I try to do my best to keep up with authors that I like; meaning, I try to pay attention to when a new book is coming out. A week after this one came out, it was already at my house, waiting to be read on vacation. Why? If I enjoyed Kevin Kwan’s newest book half as much as I enjoyed the Crazy Rich Asians series, it would be a great read.
Book Read: Sex and Vanity
Author: Kevin Kwan
2020 Book Count: 40
Lucie Churchill, age nineteen, is in Capri for a friend’s extravagant wedding. Her cousin Charlotte has been assigned to attend the wedding as Lucie’s plus-one, mostly to keep an eye on Lucie. On their first day, Lucie meets George Zao, . She loathes him from the get-go. It began when he offered to switch hotel rooms with her so she could have the view, and it continues as the week goes on.
As the week continues, Lucie finds herself interacting with George more and more, and denies that she has any feelings for him whatsoever. But, after a drone shot of a secret moment occurs, Lucie and Charlotte are leaving Capri with no looking back on what happened.
Five years later, George is unexpectedly in the Hamptons. Lucie is there for the weekend with her new fiance, Cecil Pike, who proposed in a Gossip Girl-esque manner in front of the Met. After that first weekend, George and Lucie keep running into each other, and Lucie finds herself drawn towards George again. It doesn’t help that George’s mother and Lucie’s mother are becoming good friends. What happened that night in Capri has stayed between George, Lucie and Charlotte, but Lucie finds that some feelings have never really gone away.
Add in a little sabotage, a mention of a familiar character, a movie with a plot that looks pretty familiar, another trip to Capri, and a whole lot of drame, and you’ve got Sex and Vanity.
I loved Crazy Rich Asians and its two sequels. Crazy Rich Asians was my second favorite read of 2018. That book (and its successors) was insane. When I heard Kwan had a new novel coming out, I was slightly worried that Kwan would disappoint me. He did not.
Is Sex and Vanity as good as Crazy Rich Asians? No, but I don’t blame Kwan for that. It would be a hard series to follow. That series is absolutely insane and amazing. This book isn’t as insane but also is a great read. Sex and Vanity is entertaining, funny, and draws you in. It drew me in so much that I read it in only three days (yes, I was on vacation but still!).
Some may argue that the plot in this one isn’t strong, which I could see from both sides. I could have used a little more depth in the ending, but that won’t hold me back from saying I liked Sex and Vanity anyway. The plot is pretty much split in half - the first half is focused on the wedding in Capri in 2013. The second half of transitions to New York and the Hamptons in 2018. The split worked. Readers won’t feel like they are missing details from Lucie’s and George’s first encounter, which can happen when authors split time frames or include flashbacks. Kwan did not have any flashbacks, and instead, stuck with splitting the plot. It worked well for this storyline.
Sex and Vanity is a fun, easy read that had some drama, some laughs, characters you will be rooting for, and a little bit of craziness. Just like we would expect from Kevin Kwan.
Read Sex and Vanity. Then, go read Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems if you haven’t. Any of Kwan’s writing is well worth your time.
Next Read: Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
