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abhirupa's review
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked this book a lot more than Crazy Rich Asians! I'm glad that most of the characters from the first book came back, and the new characters introduced were also super interesting.
This book started off really strong and then kind of went off the rails at the end. I liked that it started off with an event that had almost nothing to do with the events of the first book; it was shocking and very satisfying to see how it tied into Rachel's story. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was not that satisfying at all, but that's probably because it is a setup for the next book in the series.
I'm a little annoyed at the way Collette's character arc ended up. It felt like a waste for Collette to throw Roxanne under the bus for the poisoning and swear she had no ill will against Rachel, but then immediately start berating her for not helping her with Colton. I think it would've been so much cooler to have her be a villain all along, especially because she seemed so nice throughout the whole book. I'm really confused as to her character, and I hope she gets a satisfying arc in the next book. The thing with Kitty and Jack Bing made absolutely no sense to me. I'm not sure if I completely missed it, but there wasn't even a hint towards Jack cheating on his wife or Kitty having an affair with someone.
My favorite characters were definitely Karina and Astrid. I found Karina hilarious, and Astrid grew up a lot throughout this book. My least favorite character was probably Michael, who is very different from the last book!
As always, there is so much cultural context explained in this book. I thought the parenthetical explanations were so helpful and a great addition. All in all, I'm excited to read the next book!
This book started off really strong and then kind of went off the rails at the end. I liked that it started off with an event that had almost nothing to do with the events of the first book; it was shocking and very satisfying to see how it tied into Rachel's story. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was not that satisfying at all, but that's probably because it is a setup for the next book in the series.
My favorite characters were definitely Karina and Astrid. I found Karina hilarious, and Astrid grew up a lot throughout this book. My least favorite character was probably Michael, who is very different from the last book!
As always, there is so much cultural context explained in this book. I thought the parenthetical explanations were so helpful and a great addition. All in all, I'm excited to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
pachelrooley's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is fun, addictive, and nostalgic for anyone who has spent any time in Singapore - it's great fun if you recognise all the settings! There are some fun characters, but I have to say that Rachel and Nick are excruciatingly boring and naive. The reader is obviously meant to root for them but they have literally no personality other than being 'nice', which is not particularly compelling.
The descriptions of opulence can be fun but take up too much space that could have been spent on the climaxes of the plot - which seemed to be completely rushed at the end, which was a shame.
All that said, I read it in about 24 hours, so evidently the author is doing something right!
The descriptions of opulence can be fun but take up too much space that could have been spent on the climaxes of the plot - which seemed to be completely rushed at the end, which was a shame.
All that said, I read it in about 24 hours, so evidently the author is doing something right!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder, Violence, and Xenophobia
rbacon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
It's so pacy and drags you through a million and one intertwining stories. I loved the first book and the second is just as good, although please in the third book can Rachel have a break, poor gal?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Vomit, and Car accident
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Vomit
fromjuliereads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Y'all this book was so good! I loved the new characters. Especially Carlton. There were so many twists in this one that I loved and so much drama! I just love these stories and characters!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, and Car accident
hayleyvem's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, and Alcohol
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