I wanted to love this but it’s not for me ! But I think a younger YA reader would eat this up. I just could t relate and just felt like I didn’t fit. Weird to describe but I think my teen daughter would enjoy it

An enjoyable novel that was an easy read. I would recommend this one. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I really liked the other book I read by Jesse but this one just didn't hit the same. I was expecting more and because of that I felt a little let down. however it was still cute and if you are a teen this would prob be right up your ally.

This was really cute and fun to read. it brought up a lot of the stigma of women/girl gamers in such a great way for the young audience. the plot was so fun as well. i enjoyed the characters and their interactions. wished it was longer but overall a delight.

Kiki Siregar is a confident and self-assured gamer who plays with a male-sounding tag because she's tired of the abuse she gets when she plays as a girl. She makes a friend in one game that's all that's keeping her sane during her first days at a new, hyper-conservative, and misogynistic school. Can her self-esteem and friendship survive the abuse and discoveries that the new school has in store for her?

It's a 3.5 read because it's too much a typical outspoken teen in a restrictive environment story but it also has some excellent messaging about standing up for yourself and not letting others dictate your life.

Kiki has to go through some awful bullying and there were times when I wanted to scream at how unhelpful almost everyone around her was. Be warned that if you were bullied or know someone who suffered through it, this feels a little too real.

Aside from the harshness of the bullying and the self-esteem issues, it has some super fun and emotional moments that help Kiki become more empathetic and likable because she is honestly a little too full of herself in the beginning. There's being self-assured and being a brat, and she honestly feels more like the second for the first part of the book. I would have preferred character growth that didn't necessitate her going through the awful things she eventually goes through, but I do appreciate how it mimics the sad reality some kids face.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the read!

I absolutely adored this lovely and fresh YA romance and really appreciated the character details and the writing style!

Perfect YA romance! The characters were amazing and I loved watching their love grow, especially because I felt connected through the characters being gamers like me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Regrettably, I didn't enjoy this book. I found it very cringeworthy. While it touched on issues like misogyny and bullying, the writing left much to be desired, appearing more suited for middle school audiences. The main character's immaturity and disrespect toward her parents made her so annoying. The plot didn't help either, it's so predictable. The relationship between Liam and Kiki felt weak, and the insta-love was unconvincing. Additionally, the rushed ending made it feel odd.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is YA and geared towards that age group. I think late middle school and high school students would like this. I had to go into reading this knowing that. The gaming plot line is perfect for the younger crowd today. I guess I should preface that there is mature content for underage drinking, sexual harassment, innuendo, and mentions of drugs, sexting, sex, and rape. The violence content is for video game fantasy violence and mentions of murder.

I found it to be a cute YA romance.

honestly, this book is not the best from the author, it was a dnf for me, but i will finish it later! however, i do think this book is geared towards more younger audience which i am not, so take that into consideration when reading this review!

Jesse Sutanto's books are kind of a hit or miss for me, but this was a wholesome one, albeit unrealistic. I mean what are the odds you meet your video game friend IRL? I don't know. The romance didn't do it for me, but if I were not judging on that aspect, I'd say it was a wholesome cute read..

I love any sort of identity shenanigans in a story, so I was really intrigued by this premise. The gaming/Sourdawg plotline did take a bit of a backseat to the whole sexism/bullying plotline, which makes sense considering that was the main source of Kiki's growth. I just wish the two could've worked together a little better.

When I found out there was a companion novel to Well that was Unexpected, I was so excited! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this e-galley. All thoughts are my own.

Set in the same beautiful Indonesia backdrop, this book follows Kiki and her secret life as a gamer online. Elements of You've Got Mail are peppered throughout the book which deals with catfishing, secret identities, fake dating and bullying.

To be honest, I felt the portrayal of entitled teenagers to be spot on and their characterization was full and not stereotypical.

This tackles a lot of heavy themes in a fresh way with humor and grit.

Didn’t See that Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto, 320 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2023. $13.
Language: R (290 swears, 20 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Kiki’s parents make her switch Chinese schools, she’s confident that she’ll be able to make new friends and get along with her teachers like she did at her last school, but her first day goes terribly—she becomes known as “Crazy Kiki.” The only bright side is that Kiki’s online gaming friend, Sourdawg, tells her that he also goes to that school. If Kiki can find her friend, then maybe she’ll survive the strict school and her standoffish classmates.
When Kiki switches schools, the shockingly different environment is hard for her to handle, and she loses herself. As pieces of Kiki’s personality fall away in order to fit into the new group, Kiki’s happiness decreases and she isolates herself. This downward spiral is easy to get caught up in—it’s as easy in real life as it is in Kiki’s story. As Kiki gains the courage to reclaim her confidence and sense of self, readers can learn from her strength. The dramatization of this process is entertaining, but it still offers hope.
Most of the characters are implied Chinese Indonesian, Liam is half Singaporean, and Cassie is part of the LGBT community. The mature content is for underage drinking, sexual harassment, innuendo, and mentions of drugs, sexting, sex, and rape. The violence content is for video game fantasy violence and mentions of murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Jesse Q. Sutanto delivers, once again! This was such a cute read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A cute mistaken identity YA romance. What a fun way for Jesse Q. Sutanto to break into the YA audience.

This is my third book of Jesse Q Sutanto’s that I’ve read, the first two being The Obsession and Well, That Was Unexpected. Unfortunately for me, this was my least favorite of the three.

Didn’t See That Coming is a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl struggling to fit in at a new school that is very conservative and extremely misogynistic. She receives antagonism from both her fellow classmates and the school administration, and quickly finds herself isolated and demoralized without anyone to turn to for help. When she discovers that her online best friend goes to the same school as her, its up to her to decide whether revealing her online identity will be a huge mistake or the perfect chance to finally find a true ally.

Through its storyline, this novel does a great job at convincing the reader that you should always stand up for what’s right, even when that means possibly putting a target on your back. We live in a world with many injustices, and nothing’s going to change if we don’t do something about it. If we’re constantly doing what’s easiest while keeping our head down, how can we expect the world to be better for the people who come after us?

While I really appreciated the messages the storyline delivered, my biggest gripe with the book was that I felt like it felt underdeveloped. There were a few plot lines that didn’t seem like they were finished being edited, moments that felt overly cliched, and several times where the dialogue was more childish than I thought it deserved. That being said, I probably should take a step back from reading too many YA novels back-to-back, especially considering that my teenage years are long past. While I cringed multiple times during some of the character conversations and colloquialisms that were used frequently, its likely that I would have also talked like that at Kiki’s age myself, so it’s probably pretty authentic.

As someone who plays many online video games, wanting to disguise yourself as a guy was so relatable. They talk about online harassment, inappropriate behavior, and more. I was immediately on Kiki's side. Not only that, but she's determined to be herself with no excuses. And you have to love her for it, especially in a world that always tries to minimize girls, to have them shrink, and bow to the men.

so, this one super easy to read the second time around, because the first time i tried reading it, i ended up dnf-ing the book. however, i can’t say i’m terribly impressed with the story. i think my main issue was with the MC and how young her voice came off as, it certainly didn’t read as a YA novel. i did like how the topic of sexism was approached – that’s probably the only time i actually liked the main character. i think the book simply tried to do too much at once, so it felt rushed at times. overall, not a bad read, but not something i would see myself picking up again.