A Posh Romance...With a View

Who can deny themselves a forbidden summer romance set on the breathtaking Italian island of Capri? I have been to Italy, but only glimpsed Capri from the coast, still I can safely say it is a beautiful place.

Naturally, I was excited to read Kevin Kwan's latest novel, Sex and Vanity, strictly based on the summary and the fact that I am a huge fan of his writing. Unfortunately, something seemed to be lacking from the story, and some scenes seemed to drag on forever.

What happens on vacation...

Lucie Churchill arrives in Capri to attend her close friend, Isabel Chiu's, wedding, which is set to be quite the affair. Her older cousin Charlotte accompanies Lucie as her chaperone, although Charlotte seems to stir up more drama as opposed to keeping her young cousin out of trouble, especially when they discover their rooms have a splendid view of the alley.

Enter George Zao and his mother, Rosemary, who offer to swap rooms with Lucie and Charlotte, in an attempt to be generous that offends Charlotte deeply. Thus, a terrible first impression is made (the perfect start to any romance novel).

When Lucie's opinion of George begins to rapidly change, her cousin makes it clear that George is beneath Lucie, due in part to his Asian heritage--a side of herself Lucie has tried to repress as a half Chinese-American woman. Their budding romance is stomped out by Charlotte (for Lucie's best interest, of course!), but what will happen five years later, when a newly engaged Lucie runs into George Zao again?

The Rich Cannot Love for Free

I have always been intrigued by love stories that are complicated by family expectations, there is something about the drama promised by this plot line that is thrilling. However, I found that the constant "posh" talk of the wealthy characters in this book was too frequent and took away from the story. There were parts that I loved, and parts where I was wishing I could skip ahead, so I can only give this novel 3.5/5 stars.

I hope everyone is experiencing the lovely weather that has graced us in my hometown--I wish I could just sit outside and read all day! If you have any recommendations for summertime reading, please feel free to comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

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