Sophia Rose Reviews Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

Today I once again turn over the blog to the very capable hands of my pal Sophia Rose and her review of Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto.

Enjoy!

Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

Chick Lit

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 4.27.21

ASIN:  B08JKM7JCC

Pages:  320

Rating: 4

Format: Trade Paperback

Source:  Berkley

Sellers:  Amazon/  Barnesand Noble/  Kobo

ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

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?

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Prepare yourself for 'wet-your-britches' laughter in this South-Asian American romp of hijinks and family that brings to mind a cross between Arsenic and Old Lace and Weekend at Bernies.  By a new to me author who made the Chan family immigrant story into a pip of a wedding industry second chance romcom mystery.

 

Dial A for Aunties introduces Meddy Chan, a thoroughly modern Asian American woman who straddles respect and honor to her family heritage (because she knows full well the sacrifices her mother and aunties made to give her a good life in America and feels she owes them) and her own dreams of life, love, and career not dictated by others.  She already gave up on her first and true love with Nathan to stick by family when they were starting up their wedding business.  'Big Aunt' is the baker, 'Second Aunt' the make up and hair artist, mother the floral designer, and 'Fourth Aunt' the wedding singer.  All are quirky, dramatic, and utterly outrageous.  Loved the aunts!  Meddy wants to live up to their expectations after the men in their lives (husband and sons) all took off to follow their own thing- aka the Chan family curse, but she is feeling restless and bored photographing bride and groomzillas and wants the chance to photograph what draws her in.

 

Things really take off when Meddy accidentally kills her blind date and panics.  The aunts help, but somehow the body ends up at their latest wedding gig as does Meddy's true love, Nathan.  It got crazy fun and I cracked up as that body whooshed in and out of the scenes before the wedding and I wondered when (not if) the antics would be discovered.  And, that led to even more surprising twists and mayhem.

 

While this is a ridiculously fun romp, the author developed the characters well, set the backdrop, and kept the plot on course.  Meddy had to figure out how to tell the aunties and her mother what she was thinking and take some charge of her life if she wanted her own chance.  The author also gave insight into the experience of Asian Americans who straddle the gap between where they came from and where they are now.  Meddy's family had the immigration from China to Indonesia and then to America with all the cultural complications that can bring.

 

I had a good time with this one and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.  Maybe those boy cousins can return and get an adventure with the aunties?  Those who enjoy rompy romcoms or chicklits should definitely pick this one up.

 

Author Bio:

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.

Website:  https://www.jesseqsutanto.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thewritinghippo

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose