August 23, 2019
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
The basics
Title: China Rich Girlfriend
Author: Kevin Kwan
Series: Crazy Rich Asians #2
- Crazy Rich Asians (2013) - China Rich Girlfriend (2015) - Rich People Problems (2017)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiance willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won't be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore's It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia's most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it's like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.
Here is a spoiler summary of what happened in China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan to help refresh your memory before you read the sequel.
what happened in China Rich Girlfriend?
- Carlton Bao gets into a car crash at the beginning of the book. His mother, Bao Shaoyen, heads over to London to see him. A young woman dies in the crash, but Shaoyen covers it up.
- Shaoyen meets Eleanor Young through Eleanor’s nephew, Eddie. Eleanor meets Carlton, and realises he looks just like Rachel Chu, her son Nick’s fiancée.
- Michael, Astrid’s husband, is now running a successful business and is making a tonne of money. This has made him incredibly arrogant and harsh.
- Kitty Pong buys a very expensive painting for much more than what it’s worth.
- Eleanor learns that Nick is getting married in California, and Astrid will be attending. She desperately tries to get hold of her son to give him some news.
- Charlie Wu has been messaging Astrid (as a friend) and the two are connecting. Charlie is unhappy in his marriage, but he’s not telling Astrid about this.
- Kitty Pong continues to try to get into fancy places, but she is denied entry. She hires Corinna to help her make connections and appear more put together.
- Eleanor crashes Nick’s wedding via helicopter. She brings Bao Gaoling with her, and it’s revealed that he is Rachel’s father. Rachel is super happy about this and heads to China to spend time with her new family.
- When Rachel and Nick arrive in China, Bao puts them in a hotel, which is weird because they were meant to be staying in the family home. Carlton keeps them busy, along with his non-girlfriend, Colette.
- Colette takes Rachel and Nick to her house. Here we meet Colette’s parents, and see that Colette is actually a really spoilt brat.
- Astrid bumps into Isabel, Charlie’s wife, at an event. Isabel storms off because she thinks Astrid and her husband are having an affair.
- The group heads to Paris for a shopping spree. There’s a party. Richie Yang proposes to Colette, who turns him down. While there, they bump into Astrid and Rachel and Nick get an excuse to leave the party. Colette calls and is quite frantic, because Carlton is going to race Richie Yang in the streets.
- Rachel talks Carlton out of it. He’s a bit mean to her but he soon apologises.
- Colette’s parents are furious with Colette for turning down the proposal, and they cut off her funds. She’s not too bothered because she gets a million dollar sponsorship from some fashion brand.
- Astrid and Michael go to look at a house but they’re bought out by a mysterious person. Michael blames Astrid, and the estate agent tells Astrid that this isn’t normal behaviour.
- Rachel goes on a spa break with her friend, Peik Lin. Rachel falls ill and is taken to hospital. Her liver starts failing. Someone delivers flowers which include a note that says Rachel has been poisoned by a special chemical, and the doctors should be able to cure her now they know. The note warns Rachel to never come back to China.
- Carlton knows this chemical is produced by his family’s company. He thinks his mother poisoned Rachel, and confronts his family. Shaoyen is very upset. She’s even more upset when Carlton tells his father that Shaoyen covered up the death of a girl in the London car crash.
- Kitty takes Corinna to LA to see her husband and daughter. Bernard is now super hipster, and Corinna tells Kitty that she needs to raise her daughter somewhere better.
- Astrid returns home to Singapore and finds out that Michael has done an interview for a magazine that makes him look ridiculous. He’s also brought their son into it without telling Astrid. Astrid’s father, Harry, has words with Michael and tells him to protect his daughter and grandson.
- Michael becomes paranoid that Harry bought the first company from him and kickstarted his career.
- Astrid finds out that Charlie Wu actually bought the company because Charlie loves her.
- Bao Gaoling finally invites Rachel to his home, and Shaoyen is just going to have to get used to it. Shaoyen eventually welcomes Rachel as she realises that Rachel isn’t after Carlton’s inheritance.
- It turns out that Roxanne, Colette’s assistant, was the one to poison Rachel. Roxanne insists that Colette had nothing to do with it, but Colette was worried about Carlton’s inheritance being split.
- Rachel confronts Colette, who absolutely loses it in the restaurant. People are recording the argument, which ends with Rachel calling Colette spoilt and telling her to grow up. Colette then loses her sponsorship and Carlton chooses not to see her again.
- Michael loses it one evening and accuses Astrid of having an affair. Astrid gets Cassian out of the house and calls the police on Michael.
- Kitty kidnaps her daughter, Gisele, and takes her to Singapore. It turns out that Kitty has been having an affair with Colette’s father, Jack, and he has been paying for her expensive purchases. Colette obviously isn’t happy about this either.
That’s what happened in China Rich Girlfriend! Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!
