Book Reivew | Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Published on: 27 April 2021
Published by: Berkley
Type: HEA, standalone, series
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Comedic Drama, Humour
Author: Jesse Q Sutanto
Read: 12 June 2021
Shelved: 15 June 2021
Rating: 5 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

Review

Meddelin “Meddy” Chan is a good daughter. Unlike her other cousins who left their moms (the “Aunties“), she stayed on and started a business with her aunts in the wedding industry. Meddy’s decision to stay (and live near) her mom and relatives in the same area after university made her life contented and straightforward, or so she believes until her mom set her up on a date that would jumpstart Meddy’s incredible journey of self-discovery.

Dial A for Aunties is told from a first-person POV, Meddy’s. It is an enticing read that will stun, amaze, and “pull out the waterworks” for any reader. The writing is clear and concise. This technique made Meddy a relatable character, especially with me being Asian and with parents who are still hovering around me, even if I am already a parent like them.

Top 5 things I love about the book:-

1. Family, family, family

Basing everything on the title alone, it is inevitable NOT TO LOVE the antics the author shared with Meddy’s Aunties (I’m using capital for the “A” to depict the group and respect for the aunts)! I believe they are the stars of the book. Each personality and detail was well thought of and represented were matched to each aunt. I love how the author shows us that flaws and faults, the Chan clan is “tight” and will support with no question when things are “down to the wire.”

2. Traditions explored

The author did a great job sharing just enough Indonesian tradition and cultures between family and ceremony (i.e., a wedding) to the world. For example, the pemjemputan – a traditional wedding ritual in the Indonesian culture, was discussed in concise detail but did not overwhelm. It gives us a taste of sometimes extreme of a well-to-do Chinese-Indon wedding yet still grounds us with how the characters acted/reacted in the story.

3. non-stop Humor

The whole book felt so light, even if with a dead body in the center of all this. Usually, I do not enjoy the rom-com genre from a sole first-person POV, but this book worked so well! I was pleasantly surprised because I focused on the crazy events happening versus trying to “overanalyze” the characters’ thoughts. The main characters, mainly the Aunties, have no “blinders” and would spew out everything if not all of their thoughts as it happens, which makes everything work. Their reactions were honest and pure and makes me love them all more.

4. Past wrongs are righted.

There was a lot of reconciliation going on. Meddy’s past hangups about how she sees relationships, family obligations have come between growing and maturing. This theme is at the forefront of the book as Meddy realizes how her big family is becoming the person she is today. She discovers that sometimes, one needs to look at things differently – to look at them in a positive light.

5. The ending (you just have to read to believe!)

There were so many twists and turns in this book! Just when things seem to “work out” for Meddy and her Aunties, something so “right-field” happens that throws up their solution for the “dead body!” I laugh out loud each of those times, which means I have got aching cheeks to prove it. Many unexpected things complicate Meddy and her aunts’ problems – the dead body and conflicts between each other. In the end, how the author “wrapped things up” for all the characters involved was so spectacular that it deserves a standing ovation. It was non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense and mystery until the end.

Based on the above, I highly recommend Dial A for Aunties for readers who love comedy, second chances, drama, and even twisted plots. I could not put the book down!!
Readers will surely be laughing their heads off with the antics of Meddy’s Aunties and the creative plot happening. With four very opinionated Aunties, nothing was left unexplored with body disposal options.
In addition, I love how the author wrote the voices that impart so many different underlying concepts – tradition, culture, and family. I cannot wait to see the next book when it comes out! I firmly believe that Meddy’s aunts’ backstories will be incredible if the following books explore this.

About the Author

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she’s not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids

Also, checking out the comedic skit of the book’s aunties here!