minty's review against another edition
2.0
This is pretty depressing chick lit--relationship-hungry girl on the hunt. But! Being set in Singapore and written in Singlish, and listening to the audiobook, was a delight. I've been to those restaurants (not clubs, but I would know the locations at least), shops, malls.
sanmeow's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
well, calling this novel 'emma set in modern asia' is a set-up, because it made me have very high expectations. and the book couldn't live up to them. that's mostly because the storyline is incredibly boring and this book is overall forgettable. the protagonist, aka jazzy, is unbearable. she's not unlikable in a way where i actually care what happens to her and connect with her. no, she's just annoying and consistently makes bad and immature decisions that make no sense. she's by far the worst thing about the book. i appreciate the cultural elements of the story, but i'm not sure if it's well executed or not since i have no connection to singapore myself. so, i won't speak on it, but if it was well done then that's good.
winninqs's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
bakkuababy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the satire was phenomenal. growing up with the culture, the way the mc idolised ang mohs was soooo realistic and the singlish really topped it all off, I can’t see it being written in any other way. the author’s essay at the end made me really emotional as well. despite all this i did find myself a bit bored at times as the many club settings felt a bit repetitive and i was just waiting for a change of scenery. the mc was misogynistic and dislikable but i thought it necessary for the plot as she was a realistic example of the SEA culture of seeking white approval, the colonisation never actually having ended in a way. all the men in this made me want to die btw i hate them all
mariebitt's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
plnodwyer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
snoakes7001's review against another edition
3.0
Sarong Party Girls is about Jazzy, a young Singaporean woman and her friends. They are a hedonistic bunch, constantly clubbing and partying, always on the lookout for potential husband material - definitely rich and preferably white - to provide them with the ultimate accessory, a Chanel baby.
Jazzy's voice is spiky and sassy. The book is written in Singlish giving it an immediacy and vibrancy often missing from written English. Don't be put off by that though, it's not difficult to read, just English with the odd slang word thrown in. And it doesn't matter if you don't know exactly what the word means - you'll easily get the gist of it from the context.
For the first half or so I really enjoyed this - it's lively and fun. But after a while I started to get worn down by the content. Jazzy's world is a sexist and misogynistic place - men frequently have mistresses or even second families and women are treated appallingly. Her casual acceptance of this is depressing. Not only does she fully expect that her boss will replace her with a younger woman before she is thirty regardless of her ability, but she also knows that he seats her in his office so he can look up her skirt. Worse still, she is complicit in this - making sure that if she is wearing a short skirt, she matches it with nice underwear. Even more depressing is her belief that her only way out is to marry a rich white man and swap this life for a gilded cage in a foreign country. As her search leads her to seedier and seedier places she does finally reach a new level of awareness, but it was too little too late for me.
Jazzy's voice is spiky and sassy. The book is written in Singlish giving it an immediacy and vibrancy often missing from written English. Don't be put off by that though, it's not difficult to read, just English with the odd slang word thrown in. And it doesn't matter if you don't know exactly what the word means - you'll easily get the gist of it from the context.
For the first half or so I really enjoyed this - it's lively and fun. But after a while I started to get worn down by the content. Jazzy's world is a sexist and misogynistic place - men frequently have mistresses or even second families and women are treated appallingly. Her casual acceptance of this is depressing. Not only does she fully expect that her boss will replace her with a younger woman before she is thirty regardless of her ability, but she also knows that he seats her in his office so he can look up her skirt. Worse still, she is complicit in this - making sure that if she is wearing a short skirt, she matches it with nice underwear. Even more depressing is her belief that her only way out is to marry a rich white man and swap this life for a gilded cage in a foreign country. As her search leads her to seedier and seedier places she does finally reach a new level of awareness, but it was too little too late for me.
momey's review against another edition
5.0
excellent . loved the Singlish . really nice counterpoint to Crazy Rich Asians
freshminttea's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0