I remember enjoying the film version of this story, so to tell the truth I was a little disappointed in the book! A lot of the humour felt dated and a bit sexist, but beyond that, I just couldn't get that invested in the plot. As main characters, I didn't care that much for Nick or Rachel, and was far more interested in Astrid's storyline, as she felt more fully fleshed out as a character. I'd recommend Tiffany Tsao's The Majesties over this book as a story centred around ultra-wealthy Asian societies - I've seen them compared before, and think Tsao's work has a lot more depth, better dialogue, and a more coherently paced main plot. 

I never thought I’d say I liked the movie adaptation better than the book itself, but here I am saying exactly that. ☹️

I did enjoy this book for its glamorous exploration of the lives of the Chinese upper-class through the eyes of a newcomer, its vivid descriptions of food and decor, and sense of humor.

What I did not love was that none of the characters had much depth. I had a hard time understanding Rachel and Nick as they are both fairly one-dimensional and their relationship does not seem to be built on a solid foundation of trust. Although this was purposeful at first, I don’t think the relationship developed much and the character development itself was lacking, too.

I think the real meat of the story got lost under dazzling descriptions and the constant introduction of new secondary and tertiary characters.

Not hilarious or heartwarming.