Reviews with content warning for Death - Dial A for Aunties

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!

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hdoomk's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

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

2.5

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haileyanne's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Disappointing. The dialogue is so cringey and unnatural. Didn’t like the writing. The plot is truly unbelievable. The second half made up for the first, and things were tied up nicely, but I won’t read the sequel. I think I might’ve enjoyed more reading rather than listening?

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charlie1995's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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tomasalbanez's review against another edition

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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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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

if you plan to read this book because you're attracted to mystery murder, i am sorry to break it to you but this is not the type of content you're looking for. it is just a silly fun book you can read when you're in the same mood as when watching some funny sitcom. i knew exactly what i was getting into (in fact this is the kind of book i've been wanting to read since a couple months ago) so i think that's why, unlike other reviewers, i actually had a good time reading the book.

maybe one of the only things i disliked was... nathan.

yeah, he is adorable and he's meddy's soulmate and future husband

but i was expecting to see some kind of flaw coming from him. i can excuse some unbelievable details in the plot because that's the fun of it, but he was a little bit too perfect and that made his personality lowkey bland.

of course one can say that the aunties themselves don't have that much of a development neither

yet, from my point of view, i think that the whole situation of the corpse and meddy's declaration by the end, helps them to explicitly appreciate each other

overall, their connection and their funny lines is what made me love the book.

as i said, it seems to me that this is not a book one should overanalyze so i did not stop to ponder on her character. but i have to say that i relate to her a little. i am also a daughter of immigrants who has never left the nest, so i know i am going to have a hard time doing so when the time comes. that's why i can truly emphathize with her guilt of leaving her family behind.

this is, to put it briefly, this is a comedic story about the importance of family. i think anyone who wants to read it can truly have a good time doing so, as long as they're aware of that.

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ashwaar's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

Dial A for Aunties is a book with about a family trying to hide a dead body whilst they cater an extravagant wedding on an island in California. It’s an incredibly silly, unrealistic storyline but its also pretty entertaining and funny. You just have to suspend your beliefs about how people realistically act when confronted with a murder and go with it because otherwise you’ll end up questioning everything that happens.

The main character, Meddy, runs a wedding business with her mum and three aunts, and after she accidentally kills her blind date, she enlists her family to help her hide the body. But they’re also busy helping at the biggest wedding of the season, at a luxury hotel that Meddy soon realises is managed by her ex-boyfriend, Nathan, who she hasn’t seen in four years.

Meddy and her family are pretty funny, and the writing is fairly sharp. However, other side characters are literal cartoon people and by this I mean both that they act so goofy they’re unrealistic, but also they’re very undeveloped, making them seem basically 2D. Our romantic lead, Nathan, is somehow the most unrealistic out of all of these because he’s a a fantasy man, has zero flaws and is incredibly understanding that his ex has killed a man.

The story is funny and sweet but also incredibly stressful and chaotic. It gives you whiplash with the juxtaposition of the scenes, with Meddy going from trying to hide the body, to making out with Nathan, to crying over family feuds. It does feel like too much is being crammed in at some points, but I loved the scenes of the family and their dynamic together, especially how keen they are to help Meddy. Overall its a bit silly, but it's easy to read and its a lot of fun. I finished it in about two days and I think its very well suited for a younger audience.

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caityg22's review against another edition

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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? No

4.0

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