It's pretty much impossible to categorize 'Dial A for Aunties': it's a family comedy, a romance, a murder farce, and a few other things too. For the most part, though, these odd ingredients all mix together into a funny, wholly original book. The premise is pretty simple: Meddy, a single woman, gets set up on a blind date by her meddling family, has a terrible time, and accidentally winds up with her date dead in the driver's seat of her car. Her mother and aunts try to help her hide the body, during a weekend wedding they've been hired for, and that's where things really go off the rails.

This isn't necessarily a book with huge, deep character arcs; it's a lightning-fast crime farce, packed with twists and turns. In some ways, it feels almost theatrical: you can almost imagine sets changing and actors whipping around as the scenes careen from one darkly comic complication to the next. It's surprisingly light, for a book whose inciting incident is death. Although we really don't get to know most of the characters very well, it's an entertaining and delightful comedy that surprises you on every page.

3.5, rounded up. I requested this thinking it would be more of a romance, but once I realized that this was a madcap Weekend-at-Bernies-esque adventure with Meddy and her four aunties, I went along for the (quite enjoyable) ride. It starts off a little rocky and, well, darker than I was expecting (see: murder in the synopsis), but once the setting moves to St. Lucia the pacing really takes off. I loved seeing the family dynamics and Chinese-Indo cultural elements play out, plus there is a bit of romance interspersed throughout--so, I wasn't totally off base.

OMG, this book was everything. Not quite a romantic comedy though there is a romance and SO MUCH comedy. I don't even know how to describe Dial A for Aunties in terms of genre, but adjectives I'd use are unique, fresh, hilarious, original, heart-tugging, uproarious, fantastic. Meddy, her mom, Big Auntie, Second Auntie, and Fourth Auntie were such great characters with snappy dialogue and a whole lot of love, and Nathan was perfection. The inside matches the cover: bright, tempting, and delicious. Don't take my word for it, READ IT.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.

This was an extremely funny book. There were many moments that I giggled out loud to myself.

After Meddy accidentally kills her blind date, she must figure out what to do. She tells her mother who tells her three aunts. They come up with a plan, but of course nothing goes the way they expect. And just to add another element, they are trying to pull things together while they’re vendors at a big wedding weekend.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Meddy and her family. The way the Indi-Chinese extended relations and the expectations were portrayed well. This comes from the author writing what she knows.

A lot of this story gave me Crazy Rich Asians vibes. Just add a dead body and you have Dial A For Aunties.

An accidental murder, a bunch of meddling Aunties, and a major emoji translation gone wrong! Finlay Donovan meets Crazy Rich Asians in this hilarious debut novel.

I was SO excited to receive an ARC of this book. I love a good murder comedy hybrid and while I don’t have any Asian aunties, I have several Jewish mothers and can appreciate a lot of similarities (minus the language barrier!).

I’ve got to be honest, the plot here is kind of absurd, and not even slightly based in reality. There were a lot of “WTF” moments for me throughout the book, but especially towards the end when “law enforcement” (and I use that term loosely) became involved.

….BUT I still *thoroughly* enjoyed reading this book and found myself cracking up a TON.

I think this will be a hit for many of readers. It’s so unique and a fun, easy read that will make you laugh and forget about reality for a few hours. Also, I don’t say this about many books, but this would make a fabulous movie!

3.5/5 stars
5/5 giggles

Family guilt. A gorgeous resort. Millionaire families. A wedding. A lost love. And a dead man.
Meddy fell in love as a freshman- Nathan was her best friend before they both realized they were into each other.
At graduation, Nathan is offered his dream job. Meddy's aunties and mother just started a wedding business- with her as the photographer. Bravely Meddy breaks up with Nathan - only to mourn her loss.
Four years pass by - her family's business is hired for the wedding of the year - a bride and groom from crazy wealthy families.
The night before, Meddy's mother confesses she created an online dating profile, posing as Meddy. She made a date to finally meet charming, Jake.
Meddy agrees to the date. Only ending up with a dead Jake. Meddy goes home - Meddy, aunties, mother struggle to hide the body.
Add in family guilt. Her lost love on the scene again. Family guilt. Wealthy clients. And chaos.
Enjoyable, hilarious and sweet. Highly recommend.

I love books that feature older characters like The Thursday Murder Club and The Lager Queen of Minnesota. I also love The Golden Girls. This story revolves around a tight knit Chinese American family rallying around one of their own during a time of crisis. You would think it would be serious but it had me laughing out loud. The book is a quick read and highlights the quirky awesomeness of each of the aunties. I was so excited to hear Netflix is interested!!!!

I tried several times, but just never could get into this. It just didn't spark my interest I guess. It was not for me.

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES is super cute, fun, and very sweet. Think Clue, Weekend at Bernie’s, & The Princess Bride but make it Chinese-Indonesian. Absolutely delightful. Pre-order it for its April release. The romance elements were so cinematic and more swoon-inducing than steamy. I loved this book.

I'll start my review by saying I really enjoyed the beginning of this book! I really really did. At about the 35% mark, it started to fall flat and stopped being something I wanted to pick up and read. Meddie was such a fun character, but she started to fall flat too. There were two great things about this book: 1. THE AUNTIES. Oh my gosh HILARIOUS cast of aunties. Wow, they stole the show. and 2. learning about the Chinese/Indonesian cultures and wedding traditions. I loved that aspect. Otherwise, the twist and the turns weren't shocking and the reconnection of Nathan and Meddie was annoyingly cliché.

Over-the-top, ridiculous, and straight up hilarious - I loved it.

After her mom impersonates her on a dating app, Meddy Chan goes on a bad date with a rich hotelier and he's accidentally killed. Not knowing what to do, Meddy puts the body in her trunk and enlists the help of her mom and aunties to hide the body. Things go from bad to worse when the catering freezer he's stored in shipped to the next wedding Meddy's family is coordinating. "Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans."

While this one is filed under romance, and it does have an HEA, this is really a family comedy. And if you're an Asian American reader, the family dynamics and the relationships among the aunties hit close to home.

If what you need is an escape from reality and a lot of laughs, put Dial A for Aunties on your list. I'm 100% not surprised the book is already in development as a series. I can't wait.

My review for Booklist is here:
https://www.booklistonline.com/Dial-A-for-Aunties-/pid=9743467

The review is also cross-posted to my Smithsonian BookDragon blog here:
http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/dial-a-for-aunties-by-jesse-q-sutanto-in-booklist/

What happens with Meddy kills her blind date, her Ma and Aunties get involved (helping with the body), they work a wedding (involuntarily taking the body with them), and Meddy runs into the one that got away?

I’ll tell you. Exploration of self and the relationships between mothers and daughters and sisters. Second chances at love. Longing and lusting and kissing, new discoveries that change the course of various lives.

And below all of that? Murder. Does Meddy get away with it?

This book made me crazy, the Aunties were hilarious but so much was happening I felt my head spinning. Made for TV drama, a read you should dive into if you’re in the mood for soap opera levels of unbelievable and fun.

3.5 stars - This has to be one of the more unique books I've read in quite some time! I think the right word to describe this is wacky? Like it reads as almost a K-drama (though I guess in this case it would be a C-drama?), and it's a unique mash up of a soapy murder plot a la Clue with a romance sub plot. This made me giggle, and while I do think you have to kind of just "go with it" in terms of the more melodramatic moments, I appreciated how this book spotlighted familial bonds between women

I loved how strong the family and the culture was in Dial A for Aunties. In my copy there's a letter from Sutanto about trilingualism being a product of their quest for safety and dreams. How it results in broken pieces of language and moments in life, not stereotypes on a TV show. I loved how Dial A for Aunties was an entertaining page turner focused on Meddys' inner struggle between her family and her own dreams. It's all a matter of perspective and speaking up about what we want. Because when people leave it can be a blessing or a curse.

At around 30% I could not stop reading. It's a series of unexpected turns, narrow misses with danger, and revelations. There is funny and wry family dynamics even while discussing body disposal. Dial A for Aunties easily sweeps you away. It's a charming and fast paced read that I would recommend for vacations and feel-good reads!

This was a delight! I did not know what to expect when I opened my kindle copy of Dial A for Aunties - but "Weekend at Bernie's' with a close-knit group of women was not it. I read this in about a day - the short chapters and quick pace kept me guessing. I can't wait to read more of Sutanto's work!

Meddelin was not expecting to accidentally kill her blind date. When she does however, she knows she will need her families help to make it go away. Enter Ma, Big Auntie, Second Auntie, and Fourth Auntie. They are here to save the day and help Meddie get rid of the body. With the biggest wedding of the year the next day however, and all of them set to work it, they may have signed up for a bit more than they could handle.

4.5 Stars! Oh my Freaking God. THIS BOOK! It was like Crazy Rich Asians mixed with Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, and it was legit perfection! The characters, the long lost love, the wedding, oh, and the DEAD BODY. I kind of loved that the Aunties were just numbered and thats how they were referred to the entire book. It made their antics so much funnier. This book had me laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of everything happening. If you like a solid, oh they could definitely get away with this murder story, steer clear, but if you need a fun, laugh out loud, little bit romantic, little bit murder mystery, then this one is for you!

A delightfully macabre, laugh out loud farce of a novel!
Dial A for Aunties includes a terrible blind date, an inconvenient corpse, an exasperating but loving mother, a ridiculous yet endearing group of interfering aunties, an over the top wedding, the reappearance of an old flame...and more!
Meddy's Chinese-Indonesian family is just precious (and crazy), while the sparks between Meddy and her first love Nathan is swoon worthy. The hijinks and humor never wavers- this is a blast of a book!

This book is the epitome of full body reading. Gasping, squirming, shrieking, laughing, grasping hair, and curling up like an armadillo. I was twitchy as hell because I couldn’t hold it in... and I read at least 40% outside the vet’s office, unapologetically, as people watched my full body reading experience. Ha.

I greatly appreciated the author’s note at the beginning about vernacular and cultural stereotypes. It put me in the right way to enjoy the book. And obviously I enjoyed it. All the elements of rom-com mixed with murder and family and Chinese-Indo culture made for an amazing book.

No spoilers... and I could talk about and spoil this book endlessly. It wasn’t completely perfect. Some things were obvious and I had hoped for a slightly more elegant wrap-up but whatever. In the end I don’t care. It’s a must-read.

*I received a free early ecopy from the publisher via netgalley.

This book was hilarious, I couldn't put it down and was laughing throughout most of it. The banter was witty, the family drama was great!
I loved this family and their relationship. I loved the aunties most if all!
This is a cute fun read and I'm so excited to.see this book do amazing things in 2021