We love Jesse Q Sutanto! This was my first YA read of hers and it definitely won't be my last. The characters were really intriguing and I could not put the book down.

Laugh out loud funny YA novel! It reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians but for a younger audience. I loved the authentic banter between Sharlot and George. I also really enjoyed Eleanor and Kiki’s sisterly bond. The meddling parents were accurate and funny in their descriptions. All in all a fun read! I gave it 4 stars!

The premise of the book promised an outrageous, laugh out loud YA romcom and it delivered.

If you loved the humor and fast-pace of Dial A For Aunties and fake dating & YA romances, this one is sure to please. Like her previous books, the antics and humor abound. Sometimes the humor was more juvenile in nature but considering this is a YA novel, it was to be expected. There were even some twists that I wasn’t expecting.

I loved the setting of Jakarta and Bali and narrative around the more traditional cultural norms and values juxtaposed with the more modern ones. I loved the side characters of the sister and cousin as they added an extra layer of humor to the story.

It has fake dating, monkeys, lots of coffee and Indonesian food references, parents pretending to be their children on dating apps and all the hilarity this brings when reading their messages, meddling aunties, hilarious and embarrassing opening scenes for each main character, and all the feels with teenage love.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this one. This was a fun contemporary romance. The characters were ok and this was a quick read. If you like cultural cross over tales, this one is for you!

3.5/5

This was really cute! The author calls it a love letter to Indonesia and that is totally what it feels like. I absolutely loved the setting, the descriptions of places and food, the cultural immersion – armchair traveling is one of my favorite things about reading and this did it so well!

Aside from the setting, it’s also just a really fun story. Sharlot and George are adorable and their growth throughout the novel was lovely. The parental catfishing allowed from some hilarious moments, and I loved the large cast of side characters.

Jesse Q. Sutanto has been on my radar for ages and this was such a great book to start with. I’m looking forward even more to (finally!) reading Dial A for Aunties now!

At times silly, funny, and sweet, Well, That Was Unexpected will entertain you at the same time it convinces you to make Indonesia your next vacation destination!

Thank you so much Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts:
Like We Deserve Monuments, a teenage senior is forced to temporarily leave her friends and home to travel to her mother's home town, in this case, Indonesia. Throughout the book, both girls find that their mother's are holding secrets that will change their relationship. However, that is where the two stories verge away from each other.

Unlike the drama of Monuments, this is a cute romcom, family meddling, crazy rich Asians style adventure through Indonesia. From the beginning, as readers we know that they are going to get together eventually, so this was really a love story about the place too, from a lot of coffee and street food to beautiful scenery, it really. makes me want to visit Indonesia. I learned so much about it through this book.

From the Publisher:
A laugh-out-loud YA rom-com about a girl who's whisked from LA to her mother's native Indonesia to get back to her roots and finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families there, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties and The Obsession

After Sharlot Citra's mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It'll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.

When George Clooney Tanuwijaya's father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot's mother and George's father do what any "good" parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children.

When the kids find out about their parents’ actions, they’re horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?

Publication Information:
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Publisher: Delacorte Press (Sept. 27, 2022)

This was my first Jesse Q. Sutanto book but it won't be my last! I loved this book so much. It's such a fun YA rom-com about love, self-discovery and identity.

Sharlot is finally ready to have sex with her boyfriend. But when her mom walks in on them, she freaks and drags Sharlot to Indonesia for the summer. Meanwhile in Indonesia, George Clooney is mortified when his father and sister walk in on him watching porn. Determined to fix their children's disastrous love lives and find them appropriate people to date, Sharlot's mom and George's dad (and sister) create profiles for them on a social networking app -- and began cat-fishing each other. When Sharlot and George are forced to meet IRL, everything spins out of control and suddenly they're in a fake relationship to help George's family. At first they pretend to like each other for the cameras, but soon their feelings start to become real. Did their parents matchmaking actually lead them to love?

This book had me either laughing or smiling every single page. You can't help but love Sharlot, George and both of their families. There is even a very sweet subplot with Sharlot's mom that I LOVED. The book also tackles how social media can be harmful, especially for young women and does a really great job portraying healthy conversations for teens about sex and consent. We also get both Sharlot and George's POV throughout the book, which was a great choice.

The other thing I loved about this book is the discussion around identity and culture. Sharlot hasn't really been able to connected with Indonesian culture, but spending the summer in Indonesia allows her to connect with her family and learn more about her culture. i also loved that we get to experience Indonesia through Sharlot's eyes and I can honestly say that it's on my lists of places to visit.

This book is so witty, funny and charming. It's a great book for teenagers and adults. You will be so happy you read this book!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this ebook as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours on Instagram, thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing the ebook for an honest review.

As a fellow Chinese-Indonesian, I can't tell you how excited I am to finally see a Chinese-Indonesia (or Chindo) representation in a book that is also set in Indonesia! With a lot of Indonesian culture in it!

We met Sharlot Citra a 17 years old Chinese-Indonesian-American who was caught doing R-rated things with her boyfriend by her mother. She was then got taken away to her mother’s birthplace, Indonesia for the summer. In Indonesia, George Clooney also faces the same problem, but he was caught by his father and sister.

Sharlot’s mother and George’s father strike up a conversation with each other online pretending to be their children. When Sharlot and George finally meet (thanks to their parents), things started to get so complicated that they have to pretend they’re dating.

Well, That Was Unexpected really brings a lot of Indonesian culture to life. It feels like as if the Tanuwijaya family is mine because of how relatable the writing is to my family life situation. Like when they said “Chinese family titles are painfully specific, “ I understand that on so many levels. The characters and the atmosphere are well-written.

The twist near the end really caught me off guard. Like the title said “Well, That Was Unexpected” It really was unexpected.

It was a good read.

This book is absolutely adorable. Featuring multiple sets of meddling relatives, a highly eligible bachelor, and a fish out of water, Sutanto delivers a sweet and fun YA novel. Through Shar, we get to naturally discover how Indonesia diverges from American expectations. There are hijinks and developing relationships, making you both laugh and feel.

This was such a cute YA romcom! I loved the setting in Indonesia and it definitely made me want to visit! I feel Asian culture is underrepresented in western published books so I loved reading this and learning more about Indonesia. I thought the cast of characters were fun and loved the side characters, especially Kiki and Elenor. Both George and Sharlot are likable protagonists and I loved seeing their relationships with their families. I liked Sharlot’s journey with her mother and how her thoughts shifted on Indonesia. This would be a great book for a highschool library especially because of setting, diversity, and Sharlots focus on intimacy. This humor was engaging throughout the whole story. This would be a great beach read because the conflict is never too heavy and has a sweet love story.

Overall, this was a 4.5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Childrens for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a YA rom-com about two teenagers who are in trouble with their parents and end up fake-dating to appease those parents. Sharlot and her mom travel from LA to spend the summer in Indonesia. George, who is part of a very wealthy Indonesian family, is in trouble with his dad. Sharlot's mom and George's dad and sister actually end up messaging with each other, pretending to be Sharlot and George, and arrange for a meeting. This story is actually really sweet and fun, and I appreciated how mature Sharlot and George were despite the way that their relationship started. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

For the record I was not aware that this was YA and not NA/A until I read it.

That being said, the FMC is a teenager and I am not so I have found her much more frustrating and it kind of ruined the whole vibe I had.

I had heard this was basically Crazy Rich Asians with a fake dating plot and that sounded awesome.

I loved that this was set in Indonesia.

It was sweet, but not the best. I really enjoyed Dial A For Aunties, but this feel a little short. The characters were okay but I didn’t fall in love with them like I usually do in romances. It’s just and I support the representation, but it was a small let down

I wasn't a fan of Crazy Rich Asians, but this book is like the YA version of it, and yet, it was so much better. I had lots of fun with the plot and with imagining Indonesia. Alert, you'll probably add it to your next destinations before you're even done with the reading.

Sharlot is forced to visit Indonesia, where her mother is from, though she's never been there and long since lost interest in her family's history, as she never really heard anything about it growing up in the States. Meanwhile, George is also forced to relinquish his phone and through that his teenager sister and father is using his profile to meet a girl, one that sounds very traditional, the perfect candidate to be the wife of the future successor of their family's conglomerate. However, Sharlot isn't the one writing the messages either. 

This is a fun story with lots of curiosities about Indonesia that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. It's definitely one of the good. It was my first time reading anything by this writer, but now i'm very curious about her works.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Sutanto has a very engaging writing style, and the book was an easy read. It was a love letter to Indonesian culture that could both entice those unfamiliar with the culture to want to learn more, and it could make those who see their culture under-represented in western-published books feel seen. I would definitely recommend this book for high school, due to Sharlot's focus on intimacy. Both her and George are likeable protagonists, and their relationships with the families is engaging. Overall, a complete beach read -- the conflict is never too heavy, and it satisfies those with wanderlust and those who enjoy a sweet love story.

This was a good contemporary YA novel! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it, if it sounds interesting to you!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Laugh-out-loud and full of delight. George and Sharlot are characters that make you want to scream "kiss already!" and also cringe at the same time. I absolutely love Sutanto's writing already, and I was so excited to read this one. Excellent storytelling and full of voice. I cannot recommend this fun romp through Indonesia enough.

I LOVED Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties so I was excited to jump into this YA romcom! Especially with fake dating as one of the elements. This book was a lot of fun, but unfortunately didn't really deliver for me. I would say the comparison to Crazy Rich Asians is apt, but make it YA and add some fake dating and double-blind catfishing. Sharlot is caught about to have sex with her boyfriend in LA, so as punishment, her mom takes them to her home country of Indonesia for the summer. George Clooney lives in Indonesia and is the heir-apparent of a huge family business. Their respective parents both start social media/dating accounts for them, and then they accidentally get caught on a date and have to fake date and end up becoming a real thing.

I really enjoyed how fun this was, some of the realizations and biases that Sharlot addressed based on her understanding of Indonesia as an American, and the background. I know that books like this often get bad ratings with notes about "not having learned anything" from a community different from the reader's own, and I hate that line of thinking, but I also definitely didn't feel that in this book.

While I think there was Sutanto's trademark shenanigans that I first experienced in Aunties, otherwise this book felt incredibly underdeveloped. There were conversations that happened several times, with no acknowledgement that they'd already been had (to the point that I wondered if there was some secret amnesia plot happening?). I fully own that I am a grown adult reading a YA book, but I have been a teen and my youngest sibling is still a teen, and the dialogue felt like a caricature of teens. When I was 16, I didn't consider 27 ancient. I wanted to BE 27 already. I thought 40 or 50 felt ancient, though obviously I know better now. But it felt very try-hard for me personally. The writing was similarly lacking in polish. There's a piece where Sharlot is sassing someone, and the verb clause after is "I snap very snappishly." Mmm. Is that how?

Anyway, I will continue to read Sutanto's work because I just love her brain, but I think perhaps her YAs are not for me.

Jesse is definitely one of my favorite authors. The three books I have now read of hers have been page-turners, hard to put down, and funny. I don’t think I have laughed this much while reading a book. I always have a hard time putting her books down and devouring them pretty quickly.

Well, That Was Unexpected is a YA rom-com. The book is told from the dual perspective of two teens. The book beings with one of the main characters, Sharlot in sunny California. Sharlot is caught in a very compromising situation with her boyfriend by her mother. Her mother freaks out and whisks her to Indonesia. Once there she takes her phone.

Now in Indonesia George (George Clooney Tanuwijaya) is caught by his father in a very compromising situation. Nothing quite like Sharlot’s but enough that it was embarrassing to him as well as his father. As parents, we don’t want to know that our kids are doing these kinds of things. George thinks it’s harmless and it’s what boys do. George’s dad freaks out and removes his phone and computer from George. One thing about George is that he comes from a wealthy family and they don’t need this to come out and cause a scandal for the family.

In both situations, I was laughing and dying and the second-hand embarrassment of the two. Kids don’t want to be caught in those situations by their parents.

Now we know that that can be just the story right? Well, George’s dad thinks to fix the situation he has to set his son up on a date with a real person with the help of George’s sister, Eleanor Roosevelt. Meanwhile, Sharlot’s mother decides Sharlot needs distraction from wanting to lose her virginity. So both parents decide to basically catfish each other and pretend to be the kids. As I was reading their text exchanges I knew it was adults speaking and not teens. They were fun to read. But what will Sharlot and George think once they find out?

What will happen when the teens meet face to face? Let’s just say it’s not going to be easy at first but what happens next turns out to be a beautiful thing for all those involved.

I loved how Jesse made you feel like you were there with her writing of the setting and food. It’s always nice to learn a little something about where the book is taking place. I even googled some images to make it feel like I was there.

This is a funny and heartwarming rom-com! I usually don't like reading rom-com, the humor part usually doesn't satisfy me. But this one was very entertaining! I've heard a lot about this author, but this is the first book I read by Jesse. And I'm definitely excited to read more of her books in the future!