Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

31 reviews

thiasgomez's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Car accident, Death, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism, Vomit, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

tomasalbanez's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book delivered everything it promised and more!! A lovely rom-com with great romance and great comedy, tension and plot twists. It's pace is also perfect! With the tension and speed growing each chapter as much that, by the end, you can't put it down!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Car accident, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Racism, Kidnapping, and Vomit

agnesg's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug use, Racism, and Toxic relationship

lizsbookreviews21's review against another edition

4.0

To say I loved this book- is an understatement. It was such a comical book, and I loved getting to read about Meddy’s relationship with her aunties and her ma. They’re all so close and love each other so much, in their own way. 

Meddy was definitely living a chaotic life. She’s still pining over her college sweetheart, whose heart she broke so she wouldn’t break her Ma’s and aunties (SO SWEET AND CARING OF HER). She’s a wedding photographer who wants to venture out, but again doesn’t want to hurt her aunties and ma, so she stays working for them only. The fact that her dating life was the main topic of the first few chapters, was HILARIOUS. I love what her ma did and it definitely added a TON of comedy for me. 

Her date gone wrong- was such an angering moment. I hated how he was being pushy, and being how he was. I think the chapters about the death before they went to the island, was so FUNNY. The aunties response to the whole thing, was so CHAOTIC, but honestly kind of felt so far out there that it made it funnier. 

I loved the whole wedding chapters, it was so funny and I love how they were so surprising. The little mystery thrown in there was super surprising. I loved it though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Pregnancy

amcghig's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Car accident

ashley_1206's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

3⭐️ all i can say rn is what?

anyways love meddy and nathan fr. nathan a real one.

this book was o fast but hella long chapters but i enjoyed it but at the same time i cant comprehend everything. we were moving so damn fast but i liked it???

also the culture was chefs kiss

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault

zombiezami's review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was hilarious. I never quite knew where the story was going to go next, but I loved Medellin and the Aunties. My one complaint is that Nathan didn't seem that developed as a character. In general, there were a lot of coincidences that seemed to exist just so the story could move forward. But still, I highly recommend, and I look forward to the screen adaptation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Murder, Drug use, Kidnapping, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Cursing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Excrement, Racism, Xenophobia, and Gun violence

Attempted rape

erinmjustice's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Confinement, Gun violence, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment and Racism

now_booking's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

4.25 Stars.

I was apprehensive about approaching this because of the mystery element not being much of a mystery reader, but this is a romantic mystery of the wild hijinks, slapstick comedy, somewhat ridiculous actioned variety. And I completely loved it. Was it realistic? No. But was it immensely heartfelt and an absolutely wonderful representation of the lengths family goes to for one another, unreservedly YES!

The premise is that Meddy works with her mom and 3 aunts in their family’s wedding planning business. Meddy is stuck in a rut and plotting how to leave when her mom secretly sets her up on a blind date via a dating app. What follows is high drama and murder and a cover up of the most dramatic sort set around an Asian high society wedding.

This was over the top but in a way that felt very deliberate and strategic. Yes, it tended towards the ridiculous and couldn’t have been more unrealistic, but it was always laugh out loud funny and meaningful and heartfelt. I would have given it 5 stars if I wasn’t left feeling somewhat unsettled about the fate of the murder victim. Nevertheless,  Meddy’s relationship with Nathan more than made up for that by making my heart sing and break and feel all the feels. The intra-generational family dynamics between the sisters and the inter-generational one between Meddy and her aunts, were very well-executed and felt real and relatable. The performativity of respect and the weight of expectation to perform as expected was a significant theme of this book. It is not my place to comment on criticism that Meddy’s mother and aunts stereotype Asian culture, but what I can say is that in their love and dedication to family and to family honour, they resonate with anyone who’s grown up Westernised but who comes from a non-Western culture and way of being. I adored those women and how far they were willing to go for family. 

Highly recommend if you’re looking for something fun and light-hearted with a bit of romance and cozy mystery thrown in. This is like Crazy Rich Asians meets slapstick comedy and has a baby with a mystery in a dumplings shop and it’s absolutely fabulous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Toxic relationship, Murder, Racism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Gaslighting and Abandonment

imstephtacular's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, Death, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism, Drug use, and Car accident