An enjoyable YA romance that was a fun and fast read. It didn't totally hook me though so I wasn't very invested. I think this will be popular among slightly younger (than me) YA readers!

I love this author so much! She didn't disappoint on this book! I loved this book! I would definitely recommend this book! I read this book in one sitting!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this e-book. Let me just say that I love this author I love the Aunties series, I was hesitant to read Vera Wong but I loved it as well and I loved this YA as well. So pretty much Jesse can write any book and I will love. I loved how this book overall was focused on Kiki and her story the changes that any teenager faces when moving to a new school. Navigating bullies and having the courage to Stand Up for yourself.

A new take on You've Got Mail except with a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online best friend she's fallen in love with... except when she transfers to his school... Kiki Siregar is a seventeen year old gamer girl, she's had to create a online gamer as a guy because of the constant threats she got as a girl. She's become best friends with a fellow gamer and has never told him the truth all the while developing a crush on him. When her parents transfer her to an elite private school for her senior year she discovers that her online best friend also goes her. Yet starting a new school is not easy especially when its filled with misogynistic practices, bullying, and trying to find her online bestie might be harder than she could imagine. Can she reveal herself or will her secret get out before she's ready? This was an okay read for me, but I felt like it was just missing something. Kiki was put through so much and I did like how everything was resolved. If you're looking for a story featuring gamer girls and new school struggles, give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I’ve enjoyed all of Sutanto’s books but something about this one was extra good for me—my favorite of her works. It was really solid, enjoyable, wholesome YA that I flew through and really liked, and would also love my teenage kids to read. The writing was great and the characters well developed and very interesting. I loved the Asian setting and the background of Indonesian culture and parental expectations and relationships. Beyond all that, the book deliberately, overly feminist in a very modern, youthful way, and while that was foundational to the book, it was done masterfully and beautifully woven in to the plot. This one just really spoke to me. I hope there will be more in this series.

In a delightful and touching YA story reminiscent of "You've got mail", after getting harassed on-line playing a fps videogame, Kiki sets up a new profile with a handle that makes her sound like a boy. She makes friends with "Sourdawg" but she keeps her Identity secret knowing they will never meet IRL. Which, of course, *does* happen.
When Kiki gets transferred to a more traditional school, her confidence drops as she faces bullying. It was a little hard to read a girl with such unflagging self confidence slowly get beaten down. Even more so knowing this is a reality many young girls face. As a confident and loud woman who 'takes up space', this book spoke to a younger version of myself who navigated similar (but thankfully not as dramatic) talk tracks from adults.
I really enjoyed this one!

Book received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Being both a girl and a serious gamer is a difficult combination, as Kiki Siregar learned the hard way. But now, she has a gamer tag that effectively masks her female identity, even from her best online friend Sourdawg. It is Kiki’s final year of school, and her family has transferred her to a highly conservative school on the other side of Jakarta. Despite Kiki’s plan to slay at this new school, however, she fails miserably at fitting in with her peers. Before long, Kiki’s strong exterior is challenged, she begins hiding behind walls of lies, and it will take a mountain of bravery to dig herself out of the mess she has landed in.

This entertaining young adult novel is a companion to Well, That Was Unexpected and includes references to many of the characters from that story. Taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia, this novel incorporates many of the cultural norms found in Jakarta, including the wealth and opulence that is frequently seen there. Kiki and her classmates have the physical possessions they need without trouble, although this does not shelter Kiki from the emotional onslaught she receives from the students and teachers at her new school. Through text messages, in-game chats, and lengthy inner monologues, this story unfolds in a fast-paced and engaging manner from start to finish.

Readers who are gamers themselves will appreciate the multitude of references to real and imagined video games that appear throughout this book. While the primary game, Warfront Heroes, is not real, it capitalizes on many of the gaming tropes that exist in the genre. Kiki’s experience as a female gamer is disappointingly accurate, and she must obscure her true identity in order to fit in with and remain safe in a predominantly cis male dominated pastime. Kiki’s tenacity and ability to stand up for herself are admirable, and these traits connect readers to her on a variety of levels. The strength of Kiki’s character, coupled with a slow-burning, sweet romance, makes this book one that will resonate especially well with young adult female gamers. This novel is an excellent addition to library collections for young adult readers.

This book was cute, and touched on some surprisingly tough topics. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing was great. The friendships were fun to read about, and I was rooting for the romantic interest the whole time! Jesse Q Sutanto books are always a good read!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title. Opinions are my own.

Reading this book took me back to a conversation I had with a coworker recently about a story called Red Scarf Girl. Our 7th grade students were reading this story and so confused about what was going on in China during the Cultural Revolution.

I had a similar feeling of cognitive dissonance while reading this book and experiencing the author's telling of what classes were like at this conservative school in Jakarta. It was hard for me to wrap my head around what Kiki was experiencing at school, so it really hindered my ability to enjoy the book. I have a feeling this book might resonate differently in other regions of the country and world.

When seventeen-year-old Kiki's parents force her to transfer schools, she's upset but doesn't realize quite how bad it will be. After standing up to the school's golden boy, she's branded "Crazy Kiki" and relentlessly bullied. The one bright spot is her classmate, Liam, who is one of the few people nice to her from the get-go--not to mention easy on the eyes. But when Kiki realizes she's been playing online video games with Liam for over a year under a male alias to avoid harassment, she's scared he'll learn her secret and hate her like everyone else.

I really like the set-up for this book, with the You've Got Mail influence and video gaming aspect. However, the bullying was extremely difficult to read at times. It's the point of the book--there's no getting around it--but the kids are so cruel to read I imagine it could be triggering to a wide span of readers. And even as someone who isn't "triggered" by it, it's not fun to read. I also felt that the characters seemed younger than seventeen; the book read young, more like sophomores than seniors. But I'll also admit that it's hard for me to evaluate that accurately as an adult (I'm moreso comparing it to other YA books). Readers looking for books like Moxie or Margot Mertz, where a female high school student reclaims her power, will probably like this unique take with a gaming influence and set in Indonesia.

Thanks to Delacorte for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TW: bullying, sexism, gaslighting, classism, dashes of racism

Note: You do not need to have read "Well, That Was Unexpected" to read this book (but it might help!)

I was immediately drawn to this book because a) the cover is adorable and b) during the pandemic I went down a gamer drama rabbit hole (think "You Are My Glory" and "Falling Into Your Smile"), so the premise—girl pretending to be a guy online ends up meeting her virtual bestie and falling for him IRL—was totally up my street. And on premise alone, this book totally delivered.

But it was wayyy more intense than I was expecting. Instead of slice of life teen drama, this was like "The Heirs" meets online gaming, and not necessarily in a good way.

At its heart, this book is about girls being mistreated, sometimes violently, because of their gender. Our main character Kiki opted to start playing under a bro handle b/c of rape and death threats, knocks to her intelligence and strategizing abilities, and being punished for speaking up. Which is then mirrored by her new high school experience; at Xingfa, the students are cruel in person and on social media, wealth means power, and being a female makes you a second-class citizen. Kiki becomes a pariah, #CrazyKiki, because she dares to question the social hierarchy and incredibly conservative expectations of students and, more importantly, faculty. She gets bullied in the classroom and online, gaslit into remaining silent for the sake of image, and ultimately ends up emotionally traumatized.

And the saddest part?? At one point, a few female side characters commiserate with her over experiencing the same thing when they started at Xingfa. The culture of misogyny is so prevalent, so deeply ingrained at Xingfa that instead of speaking up for Kiki, they apologize for remaining bystanders; they've been pushed down, snuffed out, silenced for so long that ALL they can do is apologize.

While this book made me laugh and smile and swoon, it also had me crying literal tears of frustration. And in the end, I'm not sure if the ending was cathartic enough for me. The resolution, while totally acceptable by kdrama standards, was pretty unbelievable and convenient, and Jonas—the main perpetrator of the bullying—and the faculty didn't *really* learn their lesson.

The romance was cute. The female friendships were good. The characterization and atmosphere were perfect for the age range of the book (seriously, are the author's kids teenagers yet??? b/c the voice and tone were spot on!). The look into the hodgepodge of cultures and expectations that is Jakarta was fascinating. There were parts I genuinely had fun reading! But I came away kinda exhausted and under-satisfied. This could be the empath in me; this could be a more universal experience by readers. Only time will tell...

That said, I definitely see myself picking up more from this author. Like, even though I'm potentially setting myself up for the same emotional rollercoaster, I desperately want to read Sharlot and George Clooney's installment now. And I imagine if you liked that one, you'll for sure like this!

4 out of 5 stars

Gamer girl? Say less. As someone who has been gaming since a Gameboy Color was put in my hand in 1998, I knew I had to read this. This book was just so funny, while also tackling some major serious themes like sexism (in real life and the virtual world) and my heart went out to the everything the main character Kiki had to deal with. She was perfectly imperfect, confident, strong, and just everything you want in a main character. I loved watching the slow burn of the romance unfold but was also happy that the book was so much more than a YA romcom. I learned so much about Indonesian culture and pretty much salivated at the thoughts of coffees and ube cakes the entire time I was reading it. Though I may not be the target audience, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be recommending to all my YA family members and coworkers.

My first Sutanto book! I can confidently say this won’t be my last. It’s completely clear to me now why her books are so popular.

Set in the same Indonesian universe as Well, That Was Unexpected, this novel focuses on Sharlot’s cousin Kiki as she starts at a new school. Though this is ostensibly a romance, that somewhat fades into the background as this is also a pretty harrowing story of the effects of bullying and a clear-eyed swipe at traditional Asian schools.

Kiki’s parents have decided to move her from her happy, liberal school to the far more conservative and traditional Xingfa high school. Right from the start, the school takes Kiki’s confident outspokenness as troublemaking and she immediately clashes with school golden boy Jonas. He starts an online campaign to brand her as “Crazy Kiki” and she is crushed by this bullying and the school’s casual dismissal of it.

Her only solace is playing an online game, Warfront Heroes, in which she has become close friends with another player, Sourdawg. Kiki, however, is playing under the name Dudebro because when she’d played as herself, the crass dismissal and abuse of her game playing skills and incessant sexual harassment had become unbearable. When she discovers that Sourdawg is also at Xingfa, she starts to lead a double life as she fears that if she’s unmasked she will lose his friendship and the chance of real life romance.

As this situation plays out at school, Kiki finds herself becoming a shadow of the person she knows herself to be. It is only when she decides to stand up for herself that she finds she has support at school and at home.

As with Well, That Was Unexpected I found the online identity set up got irritating pretty quickly. However, Kiki’s plight and her determination to set it right are moving and really overshadow the somewhat inconsequential romance. The return of Eleanor Roosevelt Tanuwijaya and her new sidekick, Sarah Jessica Parker Susanti, bring some light relief to the plot along with Kiki’s sharp-eyed wit, even in the depths of despair.

Though set in Jakarta, this will be easy for American teens to relate to and I’m sure many in my library will enjoy it.

Thanks to Delacorte and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

There is something I love about Jesse Sutanto's books. I always end up laughing out loud multiple times while reading. This was no exception.

Kiki plays video games online. But she set up her profile as a boy after being harassed and threatened playing as a female. All that stopped and she was able to play the game she loved. She ended up with an online friend on the game. Sourdawg actually tells Kiki a lot of private things and Kiki feels guilty about lying. But it's been going on for so long and she's deep in it. She's not sure how to tell him. And she never expects to meet him online.

Kiki's parents made her switch schools her senior year. It's very conservative and strict and Kiki hates it there. But she does find out that Sourdawg goes there. Kiki is determined to find out who he is. It takes awhile, but she finally makes a few friends and even finds herself falling for someone. But Kiki still deals with bullying and guilt for lying to Sourdawg.

I'm not a gamer, but I really enjoyed reading this. I thought a lot of the bullying and sexism felt pretty realistic and hopefully it opens some eyes to how young girls are treated.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

Thank you, PenguinTeen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 3.5 stars

This book has my heart: the representation here could make me cry. I have a Southeast Asian background which means my schooling years are unlike those typical American type high school portray in high school setting. This book makes me feel so represented in so many ways from the Indonesian slang and proverbs to the family and school culture.

For a light hearted novel, it surprisingly hits a lot a strong themes like filial piety, family image, respecting your elder, harassment, bulllying and toxic masculinity. The one thing that really attracted me to this book is the fact that I have been in Kiki’s shoes went playing online games that I would go out of my way to hid my gender to avoid getting harassed. The author did a great job highlighting that theme.

While Romance is not the general focus of this book, it does play a pivotal part where Kiki has the support of Liam. This book also emphasizes the importance of standing up for yourself regardless of how people perceive it and loving yourself.

My only slight criticism of this book was the author covered a lot of tropes at one go and sometimes parts will either feel too rushed or too repetitive.

Definitely would recommend as it is a perfect YA read with well perceive themes that teens can definitely relate to.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @delacortepress for an early copy of Didn’t See That Coming by @jesseqsutanto. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: November 28th, 2023

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Didn’t See That Coming is a friends-to-lovers, gaming romance about Kiki and Liam, who first met online and then met in school in real life when Kiki was transferred to Liam’s school. Kiki loved to game and enjoyed the thrill, but in real life, she blended in at her old school. She’s currently using a male name during her online playthroughs since she received a lot of rape threats playing as a girl. As a girl pretending to play as a guy, other players took her seriously and involved her in games, and she met Sourdawg then, which Kiki discovers is Liam when she transferred to his school.

I genuinely enjoyed Sutanto’s writing, it’s very engaging and the story hooked me from the very beginning, though I had to pause occasionally, due to my frustration with Jonas and the school’s very, very, traditional values. Oh, did I mention I loathe Jonas with all my heart? He was so awful to Kiki and though I’m glad that she was able to overcome his bullying, I hoped to see even a tiny bit of character growth in Jonas. I was actually waiting for him to apologize to Kiki, but spoiler alert – it didn’t happen.

Kiki and Liam’s chemistry was a bit meh, but I loved their friendship and how even at the beginning, Liam was making an effort to stand up to Kiki and Jonas’ bullying. I also enjoyed their online conversations albeit Kiki’s squirming during the times she really wanted to let Liam know she was Dudebro but couldn’t.

I applaud how Sutanto handled the heavy topics in this book, such as bullying, cultural expectations, and sexism. Though the story wasn’t too dramatic, we witnessed a strong woman through Kiki who plowed through the judgment and bullying at school and stood up for herself and what she has experienced. Although quite fast-paced as I wanted to see more of each character’s growth, not just Kiki’s, it was an overall enjoyable read.

PS: I loved how brilliant Eleanor and Sarah Jessica are! They’re so young yet so bright (and mischievous)!

“In the dim glow of the moonlight, nobody spots the cyborg assassin peeling herself off the back of a stone gargoyles’ head.” Here are reasons to read the YA Contemporary book:

Gamer Girl - Kiki is a gamer girl who plays under a male handle to escape the prejudice that comes with being a female player
New School - she starts at a very elite new school, and one small misstep leads to not exactly fitting in
Best Friend - and when she realizes her best friend online is actually attending the same school, how will he react when he finds out she is not a guy?

This book is part of the same universe as the book “Well, That Was Unexpected” which I reviewed previously. It really displays the double standard that exists in the video game world about the double standard that exists. It also explores how that same double standard exists in real life and how females can be disregarded in their concerns about how they are treated. While this book is really fun and quirky, it still is very real in these discussions.

I wanted to like this one, but I was having to force myself to read it. The FMC was annoying. I've read hundreds of YA romance and understand that the characters are teens, but her behavior still seemed so immature at times.

The bullying by her classmates and school faculty just made me SO angry. The principal was so awful that I felt it was almost too much. When I pick up a YA romance, I want to feel swoony, not pissed off. The majority of my time reading this had me feeling the latter.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute YA rom com. What I didn’t expect was crying over how horrible the main girl, Kiki, was bullied by both her classmates and the faculty at her school. It was absolutely heart wrenching and made me sick to think this actually happens in some schools. While I did enjoy this book, I feel like the ending could have been a little better. I wasn’t satisfied with how the bullying issue was resolved but I also understand that situations like that don’t always get the outcome that you desire.

The relationship between Kiki and Liam was really sweet. It was so funny how awkward and unsure they were about if the other person liked them. I also loved how Liam started standing up for Kiki when people would start bullying her.

Overall this was a fun, quick read. I definitely recommend if you enjoy YA contemporary romance.

Oh my goodness, this book was a delight! I was so excited to get a Kiki book after loving her in Well, That Was Unexpected and it was just as amazing as I thought it would be. As cute as it was, it brought up a lot of serious topics like sexism and bullying and I thought they were handled so well. The way Kiki was bullied, harassed and also dismissed by her principal (I could have strangled that man!) when she brought up what was happening to her was so frustrating to see. Kiki herself was just wonderful. Fearless and true to herself, I loved seeing her stand up for herself and others. It was also interesting seeing the gaming world from a female perspective and how toxic and sexist it can be for women. The book ends on a positive note and it’ll have you cheering for Kiki and her friends for saying “F*ck the patriarchy!” Highly recommend this one and also Well, That Was Unexpected.
TW: bullying, sexism, mentions of death and rape threats, sexual harassment

Thank you NetGalley and Delacourte Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.