Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Didn't See That Coming

Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto

10 reviews

katievallin's review

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.25

The ending was a bit ridiculous. I think I need a break from YA. Also though Kiki was a bit annoying, although I did respect her ability to speak her mind. Didn't like the glorification of progressivism, but also got really angry at the school's blatant sexism and misogyny. I did like the gaming aspect of the book and the friendship between Kiki and Liam.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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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

A surprisingly heartfelt, You’ve Got Mail Style Rom-Com that offsets its witty charm and humorous quips, with a deft exploration into sexism, toxic masculinity and online harassment of girls that I found refreshingly relevant.

Though not really a gamer myself (Pokemon and Animal Crossing being pretty much my only experience), I enjoyed exploring both the perks and pitfalls of the gaming community from a female centred perspective.

And what a perspective it was! Kiki was such a confident and compelling protagonist, with flaws and insecurities that brought depth to her character— which I found utterly endearing. Her relatable foray into the world of first love, starting a new school and the awkward task of making friends is certain to be a just as much of a hit with teen readers as well.

As I previously mentioned, we do explore some highly important subject material, such as the emotional and psychological impact of bullying (both on and off-line) and the multitude of problems that an environment of misogyny and toxic masculinity can cause.

However, the biggest highlight for me was the witty banter and character cameos from Jesse Q. Sutanto’s previous YA Rom-Com (Well, That Was Unexpected) which imbued the perfect amount comic relief to break up the more emotionally intense scenes. Especially with the return of the precocious Eleanor Roosevelt Tanuwijaya, whose elaborate (and secret) school wide dating service brings Kiki face to face with her online gaming bestie— who doesn’t know she’s a girl.

The romance was really good, in a slightly angsty will-they-won’t-they-kind of way but I did really enjoy it. Our male love interest was an adorable cinnamon roll and he and Kiki’s IRL interactions are the absolute cutest. My only criticism is that the pace did dip a little in the middle—however, Kiki’s resilient attitude and determination not to give into her bullies,and drive to change her school’s outdated (and sexist) policies, did lead to a satisfyingly uplifting conclusion that did definitely make up for it.

So, if you’re an avid gamer or adore YA Rom- Coms with a message then I highly recommend checking this out!

Also huge thank you to Rachel Quin and Electric Monkey Books for the finished copy.

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alyssajp's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

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puddleshoes's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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girlreading's review

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funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

A fun, classic rom-com that explores topics such as sexism, classism and sexual harassment within the gaming world, academia, cultures and more.

Whilst I didn’t love this as much as Sutanto’s previous work, due to finding certain aspects of the plot frustrating and/or unnecessary, I really appreciate the message this book sends and the issues it tackles.

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bookishmillennial's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Oh my gosh, this has to be one of my top young adult coming-of-age/romance reads of the year! Jesse Q. Sutanto writes fierce young characters so well, and I adored this story about Kiki fighting the patriarchy of her uppity, conservative private school!

Kiki's parents transfer her to a new private school (the same one George Clooney goes to in Well, That Was Unexpected) against her wishes and she tries her best to fit in. However, once she gets there, she quickly realizes that she is up against a vehemently strong status quo, which is led by billionaire nepo-baby and top student, Jonas. After she challenges him during a group project meeting, a target lands on Kiki's back for major bullying and side-eye from the rest of the student body, deeming her "Crazy Kiki". Kiki attempts to go to the school principal for assistance, but repeatedly gets gaslighted, mansplained, and dismissed.

On top of all this, she has been battling it out virtually via the video game Warfront Heroes as "dudebro10" and finds out her online bestie "sourdawg" goes to her new school too! The only problem is - sourdawg thinks dudebro10 is a boy because of the username! Kiki only did this to be treated with respect and dignity, as the rampant misogyny in the gaming world was exhausting emotional labor that she did not want to navigate - she just wanted to play the game!

Additionally, Kiki agrees to be part of her younger classmates'/friends' new app "Little Aunties," and hopes to be matched with someone she develops a friendship with, Liam! However, Kiki also makes new friends with Tris, who also likes Liam! At her core, Kiki is a girls' girl and gives us lovely examples of healthy and strong female friendship, which can sometimes be rare in high school representation! Gosh, so much going on hahaha.

Amidst all the hijinks and drama, Kiki's journey is unfortunately not unique. I felt this was an empowering, relatable, and timely story of a young woman fighting back for her agency, dignity, and respect in a world that was set up for men to run it. Kiki encounters misogyny and sexism in almost every space she enters - home, school, online, and she refuses to let it define her. The examples that JQS highlighted in Kiki's story were too familiar - during a time where more and more femmes and nonbinary folks are entering spaces that were once predominantly spaces for cis-men, we need more and more stories like this and more conversations about recognizing the harms of the patriarchy, and combating it in every damn space!

The final scene where Kiki gives a presentation about the ways in which she was treated differently when online gamers knew she was a girl versus when they assumed she was a boy was chef's kiss. I felt so satisfied with this ending, and I was so proud of her!

I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it - the narration by Risa Mei is excellent!

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bgoodbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

I know this is YA but it is frustrating how there were parts where the main character makes the same mistakes over and over. How do you get in trouble in class and get upset about it and then do the same thing the next period? I really like that Kiki stands up for herself and enacts change but at first I was like sis catch the hint! I do think it all comes full circle at the end and I am happy that Kiki stood up for herself but it felt very YA to me.

The principal is so insufferable!!! Every scene with him infuriated me.

The blackmail part of the book was very cringey to me and made me want to turn the book off. Personally I would have just confessed so listening to Kiki suffer through it was very painful to me. I'm an oversharer so I could not relate to that part at all.

I really think this book is so great for young people to hear that they don't have to put up with bullying, sexism, and misogyny even though it is culturally present.

Also admittedly, I have not seen You've Got Mail so that could factor into part of my review of the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and PRH Audio for an ARC of this one!

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bellebookcorner's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.25

Pick up this YA contemporary romance if you love:

✨️ friends-to-lovers

✨️ hidden identity

✨️ high school romance

✨️ funny & lighthearted

This book is not just about a simple and sweet teenage love story, but it also brought up several important topics like cyber-bullying, sexism, toxic masculinity, and school bullying that still happen in real life.

Kiki’s (FMC) character is loveable and feels very relatable. I can feel her rage and her sadness of being helpless to the point of losing her old self.

I also admire her for being able to stand up for herself and how she encourage others to do the same with the help of her supportive friends and family.

Kiki’s rebellious act and her relationships with her best friends had me laughing and smiling since I used to did the same thing with my friends in real life like shorten the uniform’s skirt, going to a café after school, texting during class, etc.
I also love the blooming sweet romance between Kiki and Liam. Liam is such a sweetheart and I kinda wished he had his own POV in this book.

The ending was a little bit rushed but overall it’s such a page turner!

As an Indonesian, I can totally relate to a few things mentioned here which I found enjoyable and entertaining.

Highly recommended especially for teenagers and I’m really looking forward to read the next book from this author!

Didn’t See that Coming is a standalone book but a few characters from 'Well That was Unexpected' made an appearance here and if you’re curious about Sharlot and George’s story then you can check that one out.

Nevertheless, you can enjoy reading this book without having to read 'Well That was Unexpected'.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, the author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

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cozylifewithabby's review

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5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacourt Press for a free E-arc in exchange for my honest review. Didn't See that Coming is a Young Adult Romance about a gamer girl and her online friend. It is a follow-up to We'll That Was Unexpected as it follows characters introduced in that story. You don't need to have read the first book first, but I strongly suggest it as this book does have spoilers for that one. (And they are both fantastic!) This story has miscommunication, fake dating, "enemies to lovers," friends to lovers, and strong female friendships. It also covers topics such as feminism, bullying, misogyny within the gaming world and the world at large, cyber bullying, and the ups and downs of coming of age. At the 20% mark I just couldn't put the book down. The characters are either lovable or love to hate and the story holds so much hope. One of my favorite Young Adult reads this year.

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