Not Your Typical Love Story
Crazy Rich Asians
There’s something oddly comforting about reading a book that knows it’s outrageous—and yet still manages to hit you where it hurts. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan was exactly that kind of read for me. I started this book out of curiosity, thinking it would be a light-hearted romcom about the ultra-rich, but I didn’t expect to find moments that mirrored real relationships, painful social divides, and the unspoken rules that still trap women even in 21st-century Asia.
Holding this book in my pink polka-dotted robe with wet hair and no filters, I realized: this is not just about billionaires and designer shoes. This is a story about identity, expectations, and how love is often not enough in a world where money speaks louder than anything else.
About the book
At first glance, Rachel Chu, the protagonist, seems like the perfect fit for a fairytale romance—smart, independent, and genuinely kind. But the moment she steps into Nick Young’s world—the elite circles of Singaporean aristocracy—everything she thought she knew about love, family, and self-worth gets shaken. This wasn’t the Cinderella story we’ve been taught to adore. This was war, fought with traditions, expectations, and quiet sabotage over expensive teas and awkward family dinners.
What Kevin Kwan does brilliantly is layer absurd wealth with actual emotional weight. Yes, it’s hilarious when someone casually spends millions on a wedding or owns an island the way we own shoes. But it’s also suffocating—especially for Rachel. The silent comparisons, the subtle rejection by Nick’s mother Eleanor, and the painful realization that love alone can’t undo centuries of class-based pride—it hit me. It hit the Filipina in me who has seen how status still defines how some people are treated, even today.
I thought about people I knew—those who’ve married into families who never fully accepted them, the girls judged by the brands they wear or the accents they speak with. I also thought about how, even in nursing circles or immigrant life, there’s an unspoken hierarchy—based on titles, backgrounds, or which hospital you’re from. Crazy rich may be the title, but the real craziness is how far people will go to keep their place in a world that doesn’t want to change.
Despite the glittering satire, the book reminded me that being a woman who speaks her truth is still radical. Rachel never begged for acceptance. She stood her ground, quietly but firmly. And that was the most powerful thing of all.
Yes, the pacing was slow in some places. The character shifts can be overwhelming, especially with so many names and lavish details. But I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know how Rachel would rise—and whether Nick would choose her, not just in love, but in loyalty.
Life lesson?
You can be the most brilliant, beautiful woman in the room, and someone will still think you’re not enough—just because of where you came from. But that doesn’t mean you have to shrink. Some battles are won simply by standing tall.
I give this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for the drama, the sass, and the reflection it brought me. For all its extra-ness, it still carried a truth: that love is not blind, but it can be brave.
Why I’m Reviewing My Books (Even If It’s Years Later)
I know I’m a little late in doing this, but recently, I’ve felt the pull to sit down and revisit every book that’s lived on my shelf—each one a chapter of my life in its own way. Some I read years ago, some more recently, but all have shaped me. I used to think reviews had to be immediate, timed, or even trendy. Now I realize—books don’t expire, and neither do the emotions they stirred in us. So here I am, slowly giving voice to the stories that once kept me company in train stations, rainy nights, homesickness, and healing. These are not just reviews. They are thank-you letters. Memory bookmarks. Pieces of myself. –Anj ❤
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