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jelkebooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Eh, this was a fine read. This review is going to sound a bit jaded maybe, but keep in mind that I do definitely recommend this book and I had a really fun time reading it. It's just that I've been reading YA books for almost a decade now, and contemporary has always been my favourite genre. So I've seen a lot pass, and therefore a book in this genre needs to stand out to me for it to be a four or five star. This sadly enough didn't do that for me.
Overall, I did really like this book. I thought it was such a really fun time. I laughed a couple of times. I thought our two main characters were quite interesting, and I loved the Indonesian setting. Jesse Q. Sutanto just does such a good job including her culture in her books (at least the ones I've read so far) and this was no exception. In the acknowledgements of this book she mentions this book being her love letter to the country and it was VERY obvious. I loved the scenes set there, and it all felt so very vivid. The romance was also really cute, so officially I have no complaints.
However, I do think the romance was just a little underdeveloped for me. I feel like in their scenes together we consistantly see them tiptoeing around each other because they don't want to expose their parents lies. Therefore to me it never really felt like they truly got to know each other. It also made it feel like the feelings came in a bit strongly out of nowhere. However, it definitely wasn't the worst case I have ever read. I also think the characters just are a bit stagnant. I don't know. I expected a bit of an actual journey for them, especially Sharlot. Her story definitely seemed set up for a huge journey of growth, but honestly there wasn't that much of it, and George basically stays the same the entire book.
So yeah, those aren't massive complaints but it did keep this book from fully standing out to me within this genre. As I mentioned before it was a really fun time, and I do definitely recommend it. Especially because it has one of my favourite side romances EVER.
Overall, I did really like this book. I thought it was such a really fun time. I laughed a couple of times. I thought our two main characters were quite interesting, and I loved the Indonesian setting. Jesse Q. Sutanto just does such a good job including her culture in her books (at least the ones I've read so far) and this was no exception. In the acknowledgements of this book she mentions this book being her love letter to the country and it was VERY obvious. I loved the scenes set there, and it all felt so very vivid. The romance was also really cute, so officially I have no complaints.
However, I do think the romance was just a little underdeveloped for me. I feel like in their scenes together we consistantly see them tiptoeing around each other because they don't want to expose their parents lies. Therefore to me it never really felt like they truly got to know each other. It also made it feel like the feelings came in a bit strongly out of nowhere. However, it definitely wasn't the worst case I have ever read. I also think the characters just are a bit stagnant. I don't know. I expected a bit of an actual journey for them, especially Sharlot. Her story definitely seemed set up for a huge journey of growth, but honestly there wasn't that much of it, and George basically stays the same the entire book.
So yeah, those aren't massive complaints but it did keep this book from fully standing out to me within this genre. As I mentioned before it was a really fun time, and I do definitely recommend it. Especially because it has one of my favourite side romances EVER.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Homophobia
natashaleighton_'s review
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Something I love about young adult coming-of-age is how much the characters really grow over the course of the book 🥹 It’s so lovely to watch them navigate new feelings and experiences so vulnerably!
Jesse Q Sutanto knows how to make you giggle with sheltered, ignorant 17-year-old Sharlot, who goes to Jakarta, Indonesia for the very first time with her mom, who is from there. She has her own not-so-flattering predispositions about what to expect, and the reality of Jakarta completely blows her expectations out of the water.
I thought the premise of how Sharlot & George get set up by their parents (&by Eleanor, George’s 13-year-old sister) was hilarious. George’s potential business, One Liner, was a really wholesome idea too, and it just made me love George more lol! Their connection was a bit of a slow burn but I had so much fun with the fake dating plot!
I am always a sucker for the fraught mother-daughter relationships, especially in Asian immigrant households. I loved that Sharlot and her mom continued to unpack more layers from the other, and eventually held space to get to know each other beyond the roles of “daughter” and “mother”.
I will pretty much read anything JQS writes, & this fluffy romcom was a silly goofy, sweet lil reprieve.
Something I love about young adult coming-of-age is how much the characters really grow over the course of the book 🥹 It’s so lovely to watch them navigate new feelings and experiences so vulnerably!
Jesse Q Sutanto knows how to make you giggle with sheltered, ignorant 17-year-old Sharlot, who goes to Jakarta, Indonesia for the very first time with her mom, who is from there. She has her own not-so-flattering predispositions about what to expect, and the reality of Jakarta completely blows her expectations out of the water.
I thought the premise of how Sharlot & George get set up by their parents (&by Eleanor, George’s 13-year-old sister) was hilarious. George’s potential business, One Liner, was a really wholesome idea too, and it just made me love George more lol! Their connection was a bit of a slow burn but I had so much fun with the fake dating plot!
I am always a sucker for the fraught mother-daughter relationships, especially in Asian immigrant households. I loved that Sharlot and her mom continued to unpack more layers from the other, and eventually held space to get to know each other beyond the roles of “daughter” and “mother”.
I will pretty much read anything JQS writes, & this fluffy romcom was a silly goofy, sweet lil reprieve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Grief
serendipity421's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a whirlwind! I loved it! This book had me laughing so hard that I started crying, especially the first 15% of the book. While this book is just one miscommunication after another, which is something I usually don’t like, it felt endearing to watch Sharlot and George fall for each other despite thinking they didn’t like each other because they’re parents are kind of awful! I loved how much their thoughts mirrored each other in trying to hide the deception. I really feel like they were made for each other!
I thought the inclusion of Indonesian culture was really cool to learn about. I also thought the representation of the limited rights and stigmas that women and members of the LGBTQ+ community deal with in the story gave way for some great discussions throughout the book.
I’m also loved learning about Eleanor (Roosevelt) and Kiki and I’m definitely looking forward to Kiki’s book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Jesse Q. Sutanto for providing me access to this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Bullying, Lesbophobia, and Classism
Minor: Colonisation
legalplanner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was very reverse parent trap, and crazy rich Asians to me.
Our main characters have both done things to "embarrass" their parents and get them to the point where they've decided to pretend to be their children on a dating app. They are going to find the "right" person for their kids to date. While that should have been an aw that's kind of sweet gesture to me it just seemed icky that their parents didn't trust them to find a partner they could date. However, that could be because it is a cultural difference between American parents and Asian parents (I cannot speak to this point).
Another part that was hard for me to get over was just how down right rude Sharlot was to her mom. It just seemed horrible that she was so horrible to her for caring and being who she was. This leads toward the miscommunication trope because Shar thinks her mom is hiding information from her and just doesn't know how to talk with her so she feels like she isn't communicating at all. This seemed like a similar issue between George and Sharlot as well.
Overall, there were some good laughs, and it made me go aw at the end of the book, but it was a bit slower than I was expecting it to be, lots of buildup.
Our main characters have both done things to "embarrass" their parents and get them to the point where they've decided to pretend to be their children on a dating app. They are going to find the "right" person for their kids to date. While that should have been an aw that's kind of sweet gesture to me it just seemed icky that their parents didn't trust them to find a partner they could date. However, that could be because it is a cultural difference between American parents and Asian parents (I cannot speak to this point).
Another part that was hard for me to get over was just how down right rude Sharlot was to her mom. It just seemed horrible that she was so horrible to her for caring and being who she was. This leads toward the miscommunication trope because Shar thinks her mom is hiding information from her and just doesn't know how to talk with her so she feels like she isn't communicating at all. This seemed like a similar issue between George and Sharlot as well.
Overall, there were some good laughs, and it made me go aw at the end of the book, but it was a bit slower than I was expecting it to be, lots of buildup.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent
libscote's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A fun rom-com set in Indonesia between two teens who are accidentally catfished by their parents, only to discover that they might be a good match after all! And who can resist a teen named "George Clooney"?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I have read both books in Sutanto's adult romcom/murder series and loved those, but this was my first time reading a Young Adult book by her.
I was a little worried in the first 4 chapters because I was suffering so much second hand embarrassment (but isn't that how being a teen can be) This book was charming, cringey, and unputdownable. I love that it not only explored Sharlot and George's relationship, but also the bonds of siblings, cousins, exes, and long lost loves. I am a sucker for multigenerational stories and this had that feel while still putting you in the perspective of teenagers who are often embarrassed about their families.
The second half of the book flew by with fake dating, family drama, and societal/cultural conflicts and the last chapter had me smiling. I am giving it 4.5 stars because of the pacing at the beginning, but I can't recommend this book enough
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia