City of Others

City of Others by Jared Poon, 368 pages

Benjamin Toh is a middle-management government employee, working with his understaffed Division for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders to handle the supernatural elements of Singapore and keep them from interfering with the normal world. Generally speaking, they're pushed to the limit, fixing run-of-the-mill unexplained phenomena and getting rid of pesky fantastical beings, but when a boring check on a building glitching out of existence turns into something much more dangerous for the whole city, Ben and his motley crew must stretch themselves even farther, all while keeping it out of the attention of the higher-ups.

This is a delightful urban fantasy, full of Singaporean folklore and mythological creatures, and wonderful group of characters. I particularly love the way that Ben and his team have to balance their supernatural work with the mundane tasks (writing and re-writing memos) of bureaucracy. I was also pleasantly surprised by the way in which Ben's attitude toward work and his team's abilities changed as they got deeper and deeper into the problem. An excellent and diverse addition to the subgenre of urban fantasy.

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto, 304 pages

At 63, Mebel has been a trophy wife to a successful Singaporean businessman her whole life. So when he leaves her for their much-younger private chef, Mebel's despondent and desperate to get him back so that she can continue living the life to which she's become accustomed. Best way to do that? Enroll in culinary school (the one closest to the Hermes store in Paris, of course) and learn to cook, which can't be that hard, right? Armed with Louis Vuitton trunks full of designer clothes and a bit of chutzpah, Mebel heads to Paris... only to learn that she's accidentally enrolled in the school's British campus, which is in a tiny village near Oxford.

This was a charming book full of humor, nuance, and great character development for Mebel. I loved her relationship with her fellow culinary students and the way she connected with them, despite differences in age, race, and skill. I also really appreciated the way Sutanto showed the relationship with Mebel's son and his family, and the way that gender roles expectations can be passed down generationally, just through observation. For such a funny book, this took on some fairly serious topics quite well. Highly recommended!

*This book will be published April 28, 2026.

Last Tang Standing

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho, 403 pages

Andrea Tang is a workaholic junior partner at a multinational law firm, just steps away from her goal of becoming a senior partner. But at 33, she's a disappointment to her Chinese-Malaysian family, as she's one of very few women of her generation that are still unmarried. Even her lesbian cousin has agreed to a (sham) marriage with her personal banker to appease the aunties! Taking her mother's advice, she finally agrees to try to find someone suitable through blind dates and dating apps, with mixed results of course. This snarky book examines a woman trying to follow Sheryl Sandberg's advice to "lean in" and have it all, while appeasing an overbearing family. It's billed as "Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones's Diary," which is pretty apt, though Last Tang Standing pales in comparison to either. It's not a bad book by any means, especially for a debut novel, though it's definitely not making my list of favorites of the year.

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, 527 pages

Economics professor Rachel Chu is madly in love with her boyfriend Nick Young, and, after two years of dating, is thrilled when he asks her to accompany him to Singapore for his best friend's wedding. Knowing next to nothing about his homeland and nervous about meeting his family, Rachel gamely agrees to go, not knowing what in the world she's getting herself into. Turns out Nick is rich. Like, beyond filthy rich. Rich to the point of nobody knowing who the Young family is because they've been crazy rich for generations. And as Nick is the heir apparent to the vast fortune, Rachel's arrival in Singapore makes everyone assume that she's a gold-digger who has somehow landed the best catch in Asia. And everyone from Nick's mother and her friends to his ex-girlfriend and her friends is determined to break up the happy couple.

This book was adapted into a wildly popular movie last year, and while I haven't seen it yet, if it's anything like the book, I can see why it got such great reviews. This book offers a view into the type of wealth that nobody reading this will ever experience (if I'm wrong, first, wow, and second, can I catch a ride on your private jet sometime?), exploring both the good and bad. It's touching, it's funny, and the characters are fantastic. I can't wait to read the next one!

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.