“Your name is Will because that’s what it takes to live among people who hate you for no other reason than that you exist.
So. Will. Will the Monster, here we are, and here you are.
Your life is about to change.
Ready?”

Oh. My.

Maya MacGregor did it again.

And once again, I'm left speechless. And in awe. Utter, speechless awe.

Will is an agender teen on the cusp of freedom. Six weeks away from their 18th birthday, Francis, their biological abusive drug-dealing mother, dies of a heart attack, leaving Will to figure out what they can do to not fall back into the hands of CPS (Child Protective Services), who did nothing but fail them over and over again, and be free once and for all.

While going through Francis' stuff before throwing it all away and get rid of her nauseating stench of roses, weed and tobacco, Will and their best (and only) friend Hannah come across a box containing letters, so many letters, all of them addressed to Will... They were written over the past four years by Raz, the only foster care mum who ever truly cared about Will and from whom Will was taken away by a now falsely-sober Francis just when they were about to be adopted.

And yes, Will knows they're a monster. Who else would be happy of their biological mother's death? They don't deserve to be happy. They don't deserve to be left in peace by school bully Levy. They don't deserve a life in which they don't have to take care, at 17 years old, about paying electricity bills or Francis' booze and cooking dinner every day. But maybe... maybe they get to have this one thing. Maybe they can find Raz and be a family with her, for real this time.

This is the book I wish I could have written. The book I wish I'd had when I was a teenager, when I needed a release for my anger and pain, when I needed a comforting hug.

I loved every single thing about it: every quote, every word, every dot.

Everything felt carefully, purposefully chosen to make this book the queer YA masterpiece it is.

I loved how nothing is black and white and everything is a spectrum of grays, up for grabs to be challenged and turned upside down, to make you question instead of giving established answers.

One of my favorite scenes is the "fight/argument" between Will and Hannah (chapter 18). In a world where it's becoming harder and harder to have conversations between people with different opinions that don't end up in never talking to each other again because you just cannot accept someone who thinks differently from you, it was bold and refreshing to see how differences of ideals and life experiences do not necessarily have to break people apart. You instinctually lean towards Will's side - after all, Hannah is blinded by her privilege and can't quite see nor understand Will's situation and harsh reality - but can you really blame her for not understanding something that is so foreign to her? And could it also be that Will is themself blinded by their own circumstances, their own prejudices and erected shields to see possibilities beyond what they've experienced so far? Does Will also fall prey to hypocrisy?

Can there be a point of empathetic contact - a conversation - instead of sticking to your own irreconcilable stances?

The second person narration hit me like a wave on its way to become a tsunami. Check mate move. Pure genius. I bow to Maya, deep deep bow. The way you feel everything on your skin: the pain, the despair, the anger, the panic, the incredulity, the slowly yet incontrovertibly blossoming happiness… all these raw emotions sinking into you through a throbbing yet healing papercut.

It’s my first time encountering it and I honestly didn’t think it could work for me – let alone work so damn well – but goodness me, it did. It absolutely fucking did and it shook me to my core and I loved every single second of it.

And Julian. Sweet, precious Julian. You deserve the world but the world doesn't deserve you, you beautiful beautiful soul.

All I'll say about it is that this book has the most tender, wholesome kiss. It was as delicate as a daisy’s petal, as intense as an electric shock, as strong and powerful as a hurricane (chapter 21 – a meaningful number to me, and no, I do not believe in coincidences).

“You are both nonbinary people in a world that doesn’t want to understand you, let alone romance you. You know this. Julian knows this. In some small way, you feel a surge of defiance.”

This book is a punch in the gut.

This book is a silent, desperate cry of help into the void of a world that either doesn't care or is straight up against you.

This book is finding your voice, your place in that complicated, messed up world.

This book is a warm, comforting hug.

This book is a quiet yet resilient whisper in your ear, saying you can weather this seemingly unending storm and hold on tight, there is someone right over there, beyond the dark clouds and the thunders, someone who loves you and is waiting with open arms, waiting to give you what you've been missing your whole life.

This book is the Odissey and the happy ending you never thought you deserved all along.

This book is the Will to exist, to take up space and belong and the journey that leads right to all that.

Content Warnings

Murder At The Royal Ruby by Nita Prose

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mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

A well narrated mystery short story.

The murder itself and its resolution were quite bland and uneventful, there's no suspense or intrigue nor any detective work being done.
But... well. Nita Prose is good at the writing part, the characters felt quite real and it was an Amazon/Audible original and the audiobook was indeed well narrated, so points for that.

Will I remember this? Nope, I'll forget all about it pretty much immediately.
Was it enjoyable to listen to? Yes, it kept me company for 40 minutes.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

More thoughts to come soon!

Content Warnings

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Aaaaaand THE AUNTIES ARE BACK!
My goodness, this was so so much fun to listen to.

After the series had taken a bit of a fall with Four aunties and a wedding (a bit too over the top, a bit too unrealistic), this new installment in the series swerved back into its right lane and took off with its humor, action packed twists and the messiest, most hilarious situations you can possibly think of in which only our Chinese Indonesian aunties could find themselves into!

After spending their honeymoon travelling across Europe, Meddy and Nathan are now heading to the last stop of their trip, Jakarta, where the aunties and the rest of their family is waiting for them to celebrate the Chinese New Year together.
That's when Abraham Lincoln, madly in love with Second Aunt since they were teens and rumored to possibly involved with the Chinese mafia, shows up at the family house with gifts and countless red packets to win over Evangeline's heart. Tradition dictates that red packets, red envelopes that contain money, are supposed to be given on big occasions (weddings, births, new years...) by married people to children and elders. And since Meddy and Nathan are the newlyweds, the honor to give out Abraham's red packets is bestowed upon them.
What they didn't know is that one of the red packets contained the deed to a land that Abraham had promised to a business rival, Julia Child, to form an alliance against another business rival. Yes, it was an honest mistake, but Julia Child is not happy and it's up to Meddy and the aunties to find who received that special red packet and get the deed back or... else!

It was so good to be back with the gang, I had missed them more than I can say. Sure, there might be some sequences that are sliightly too much to exist in the realm of plausibility but it is a comedy of errors and it is so much fun and such a comfort read that you can easily get swept into the story, set off for the adventure and forget all about logic and probably!

I love the family dynamics, I love how all the aunties have such strong and distinguishable personalities and contribute to the story and how far they'd go to protect and help each other.
I love how the author shows the contrast between theirs' and Meddy's generation, highlights and shows respect and appreciation for their culture; and I particularly appreciated how, in this book specifically, Jesse Q. Sutanto highlights how the US is just one country (no matter how big and vast) and the rest of the world is different and does things differently and their way of doing things is not better but it surely isn't worse. Instead of "invading" and/or having an attitude of superiority and disposition to impose your ideas and customs, you should have an open mind and embrace the culture and your surroundings when you go visit or find yourself in another country, instead of expecting it to change to suit your own needs.*
Not a stand that I was in any way expecting but was pleasantly surprised to find in such a lighthearted contemporary book - even though that is probably on me and I should have expected it, considering it is written by a bipoc author and that does talk a lot about culture, immigration and adapting to a new language and new customs.

As always, I bow to Risa Mei for such an incredible performance. She gives a unique voice to Meddy and each aunty, gives so much heart and personality, and it was lovely to listen to her speak more Chinese due to the setting of the story. Truly an incredible performance!

I couldn't find anything anew news or rumors online about a potential 4th book, but Jesse Q. Sutanto left an open door right at the end with one of her typical finale revelations.
What can I say is: if there is going to be a 4th book, I'll be there waiting for it!
Yes, it's the same format over and over again, but what about Fast and Furious? James Bond? Bad Boys? Any other franchise that could have stopped at the second movie? And yet, they keep on making sequels because they work, because they're fun, because they offer comfort and action and a good time to their viewers and fans of the series and The Aunties is precisely the same! The author can keep finding new ways to keep it fresh and interesting while giving us something we know, a family that we want to be a part of, unbelievable situations that we can't wait to see how our aunties will get out of! And I'll be there, among the fans, hoping and waiting to see more of our gang.
Until next time!

*A view that I wholeheartedly share and support, as long as human rights are granted, your morals and integrity stay intact and you don't encounter/experience racism, homophobia, discrimination, etc...

Content Warnings

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frannook's reviews 37 reviews

frannook's reviews
37 reviews