Review of 'Rich People Problems' by Kevin Kwan

 

I always avoid reading the final in a book series that I'm enjoying for ages, because I don't want the series to end. I loved the first two in this Crazy Rich Asians series and was excited to get round to this (though a little intimidated by its size). It didn't quite have the same draw for me as the other books did though, and I found it a bit of a struggle to get through at times.

This final installment in the series is told through different locations: each chapter is focused around a character in a particular place. The book's plot is centred around Su Yi, Nicholas' grandmother, who is dying. The whole extended family flock to her home, desperate to make a good impression on her in the hope of being left something in her will. Nick is faced with a difficult choice: swallow his pride and reunite with the matriarch of his family, or protect his perceived honour and stay in the US. The book takes us all over the world and is just as gossip filled as the other two in the series. 

I really wanted to love this. A meaty ending to a series is usually great, but this fell a bit flat for me. I think the main issue was that we completely moved away from Rachel and Nick, the two main characters of the last two books, and spent a whole lot of time with some pretty unlikeable characters. I struggled to get on with Kitty or Eddie, and their chapters were bits that I felt like I wanted to skip through, and unfortunately they made up quite a chunk of the book. Don't get me wrong, I love a character that I can hate, but I prefer to do so without them being the main subject of the book.

I missed Rachel as a character - it felt like she was inserted in now and then to remind us that she actually existed, but we really did move far far away from the plot at the heart of the first two books. The book also definitely dragged a bit. At times I found myself absolutely wanting to read on, especially when they were discovering who inherited Su Yi's house, belongings and wealth, but it did seem as though the plot was stretched thin over so many pages.

I'm glad I read it and completed the trilogy, so I gave it 3 stars.

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