Sarong Party Girls

Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, 308 pages

Jazzy Lim lives with her parents in Singapore, works as an assistant to the editor of a newspaper, and spends every weekend partying at clubs until dawn, on the hunt for wealthy "ang mohs" (white guys) to fund her hard-partying ways. But since Jazzy is 26 and edging into "old maid" territory, she's now determined to snag an uber-rich ang moh to marry ASAP. Sarong Party Girls tells Jazzy's tale as she attempts to find an appropriately rich guy, using all the wrong methods.

I can say without hesitation that Jazzy's life is completely foreign to me, and not just because I've never been to Singapore. That said, the book was enjoyable, and as shallow as Jazzy may seem, she has heart, even if it takes her a while to figure that out. I particularly liked her character development through the book; personality-wise, she'd fit into an Austen novel quite well (though I can't even begin to imagine how appalled the Bennetts would be with her behavior!). I also really liked how this book ended; without giving it away, I'll say that it was a bit of a surprise, but completely appropriate.