Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

5 reviews

ninahuynh's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I still don't understand how Meddy's mom

didn't recognize Aguan's photo on the dating app... I know he didn't send any photos in the chat, but she and the aunties rave about how handsome he is so the assumption is there be at least 1 photo in the profile or how else would Meddy know who to look for when she met him for the first time?

The aunties definitely remind me of my own aunts and family. I loved that I learned a bit about Indonesian/Chinese-Indonesian culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

katrinalamothe's review

adventurous funny lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

Despite the number of potential trigger warnings, this book is NOT what meets the eye and was quite the entertaining read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping

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! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, and I think I'd read another, even though the writing wasn't my fave. It was very conversational, which is totally accessible and fun and makes for a nice relaxing read. It's just not as much my jam. But I love a good love story, and I really liked the peak into this very female-driven world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

amibo's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

I was really looking forward to this one.  I saw the photo shoot the author did with her real life aunties and thought this was going to be lots of fun. Parts of it were, but I was disappointed.

What was great: Meddy's mom (definitely LOLed at her comments several times), Indo & Chinese relationships & traditions
What was fun: The aunties dialogue
What really, really, did not work for me: The widely fluctuating tone. I was prepared to suspend disbelief - A LOT of disbelief - but most significantly the flashback chapters to Meddy and Nathan's relationship were very straight-up romance, not even romcom, so it was hard to stay in the black humor mode. The tone pendulum made some of the really over-the-top, unbelievable decisions and situations harder to laugh at, rather than cringe about. I think it would have been easier to stay with the crazy flow if the college years' information was shortened, and only the most important information shared in brief flashbacks like later in the story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Car accident