It’s not fair to the author that I'm not big on cozies and this was closer to cozy than thriller— however I didn’t like this as much as I wanted to. It leaped genres (it was funny but there's a dead body and meddling older Asian people and a long lost love?)and it was too slapstick for my liking (traipsing about that island with a cooler full of dead man while working a wedding… ugh) but I did enjoy the aunties. it was cute, just not my speed.

Dial A for Aunties needs to be the book you read for 2021. This reminded me of an Asian version of the movie, Weekend at Bernie's. This book was part mayhem, hijinks, love story and family obligations all rolled into one. Meddelin (Meddy) Chan's mom and aunties are the stars of this book. Those ladies reminded me so much of my mom and her sisters.

I did not want this book to end. Page after page was one more outrageous catastrophe after another. Meddy's mother wanted her to date. So Mama Chan decided to set up a dating profile for Meddy and arranged a date! Meddy went on this date! Now if my mother even tried some mess like this there would have been no date period! The date was awful and Meddy accidentally kills him. If this isn't horrible enough, she goes home and tells her mother. Her mother then calls the aunties. Lord, when Big Auntie, Second Auntie and Fourth Auntie arrive the shenanigans ensue. Not to mention they operate a wedding business together. Weddings and dead bodies do not mix but oh is it funny.

I definitely need a series with Meddy, her mother and all her aunties. This was such a fun book!!!!! I need more ASAP.

From the blurb: “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!”

When Meddy accidentally kills her blind date, her mom calls her three aunties to help bury the body. Hiding the body in one of Big Aunties’ coolers seems like the perfect solution - until it ends up being set to the wedding that the family is working - baking the cake, doing the flowers, fixing hair and makeup, being the wedding singer, and the photographer. On top of the dead body and wedding on the year situation, the love of Meddy’s life/the one that got away/Meddy’s college ex-boyfriend owns the hotel!

I LOVED THIS! Go read this right now! I listened to the audiobook and I would 10/10 recommend it - but I’m totally going to buy a copy for my bookshelf. It has been picked up by Netflix, and I can’t wait to watch Meddy and her Aunties on the TV! This was fun, and it was funny. Go read it!

Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley for my ARC!

Wait so what genre is this book?! Is it a comedy/thriller/mystery/romance?

What a fun book! While it maybe dragged a little it was so outlandish and dramatic and even funny that it was overall really good.

AND I read it was picked up by Netflix. 🤩

A blind date goes wrong but the aunties come to the rescue while trying to manage a big wedding business and an old flame. Yes. It was dramatic haha but it was super fun!

Ty for this ARC. It actually came out Tuesday, so go get yours!

Dial A for Aunties is ridiculous in the best way. After accidentally killing her date, Meddy Chan turns to her mom and aunts to decide what to do. They are going to get rid of the body. The next day the family is working their biggest wedding yet. The Chans have to make sure nobody finds the body while also doing their jobs. Meddy also runs into the ex she never got over. Throughout Dial A for Aunties I was stressed out about the Chans getting caught while also laughing out loud with all the ridiculous situations they end up in. This book is entertaining but also taught me about the Chinese-Indo culture. Meddy is always afraid of disappointing her family and is always doing what is best for them. The aunties have different personalities. I enjoyed seeing how they used their personalities for their jobs in the wedding business as well as when fighting with their sisters. Dial A for Aunties is not to be taken too seriously but is hilarious. I recommend Dial A for Aunties to anyone looking for an entertaining read.

Thank you Berkley Romance for Dial A for Aunties.

Dial A for Aunties by @jesseqsutanto was the most fun book that I have read in a long time and as I laughed my way through it, I kept thinking that it has to become a movie. Everyone needs some Aunties in their life. It is the story of Meddy, a woman on a horrible blind date instigated by her mom when Meddy ends up accidentally killing her date. With her mom and meddling aunts involved in helping her get rid of the body while simultaneously trying to pull off a 1000 person wedding weekend, hilarity ensues. This book was like Weekend at Bernie’s mixed with Crazy Rich Asians and I could not stop giggling. It was bonkers with so many twists and I had to completely suspend reality in the best possible way. It was pure chaos with comical misunderstandings and genius one line quips that made me snort. I honestly wish I could go back and read it again for the first time because I need more of this pure joy in my life. Pub day is today and I cannot emphasize this enough - read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

I had a blast with “The Obsession” so of course I had to grab the chance to read this arc. The description of “Crazy Rich Asians” crossed with “Weekend at Bernie’s” about says it all. I was clutching my stomach and laughing so much it hurt. But there’s so much more to the story than “Woman accidentally kills man. Woman’s family helps hide the body. Things go crazy AF.” Add an old romance flame and some self examination and discovery and there’s “Dial A for Aunties.”

This is one funny book. I mean if I’m laughing as the heroine is attempting to deal with a dead body (no, he didn’t really deserve to die but it truly was an accident and he was an asshole who wouldn’t listen to the word ‘No!”), then cackling as the Aunties and Ma all rally round even as they’re debating the actual superstition about funerals and Chinese weddings and I inhale a 250 page book in one day – something is entertaining me and doing it well.

For those who worry about how the aunties speak, read the author’s note at the beginning of the book which discusses how her own beloved relatives actually sound as they converse in a language in which they aren’t fluent – which is actually the third language they speak. The plot dives deep into the intricacies of Chinese/Indonesian weddings and culture treating them all with love, understanding, and a sharp eye for how startling some things are (the shit the bridegrooms endure at the hands of the wickedly inventive bridesmaids) or traditional yet also wow (the tea ceremony where eye watering amounts of gifts and money can be presented to the happy couple).

I loved the relationships between Meddy and her (close knit and overbearing) mother and aunties. Equal parts funny, frustrating, nitpicking, and showing love and respect – their actions reveal family tensions and how much they really love each other. Plus they’re ready to (literally) hide the body which is what best friends and relatives do, right?

And the romance – awwww – is shown in flashbacks to fill us in on Nathan and Meddy’s past and how they knew they were Meant To Be yet for reasons explained (some good, some a bit silly) they broke up before meeting again which added yet one more element to the overwhelming crazy shit stuff going on at the wedding resort.

Make no mistake, the book is over the top and slightly absurd at times but it’s obviously meant to be as the plot rockets around like a roller coaster coming close to being out of control. Near misses, hilarious hijinks, and close calls lead to two thousand gussied up guests being front and center to watch the trainwreck of a wedding ceremony where everything comes unglued. Or does it?

I have to admit that with 30 pages to go, I had no idea how things would be pulled off and was still debating whether or not they actually should be as … body of dead guy who deserved some kind of justice even if it looked like it would be delivered by a big bellied sheriff who didn’t seem to care who he charged so long as he had someone in cuffs.

The story is equal parts madcap mixed with family relationships. Heroine Meddy has some moments of deep introspection that she needs to do as she decides where she’s willing to draw the line in the sand of her morals. I think she comes out on the side of right plus she helps two other people find their HEA. The aunties? They’re delightful and maddening at the same time along with being forces of nature. Thinking back, there are so many ways this would never work in real life but I had so much fun with it that I cheerfully waved those aside B+

I totally exclamation marked!! my way through this comedic tale!!🙀

Absolutely hilarious story about a wedding photographer working in the family business with her mother and four incredibly volatile aunties. The aunties are fabulous!!! We all need aunties like these!
Chan can’t make the break from her family. That ruined her love life—when she let the love of her life, Nathan, go.
Take a murdered body, aunts involved in getting rid of it, a huge wedding on Santa Lucia Island off the coast of Southern California, missing presents and the return of the love of your life and you have a complex, totally over the top wonderful love story.
I laughed all the way through—when I wasn’t cringing or inside yelling No-o-o-oh!
Cautionary tale meets comedy of manners enroute to romance!
A super read!

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The book had a little of everything! Romance, action, mystery, and of course plenty of comedy! I loved how supportive the aunties were of Meddy, even though they didn’t always get along. Their squabbling and constant picking at each other had me laughing and quickly turning the pages. The book reminded me a bit of Finlay Donovan is Killing It. It was unrealistic scenario after scenario, but such an entertaining book that it didn’t really matter! The writing was witty, clever and funny, and I’m excited to see what Jesse Q. Durango writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced copy of Dial A for Aunties, I loved it so much that I bought a copy yesterday on its book birthday to finish it off. Fans of Finlay Donovan is Killing It absolutely need to read this fun story about a young woman, her mother, and her three aunties trying to navigate an accidental murder that bleeds into a wedding they all have to work the next day. The overall plot is so absurd and crazy which is the perfect recipe to make this comedy work. I laughed to myself so many times while reading. I could absolutely picture this being made into a comedy movie and I'm so excited to see that this was picked up by Netflix!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro

Meddy is a family person, very close to her mom and aunties, but the idea of living home and the family business to start her own career is eating her from inside. As a child she heard of the family curse which made men leave every woman in her lineage. Meddy’s father left, her uncles left, and even her male cousins left the household as soon as they could. How can Meddy do the same to her mom and aunties who have given everything to raise her well? She can’t.

The curse isn’t all that stresses Meddy, she also has her mom setting her up with every man she can find. Meddy does not wish to marry anytime soon, especially not after losing the love of her life for fear of the family curse. But Meddy’s mom has really done it this time finding Meddy a date using her name in an online dating site. Now, Meddy has to go to an unwanted blind date the day before the biggest wedding event her family has ever catered. The unexpected happens and Meddy has to dispose of a body, and still make it to the wedding.

“I told you to buy Glad brand. Haven’t you seen their ads? Glad bags will hold his cut-up body just fine, no leaks!”

This was definitely a hilarious story! I loved the dynamic between Meddy, her mom, and aunts. The aunties were the best part. You have to be part of a family like Meddy’s to understand the inside jokes and the care they have for each other. In moments of need, family always finds a way to help. During several occasions I burst out laughing at what the aunties would say or try to do. I kept expecting for someone to find out what they were up to throughout the let’s hide the body game. Their explanation would be hilarious.

Meddy’s relationship with Nathan is quite relatable as well. She feels pressured of what her family is going to think of him and vice versa. But when Nathan comes back into her life years later, Meddy is surprised to discover that her family actually likes Nathan. This could all have been due to her mom understanding Meddy better after interfering with online dating and bad blind dates.

I loved the build up to the wedding that author Sutanto created! The groomsmen were by far the best part during the event and ceremony. Eventually, the reader finds out why they were drunk so early into the wedding day. I didn’t know what to think of the bride and groom at first, or the maid of honor, but as the story progresses, their personalities become more obvious. They were quite interesting.

Towards the end, a storm was definitely brewing, and I was rooting for Meddy to confess. All the stress was building up and ready to explode any moment, but the aunties saved the day! They are ladies to keep an eye on. I can’t spoil the ending, but I can say that it was sort of morbidly hilarious.If you want a peek into the life of Asian aunties and what they can do in the name of family and love, then I recommend Dial A for Aunties.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

What. A. Hoot! This has a Weekend at Bernie's feel to it and reminded me a bit of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. And it's a wild ride. This is the sort of story that includes so many over-the-top moments, you have to share it with someone else. Plenty of humor, lots of family drama - both for the main character and for the wedding participants. If you are looking for a fun, funny, chaotic (in the best ways) story, be sure to pick this one up! (Language, LGBTQ+, alcohol/drug use, TW: attempted assault)

What a debut—Sutanto has whipped together a frothy mixture of “murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters.” Meddy has not one but four mothers, her ma and her three aunties (which rhymes with Ant). She is the embodiment of “filial piety, the foundation of Asian parenting.” These loving, interfering, outspoken women shower Meddy with advice, instructions, and directives, in three languages no less. Dial A for Aunties is a “deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture,” in San Gabriel, LA. Meddy’s name, Meddelin, exemplifies the influence of the Chinese-Indonesian culture into which she was born where it’s de rigueur to name children after “famous people and/or brand names” (like her cousin Gucci).

My parents were aiming for Madeleine. Growing up, my cousins called me Meddlin’ Meddelin, which is why I never, ever meddle in anyone’s business, ever. Well, that and also the fact that my mother and aunts meddle enough for the whole family.

Meddy’s six cousins have escaped, but not her. She applied to eight Californian schools, including Berkeley, anathema to her mother: how can she “drop by randomly and clean my dorm and nag at my roommate to go to sleep early and drink lots of water.” The aunties are the original helicopter parents. They were so pleased that Meddy went to UCLA—after college, according to their game plan, she’ll be her ma’s forever companion, a prospect that she finds chilling.

Is it true? Am I doomed to stay with them forever, just because I’m the only one not heartless enough to leave? I force a smile and nod benignly as they fuss about me, and I try to look forward to the rest of my life, living here in the same house with my mom and aunts.

Flashback to the love of Meddy’s life, Nathan Chan, her college beau. She refused to risk introducing him to her ma and aunts. He asked her to accompany her to New York City after graduation: he’ll work for a famous consulting company and she can pursue her dream of becoming a photographer. Nathan is so tempting: “It’s a great city for photographers. You’d have your work in galleries, Meddy, I know it. You’re brilliant.” Meddy breaks two hearts when she rejects the adventurous life Nathan offers and joins the company wedding business instead, as a photographer. Her decision is “slowly eroding” her pleasure in the art of playing “around with different lenses and lighting and angles.”

I hate that the documenting of my family’s hard work—Big Aunt’s towering cakes, Second Aunt’s complicated hairstyles and flawless makeup artistry, Ma’s gorgeous flower arrangements, and Fourth Aunt’s dynamic performances—all falls on my shoulders. Every wedding, I try to capture everything, and every wedding, I miss something. Last wedding, I forgot to take pictures of Fourth Aunt from her “good side, the one that makes me look twenty again,” and the wedding before that, I failed to capture the centerpiece at table 17, which was apparently significantly different from all the other centerpieces.

The aunties need a magician, not a photographer, but as has been established, Meddy is “basically driven by a mixture of caffeine and familial guilt.”

The two billionaire families marrying their progeny in “one of the most luxurious, exclusive resorts in the world—the Ayana Lucia,” are thrilled to hire the Chans. Jacqueline Wijaya’s family own the “largest textiles company” in Indonesia and her groom, Tom Cruise Sutopo, comes from an equally rich family.

I thought that our cheesy-as-hell company motto, which Big Aunt is supremely proud of—Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!—would’ve scared away the bride and groom, but they actually found it funny. Said it made them even more certain that they wanted to hire us to cater their big day.

Before the big shindig on Santa Lucia Island (a mythical resort off the LA coast), Meddy has a blind date with Jake, a date arranged by her ma. The aunties have no boundaries: Ma pretended to be Meddy, stole her cell phone, and impersonated her online. The date doesn’t go well. Jake puts the moves on Meddy and won’t take no for an answer, so she pulls out her stun gun, kills him, stuffs him in the trunk, and then drives home. Sutanto’s plotting infuses madcap and mayhem with steroids! The aunties aren’t the least bit phased by the corpse. It needs to be hidden: Second Aunt recalls her son Hendra’s huge ski bag—“I always think, wah, can fit me inside that bag.” What about a trash bag?

We regard the body. “I think he’s a bit tall to fit in a trash bag, Ma,” I say.



“We’d have to cut him up first,” Fourth Aunt says, her eyes shining with, again, what I can only describe as horrified glee. Has she always been this murderous? Have they always been this blasé about chopping bodies up?



“Such silly idea,” Ma scoffs. “So messy, and the garbage bags always leak. You will make big mess in my garage.”



“That’s because you always buy the cheap ones,” Fourth Aunt shoots back. I told you to buy Glad brand.”

Clearly product placement won’t be a problem if Dial A for Aunties hits the silver screen. Ultimately, they put Jake in a cooler in Big Aunt’s bakery. The aunties decide to take Jake with them to the island wedding extravaganza where they’ll have better luck disposing of him. But the cooler is already on the yacht that’s taking them to the island of Santa Lucia. Meddy is worried about her aunts’ antics.

“Big Aunt!” I hiss. “Be more subtle, please.” Just to play it safe, I switch to Indonesian. “Okay,” I say. “Kami perlu uh… mikir… a plan.” Wow, my Indonesian sucks. I try switching to Mandarin. “Wo men xu yao um… xiang… a plan.”



Ma sighs, “I spend so much money on Chinese class for you, all wasted.”

Before corpse disposal, there’s a wedding to get through. Guess who owns the resort? When Meddy hears a “smooth, rich voice that can only be described as molten chocolate,” she knows it’s “the one that got away,” Nathan Chan. When their eyes meet, it’s clear that there are still major sparks.

Hold on, there’s still a dead body. When they open the cooler, Ma screams, “EH! THAT MY LILY GUY!” And this time the corpse—Ah Guan, Ma’s lily guy—is truly dead. Meddy is distraught: “Ma, I’m so sorr __” “Who am I going to get my lilies from now?” With that, we’re in Weekend at Bernie’s territory.

Have you been missing Crazy Rich Asians? Are you despondent that Crazy Rich Girlfriend (the highly anticipated sequel) is far off on the horizon? Dial A for Aunties is a fabulous alternative and “Netflix has gotten the film rights to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s, an Indonesian author, debut book titled Dial A for Aunties.” How exciting: everyone will fall in love with Meddy and her meddlesome, marvelous aunties. Let the parlor games begin—who should play the aunties?

N.B. If the book title seems familiar, Dial M for Murder was a play by English playwright Frederick Knott that was turned into an unforgettable 1954 movie.

This book was so charming and so laugh out loud funny. I absolutely adored the characters, and their interactions were fantastic. I highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book - 4.5 stars for sure! If you are looking for something HILARIOUS that is sweet and features a wide array of amazing characters, this is a must.

I did not know what to expect from Dial A for Aunties but what I got was a story about Meddy, a young Chinese-Indonesian wedding photographer who accidentally kills her blind date, and then calls her meddling mother and aunts to help her clean up the mess. You'd think, how could this be funny? Buy Meddy's mom and her aunts are literally hilarious - their sister relationship is perfection, their dedication to each other and to Meddy is beautiful, and their one-liners are so unrealistic they are funny. This would make an AMAZING movie.

I think my favorite part of this book thought was how Sutanto incorporated Chinese-Indonesian culture into the wedding setting. There were so many small ceremonies that I didn't know about and Sutanto explained them with such beauty. She really highlighted her culture in a non-stereotypical and beautiful way. This is the importance of #OwnVoices authors and stories - so we can dive into the beauty and hilarity of other cultures in a way that is true.

I'd also highly recommend reading the Acknowledgements, which I rarely do. Sutanto shares her reasoning for having some of her characters speak a sort of broken English and states "their grasp of the English language is not a reflection of their intelligence, but a reflection of the sacrifice that they have made for us (their children)." This is so important and I am so glad to have read this book!

I would call this book a rom com that was heavy on the com - it was hilarious! Definitely the funniest book I've read in awhile. You may need to suspend disbelief and set aside your knowledge of how the law works, and you may find yourself wondering about the cluelessness that leads to the accidental killing of a blind date, but Meddy and her mom - plus her 3 Aunties - will definitely keep you entertained throughout this story. ⁣ Within the book is also a second chance love story, the pressure of feeling responsible for one's family, and Indo-Chinese culture, including a huge wedding, where most of the story takes place. It's a lot of fun and if you liked Finlay Donovan is Killing It, I think you'll like this one too. ⁣Guess what else? According to the acknowledgements, Dial A For Aunties will also be a Netflix movie! Plus there will be a sequel. I can't wait!⁣

Wow this had everything I could ever want in a book! It had romance, comedy, and murder!!! I loved all of the Aunties, and I loved the close relationship Meddy had with her family! My favorite scene was when Meddy was describing how her aunts learned what emojis were, and how she has to try and interpret what they are saying!

I was definitely rooting for Meddy and Nathan throughout this entire book, so I was glad it was equal parts romance as murder mystery. I think this would make the perfect movie, and I really hope I see this on the big screen soon! I think it would be fun to have more books involving the Chan family, and I am excited to read more from Jesse Q Sutanto!

Thank you Berkley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been hearing about Dial A for Aunties nonstop and I couldn't wait to read it. It was a wild and fun ride and I’m really glad I read it. Nothing can go wrong when your mom sets you up on a date right? Unfortunately for Meddy, it does and her date ends up dead. Somehow the dead body ends up on the island where the women are hired for a large wedding. Each woman covers an element of the wedding industry; photography, flowers, makeup, entertainment and cakes/baked goods. They must figure out how to get through the day without anyone finding out.

Dial A for Aunties had a lot of hilarious moments. There were a few moments that were a little unbelievable, but overall I really enjoyed and would recommend Dial A for Aunties. I think it would make a hilarious audiobook. I really appreciated the author’s note at the beginning about how her family members speak so many different languages.

I loved the flashbacks and the moments with Nathan. I really loved how this ended, even though it was a little unbelievable.

I went into this book without actually reading the synopsis, so imagine my surprise when our MC Meddelin ‘Meddy’ Chan accidentally kills the man that she’s on a blind date with.

And just when you think that it possibly couldn’t get any worse, she enlists the help of her mother and three aunties to help dispose of the body, which leads to a whole bunch of jaw-dropping and hilarious shenanigans.

If you’re looking for plausible plot lines and grade A detective skills, look elsewhere. This is a ridiculously over the top, laugh out loud type of story instead.

This book also celebrates Chinese and Indonesian culture throughout the story while also addressing the nuance of being an immigrant.

This is another one of those books to not read on an empty stomach because the food descriptions are incredible.

Thank you Berkley for the free book. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Dial A for Aunties
Jesse Sutanto


Buy This Book
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is accidentally shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for their family wedding business—“Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream cake flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

AAR reviewers Em and Maggie read Jesse Sutanto’s début rom-com Dial A for Aunties, then together to discuss the novel, and are here to share their thoughts.

EW: Early, glowing reviews led me to Dial A for Aunties, but when I also discovered it’s been touted as the next Crazy Rich Asians, I was wary. I was burned by that comparison before (Last Tang Standing). But Dial A for Aunties is SO MUCH BETTER than both of those books! With a bonkers premise and a story that only gets more ridiculous as it unfolds, Dial A for Aunties is hilarious and absurd – it’s also romantic and heartwarming. I loved every bit of it. What did you think?

MB: I don’t know that those comparisons are quite apt. Crazy Rich Asians was a cultural exploration which had a lot more depth than you will find in this novel. On the other hand, I would completely agree that the premise for Dial A for Aunties is bonkers and the story only gets more ridiculous as it moves forward.

Regarding it being romantic and heartwarming, I can get on board with the heartwarming. The author does a wonderful job of capturing the loving, bickering mess that is a close family and Meddy, her Ma and her aunties are just so sweet together. I have to say I was disappointed in the romance, though. The story’s emphasis seemed to be on the hilarity caused by Meddy and the aunties’ inept handling of their Weekend at Bernies style situation, and while Nathan comes across as very caring and supportive of Meddy, I had no idea why he loved her or why she loved him. Their on-page time together definitely makes up less than half the book, which rarely works for me in a romance.

EW: I’m not a Weekend at Bernies fan, but I see the similarities. I happily immersed myself in Sutanto’s fictional world and perhaps it made me more forgiving of the more ridiculous plot developments.

I looked forward to every scene that featured Meddy and Nathan and I didn’t miss their backstory. I just reveled in their long-standing love for each other and I rooted for them to reconcile. I was so engrossed in the shenanigans related to the dead body, I didn’t miss the lack of romance.

I’m curious if you read the author’s note at the beginning of the novel? In it, Sutanto discusses her background and how it influenced her characterization of the aunties in this story

Some of the aunties in Dial A for Aunties speak the sort of broken English that my parents’ generation does. Their grasp of the English language is not a reflection of their intelligence, but a reflection of the sacrifice that they have made for us. They are, in essence, trilingual, and I am so proud of this heritage. I’m aware while writing this that I’m straddling a very fine line between authenticity and stereotype, and it’s my hope that this book defies the latter.

I thought this was eloquent and honest, and more importantly, it positively influenced how I read and interpreted these characters after meeting them in the story. Sutanto successfully straddles the line between authenticity and stereotype; all of the aunties – and our heroine, Meddelin (a delightfully terrible misspelling of the name Madeleine) – feel very authentic to me.

MB: I think she strikes the right balance with that aspect of the novel. Many first generation immigrants speak this way and it is a testament to their intelligence and strength of will that they are able to come to a new country, learn an entirely different language, and successfully get jobs and raise families here. I think the author does a superb job of showcasing how genuinely amazing the aunties are.

However, while I thought she didn’t stereotype them, I did feel she stereotyped several other characters in the novel. Most glaring was the small town bumpkin/idiot sheriff caricature she used.

EW: Yeah, I didn’t really get that character either. Country bumpkin or just a doofus? He’s not the only secondary character whose execution was clunky. The bride and groom are also an odd pairing. I know there needs to be a wedding (and the traditions and customs are fascinating), but the groom is so awful it’s almost overkill and then there’s the secondary plot involving the maid of honor. I could never reconcile the character to her actions.

MB: I agree that the traditions and customs were totally fascinating. I loved the veiling ceremony and the tea ceremony, and thought those details were really nice touches which gave the novel a unique flair. I didn’t see the twist involving the gifts and maid of honor coming at all and would agree it was random and rather distracting. I found the whole scenario with the groom and groomsmen part of the over the top nature of the plot. The explanation for some of the behaviors could have been a lot simpler and worked better, I think. Subtle is not at all a part of this author’s style.

EW: Based on the book blurb, I expected the murder of the blind date – the event that kicks off the story – to be some silly mix-up. It isn’t. Were you surprised by the sequence of events that led up to the death?

MB: I was surprised by the whole blind date murder scene, but, the difficulty I had with it was that it strikes an oddly serious/sinister note in a book that is otherwise strongly comedic. Meddy goes on this date set up by her mom, the guy turns out to be a complete bore and she drinks to distract herself and can’t drive home. He insists on driving her car, and then proceeds to put his hand on her knee and drive them through a dark deserted area. She wants him to stop and get himself an uber, he insists on going on and makes it sound like sex is still on the table. In fairness, they were in the middle of nowhere so it’s conceivable he wanted to arrive somewhere he could catch a ride. It’s also possible rape was the next step but we don’t really know because we never got there. It was for the possibility of what might come next that she winds up murdering him and I had to agree with her when she said later in the novel, “The poor guy, he was a shit but he didn’t deserve to die like that”.

EW: Meddy makes it clear she wants him to take her back to her car and that she’s uncomfortable with what’s happening. She doesn’t know where she is, and it’s dark and desolate. I felt a palpable sense of fear for what might happen to her.

MB: I can understand that. The general vibe of the novel – and knowing from the book’s blurb what was going to happen – kept me from worrying very much about how that scenario was going to play out.

EW: And then afterwards, when you read the secret text exchange between her mother and the victim (Meddy’s mom pretended to be her on a dating site), did you laugh out loud? And cringe? Oh my god I thought it was so funny and brilliant.

MB: The text message scenario plays into that a bit since it was such a piece of what you referred to as the ridiculousness of the novel. They were so over the top, slapstick silly that they felt like a wink and a nod reminding us not to take anything we were reading seriously.

Part of the whole murder scenario is that the outcome would have been drastically affected by a simple phone call to 911. I have to admit that bothered me quite a bit. I realize that the story is meant to be light and funny, but I thought it said something about Meddy that she could admit he didn’t deserve what happened and still feel totally entitled to getting away with it. Did that upset you, too, or did you feel she was justified in her actions?

EW: I think she was in shock and could forgive her for it. I don’t want to spoil the story, but her lack of action here versus what happened the following morning bothered me more. That suggested a callousness that the author is constantly trying to pretend doesn’t exist.

MB: Yes, that’s the part that bothered me, too – and there were a lot of subsequent choices she made which could have been more responsible, compassionate and ethical and she doesn’t make them that way.

EW: What did you like about the novel?

MB: I loved the glimpses of Asian culture, and I really did adore the way the author captures the familial relationships between Meddy, her aunts and her mother; Sutanto does a near perfect job of depicting how messy, nosy, noisy, supportive, generous and loving these connections are, especially when everyone is so close-knit. The aunts and their fights for dominance and approval are hilarious! In these portions of the book the humor is less over-the-top and more genial and mischievous. The author captures Meddy’s dilemma regarding her family ties quite well – Meddy loves everyone and doesn’t want to disappoint any of her aunts or her mother, but she struggles to find space to be herself within the confines of their love. I think this is something a lot of people can relate to and Sutanto conveys every aspect of that common adulting situation with a compassionate realism that will resonate with many. Nathan is a wonderful beta hero – he’s understanding, patient, kind, protective, helpful and devoted.

EW: The blurb asks: Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

And my answer is a resounding – Yes! Sutanto does it all, and Dial A for Aunties is one of my favorite books of 2021. I laughed (a lot!) and I couldn’t put it down. Super fun and entertaining in every way; it’s a DIK, A-, for me.

MB: If you love farcical novels and adored Weekend at Bernies, Dial A for Aunties might be a perfect afternoon read for you. As a romance novel, though, my overall grade for it is a B. It relies heavily on its zany, wacky, unbelievable, excessive hilarity and only shines apart from that when it concentrates on how wonderful it can be to be part of a close, loving family. It will work for readers who like their humor goofy and don’t mind if the romantic hero and heroine don’t spend much time together.