Review:

“I have four mothers and all of their hopes and dreams have been placed on my shoulders. I’m basically driven by a mixture of caffeine and familial guilt”

Y’all. I found this book to be slapstick hilarious. This gave me Weekend at Bernies with a hilarious family. I would have loved to listen to this in audio and I bet the different characters personalities bounced off the pages.

It was inappropriately funny, and yes I giggled when she Meddy talked about covering the face of a dead body because she thought it was respectful and Ma said she raised her so well.. minus the fact there’s a dead body. But then, there’s also these amazing expressions of love that are hilarious. After Ma praises Meddy for being respectful, Meddy basically says she just killed someone so can’t say she’s raised her well, and Ma automatically counters with a, “Oh, he must deserve it”.

I will say, I was NOT expecting part 2 to start the way it did. But, it was such a pleasant surprise. My guesses went somewhere else, and I’m really glad it did the author went it the direction they did. I wondered how in the world they were going to explain everything that happened, and I’m glad it turned out the way it did. I do feel part of the ending (trying not to spoil here) was thrown as an afterthought, but I’m letting it pass because I laughed so hard!

If you loved Weekend at Bernie’s, but would love a more fun, modern version, look no further! I really enjoyed this book, and am so glad I got an eARC for Dial A for Aunties! This book got me out of my terrible reading slump. Thank you so much Berkley! Dial A is out today!

“A hilariously quirky novel that is equal parts murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters as well as a deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture, by debut author Jesse Q. Sutanto.” Dial A for Aunties is out tomorrow, thank you so much to Berkley for this gifted copy! Y’all, I have never been so stressed out reading a romance book, but all of my emotional labor was rewarded in the end! I included the blurb above as part of my review because it perfectly captures the balance the plot strikes in this books.

This is a second chance romance about Meddy and her college sweetheart Nathan. They meet up again after Meddy’s family business is hired to work the biggest wedding of the year and the island resort that Nathan manages. Due to the abrupt nature of their initial parting, neither of them have stopped pining after the other, so the connection when they see each other again is instantaneous and strong. Rather than spending a large amount of the plot on their reunion, Sutanto gives us flashbacks from their years together in college and it was such a unique way to build up the romance and I absolutely loved it.

All of the stress I mentioned earlier starts pretty much right away. Meddy begrudgingly goes on a date that her mom catfished her into by impersonating her on a dating app. Unfortunately, as her mom’s first language is not English, she does not understand all of the heavy handed innuendo the guy uses, and Meddy ends up on a date with an absolute creep. One thing leads to another and her mom and aunts are helping her hide a corpse the night before the big wedding. Things do not go as planned, and the body ends up at the wedding with them and they spend the rest of the weekend trying to get it off the island before anyone notices. Chaos ensues.

I loved this one so so much. I loved Meddy’s family and the glimpse into their culture. I loved the relationship between Nathan and Meddy, they were really perfect together. I loved all of the aunts together and the squabbles they had with each other and how much they love each other and Meddy. Weekend at Bernies is an old reference and I know that, but if you are an elder millennial like me, and you enjoyed that movie, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. I saw in the author’s note that this one will be a Netflix movie and I cannot wait to watch it!

You know you’ve had a terrible blind date when a) the guy is someone your meddling mother has been chatting to online pretending to be you and b) you end up accidentally killing him. But Meddelin doesn’t have time to deal with the dead body right now because her family are working a big wedding at a new island resort the next morning, supplying the flowers, cake, make-up, photography and entertainment.
But after a mix-up ensures the body comes along for the ride, Meddy’s in for a wild weekend with her aunties involving a blast from her romantic past, drunken groomsmen and a heist.
This is a super-funny read full of slapstick moments reminiscent of a scene from Weekend at Bernie’s or Fawlty Towers – so much so that it has already been picked up for a possible screen adaptation by Netflix. But my favourite parts were the fractious relationships between the main character, her mother and aunties, and the insights into their Indo-Chinese heritage.

Meddy’s mother sets her up on a blind date - a date, mind you, she secured for Meddy by catfishing a guy on a dating app, but that’s neither here nor there - and the guy is a nightmare. He’s full of himself and aggressive, and he doesn’t take no for an answer, and like…so…somehow….Meddy miiiiight have like…accidentally killed him.

ACCIDENTALLY!

But like…he’s dead.

So what’s a girl to do? Call her mom and her three meddlesome aunties, of course! Who better to call when you need to dispose of a body than four middle-aged Indo-Chinese women?

But then things get…….…complicated.

This book made me CACKLE. It is OUTRAGEOUS and hilarious and sooooo much fun! The ridiculous situations these women get into are BEYOND. The aunties are hilaaaaarious, and the twists and turns keep on coming, and oh my goodness it’s all just so satisfying and SO painfully clever! It has absolutely everything. This book is popcorn. It’s delicious and entertaining once you start it, you won’t be able to put it down. I loved it, and I need a sequel immediately!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Can I give this book 10 stars please!! This debut novel by Jesse Sutanto is a hilarious, cozy, mysterious romcom with unending comedy of errors!!

Meddy and her aunties are in a wedding business and the story unfolds with the death of Meddy’s blind date and hysterical events on how the aunties help Maddy hide the body! The body ends up at the wedding event where Meddy and her aunties are hired. The story takes more eventful turns when Maddy learns that her ex boyfriend Nathan is the owner of the island resort!

This book celebrates Chinese and Indonesian culture, family knit and heritage. I found myself laughing out loud at so many instances. It is so unbelievably funny that I had tears in my eyes! I had to stop and narrate some of the scenes to my husband as he kept asking why I was laughing so much!!

This witty book releases on April 27th so go get your copy today, you will be delightfully thrilled!

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for the advance galley in exchange of my honest review!

This book is so much fun to read. Like other reviewers have stated, and I agree, it's a mix of Weekend at Bernie's with The Hangover and Finlay Donovan is Killing It. I really enjoyed the main character, Meddy, and felt for her. She is torn between doing what she wants to do and doing what she thinks is best for her mom and aunties. When in college and dating the perfect boy, she chooses her family over her love.
Now, years later, she is in the wedding business with her mom and four aunts. Her mom sets Meddy up on a blind date, whom she ends up accidentally killing. She turns to her mom and aunts for help and hilarity ensues due to a wedding that they have scheduled for that weekend. I found myself chuckling many times while all the aunts where in the same room. So much fun. You do have to suspend reality, though, and just enjoy it!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

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.