I love this cover and the synopsis and couldn’t wait to get to it.

I love love loved Meddy, her Ma, and Aunties. There’s such an amazing family dynamic: even when they’re bickering or angry, you can see the love and support. Meddy is loyal and loving and thrives in her family, but doesn’t seem to realize it. I truly enjoyed watching everything unfold.

Plot wise, there are a lot of moving pieces: a body, a wedding, and a rekindled love and I was absolutely here for all of it. I couldn’t get enough of every thing and easily would have read another 100 pages. However, this slice of time was perfect and I’m being greedy.

Overall, this was hilarious and delightful and filled with such heart. Definitely one of my top 10 of the year.

**Huge thanks to Berkley for providing the arc free of charge**

This book! This is one of my most anticipated books and I could not be more thrilled to receive an early release of this and it absolutely did not disappoint!
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This book is a pure blast. I was laughing out loud within the first few pages where Meddelin’s mother and her aunts berate her for being so bad at dating and the reason why...I was crying laughing.
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Meddelin works with her mom and Aunties in their wedding business each playing an integral role while each thinking their role is the most important role, which is hilarious.
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The Aunties love Meddelin but they know she needs a nudge with her dating life. They take it upon themselves to set her up with a blind date. The text conversation is beyond hilarious when they were pretending to be her. Let’s just say her mom thought he was a very nice boy who wanted to cook....eggplant for her and again I’m dying laughing.
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She needs to get her family off her back so she goes on the date. Super unfortunately she accidentally kills him which sets forward the wheels of motion of a hysterical fast paced read that includes, meddling aunties, two thousand wedding guests, a billionaire wedding, and perhaps a curse?!
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This is a family that tells each other everything, even when you accidentally murder someone, then make sure you have enough food to feed them when they help clean up your mess! The concern of a lack of food brining shame to them, not the dead body, is downright hysterical.
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I mean these aunties may be class A meddlers but maybe it would be nice to hand over the reigns of life and let them take over!
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If you loved Crazy Rich Asians as I did this is for you. I loved this one. I read it in a day and laughed with almost every turn of the page!
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A huge Thank you to #NetGalley and #BerkleyPub for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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This book is out on Tuesday! Get it on your radar now! It is so much fun!
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This was a great read with lots of fun twists! Definitely worth checking out for anyone looking for a book to take a break and have some laughs.

If you want an easy over the top LOL story then definitely read Dial A for Aunties. This story will make any related wedding drama you may have had in your own life look like a walk in the park! If you have an overbearing mother and multiple aunties in your life you will relate to this story far too well. The one thing I hope none of us readers can relate to would be the accidental murder of a blind date the main character, Meddy's, mother set her up on. From then on it was just a downward spiral of constant craziness all while Meddy's family were vendors at one over the top expensive wedding at a lux hotel property that just happened to be owned by Meddy's college boyfriend, Nathan. Nathan was the one that got away and that Meddy blamed herself for their breakup over the years. If you want to see exactly what happens to the body of the man Meddy accidentally killed then hurry up and read Dial A for Aunties. You'll also be craving dim sum by the end! If you were a fan of The Marriage Game and The Dating Plan then definitely add this one to your TBR.

Many thanks to Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Meddy goes on a blind date after finding out her mother has been impersonating her on an online dating site. The date goes horribly wrong and Meddy's date ends up dead. Now Meddy must rely on her mom and aunts to help her dispose of the body. But things go horribly wrong after the cooler they stored the body in is delivered to the wedding venue where Meddy and her family are working.

Well this was just FUN! You will definitely have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this book, but I thought it was great! I absolutely loved Meddy and her family and loved how the book celebrates Indonesian and Chinese culture. My ARC had a note from the author discussing the broken language used throughout the book. Please do not skip this section of the book before reading the book.

If you are looking for something realistic and serious, then you will want to skip Dial A For Aunties, but if you enjoy hilarious wedding hijinks and family drama, then you are sure to love this delightful book!

Murder meets RomCom vibes in this charming debut from Jesse Q. Sutanto.

When Meddelin Chan accidentally kills her blind date (who her mother set her up with after pretending she was her daughter no less), she calls in reinforcements - her mother, and her three aunties who can't seem to get along. Together they help her deal with the body, but when the body accidentally ends up at the wedding their working, all hell breaks loose. But that's not all, the owner of the hotel where the wedding is taking place is none other than Nathan Chan, her long-lost love from college who she let go of years ago and has yet to get over. Meddelin juggles disaster after disaster as her aunties' plans to help save her future fall apart, and land them in increasingly hot water. As the girl who never broke the rules all her life, can Meddelin get away with murder and get the guy?

Jesse Q. Sutanto's prose is fun and whip-smart. Each of her characters are distinct and has colorful personalities that jump off the page. The blend of murder mystery, family drama, and romance work harmoniously to deliver a sweet novel of unconditional family love and the journey to gaining confidence.

Thank you, Berkley, Jesse Q. Sutanto and NetGalley for the ARC. It was delight.

How adorable is this book? I've been so excited to read this book! As a Chinese-American, I love reading books where there is Chinese representation, especially from an #OwnVoices author. Any Chinese / Asian person with a large, close-knit family will resonate with this book. Heck, any foreign family with a large family will resonate with this book! If you're a fan of Crazy Rich Asians and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you're in for a treat. I got a kick out of all the Chinese / Asian references and customs in the book - they're so spot-on! Down to the main character and her family living in SGV (IYKYK) just like my parents and their weekend trips to dim sum (yum!).

Meddelin (Meddy) Chan, her mom and three meddling aunties (aka the "4 aunties") are 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family. They have a family wedding business together and they've just been hired for one of the biggest weddings at an exclusive island resort on the California coastline. Right before the big event, her mother meddles in her love life and sets her up on a blind date.

Let's just say that the date does not go well and Meddy ends up killing her date - eek! Not knowing what to do, she tells her mom and her mom calls her sisters (the aunties) for their help. Together they devise a plan to get rid of the body. Sounds easy, right? Except the very next day is the wedding and due to an unfortunate snafu, the body ends up at the island resort at the wedding! In a cake cooler!

It turns out getting rid of a body is not an easy task. Hilarity ensues as Meddy and her 4 aunties try to get rid of the body amidst all the wedding chaos. Oh, and did I mention that her college sweetheart (aka the one that got away) makes a surprise appearance at the wedding? Is Meddy able to pull off this important, over-the-top wedding + charm her ex-boyfriend back into her life - all in the same weekend? Have no fear, the 4 meddling aunties are here - to help!

This book is downright hilarious! All of the witty banter between the aunties are so fun! That and their dynamics with each are what truly make the book. My only criticism is that the book is a little short! The story goes by fast as the aunties' banter takes up a lot of the book - would've loved the story to be a bit longer! That being said, I can't wait for the movie adaption to come out on Netlix!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Pub & Jesse Sutanto for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a gifted galley of DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for an honest review.

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES centers on Meddelin Chan. Meddy is the good child of the family, the lone daughter who has stayed home to work with her mother and her three aunts in the family wedding business. Her family is very close and very involved in each other’s lives in addition to the family business. When Meddy’s mother sets her up for a date, Meddy agrees to go but things quickly go awry and her date winds up dead.

With a big wedding the next day, the timing of this accidental caper could not be worse, so the aunts rally around Meddy to help dispose of the wayward date. The wedding itself brings more complications, including the reappearance of the man Meddy once loved but had to let go.

This book was so much fun! This is one of those reads where you have to go in willing to suspend disbelief. Could this situation really happen like this? No. Is it absolutely laugh out loud funny to read about? Yes! There’s an over the top wedding, bickering aunties, a second chance romance and of course the constant danger of being caught.

I loved the relationship between Meddy and her family and the relationships between the four sisters of the older generation. They each have very distinct personalities with a lot of clashes, but when the pressure is on, the family loyalty comes out.

I highly recommend this one for a fantastic fun read! I will be looking forward to more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future as well. DIAL A FOR AUNTIES is out today!

Weekend at Bernie’s meets Crazy Rich Asians in this fresh and quirky debut novel for a weekend full of fast-paced, laugh-out-loud antics.

Overall, this was a really fun read that had me laughing out loud in several places. I could totally see it being made into a movie. For full enjoyment, the reader is required to suspend a little bit of disbelief (even more so than was required for Weekend at Bernie’s). There was one part that bothered me a little bit -- when the dude suffocated in the cooler. That is a pretty awful way to go and I didn't feel it had any business being in a comedy. An accidental death would have been more palatable.

Listen, every good thing you've heard about, or will hear about Dial A for Aunties is true.
I cannot remember the last time I had such fun reading a story. Dial A for Aunties is a genre-blending caper. It's not quite a mystery, not a romance though there is a really sweet romantic element, and as humorous as it is it would be disingenuous to pass it off as a mere comedy. Don't skip the author's note at the beginning that talks about her family's history and contextualize the variety of languages the characters speak as well as their Indonesian and Chinese heritage. I honestly could not put this one down once I picked it up- it was a genuine pleasure to read all the way through. The family at the heart of this- Meddy, her mom, and her aunts- make this story so warm, with the through line of what lengths family will go to for each other. I loved the matter of fact way they rushed to help Meddy when the time came to deal with a literal body, and the stunts they pulled to make it work. You're going to have to suspend some disbelief towards the end as things pull together very cleanly, but it's worth it.

Dial A for Aunties has been highly anticipated based on early reviews that I have seen. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this unicorn debut. This illustrated cover is one of my new favorites.
From page one, I was very interested in the storyline, characters, and writing style. It has several laugh out loud moments, especially in the beginning.
As it went on, I lost a little momentum. The humor cooled and the impossible heated up. I wouldn't normally mind this - I actually love the fantastical - but the lack of remorse and/or fear regarding a big plot point turned me off. While this wasn't for me, I don't believe it would deter other readers necessarily.
The aunties gave this book magic. They're a loyal force against outsiders and a bickering mess internally. I over-the-top enjoyed their antics.
Fans of Crazy Rich Asians will find much to delight in this novel. Jesse is an author to watch out for. I loved her unique twist on a common second chance trope.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Dial A for Aunties is the funniest book I've read in recent memory; I was in hysterics - like tears-in-my-eyes, can't-catch-my-breath laughing - from the very first chapter. This is Crazy Rich Asians by way of Weekend at Bernie's - a whacky combination that shouldn't work but somehow produces comedy gold. When Meddy accidentally kills her blind date, she calls in her mom and aunties to help dispose of the body. Throw in a wedding, some billionaires, and Meddy's old college boyfriend, and the troubles (and antics!) start piling up. This is a wild, hilarious ride that will make for a perfect pick me up or beach read.

Dial A for Aunties is Jess Q. Sutanto's debut novel. It is a quirky, laugh out loud gem!

Meddy hasn't dated much since she broke-up with the love of her life in college. Twenty-six and still pining over lost love, her mother impersonates her on a dating site and sets her up on a date. Things go from bad to worse when the date dies, and Maddy panics throwing him in the trunk of her car.

What to do now, bring on the Aunties! The only problem is they have one the biggest weddings to manage at the local island resort. The over-the-top ridiculousness is spectacular, as they drag the body to the wedding trying to figure how to dispose of it. But who shows-up, Meddy's college sweetheart has he manages the resort hosting the wedding. Can they restart where they left off with mayhem all around them?

Weekend at Bernie's meets Hangover meets Crazy Rich Asians - this book is a hoot!

Thank you BerkleyPub and NetGalley for an Advance Readers Copy for a honest review.

Meddy does everything she can to be the perfect daughter/niece to her mom and three Aunties. While all of her uncles and male cousins have moved away, Meddy has stayed close to her loving but often overbearing Indo-Chinese family and seems there to stay when she joins their new wedding business. On the eve of their biggest wedding yet, Meddy learns her mother has been impersonating her on a dating site and that Meddy has a blind date. The date goes poorly, in fact so poorly that now Meddy and her whole family must dispose of her date’s dead body that was inconveniently shipped in a cake cooler to the wedding venue. And just in case there wasn’t enough on the line,, Meddy’s long lost college sweetheart appears. Can Meddy and her family pull of this wedding, escape murder charges, and the get the guy?

I felt a bit ridiculous even writing the description for Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto, and while it was a pretty ridiculous read, I’m pretty happy I read it. This book was a hoot. So funny and far fetched that I was shaking my head and rolling my eyes while chuckling throughout the read. This is not a book for realists, but if you want a wild ride with some loving characters with strong personalities, give this book a chance.

Absolutely one of the most fun books Injabe read in awhile. I laughed out loud while reading about Meddi , her mother and her aunties. It kind of has a Weekend at Bernies meets some Asian Stooges while making an appearance at Crazy Rich Asians. I read this so fast, it was very entertaining.

I don't know what I was expecting from this story but I definitely wasn't expecting it to be so absurd in the most fun way possible.

The amount of characters completely unfazed by murder and handling a dead body while juggling a wedding and rekindling an old love was so chaotic and funny. It's like 'Weekend at Bernie's' meets 'Mr. Right' with a focus on family and cultural/linguistic miscommunication.

This story requires a great deal of suspending one's belief that I was more than happy to do.

One of my favorite reads of 2021!! I haven't laughed so hard at a book in a good while, Absolutely adored it and read the book in one sitting! Of course there are parts that are over the top but that just made it all the more funnier. The banter between the Aunts and Meddy are hilarious. Everyone needs to read 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.

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This was such a delight to read! I laughed out loud so often, while also cringing at the awkwardness of a young wedding photographer who, along with her aunties and mother, tries to hide the body of her horrible blind date while simultaneously working the wedding day of a wealthy client. (I know - there's a lot going on!)

This book is utterly absurd, hilariously ridiculous, and perfectly fun! Suspend reality for a bit, dive into this cozy little story, and enjoy! I'm looking forward to seeing how the Netflix adaptation is done as well!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advanced read! All opinions are my own.

I’m a new Auntie so this title caught my attention and the yellow I absolutely loved, needless to say yes, I judged a book by its cover!

It’s funny and had me turning the pages. I loved the Aunties, they were my favorite part about the book. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to, I didn’t connect with the main character and found myself skipping around and getting back to the Aunties.

I enjoyed learning about the Chinese-Indonesian culture and the wedding stuff was fun!

Thanks to Berkley, NetGalley and Edelweiss for my advanced ebook copy.