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A review by lauren_miller
Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: bullying, sexism, gaslighting, classism, dashes of racism
Note: You do not need to have read "Well, That Was Unexpected" to read this book (but it might help!)
I was immediately drawn to this book because a) the cover is adorable and b) during the pandemic I went down a gamer drama rabbit hole (think "You Are My Glory" and "Falling Into Your Smile"), so the premise—girl pretending to be a guy online ends up meeting her virtual bestie and falling for him IRL—was totally up my street. And on premise alone, this book totally delivered.
But it was wayyy more intense than I was expecting. Instead of slice of life teen drama, this was like "The Heirs" meets online gaming, and not necessarily in a good way.
At its heart, this book is about girls being mistreated, sometimes violently, because of their gender. Our main character Kiki opted to start playing under a bro handle b/c of rape and death threats, knocks to her intelligence and strategizing abilities, and being punished for speaking up. Which is then mirrored by her new high school experience; at Xingfa, the students are cruel in person and on social media, wealth means power, and being a female makes you a second-class citizen. Kiki becomes a pariah, #CrazyKiki, because she dares to question the social hierarchy and incredibly conservative expectations of students and, more importantly, faculty. She gets bullied in the classroom and online, gaslit into remaining silent for the sake of image, and ultimately ends up emotionally traumatized.
And the saddest part?? At one point, a few female side characters commiserate with her over experiencing the same thing when they started at Xingfa. The culture of misogyny is so prevalent, so deeply ingrained at Xingfa that instead of speaking up for Kiki, they apologize for remaining bystanders; they've been pushed down, snuffed out, silenced for so long that ALL they can do is apologize.
While this book made me laugh and smile and swoon, it also had me crying literal tears of frustration. And in the end, I'm not sure if the ending was cathartic enough for me. The resolution, while totally acceptable by kdrama standards, was pretty unbelievable and convenient, and Jonas—the main perpetrator of the bullying—and the faculty didn't *really* learn their lesson.
The romance was cute. The female friendships were good. The characterization and atmosphere were perfect for the age range of the book (seriously, are the author's kids teenagers yet??? b/c the voice and tone were spot on!). The look into the hodgepodge of cultures and expectations that is Jakarta was fascinating. There were parts I genuinely had fun reading! But I came away kinda exhausted and under-satisfied. This could be the empath in me; this could be a more universal experience by readers. Only time will tell...
That said, I definitely see myself picking up more from this author. Like, even though I'm potentially setting myself up for the same emotional rollercoaster, I desperately want to read Sharlot and George Clooney's installment now. And I imagine if you liked that one, you'll for sure like this!
4 out of 5 stars
TW: bullying, sexism, gaslighting, classism, dashes of racism
Note: You do not need to have read "Well, That Was Unexpected" to read this book (but it might help!)
I was immediately drawn to this book because a) the cover is adorable and b) during the pandemic I went down a gamer drama rabbit hole (think "You Are My Glory" and "Falling Into Your Smile"), so the premise—girl pretending to be a guy online ends up meeting her virtual bestie and falling for him IRL—was totally up my street. And on premise alone, this book totally delivered.
But it was wayyy more intense than I was expecting. Instead of slice of life teen drama, this was like "The Heirs" meets online gaming, and not necessarily in a good way.
At its heart, this book is about girls being mistreated, sometimes violently, because of their gender. Our main character Kiki opted to start playing under a bro handle b/c of rape and death threats, knocks to her intelligence and strategizing abilities, and being punished for speaking up. Which is then mirrored by her new high school experience; at Xingfa, the students are cruel in person and on social media, wealth means power, and being a female makes you a second-class citizen. Kiki becomes a pariah, #CrazyKiki, because she dares to question the social hierarchy and incredibly conservative expectations of students and, more importantly, faculty. She gets bullied in the classroom and online, gaslit into remaining silent for the sake of image, and ultimately ends up emotionally traumatized.
And the saddest part?? At one point, a few female side characters commiserate with her over experiencing the same thing when they started at Xingfa. The culture of misogyny is so prevalent, so deeply ingrained at Xingfa that instead of speaking up for Kiki, they apologize for remaining bystanders; they've been pushed down, snuffed out, silenced for so long that ALL they can do is apologize.
While this book made me laugh and smile and swoon, it also had me crying literal tears of frustration. And in the end, I'm not sure if the ending was cathartic enough for me. The resolution, while totally acceptable by kdrama standards, was pretty unbelievable and convenient, and Jonas—the main perpetrator of the bullying—and the faculty didn't *really* learn their lesson.
The romance was cute. The female friendships were good. The characterization and atmosphere were perfect for the age range of the book (seriously, are the author's kids teenagers yet??? b/c the voice and tone were spot on!). The look into the hodgepodge of cultures and expectations that is Jakarta was fascinating. There were parts I genuinely had fun reading! But I came away kinda exhausted and under-satisfied. This could be the empath in me; this could be a more universal experience by readers. Only time will tell...
That said, I definitely see myself picking up more from this author. Like, even though I'm potentially setting myself up for the same emotional rollercoaster, I desperately want to read Sharlot and George Clooney's installment now. And I imagine if you liked that one, you'll for sure like this!
4 out of 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Racism