Certainly, the mesmerising setting of the Italian island of Capri, where the romance and drama in Kwan's latest novel, Sex and Vanity, unfold, seems wasted in print, saved only by Kwan's particular flair for description and imagery.

Sex and Vanity, based on the famous novel by E.M Forster, A Room With A View, follows the coming of age and sexual awakening of Lucie Churchill, an American-Asian young woman who is trapped between the high stakes of her inherited social status, and her own desire for a more thrilling life of adventure as an artist.

Arriving at Capri for a friend's wedding with her fussy older cousin, Charlotte, Lucie is entangled in a brief love affair with the thoroughly unsuitable George Zao. Years later, the pair are reunited, but the timing is all wrong. Through various trials and tribulations, and with a saturation of name-dropping rich Americans and over-the-top wealthy parties and events, Lucie and George's romance re-blossoms.

Much like Kwan's previous works, Sex and Vanity is entertaining - but it lacks the heart that made Crazy Rich Asians so captivating. Lucie is an inconsistent protagonist, at times showing a generosity and genuine nature that is then awkwardly contrasted with her superficiality at other times. George is a strange combination of new-age hippy vibes and social ineptitude, and the pairing of the two characters doesn't quite work as a vessel for the sort of romance and intrigue that the novel revolves around.

At times, the constant references to cultural artefacts and movements, and name-dropping of the snobbish wealthy characters feels too contrived, and draws away from the pace of the novel. The moments that are most memorable are the quiet conversations between Lucie and George, where Kwan's writing can truly shine, and a level of meaning is restored to the narrative.

Perhaps this is the point - that the vanity and opulence of upper class life is the confectionery that turns the stomach from being able to enjoy the heartier and meaningful sustenance of genuine human connection. In any case, Lucie and George may not be a fictional romance that will endure the test of time, but Sex and Vanity does show the brilliance of A Room With a View, with a distinctly modern edge.