying this even though I loved his other books. Do I keep reading-maybe it will get better? Or stop- there‘s so many other good books to read! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Next library book!

It was a fun romp, and nothing much more than that.

I think the story of Lucie Churchill had potential (3rd generation Chinese-American on her mother‘s side and lost-count-of-generations Mayflower-American on her father‘s side) with the subtle and overt discriminations. However, the tone was so similar to Crazy Rich Asians that I couldn‘t reassign it to his new cast of characters.

While the romance wasn‘t the most satisfying, I still thought the frothiness was spot on: exotic locales, opulence, fashion. I also liked the internalized racism storyline. George was kind of a blank space. Still a fun read and the footnotes were great!

Not as good as his others, but still a fun quick read

Sunday morning reading view

Another #summerfun read. This one is my #summerreadingguide selection & what better place to read it than poolside. @StayCurious @4thhouseontheleft

I took an 8.5-mile #audiowalk with Kevin Kwan in my ears. I‘m still very much enjoying the OTT happenings.

The walk was good, too—except my ultimate goal was the used bookstore, and when I got there it was gone. Like, REALLY gone; their roof collapsed. Their website says they‘re looking for new premises, so I‘ve gotta hope they end up somewhere close by.

I did some #audiopuzzling while I finished NEW YORK 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson and started Kevin Kwan‘s latest. So far, this is exactly what I expect from him: lots of rich people behaving badly while the author revels in the ridiculousness of it all. (Insert rambling discourse on how Kwan is Jackie Collins‘s natural successor.) I‘ve never read A ROOM WITH A VIEW, which this is based on, but I don‘t think it‘s gonna matter.

First and foremost, I have to shout out the narrator of this book: Lydia Look, you‘re amazing. She‘s gotta be one of my favorite narrators ever, and I‘m going to seek out other things she‘s read.
The book itself is very beautifully written. This is my kind of writing. And of course it is fun to imagine the super-luxurious settings the characters live in. I found myself not liking the main characters much at the end... thoughts?

I came to this one with high hopes for a light-hearted summer romp through the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It delivers on that, but unfortunately the sparkling premise is let down by flat prose. The story just didn't have enough substance to make up for its lack of style. Extended review here: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/new-releases/

If you loved Crazy Rich Asians you'll love this too OR if you obsessed over E.M. Forster novels in your teens, this is a modern retelling of A Room with a View. Kwan starts in the days heading up to a wedding on Capri, and he knows his details are for such a small part of the population, he provides footnotes. It's the richest of the rich, and their romantic dramas! Fluffy perfect summer read.

I forgot how fun Kevin Kwan‘s stories are until I started this one tonight. This is perfect for what I have planned tomorrow: lying out in the sun (with sunscreen, of course) and reading.

It was funny with tons of trivial drama. I laughed every time they introduced someone by their resume. It kind of fell sort compared to Crazy Rich Asians.

July Book 9/20 #LitsyLove

Trying to make progress through the top three books. I have so many waiting to be started. #readerproblems #LitsyLove