Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a delightful and hilarious read that is a perfect fit for anyone who loves a lighthearted and comedic mystery with a strong focus on family, culture, and romance, and is looking for a fun and entertaining story that will keep them laughing and turning the pages.

Jesse Q. Sutano kicks off a new cozy mystery series with a group of chaotic aunties and a murder in Dial A for Aunties.

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

You will not be able to read this book without laughing. I am giggling just thinking about some of the exchanges and hijinks, including one particularly funny text exchange! Jesse Q. Sutanto has so much diversity in her writing, and I’m not just talking about the characters. She has mastered so many genre—romance, mystery, psychological thriller, contemporary fiction, and young adult fiction. This book proves that she not only can write a great cozy mystery, but she knows how to write to life whatever mood the reader is in!

Meddelin “Meddy” Chan is part of a wedding planning company shared among members of her family. They help organize everything! Her big auntie makes the cakes, her second auntie does beauty and make up for the bride, her fourth aunt handles entertainment, and her mother designs the wedding bouquet. Meddy does wedding photography, though she isn’t very fulfilled in that job (please don’t tell her aunties and mother, though!).

They are on the night of a big, expensive wedding and they can’t afford any mistakes. Unfortunately, things never seem to go fully according to plan with this family. This time Meddy is the problem—she accidentally killed her blind date ten hours earlier and placed the body in her Auntie’s freezer. There seems to have been a mix up, though—the body accidentally gets removed from her Auntie’s house and brought to the freezer at the resort.

Meddy needs to figure out how to get rid of the body without disrupting the wedding and terrifying the guests! To make things more complicated, the manager of the resort is Meddy’s ex-boyfriend Nathan. They dated three years before parting ways, and Meddy has never totally released that part of her life. Now Nathan seems to be everywhere, popping up ant time Meddy is trying to carry the body in a freezer out of the resort.

The dead body isn’t the only problem, though. There seems to be a thief at the wedding trying to steal the gifts. An gaggle of intoxicated groomsmen stumble around the venue. And the aunties can’t seem to keep their bickering to themselves. Can Meddy get rid of the dead body, confess her true feelings to Nathan, keep the groomsmen under control, calm the aunties down, and catch the thief?

The premise of this book is so outrageously fun that I couldn’t resist it! The dialogue is a mix of witty and emotional. Between the laugh-out-loud moments are plenty of moments that touched me, particularly the ones between Meddy and her mother. The aunties are the true stars of the book—Meddy may be the main character and the one I rooted for, but the aunties and their personalities were a standout part of this book. In exciting news, this is actually part of a three-book series! So expect to see more of Meddy, the aunties, and maybe even Nathan.

If you’re looking for a light hearted read that blends mystery, romance, and contemporary fiction—Dial A for Aunties is the perfect book for you to read next!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

This book provided a swift and engaging read, blending elements of both romance and mystery.

The Chan Family appears to be plagued by a recurring pattern of departures - husbands and sons alike tend to leave. Meddy, as the only daughter among four sisters, bears the responsibility of remaining behind to assist in managing their wedding business. These sisters, spanning various roles from baker and florist to makeup artist and entertainer, form a cohesive team. While Meddy pursued a brief escape to university to distance herself from the constant nurturing and interference of her sisters (Aunties) and her mother, her relationship with Nathan thrived over four years, with graduation on the horizon. However, Nathan's aspirations to move away conflict with Meddy's commitment to her Aunties and Ma, leaving her torn.

A disastrous blind date, orchestrated by her mother, results in Meddy finding herself with a deceased body in her trunk, and a wedding on an island looming the following morning. The Ma and Aunties hatch a scheme, thrusting Meddy into the center of it.

The wedding unfolds as a nightmarish sequence of events, complete with a storm, an inebriated groomsman, theft, a dead body, and the presence of Nathan, all transpiring on a secluded island.

This was just sheer delight. I loved how immediately we were introduced to the aunties and got a view of their family dynamics. Also it was pure chaos in the best possible way - from accidental murders, trying to hide a body, while keeping it funny throughout, it's a perfect light read.

This book was absolutely fantastic and I was delighted to learn that there is a follow-up, and hopefully a series with these delightful aunties. This is a perfect book club read and so much fun.

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto is an absolutely hysterical and joyful read. It's hard to admit that about something that I originally thought would be more like a murder mystery. Instead, this one reads like a great mix of soap operas, thrillers, telenovelas, and social commentary. I was hooked right out of the gate and spent the entire time I was reading in a mix between disbelief and laughter. This should be added to any great beach read list out there.

A dating app date that turns deadly, a shipment that could destroy everything, Aunties that make you laugh and cry, a second chance, and family that needs a lot of explaining ... sometimes.

While this started out strong I found it slow at times and challenging to finish.

If you want to discover a unique way to dispose of a dead body and find out if Meddy can reunite with the one who got away ... go read this.

This was a charming romp combining equal parts family drama, mystery, and romantic tension. You are laughing out loud at the things going wrong and for the other half you are holding your breath as the mystery is unfolding.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

First off, this book was such a delight! It was eccentric, cute, laughable, and for myself WAAAY too relatable at times. It’s a quick read and perfect for the season- definitely gives off those Weekend at Bernie’s vibes!

Though I hope I never I find myself in Meddy’s situation, I know far too well what it’s like to have some meddling and quirky family members— all with good intentions and love, of course! I feel like it’s all a part of the deal with a big Asian family!

I enjoyed reading this one. It was fast paced and kept you engaged. A bit far fetched, but you let it slide because the aunts and MC are likable.

Books allow us to escape, and Dial A for Aunties allowed you to dive right in to the family Sutanto created.

And also, who doesn't love a second chance romance?

I loved her previous book and again this one was great! I love the aunties and all the funny banter in this book. I laughed out loud multiple times.

The mystery aspect of the story provided a fun and wild ride too.

I really appreciated the positive view on Chinese-Indo culture, especially around a wedding. I enjoyed the banter between each of the aunties. There is a strong theme of family in this book that was really wonderful. Despite how crazy her aunts can be, you can tell that they love Meddy and will do anything to help her. I also enjoyed the second-chance romance between Meddy and her college ex/one who got away, Nathan. Some things after the 50% mark seem a bit out there and you need to suspend your disbelief and go for the ride, but overall I did like this book and think it would be a fun read, especially since it is currently Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Fun! Add this to your beach bag. Perfect spindrift novel of the summer. Mix Stephanie Plum, Crazy Rich Asians and your favorite romance & get this frothy delicious story. I loved the authentic family relationship between Ma, the aunties & Meddy. @NetGalley #SummerReading #RomCom 4/5 stars

This was a fun novel about Asian families! I found the heroines to be very relatable and likable. I also like how it has mystery, humor, and romance all into one! I recommend this for fans of Meg Cabot!

I am late to the party with this one and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. I often see it being compared to Finlay Donovan which I love so I finally made time to pick it up. This book made me laugh out loud multiple times and I really enjoyed both reading and listening to it. Similar to Finlay, you definitely have to suspend your belief and just enjoy the crazy fun ride Sutanto takes you on. Meddelin and her aunts are such fun characters and I will be picking up the sequel ASAP.

If you're like me, do not wait any longer and prioritize this one soon! It is worth the hype.

This book was a delightful, hilarious story! Sutanto is a fresh voice and I cannot wait to read more from her.,

The family relationships in this book are absolutely stellar! Love the aunties and mom. The fast-paced plot, hilarious banter, and escalating outrageous shenanigans made this a really fun read. For me, the mix of genres and tones (comedy, farce, romance, adventure/thriller, satire) didn't quite all come together. Still immensely readable!

This book is bananapants, but it’s a book that knows that it’s bananapants so it works. In fact, I think that’s what makes it more fun to begin with. So go in suspending all beliefs based in reality and just go with it. Billed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Weekend at Bernies, this book delivers.

Meddelin Chen is having lunch with her ma and her aunties when her ma lets her know she’s set her up on a date. But it’s not a blind date, don’t worry, her ma has been posing as her daughter and chatting on dating websites with potential men. That alone was enough to make her groan, or roll her eyes, but as the dutiful daughter who doesn’t want to upset her mom or her aunts, she agrees to go out on one date with the man her mom’s been flirting with.

The date does not end well.

*** SPOILERS ***

Ma’s flirting has her date thinking he’s going to get sooo lucky. He quickly moves from kind of pushy to full out creep. Meddy winds up tasering the guy and he crashes the car he’s driving and dies. Meddy doesn’t know what else to do so she calls in her ma and the aunties. What follows is hilarity and hijinks.

The family business is weddings and they head off to a resort for their next wedding with the body because no one knows what to do with it. This is where it just goes off the rails. But as long as you know it’s going to be ridiculous, you can kick back and enjoy! It’s really a fun book, even though you don’t think funny when you think dead body. I mean, when her mom was texting with her online match? I was dying! Just dying. OMG this book is brilliant! And when the suitcase (wink wink it’s not just clothes inside that suitcase), is being handled at the hotel I was cracking up.

Fun, funny, and heartwarming, this Rom Com is filled with family, friends, and some personal growth mixed in. I look forward to the next book!

***ARC courtesy of the publisher Berkley via Netgalley

Maybe 3.5? I went into this thinking it was a cozy mystery when it is actually a romantic comedy which likely impacted my reading/impressions. Also, maybe it didn't fully know what it WANTED to be? It was slightly bonkers but in the best way.