Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Synopsis

“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 the view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Curzio 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.

Daughter of an American-born-Chinese mother and 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, Lucy is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world–and her heart.”

-Synopsis from Goodreads

Review

There was not one thing I didn’t love about this book, except for the fact that it could have been just a little bit longer!

This was such a fun, summery, light read. It was hilarious and witty, and extremely entertaining. Anyone who has enjoyed the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy will love this book. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments and just as many moments that left me speechless. The second-hand embarrassment was real, folks (in a good way)!

I loved reading about Capri and all the wedding festivities.  The Hamptons is another location I love reading about as well, so I couldn’t have enjoyed the settings in this book more. Having never been to either, it was such a treat to read about the island and discover it with Lucie, and to see her family in the Hamptons as well.

Kevin Kwan has a new website with a ton of photos of Capri including some of the locations from the book so go check that out if you haven’t already! That along with his Instagram posts as I was reading the book was such a fun element to add to the reading experience! I would really recommend checking them out if you plan to read the book because it brought everything to life in such a fun way. I also want to mention that I am obsessed with the cover of this book and I am so glad that I preordered a hard back copy.

I found it to be a fun summer read at a time when I was desperate for something happy and entertaining and it fit the bill.