14 Ways "Crazy Rich Asians" Was Changed From The Book

Spoilers for the book AND movie ahead!

Last night, I finally got to see Crazy Rich Asians and it absolutely lived up to the hype and deserved every single glowing review — it was truly the rom-com of my dreams.

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But since I just binged the entire Crazy Rich Asians book series only a month ago, I noticed the little plot differences that naturally happen when you adapt a 500-page book to a two-hour movie.

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I truly believe that nearly every change that was made completely suited the film without changing the essence of the book — and that's the sign of a perfect adaptation, right? Plus, the casting was SO DAMN SPOT ON!!!!! I cannot emphasize that point enough.

Anyway, for anyone who has read the book and seen the movie like me, here are the differences that I noticed:

I'm sure there are plenty more things that I DIDN'T notice whilst I was drooling over Henry Golding, so please share in the comments!

1. This is more about the nature of book vs. movie, but no matter how stunning the sets were (and they WERE!) there is no way to fully encompass or comprehend the outrageous wealth as described in the books.

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When you have full chapters dedicated to describing the CRAZY opulence we're dealing with here, it's hard to translate that to the big screen. You can't quite comprehend why Michael feels so out of place, or why Peik Lin (a woman from a wildly wealthy family herself) considers them to be on an entirely different level, the way you can so easily in the book.

2. Peik Lin's family (and ostensibly everyone else) is very much aware of the Young family and their immense wealth.

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A huge part of the book is that the Youngs demand such a level of privacy and secrecy that Peik Lin and her family don't even know who they are: "I have no idea who these people are. But I can tell you one thing—these people are richer than God." (Of course, in both they do know that Colin Khoo's wedding is the WEDDING OF THE YEAR.)

3. Peik Lin joins for the tan hua party at Tyersall Park instead of just dropping Rachel off for dinner.

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Honestly, this change made sense to me! I found it kind of weird in the book that Peik Lin was essentially playing chauffeur. BTW, for any movie-only folks, Tyersall Park is the name of that giant home (palace!) that Nick's Ah Ma lives in.

4. And one more thing about Peik Lin for now, but her family certainly had a much larger presence in the film than they did in the books.

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You can see why, though! The Gohs added so much comedy and fun to the film. However, it was a little bit at the expense of other characters who were more developed in the book. But more on that in a second...

5. Alistair Cheng isn't the ally to Nick and Rachel that he was in the books...

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In the film, you wouldn't know what a sweetheart Alistair is. In the books, even though his role isn't huge, he's definitely one of Nick's closest friends in the family! He's even present when Nick and Colin escape during that bachelor party from hell. Which brings me to my next point...

6. Mehmet wasn't in the movie...

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Aww, I really enjoyed Nick and Colin's pal Mehmet, who also escaped the bachelor party with them. JUSTICE FOR MEHMET!

7. Neither was Nick's dad!

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In the books we find out he prefers to live in Sydney, but there's not much of an explanation for his absence in the movie other than his "business".

8. Astrid is Rachel's ally at Araminta's bachelorette party instead of Sophie Khoo.

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I honestly really loved this change because it brought us that touching scene between Astrid and Rachel on the beach.

9. Rachel meets Amanda Ling at the bachelorette party instead of at the wedding.

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Nick's childhood girlfriend Amanda Ling is FAR crueler in the movie than in the book. In the book, Rachel meets her (along with her boyfriend, Zvi Goldberg) at the wedding and it's a different group of girls at Araminta's bachelorette party who are mean to Rachel. Plus, uhhhh, the message with the fish is *slightly* more vulgar in the book...

10. Oliver helps Rachel pick out her dress for the wedding along with Peik Lin.

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Plus, she only needs ONE outfit! Not several outfits for all the events leading up to the wedding.

11. Astrid and Michael's storyline is very different.

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So, this one's interesting! In the book, it's revealed that Michael WASN'T actually having an affair—but he made it LOOK like he was having an affair so that he could get out of his marriage to Astrid. His real problem was feeling like shit around Astrid and her family and that he could never live up or make nearly as much money as them. But that changes thanks to another huge part of the book...

12. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH CHARLIE WU!!!!

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I honestly don't have enough words to discuss my complete and total love of Charlie Wu (played by Harry Shum Jr. EVER SO BRIEFLY in the movie). I won't get into it too much because I'd have to spoil the sequels. But in the first book, we learn that Charlie was Astrid's first love and they were actually engaged...but Charlie was deemed NOT GOOD ENOUGH for Astrid! They reconnect in the book, and Astrid confides in him about her relationship with Michael. Instead of relishing in her broken marriage, Charlie selflessly (in a way only a BILLIONAIRE could, lmao!) bids on Michael's start-up, which makes him independently wealthy basically overnight — and convinces him to give his marriage another try. (Spoiler: Michael still sucks, though.)

Anyway, in the movie, Harry Shum Jr. is only seen in a mid-credit scene (which made my audience go WILD!), which leaves me with great hope for the sequel.

In an interview with EW, Jon M. Chu talks about how there was an extra scene with Charlie, but ultimately, given the constraints of a two-hour movie, they cut the scene because it made it seem like Astrid was just leaving Michael to be with Charlie and it detracted from her story.

13. Eleanor's private investigation of Rachel plays out very differently in the book.

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Eleanor's efforts to derail Nick and Rachel's relationship is, in some ways, a lot more subtle in the book — and it also takes up a lot more plot. We're teased early on that there's SOMETHING dark in Rachel's past, but we don't find out what it is until later. Plus, the big reveal doesn't happen at the wedding! More on that in a second...

14. The ending plays out very differently.

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So, after being put through A LOT throughout the book, but somehow miraculously making it out in one piece from the wedding, Rachel and Nick attempt to sneak away to his grandmother's vacation home. But their efforts are thwarted and THAT'S where Ah Ma says she'll never approve — and THAT's where the whole twist about Rachel's father is revealed. Nick and Rachel fight, Rachel and her mom fight, and the book wraps up with them all reconciling. Things are still on bad terms with Eleanor and Rachel and Nick aren't engaged (yet...). But more on that when y'all read China Rich Girlfriend!

Oh, and the whole mahjong scene didn't happen, but I loved that!

Please let me know if there's anything else you noticed in the comments!