Reviews with content warning for Murder - Four Aunties and a Wedding

I think the plot was too convoluted, I would've read the hell out of a low-stakes comedy of errors with the aunties blowing things out of proportion but as it is, I had a hard time suspending my disbelief to truly enjoy the ride.

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meganeorcx's review against another edition

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funny relaxing 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

Like magic, this book does exactly what Dial A For Aunties did without feeling like a repetitive bore. Perhaps even wilder than before, Meddy shines in her role as an anxious bride and her aunties steal the show once more, with kidnapping, drugs, and tai chi. Definitely tests the limits of your imagination but I couldn't stop laughing, and it feels nice to have a romcom where the comedy is actually hilarious. The book truly reads as an unapologetic love letter to Chinese-Indonesian culture and I'm all here for it. Loved it!

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themoodreader's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

although i truly enjoyed reading the first book, i feel like this one was not as good. maybe lately i've just not been in the mood to read (hence why it took me twice as long to finish it) or maybe it felt a bit more flat.

don't get me wrong, i still love the characters so much. the aunties own my heart. they were both funny and sweet, i love how they decided to learn british english for meddy and were constantly saying stuff like "luv" or "innit".
as a daughter of immigrants, meddy was still relatable and i like how the book mentioned the theme of feeling slightly ashamed because of that and trying to blend as much as you can with a white culture.

i also absolutely love the fact that they never gave any kind of explanation to annie and that even nathan ended up embracing the aunties' personalities.

of course, there were many scenes that made me laugh

like for example when they tried to drug staph and her family but the aunties ended up getting drunk instead, it was such a funny mess, lmao.

and, of course, i love that we got to follow meddy's story and to see her marry the love of her life

even if the wedding ended up being a total mess (which was not that funny, i feel bad for nathan)

but i definitely prefered the first book.

ps: this is so unrelated but something that made me genuinely happy is how at some point the aunties mentioned how they used to help their muslim neighbors during eid al adha <3

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bookishlysophie's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense 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

If you loved the first book, this book is just as good. I loved the cultural undertones that really gave some depth to this story. I’d highly recommend.

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kdailyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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nicoreads333's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

Okay, this book was a whole rollercoaster ride. I fell in love with the cast in the first book and was so excited to read about them again. However, I think there was just a lot going on in this one that made it difficult to stay connected to the story. Sometimes it felt a little too farfetched. On the other hand, the aunties are still some of the most lovable and funny characters ever written. I still recommend it! I just think the first book's storyline was more cohesive. And although it may be unfair to compare the two, it was slightly disappointing when this didn't live up to my expectations (that may be on me and no so much on the author.)

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ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

As I expected, the Aunties and Meddy had me cackling at the first book. I would've given this a 5-star, but I had a bit of a dilemma on how they handled the kidnapping and supposed murder. It must be innocent, but there came a point when I was questioning what the fuck they were prioritizing. But I still liked the characterizations of the aunties and Meddy. Gosh, I was giggling like a kid even though I wasn't supposed to, but because of the dark humor, I found myself chuckling. Overall, a fun and scary read. Scary because the Aunties are dangerous!

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