Review: Lies and Weddings

I absolutely loved Kevin Kwan’s debut novel Crazy Rich Asians, like so many other people. (Review here.) The series was so much fun and I was also a fan of the adaptation (oh, how nice it would have been to get the second and third books made into movies). So, I was thrilled (and surprised!) to get a review copy of his latest novel earlier this year. I finally had time to dive into Lies and Weddings recently and, my friends, it was so. much. fun.

Here’s the book’s description:

Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.

Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.

Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?

The wealth in this novel is OUTRAGEOUS. Which is kind of part of the appeal of the story. It was beyond fun to have Kwan list the wildly expensive components of a “simple little lunch” or name drop all sorts of famous actors, designers, and so on. I was thankful that Kwan had Eden be a voice of reason and actually say some of the objections many readers may be feeling. But, while it was fun to read, the wealth and privilege these characters had (even Eden had some privilege) was, a lot of the time, disgusting. I didn’t want to think too much about it because it would take away from my enjoyment of the book but it was hard to ignore. People actually are that rich and they don’t realize the harm they’re doing to the world around them.

Prepare to have very strong feelings for many of the supporting characters. Rufus and Eden are lovely and definitely people I’d like to hang out with but the secondary characters are the ones who steal the show. Thomas, Eden’s father, was a sweetheart and a calming presence. Arabella, on the other hand? The mother of Rufus, Bea, and Augie was…I don’t even know what the word would be. Out of control, unhinged, self-absorbed. You name it, she probably was it. I despised her. But…this book wouldn’t be what it was without her and I loved that. Martha seemed like a super awesome person and Freddy had surprising layers. Luis was…oof. A trainwreck. Everyone mixing together should have been confusing but I found that Kwan made it easy to follow along with all the antics of all the characters.

There’s a lot on the go in this book with some sort of mystery and/or secret woven throughout. It kept things intriguing - even when I figured out more and more pieces of the puzzle. I liked how layered this book was and it definitely increased my enjoyment of it.

I also enjoyed the characters traveling the world so the reader got to “visit” all sorts of places throughout the course of the novel. Other than London, I’ve never been to any of the places mentioned (LA, Venice, Hawaii, just to name a few) so I have no idea if the depictions are close to accurate but I enjoyed the armchair travel all the same.

Lies and Weddings sees Kevin Kwan writing the kind of world he became famous for - a world full of obscenely rich folks who are just trying to live their lives. Lives us average people can’t even begin to understand! This was a delicious, frothy romp of a novel that I’m so glad to have read. If you also fell in love with Crazy Rich Asians, make sure you pick up Kwan’s latest!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*