Scan barcode
chai_5090's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Cursing, and Death
abicaro17's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Crazy Rich Asians meets Weekend at Bernies in this hilarious wedding hi-jinx rom com! Meddy is a wedding photographer who accidentally kills her blind date and calls on her mom and three aunts to help her hide the body. Nathan is her college ex who just so happens to own the hotel that the wedding Meddy and her family are working that weekend. This book is absolutely adorable! Between the hilarious aunts and crazy chemistry between Nathan and Meddy theres a little something for everyone. Do I think this book has any semblance of reality? No. Is it a fun cute read anyways? Hell yeah!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Drug use, Kidnapping, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Body horror, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence
edhyndman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Cursing
Minor: Sexual harassment
fernandalaram's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, and Drug use
morahsharon1's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
was really looking forward to reading this. Zany, madcap mystery with Indonesian-Chinese aunties.
Maybe it's just that I so dislike the trope of " none of this would have happened if anyone actually talked!"
I understand that Sutanto was trying to capture the culture of "anything for family" along with the idea of cultural and familial pressure, but really?
Yes there was love there, but so much disfunction!
The main character was super immature and didn't function/think as an adult.
Maybe it's just that I so dislike the trope of " none of this would have happened if anyone actually talked!"
I understand that Sutanto was trying to capture the culture of "anything for family" along with the idea of cultural and familial pressure, but really?
Yes there was love there, but so much disfunction!
The main character was super immature and didn't function/think as an adult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Gaslighting, Murder, Cursing, Death, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
fromthefoxhole's review
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
Oh my god, I don't even know where to start with this BOOK. I was constantly wiping my eyes, either from laughing so hard or from tearing up from the outpouring of love between the aunties and Meddy.
I love that this book is romantic and swoony as the b plot, that the familial love and hilarity takes center stage. It gives so much more breathing room to the romance, and really highlights how life changing it can be to grow up and realize that yes, your family can drive you mad, but oftentimes it's out of love and hope. If I'm being honest, the aunties stole the show for me, even though they're technically secondary characters.
Something about Sutanto's writing made their personalities so vivid, by the end of the book I feel like I could pop into any of their homes for a quick cup of tea or bite to eat.
This is my favorite book I've read so far this year, and easily leapt to my top ten I've read ever. *insert that lady Gaga gif where she's listing accolades*
I love that this book is romantic and swoony as the b plot, that the familial love and hilarity takes center stage. It gives so much more breathing room to the romance, and really highlights how life changing it can be to grow up and realize that yes, your family can drive you mad, but oftentimes it's out of love and hope. If I'm being honest, the aunties stole the show for me, even though they're technically secondary characters.
Something about Sutanto's writing made their personalities so vivid, by the end of the book I feel like I could pop into any of their homes for a quick cup of tea or bite to eat.
This is my favorite book I've read so far this year, and easily leapt to my top ten I've read ever. *insert that lady Gaga gif where she's listing accolades*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Cursing
Minor: Sexual content, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Death of parent
marissasa's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
This book is so wacky, wild, unserious, hilarious, and camp. I was gagged by how incredibly entertaining and ridiculous it was. I loved the main characters and felt that Meddy and the aunties were written well, striking that balance between the fierce, unconditional love and support of family and the inexplainable thoughts and baffling actions they all had. Every situation Meddy went through was crazy, but it felt like at the end of each couple chapters a new, even crazier development would occur and the entire situation would escalate tenfold, making me need to read on and find out what was going to happen. I loved the ridiculous twists and crimes committed and how things just kept piling higher and higher, and that despite going through everything from hiding a dead body to confronting her mom about the immense pressure and guilt she felt from her family's expectations, Meddy powered through to the end and found the resolve within herself to stand up and face all her problems head on. I cannot wait for this book to get adapted into a movie!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Cursing, Blood, Car accident, Racism, Death, Murder, and Sexual assault
riverofpages's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
It’s just a really fun book. A good palate cleanser between heavier reads, dramas or nonfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Murder and Racism
colleensreadingadventures's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I first started reading Dial A for Aunties I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants..thankfully I did not. I got excited as hell thinking I scored another Finlay Donovan book with dead bodies and humor. A perfect combination! 😁 And with some added Asian Auntie flair..sounds like a good time to me! My excitement did not last long though and after the first couple of chapters I felt a bit deflated.
Meddy’s love life is in the toilet. She’s still pining over Nathan her college love and won’t give any other man a real try. In order to help Meddy find love her mother signs her up on a dating website and springs the news that she has found the perfect man. In fact they have a date to meet that night. Who cares that Meddy’s mom has been talking to Jake for weeks pretending to be Meddy or that Jake has never even posted a picture. Meddy’s mom is sure he’s just shy and doesn’t want her to be focused on looks alone. Somehow even with all this Meddy’s mom and 3 Aunties talk her into taking a leap of faith and meeting up with Jake, the mysterious rich bachelor, who has at least captured Meddy’s moms heart.
Their date goes horribly wrong and Meddy accidentally kills her man. And who does she call to help clean up the mess? You guessed it…The Aunties. They come up with the perfect plan to protect Meddy. They’ll hide his body inside Big Aunties cake fridge until the biggest wedding of their careers is over and dispose of the body. But Big Aunties assistant (who’s in the dark), being a little too diligent has the cooler with Jake’s body sent to the island wedding destination.
What ensues next is a comedy of errors as Meddy and Aunties try and conceal the cooler without raising suspicion as well as taking care of all the bride and grooms needs. Exasperated Meddy is not sure if things could get any worse as the Aunties, after decades old rivalries decides today is the day to out do each other. Taking matters in to their own hands no matter how bad their ideas may be. Such as youngest Auntie, number 4 plying the groomsmen with Absinthe to cloud their memories…which may or may not have worked out perfectly. 😁 Throwing an even bigger wrench into their rapidly spiraling plans, Meddy’s ex Nathan makes an unexpected appearance. How can she think with Nathan, the one that got away there to distract her every thought? Instead of concentrating on how to dispose of Jake, her current man problem, she’s thinking of how much she’d like to pull Nathan into her room for an Afternoon Delight.
Will the big day end up with a wedding or with the Chan’s behind bars?
My main problem with Dial A for Aunties is that is started out strong but fizzled fast. There were so many humorous moments. But there were even more times when the humor fell flat.
I loved the Aunties. They all had such great big lovable personalities! I think I liked them even more than Meddy. I especially liked Meddy’s mom. She was just so adorable in her ignorance, especially in matters of modern communication. When Jake messaged Meddy he had a delicious 🍆 for her she thought he wanted to cook her dinner. 🤣 I wanted to give her a huge hug a lot of the time. But that’s also the other problem I have. I really didn’t feel a whole lot for Meddy or Nathan. Nathan was way to wimpy for my tastes. And the fact that he didn’t fight for Meddy at all in college…and I do mean at ALL, really irked me. Who is with someone for 3 years and everything is going great, and then bam she throws out a lame excuse and he walks away without trying to discuss it whatsoever?! No one ever!
So much of this was unbelievable. The most believable thing was Meddy and Aunties hiding a corpse all day. And that’s pretty unbelievable. Obviously you have to suspend some belief in order to read this but it was just over the top in a lot of ways.
I was getting tired of the Aunties rivalry. It went on way to long. Explain it once maybe twice, I will get the picture. But it just went on and on and on.
What I did like was learning a bit about Chinese-Indonesian culture. The beginning of the book Jesse Q. Sutanto writes the readers a letter explaining the book is a lover letter to her family and breaks down a little of their history.
I also learned about some of the Chinese-Indonesian wedding traditions. Like the Tea Ceremony before the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom serve tea to their elders. And in return their elders present them with gifts of gold or money. I can definitely get behind that! 😁
I loved that even with all the rivalry the Chan’s were there for each other through thick and thin. They might do it fighting but you could still feel the love when all was said and done.
There were definitely parts of Dial A for Aunties I really liked, but I’m not sure if it was enough to continue on with Four Aunties and a Wedding. I’ll have to mull that over and see how I feel later on.
Mild trigger to consider. I was picturing this as mostly a pretty clean book. And in most aspects it is, except for some of the language. It didn’t offended me, I have no problem with bad language unless it’s over the top. I just wasn’t expecting it. Others who do have an issue with language might want to be aware going in this is not squeaky clean. 😁
Meddy’s love life is in the toilet. She’s still pining over Nathan her college love and won’t give any other man a real try. In order to help Meddy find love her mother signs her up on a dating website and springs the news that she has found the perfect man. In fact they have a date to meet that night. Who cares that Meddy’s mom has been talking to Jake for weeks pretending to be Meddy or that Jake has never even posted a picture. Meddy’s mom is sure he’s just shy and doesn’t want her to be focused on looks alone. Somehow even with all this Meddy’s mom and 3 Aunties talk her into taking a leap of faith and meeting up with Jake, the mysterious rich bachelor, who has at least captured Meddy’s moms heart.
Their date goes horribly wrong and Meddy accidentally kills her man. And who does she call to help clean up the mess? You guessed it…The Aunties. They come up with the perfect plan to protect Meddy. They’ll hide his body inside Big Aunties cake fridge until the biggest wedding of their careers is over and dispose of the body. But Big Aunties assistant (who’s in the dark), being a little too diligent has the cooler with Jake’s body sent to the island wedding destination.
What ensues next is a comedy of errors as Meddy and Aunties try and conceal the cooler without raising suspicion as well as taking care of all the bride and grooms needs. Exasperated Meddy is not sure if things could get any worse as the Aunties, after decades old rivalries decides today is the day to out do each other. Taking matters in to their own hands no matter how bad their ideas may be. Such as youngest Auntie, number 4 plying the groomsmen with Absinthe to cloud their memories…which may or may not have worked out perfectly. 😁 Throwing an even bigger wrench into their rapidly spiraling plans, Meddy’s ex Nathan makes an unexpected appearance. How can she think with Nathan, the one that got away there to distract her every thought? Instead of concentrating on how to dispose of Jake, her current man problem, she’s thinking of how much she’d like to pull Nathan into her room for an Afternoon Delight.
Will the big day end up with a wedding or with the Chan’s behind bars?
My main problem with Dial A for Aunties is that is started out strong but fizzled fast. There were so many humorous moments. But there were even more times when the humor fell flat.
I loved the Aunties. They all had such great big lovable personalities! I think I liked them even more than Meddy. I especially liked Meddy’s mom. She was just so adorable in her ignorance, especially in matters of modern communication. When Jake messaged Meddy he had a delicious 🍆 for her she thought he wanted to cook her dinner. 🤣 I wanted to give her a huge hug a lot of the time. But that’s also the other problem I have. I really didn’t feel a whole lot for Meddy or Nathan. Nathan was way to wimpy for my tastes. And the fact that he didn’t fight for Meddy at all in college…and I do mean at ALL, really irked me. Who is with someone for 3 years and everything is going great, and then bam she throws out a lame excuse and he walks away without trying to discuss it whatsoever?! No one ever!
So much of this was unbelievable. The most believable thing was Meddy and Aunties hiding a corpse all day. And that’s pretty unbelievable. Obviously you have to suspend some belief in order to read this but it was just over the top in a lot of ways.
I was getting tired of the Aunties rivalry. It went on way to long. Explain it once maybe twice, I will get the picture. But it just went on and on and on.
What I did like was learning a bit about Chinese-Indonesian culture. The beginning of the book Jesse Q. Sutanto writes the readers a letter explaining the book is a lover letter to her family and breaks down a little of their history.
I also learned about some of the Chinese-Indonesian wedding traditions. Like the Tea Ceremony before the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom serve tea to their elders. And in return their elders present them with gifts of gold or money. I can definitely get behind that! 😁
I loved that even with all the rivalry the Chan’s were there for each other through thick and thin. They might do it fighting but you could still feel the love when all was said and done.
There were definitely parts of Dial A for Aunties I really liked, but I’m not sure if it was enough to continue on with Four Aunties and a Wedding. I’ll have to mull that over and see how I feel later on.
Mild trigger to consider. I was picturing this as mostly a pretty clean book. And in most aspects it is, except for some of the language. It didn’t offended me, I have no problem with bad language unless it’s over the top. I just wasn’t expecting it. Others who do have an issue with language might want to be aware going in this is not squeaky clean. 😁
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death
Minor: Drug use
zombiezami's review against another edition
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.
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