Book Perfume

Wedding season is in full bloom and you know what that means: hot guys in tuxes!

I can think of a million dashing hunks I’d like to see bustin’ a move to Justin Timberlake on the dance floor, but there’s one best man/eventual groom my mind keeps turning to time and time again—and for once I’m not talking about Prince Harry. I’m talking about our Literary Hunk of June, Nicholas Young from Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy.

Let’s put aside the fact that Nick is crazy rich, incredibly handsome, and Singapore’s most sought-after bachelor. (I mean, who cares about that stuff, right?) What makes Nick so desirable is that he’s not caught up in any of it. He’s an Oxford-educated NYU history professor with a fondness for rumpled jackets and street food. He’s humble, funny, and self-deprecating. He doesn’t flash around his wealth or his status or act like any of it is a big deal at all—which is both extremely attractive and endlessly frustrating.

Yes, friends, Nick’s greatest asset is also his greatest foible. How can you not love a man who downplays his wealth so much that his girlfriend is shocked when they fly first class to meet his family in Singapore? But at the same time, HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO SHAKE A MAN WHO DOESN’T WARN SAID GIRLFRIEND THAT SHE’S ABOUT TO BE THROWN TO THE WOLVES? It’s almost adorable that he’s naïve enough to think that his family will willingly accept his average American girlfriend Rachel Chu, but a simple head’s up could have saved her a lot of heartache. You know, something like: “Hey girl, this wedding I’m best manning is just a skosh less publicized than, say, William and Kate’s, and remember Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? That’s basically my family times ten. Oh, and everything you say and do is going to be scrutinized by all of Singapore, cool? Let’s do this thing.”

But, hey, we’re all entitled to our mistakes.

Despite this (some might say egregious) misstep, Nick’s whole-hearted love for Rachel is what makes him dreamiest of all. He’s willing to give up his fortune, family, and status for her, and when he realizes the damage his elusiveness has caused, he does everything in his power to make things right for her. How can you not swoon over that?

So let’s raise a toast to the crazy rich, crazy hot, crazy hunky Nick Young. I wouldn’t step into Rachel’s pressure-filled shoes for all the fortune in the world, but that’s what makes fiction so glorious.

What’s just as dreamy as Nick on the page? Nick on the big screen! I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for the role than the ultra-dashing Henry Golding. I could this movie until the end of time.