Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

2.5 stars 

This was my 2nd attempt at reading a Kevin Kwan book, and sadly, it just didn’t work for me. 

Granted, I am not the biggest fan of contemporary fiction, but dang it, I loved the movie version of Crazy Rich Asians SO MUCH and was hoping I’d fall in love with his writing. That didn’t happen. 

On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can't stand him. She can't stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can't stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can't stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. "Your mother is Chinese so it's no surprise you'd be attracted to someone like him," Charlotte teases. The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world--and her heart. 

I loved the character of Lucie. She was charming and smart and I liked how stubborn she could be. And the cast of “side” characters were sometimes amusing. My main problem was the pacing. For a book that is less than 400 pages long, it just felt like it dragged on and on.  I wasn’t fond of George or the many misunderstandings that kept popping up. And while I’m glad I stuck with it to the end, I can’t really drum up much enthusiasm for this book. 

*ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion*