Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Star rating: 4/5

Kevin Kwan's highly-anticipated new novel is full of glitz, glamour, and razzle-dazzle. 

Summary:

Lucie's mother is Chinese, and her father is white. Her father is from a very rich, prominent New York family, and Lucie has always felt that she has not been entirely accepted by that side of the family. She has always felt torn between the two sides of her identity. 

When Lucie meets George at a wedding in Capri, she falls for him quickly. But a series of embarrassing events occur, and she flees, never speaking to him again. Five years later, she is newly engaged to a very wealthy man named Cecil, when George resurfaces. She tries to fight her feelings for him, especially because he is Chinese and she worries what her family will think, but she ultimately realizes she can't fight her feelings forever. 

Review:

This novel delivers everything one expects from a Kwan novel -  excessive descriptions, ridiculous, over-the-top extravagance. It is tantalizing, seductive, delicious. It is completely obnoxious, but in the best possible way. 

The story itself was a slow start for me. It took about a hundred pages for things to feel exciting and for me to feel really invested in the story. However, once it gets good, it really gets good, and the novel is super fast-paced after that. Character-wise, I found both Lucie and George to be pretty one-dimensional. While I think Kwan tried to give them both a fair amount of complexity and development, it just didn't come through for me. That being said, I absolutely adored their romance and felt quite invested in it by the end. Overall, this was a super fun, enjoyable, exciting read. If you loved the Crazy Rich Asians series, you will love Sex and Vanity!