Reviews

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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ljesica's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Sutanto this year. I didn’t realize she wrote YA books until I started reading this one. It was really cute.

Jesse bases most of her stories on her Indo Chinese family experiences. And they’re both heartwarming and laugh out loud hilarious.

Sharlot lives in LA. Her mom has never gone home or talked about her life in Indonesia. She never talks about her family. But then her mom catches Shar in her bedroom with her boyfriend, and 3 days later the two of them are on a flight to Jakarta. Shar is SO MAD and swears to hate every minute of it.

George is from a very wealthy Indo family and is being groomed to be part of the family business. When he gets caught “doing what normal, healthy teenage boys do” by his dad and his sister, the family freaks out and decides he needs a proper girlfriend. So they get on an app.

And then Shar’s mom and George’s dad and sister end up catfishing each other. And shenanigans ensue.

I really liked this one. It was super fun and sweet and made me want to go to Bali. It’s always nice to get a line of sight into other cultures and I’d recommend it.

mgs3's review against another edition

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4.0

Really enjoyed this fresh take on YA. It was on the more mature side of YA. First, the characters were all great and the story flowed really well. There were funny moments that flowed into sad seamlessly. I like the way it evolved and the little surprises that popped up. Secondly I will say that I feel the author has definitely grown in her writing. I can see organic evolution and it seemed less forced and robotic than her prior work. There are still hints of playing into stereotypes and over reliance on dramatic cliches but overall a well written and fun read.

mellamaron's review against another edition

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DNF at 15pgs.

So I read chapter one which was her being horny and wanting sex with her boyfriend only to decide she doesn’t want it as they’re taking clothes off and her mom walking in.

Nope, not my kind of YA. I don’t like that content being upfront in ch 1. Give me a chance to actually like the FMC before you throw me into this kind of content. 😅

etarangelo42's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

3.75

crtney's review against another edition

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1.5

Bland characters, every bad romance trope, and entirely predictable. Extra 1/2 star for the writing about Indonesia and its food.

erine's review against another edition

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4.0

5/5 for story
3/5 for pacing

I loved the teen romance, the family dynamics, the cultural push and pull, the sprinkle of LGBTQ, the parental catfishing, the opportunities for self-reflection. I just had a lot of fun reading this, it was engaging and breezy, but still had substance.