Classic Kevin Wan, Lies and Weddings takes us all around the world following the lives of the wealthy, the ridiculously wealthy, the maybe not as wealthy as they think with a touch of reality to put it in focus from Eden Tong. The story has depth, intrigue, sibling rivalry, jealousy and one up manship complete with both likeable and less likeable characters (who you like anyway)!!

Perfect escapism reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Lies and Weddings.

Easy to read and follow along, I loved all the chaos and drama, made for a fun read. This book is a perfect summer beach read.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.
- Red font throughout the text.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I have awarded a rating based on the work of the book cover and description.

Filled with wedding celebrations, meddling parents and characters obsessed with wealth and status, Lies and Weddings follows the Gresham siblings (mother-inforced) pursuit of wealthy spouses to reverse their family's ailing fortune.

There are plenty of secrets to uncover and lies to unravel in this modern day comedy of manners.

I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives, but Arabella was my favourite character to read about, her outrageous comments had me laughing out loud, and it was always difficult to work out quite what she would do next. She could give Pride and Prejudice's Mrs Bennett a run for her money when it comes to meddling in her children's affairs to secure them prosperous matches!

I loved the excessive wealth - which was balanced by some of the main characters more scathing views on it - and the far-flung, luxury locations. Every party and wedding was more outlandish than the last - from ice palaces designed to melt by the end of the night, to coordinated hot air balloon flights. The footnotes often added fun extra information, or pithy asides, although I think they'll be easier to read in a print version as they can be hard to follow digitally.

Overall this book was escapist, hilarious and just so much fun to read.

If you’re looking for a slice of escapism then this is the book for you.
Society weddings, people rich beyond belief, glamorous outfits, exotic destinations - this book has it all!

When the fortunes of the Gresham family start to unravel, they turn to their impossibly handsome son Rufus. Expecting him to marry a rich heiress and save both the family name, and the estate, they are horrified to discover that his true love is the ‘girl next door’. Can Rufus really choose the path of true love, and will Eden ever be accepted into this class-obsessed world?

Full of twists and turns, designer name drops, and beautiful places that will have you reaching for your passport, I really enjoyed having this book to disappear into on a cold, grey day!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t really for me. My first book by this author. I think it’s aimed at a younger age group. Characters I couldn’t connect with. Didn’t like the footnotes.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback. Thank you NetGalley!

The Gresham family are depending on Rufus, the future Earl of Greshamsbury to save their family from debt. His mother, the Countess is adamant he must seduce a rich heiress at his sister’s wedding but will he be able to shake the feelings that he’s hiding for his best friend and ‘girl next door’ Eden?

This is much, much more than what meets the eye. This story had so many layers to it; what may look like shallow rich people drama on the surface also explored themes of classism, race and both sides of wealth. This rom-com turned into a very dramatic and heartfelt journey and gave me all the excitement and butterflies that I felt reading Crazy Rich Asians for the first time; I truly loved this book.

This was a fast paced, juicy read with so many twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed that the story had two different timelines and liked piecing everything together before it unfolded. It gave me the opportunity to “visit” so many exclusive locations that I can only ever dream of!

This is the perfect summer read. It’s got the magic of crazy Rich Asians with a splash of bridgerton and ALL of the drama in perfect Kevin Kwan fashion.

Well a third of the way through and I’m enjoying this book but what’s not to enjoy. There has been a lot of laughs, insinuations (about who’s not seducing who, who’s pregnant and love declarations made by the wrong people) and then there is a lot of swearing (in Cantonese) by the matriarchs of course, because they are never happy with anything to do with the wedding and all of the preparations. Also in the first third because of the wedding there is lot of who’s wearing what gown/dress made by which designer and who is not going to be allowed to wear what dress/gown by which designer. Whilst I know most of the names of said designers, there are going to be some readers who won’t have a clue who many of them are. It does read like articles from vogue and many other high fashion magazines, many of whom were also invited to the wedding of the season for shoots and interviews.

Then the inevitable happens being set in Iceland, the volcano erupts and the wedding in its entirety has to be relocated to Hawaii. Where another volcano erupts, thankfully after the wedding ceremony itself, at great expense which the bride’s father “The Greshams of Greshamsbury” and the Groom’s family cannot afford as they are both broke. This is disclosed to the bride’s father, Francis, by one of his associates, during one of the many wedding dinners, and when he explains this to his wife Arabella later on in the book, she well. If you are aware of Kevin Kwans Asian families, you will know. And Maxxie the groom when he finds out, runs off with another Asian billionairess later on in the story, the same Lady that is in Crazy Rich Asians as it happens.

I do love Kevin Kwans books and his writing style is brilliant although it seems like the same Crazy Rich Asians in unusual settings, finding love and losing a ton load of money. I have to mention that in places it reminded me of The Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. Mind you, there is a reference to the Tangs from Sex and Vanity. I love this book immensely and it certainly got better towards the final third of the book. The characters are quite memorable (because there aren’t too many) and there are still a lot of laughs and a lot of hypocrisy, which would be normal in Asian families I assume. There is also a real Cinderella moment, without Cinderella having to get married (yet) but, you’ll have to read on to find out who.

The only fault I could find, is that I wish he would stop using the numbered reference points in his notes, during and at the end of each chapter. It spoils the flow of the book whilst reading and this information could and should really be incorporated into the actual chapters themselves.

typical Kevin Kwan fanfare. gossip girl vibes topped with a dash of forster. if you are looking for a breezy and rather shallow book filled with rich people being rather insufferable, look no further

I read Crazy Rich Asians a couple of years back and absolutely fell in love with it.....Lies & Weddings did not disappoint me at all! Despite not read any other of Kwan's books in between I was still able to follow the story perfectly without confusion. This book is a delicious insight into the rich and fabulous! I also love that there are plenty of explanations and translations of the Asian language in the book too. Would definitely recommend!

Another truly outrageous book packed full of drama, money and people I don’t think I could stand if I ever met them.

The storyline focuses on the Gresham Family. Arabella (the mother) is they very definition of a ‘tiger parent’ but she is unable to back down and is only pushing her children away. All her children want to follow their hearts but Arabella is more concerned with status and wealth.
Thomas Tong is a life king friend of Earl Gresham and he lives on the grounds of Greshamsbury along with his daughter Eden. They are certainly more down to Earth but Thomas has been keeping a secret from Eden her while life.

Kevin Kwan’s books are my guilty pleasure. They are fun and easy to read and this one was reminiscent of Crazy, Rich Asians. Kwan has continued to include footnotes in the chapters which I often found to be hilarious. Some of the characters were loveable and I wished some of them had a bigger part in the story.

Overall a fun and engaging read with some unforgettable characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

3.5/5.

Once again, Kevin Kwan has delivered a frothy, soapy, opulent novel with a ridiculous cast of characters that certainly has its flaws, but no one can deny its entertainment value. It tells two stories simultaneously - one of a tragic event in the past and its consequences and another of how those consequences have manifested in the present day. It takes some time, but you start to see how these intricate plots overlap and come together to create this novel.

I personally think this was a lot stronger than Sex and Vanity, but it had some of the same pitfalls. With such an enormous, sprawling cast of characters, no one really gets to advance beyond their pre-set archetypes and so they don't develop much across the novel. For some, their stories take wild, entirely unmotivated turns that become difficult to suspend your disbelief for. The plot of this wouldn't be entirely out of place in the 1800s - there's a lot of focus on who must marry who for money to save the family estate.

My most significant criticism is on the dialogue and, more specifically, how the British characters are written: we don't talk like that. I know American authors can be particularly guilty of just assuming that because we all speak English, we all speak the same (incorrect) and I found myself cringing on multiple occasions at the dialogue choices the British-born characters were given - especially Bea and Eden. Also - so many exclamation points. Too many, if we're being honest. It stopped there being any nuance to some pretty significant lines. Some chapters ran too long and lacked much intrigue - you could've easily found 50-100 pages to chop in here.

Nevertheless. I was entertained. I kept wanting to pick up the book and disappear into this lovely world of money and excess. It's fun and soapy and perfect if, like me, you needed something to read on a plane and didn't want to have to think too hard.

I saw and enjoyed "Crazy Rich Asians" as a film, and I think that is how I would prefer to follow this story, as, for me, it was very visual narrative with the fashion, parties and lifestyles, but I found it quite difficult to follow in print, particularly with the annoying "footnotes" which in the e-copy appeared at random places on the page.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

I adored this book. It was a refreshing tale of love and backstabbing in the super rich set. Although some not as rich as they thought they should be. I've not got the author's back catalogue and and looking forward to a holiday to read them in as it seems his books are just the best for escaping on a holiday. Although I can't afford the type of jet setting the characters in this story get up to.

Having loved Crazy rich Asians I was not disappointed!
A forceful mother trying to pull all the strings, boy next door romance, crazy cast of characters and a mystery buried in the past this was a great book!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to review!

Loved the story, characters and plot. So many twists and plots changes. But I found it really frustrating to read with all the footnotes. They were really intrusive. Especially in an eBook where they appear in random parts of the page!

Sorry not for me this one, wasn’t a fan of the gossipy plot and the snarky footnotes on most pages.
Think fans of reality tv will love this though!

This was an enjoyable and entertaining read, mixing together Lords and Ladies with new money, flashy Americans and at the heart a well mannered "normal" Dr Eden and her dad Thomas. The characters were fun, with those you'd love and those you love to hate, and can't believe what comes out of their mouths next.

Love love love it! I grew up in Asia and while so much of the book sounds outlandish, it isnt! It made me laugh and it made me think and it made me read more off his books! Do not miss this one!

𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | 𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧
★★★★.½

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
Rufus Gresham, also known as Viscount St. Ives, is in love with the girl next door. But his mother not only disapproves, but actively plots to keep the two away from each other and ensure Rufus ends up in the arms of somebody else, preferably a princess but she would settle for someone with masses of wealth.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟
⟡ Contemporary romcom
⟡ Childhood best friends to lovers
⟡ A parody of wealth and class
⟡ Racial undertones

𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝
I loved this! The intrigue! The gossip! The SCANDALS. In classic Crazy-Rich-Asians style, Kevin Kwan delivers a funny, smart, and absolutely unputdownable contemporary romcom that features a fascinating and self-absorbed family at its center.

The story was honestly completely propulsive in its execution. I seriously could not put this book down. The sheer excitement and wide-eyed enjoyment I felt reading this story is parallel only to my experience of reading this author before. Kwan couples grandiose with wholesome humour; the extravagant with the extremely funny, in a blend that is utterly delightful. I read this in a single sitting and I’m craving more! I think this is my sign to schedule in a CRA reread.

But this book is more than its contemporary romcom vibes. It’s also really clever in its thematic explorations of class, wealth and race. I was particularly taken with the exploration of race that examined internalised and passive racism towards the Chinese characters, mainly through the characters of Eden and Arabella. Wealth also played a huge part and in this book, I found that wealth determined class, whereas in CRA, titles determined class and wealth was something to be sneered at if it wasn’t coming from old traditional family funds. I’m glad the author found a new way to include and explore wealth in this book.

I would sincerely love for there to be future books in this same strand of Kwan’s authorial brand.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝
I’m not the biggest fan of footnotes, particularly if I’m reading an e-copy, and this book has tons of them. Thankfully they were all pretty funny or provided better context but for me they’re also distracting and takes me away from the main flow of the story.