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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
funny
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
This was a lot better than I thought it would be. Usually by YA expectations are a bit lower, but this one was heartfelt, talking about identity and also gender and cultural stereotypes. I thought this was really well done!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
I am so glad to have the uk versions of the Jesse standalone and I just acquired Dial a for aunties. Three book by this amazing author I hope to catch her on tour. As this is my first read I laughed at how real the horniness and cultural boundariless the families were.the romance was just enough to give me the feels. But I mostly fell in love with Jakarta and Bali. Def adding to my travel to do list. Gotte find some indonesian food!
Gostei, mas não amei e nem sei explicar o porquê. A história é legal, entretém, mas sabe quando falta algo que a gente nem consegue saber o que é? Pois é, pode ser só loucura minha também (o mais provável).
Amei conhecer um pouco da cultura sinoindonésia, gostei de muitas coisas. Amei as personagens, principalmente Kiki e Eleanor Roosevelt, duas divas separadas pelo nascimento, mas aproximadas pelas peripécias da família. Pra variar, odiei a prota, menina chata da porr@! Sahrlot, você é um porre! Até gostei do perdedor, ele é um carinha legal e tendo que aguentar aquela família doida, se tornou ainda mais legal. Gostei do negócio da mãe, foi um ótimo plot.
Enfim, não é melhor que o Disque T, mas é legal.
Amei conhecer um pouco da cultura sinoindonésia, gostei de muitas coisas. Amei as personagens, principalmente Kiki e Eleanor Roosevelt, duas divas separadas pelo nascimento, mas aproximadas pelas peripécias da família. Pra variar, odiei a prota, menina chata da porr@! Sahrlot, você é um porre! Até gostei do perdedor, ele é um carinha legal e tendo que aguentar aquela família doida, se tornou ainda mais legal. Gostei do negócio da mãe, foi um ótimo plot.
Enfim, não é melhor que o Disque T, mas é legal.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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
I actually started reading Didn’t See That Coming without realizing it was the second book in a series (which is great that it stands alone enough!), so I stopped to read this one first. I like the premise of the second book a lot more, but really loved learning about Indonesia and Chinese-Indonesian culture from this book.
A one of them is famous YA rom com that takes place among the beautiful backdrop of scenic Indonesia.
Sharlot Citra is ready to go all the way with her boyfriend. That is, until her mother catches her in the act and whisks her away to Indonesia, the country her mother grew up in. George Clooney Tanuwijaya is just an average guy—if you don't take into account that he was born into a family of millionaires. And what do teenage boys get up to in their free time? They pleasure themselves, of course. When George's father walks in on him during the act, he is also grounded. Desperate for their children to be in a relationship that they consider positive, the two's parents set them up with one another on the most awkward date in Indonesian history. At least they'll never have to see each other again. Except that's not the case when they run into the press and George and Sharlot are made out to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Now, the two most fake date their way out of some sticky situations. . . and avoid the ever-growing sexual tension that they both feel.
This is my first book by Sutanto, and I think it was a fairly good introduction to her work. Her writing is witty, the banter is so natural, and her character's thoughts are totally uncensored. I wasn't ready for how brash the first couple of chapters were; these two were just so horny! There isn't anything wrong about a couple of teenagers both trying to sexually please themselves and getting caught by their parents, but I just wasn't expecting it, especially right out of the gates. This definitely did a great job at showcasing the in-your-face humor style that Sutanto thrives in.
The premise of this one is quite comical with Sharlot and George both being punished for not being proper young adults and their parents trying to set them up through an online platform. My biggest complaint about the entire situation is the fake dating element. I was shocked that the two didn't tell each other that their parents were the ones behind it all from the very first moment they met, and I just found it so petty that it just drug on the entire novel. I get that fake dating is a well-loved trope, there is just so many lies involved that it made me uncomfortable at times.
I love how deeply this book explores parent-children relationships and how they change over time. Sharlot goes through a point where she realizes that her mother had a life before her, which may seem obvious, but I feel like it's something that all kids with parents experience at some point. There's another instance in this book where George realizes that he is proud of his aunt and that has him doing a double take. It is so rare for the young to let the elders in their lives know that they are indeed proud of them too. Relationships are a two-way street, but it often doesn't feel that way in society.
Seeing Sharlot connect with her heritage and her culture was another great part about this book. Combine this with the fact that George is one of the most famous young adults in Indonesia and this book had a rollicking good rom com vibe. The two had to constantly act all chummy for the press and it was fun to watch the point when the fake dating turned real despite not loving all the circumstances that led to them faking a relationship.
Overall, "Well, That Was Unexpected" was a mostly good time that had me laughing aloud while also having me connect with the messages that were being portrayed. I definitely had to suspend my belief a time or two over the course of reading this book, but that's to be expected in a fake dating one of them is famous type plot line. Sutanto has a very interesting sense of humor, which I'm excited to read more of in the future. I'm curious to see what I'll think of this book's companion which I'll be reading next.
Sharlot Citra is ready to go all the way with her boyfriend. That is, until her mother catches her in the act and whisks her away to Indonesia, the country her mother grew up in. George Clooney Tanuwijaya is just an average guy—if you don't take into account that he was born into a family of millionaires. And what do teenage boys get up to in their free time? They pleasure themselves, of course. When George's father walks in on him during the act, he is also grounded. Desperate for their children to be in a relationship that they consider positive, the two's parents set them up with one another on the most awkward date in Indonesian history. At least they'll never have to see each other again. Except that's not the case when they run into the press and George and Sharlot are made out to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Now, the two most fake date their way out of some sticky situations. . . and avoid the ever-growing sexual tension that they both feel.
This is my first book by Sutanto, and I think it was a fairly good introduction to her work. Her writing is witty, the banter is so natural, and her character's thoughts are totally uncensored. I wasn't ready for how brash the first couple of chapters were; these two were just so horny! There isn't anything wrong about a couple of teenagers both trying to sexually please themselves and getting caught by their parents, but I just wasn't expecting it, especially right out of the gates. This definitely did a great job at showcasing the in-your-face humor style that Sutanto thrives in.
The premise of this one is quite comical with Sharlot and George both being punished for not being proper young adults and their parents trying to set them up through an online platform. My biggest complaint about the entire situation is the fake dating element. I was shocked that the two didn't tell each other that their parents were the ones behind it all from the very first moment they met, and I just found it so petty that it just drug on the entire novel. I get that fake dating is a well-loved trope, there is just so many lies involved that it made me uncomfortable at times.
I love how deeply this book explores parent-children relationships and how they change over time. Sharlot goes through a point where she realizes that her mother had a life before her, which may seem obvious, but I feel like it's something that all kids with parents experience at some point. There's another instance in this book where George realizes that he is proud of his aunt and that has him doing a double take. It is so rare for the young to let the elders in their lives know that they are indeed proud of them too. Relationships are a two-way street, but it often doesn't feel that way in society.
Seeing Sharlot connect with her heritage and her culture was another great part about this book. Combine this with the fact that George is one of the most famous young adults in Indonesia and this book had a rollicking good rom com vibe. The two had to constantly act all chummy for the press and it was fun to watch the point when the fake dating turned real despite not loving all the circumstances that led to them faking a relationship.
Overall, "Well, That Was Unexpected" was a mostly good time that had me laughing aloud while also having me connect with the messages that were being portrayed. I definitely had to suspend my belief a time or two over the course of reading this book, but that's to be expected in a fake dating one of them is famous type plot line. Sutanto has a very interesting sense of humor, which I'm excited to read more of in the future. I'm curious to see what I'll think of this book's companion which I'll be reading next.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes