I’ve liked Sutanto’s previous novels, including the other YA novel in this series, Well, That was Unexpected. But this one fell flat for me. I didn’t connect to the characters, and some of the stuff that happened was too outlandish.

Jesse Q. Suanto is a writer I know I can go back to time and time again. It is a safe place where I know I will have a good time and leave with some life values to apply. My favorite thing about her writing that she does in this book as well is the characters feeling so alive and familiar. They way she can seamlessly transfer between genres will never stop blowing my mind.

This teen romance was so cute and perfect for the young adult reader. This story tackles so many society issues in a way so many coming of age kids have to deal with. Liam and Kiki are so sweet and will take you back to your classic romcom stories.

Will always support this author and can't wait to read what's next!

Kiki is a gamer girl who plays under the radar with a male username to avoid harassment from other players. Even her best online friend doesn't even know her true identity. When Kiki starts at a new school, things go south quickly. She has a hard time fitting in and making friends. To make matters worse, she finds out her online best friend goes to her new school. Now she needs to figure out who he is and make sure she keeps her identity a secret.

This is a cute, easy read with lots of fun, funny moments. While the majority of the book was lighthearted, the underlying themes were much more serious and it all came together in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the ARC of this book.

Didn’t See That Coming is such a cute YA read! Star rating: 3.5 (rounded up to 4)

Absolutely loved Kiki and her self confidence - she is the GOAT (iykyk)! I grew up watching my brothers playing video games and eventually I got into them myself. It was amazing to read about Kiki’s love of video games and it hit hard reading about such cruelty and harassment that she went through, all because she loves something that is in the more male dominated world. However, that didn’t stop her from doing what she loved! I appreciated the inclusion of hard topics, especially since this book is geared toward younger readers.

The romance between Kiki and Liam was sweet, and I loved how supportive he was.

I also loved the cute side characters such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Sarah Jessica Parker, they brought in fun light-hearted relief.

Sutanto writes such fun books and I definitely plan on reading more from her!

Kiki is upset at having to change schools for last year, especially when her new school is much more conservative. Her parents insist it will be good for her, but Kiki finds opposition from the teachers and her classmates, who shun her after she stands up for herself against her classmate Jonas. Kiki is a gamer and has dealt with a lot of sexual harassment while playing online, but also made a really good friend who happens to now attend the same school. Kiki tries to navigate the social ostracization, the male dominated culture online and in the classroom, all while keeping her online identity a secret from her new friend. Overall, a quick read that's part romance, but also focuses on the sexual harassment faced online and sexism in school.

Despite her abundance of confidence in real life, Kiki is forced to adopt a male persona and play anonymously online in order to avoid harassment. She never expected it to be a problem until she actually makes a real friend in game, a sweet cinnamon roll of a teenage boy who balks at the idea of that girls can’t game. When she finds out that he attends the same school she just transferred to for her senior year, Kiki does whatever she can to find out his identity without giving hers away.

A gamer girl, a cinnamon roll teen boy, a twist on You’ve Got Mail—honestly, what is there not to love about this book? Kiki was a fun side character in WELL, THAT WAS UNEXPECTED and it was an absolute joy to see her take the role of main character in this story.

Kiki as a character was a beautiful representation and direct response to the idea of “it could never be me” in the context of staying quiet when being bullied/harassed/etc. We are able to see the toll that the gaslighting, bullying, and harassment has on this confident young woman and how anyone can be forced into silence. Sutanto has a beautiful way of discussing heavy topics while still keeping the story light and comedic and that is exactly what happens in this book.

Despite the predictability of the story, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the overall story. Kiki, Liam, and several other characters were incredibly nuanced and had layers that revealed themself as the story went on. Some characters, however, were a bit one note in their villainy and actually made me angry and/or gag with some of the things that they said. In the end though, Sutanto’s witty writing and clever storytelling kept me completely engaged and excited to get to the end.

My biggest gripe about this book is the audacity to call my generation “ancient millennials.” I DID NOT COME TO BE ATTACK LIKE THIS, JESSE! (Never mind the fact that I do, in fact, feel ancient. We don’t talk about it, okay?!)

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

This is both a sweet romance and a satisfying continuation of the world Jesse Q. Sutanto established in Well, That Was Unexpected. The relationship that develops between Liam and Kiki is predictable (though not in a bad way) and adorable--I was pleased to see that Sutanto didn't drag out the You've Got Mail trope for too long--and I appreciate that the high-school drama serves to emphasize how harmful sexism and toxic masculinity are in any society. (On that note, I loved reading about Indo food and culture!)

This was a good read by an author I enjoy. The last 25% was slightly disappointing, but prior to that it held up well and I enjoyed the relationships. I like the way that the author writes realistic voices for her characters.

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING was a quick and cute read, but doesn’t live up to the standards of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s other novels. This book was pretty easy to fly through but ultimately a little forgettable. I will continue to read Sutanto’s adult novels, but probably steer clear of her YA stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING.

I love Jesse Q. Sutanto's books, no matter if it is a mystery, romance or now evenbher YA romances, they are always top notch and I love them. This book is definitely attractive to the YA audience with the gaming aspect. There have been plenty of girl gamers who go online and hide their identity because of the disrespect they get as girl gamers. I loved this it was a quick read and I definitely give it 5 stars!!!
I just reviewed Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto. #DidntSeeThatComing #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

•Content Warning: bullying, cyberbullying, sexism, toxic masculinity
As someone who enjoy playing games I was so excited when I read the blurb for this book! I didn't even realise who was the author (aka "Dial A For Aunties") until way later- I really enjoyed those books too so super exciting!
I really enjoy books with fake identity, secret life tropes so this one was perfect for me!
I really like Kiki, and felt so sorry for her when she couldn't actually be close fo her online friend IRL as she needed that so much. I had guessed who was her online friend straight away, but it didn't spoil/ruin the book for me! When I was reading it, I thought "that gives me Moxie! vibes!" and I was so excited when this book/movie was mentioned in the book because I was like "YEAH I got it!" Highly recommend!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: November 28, 2023

This was a fun read for anyone who will enjoy a gamer twist of the You’ve Got Mail trope! While this had humor, it also had substance. This shed a lot of light on the misogyny in gaming.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the main character and her love interest. The book made me laugh out loud at some parts. It includes gamers, undercover identities, and finding yourself. I would read other books by this author.

I loved this book! It was such an original take on the You've Got Mail trope that I found really authentic and believable compared to other instances I've seen of the trope. I really enjoyed learning about different cultures (gaming and Indonesian) and the way the author tackled important issues around sexism in both. This was the first book I'd read by this author and I'm excited to read more.

I DNF’d this book at the 70% mark because I was struggling to get through it tbh. The last chapter I read really made me cringe so hard that I was like I cannot continue reading this. The writing is trying really hard to be relatable to teens, but I found it to be super cringey. The FMC Kiki is disrespectful to her parents IMO, immature, and also super self centered. I found her to be very unlikable to the point where I didn’t want her to be with the MMC Liam. The plot is also very over the top. I’m not saying it’s unrealistic because I’m sure that things like this do happen, especially in regard to the sexism that is brought up multiple times throughout the novel. I just found that the character Jonas is more like a caricature than a real person, and with this statement I’m talking more so about his proposal to Kiki at the 70% mark. Overall I just did not like this book. I gave it as much of a chance as I could stomach.

I fell in love with Jesse Q. Sutanto's writing thanks to the "Dial A for Aunties" series, and so when I saw that this one was available, I knew I had to request it; I was counting on it being full of the same humor and heart as the Aunties and "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers," and I was not at all disappointed. Sutanto does an incredible job crafting characters who are just so lovable and entertaining, and it's impossible not to become invested in their journeys. Kiki's story is relatable, her struggles a vivid reflection of the society in which we live (regardless of where in the globe we make our homes), and the cast of characters supporting her are just as vibrant as she is. I loved every second of this book, and I look forward to reading anything and everything else that Sutanto graces us with in the future.

This was a lot of fun, but it also covered the serious topic of misogyny and abuse experienced by many girls in gaming. Was it an exaggeration? Based on what some of my students have experienced, sadly, I don't think it WAS an exaggeration. When I first received the ARC, I had no idea this was the second in a series. I did read the first book (and really enjoyed it--it's a great beach read), but it turns out you don't really need to as this story really stands on it own. That said, I loved that Eleanor Roosevelt ended up in this story, since she completely cracked me up in the first book.

I loved Kiki's character, and although I kept urging her in my mind to come clean with Liam, I could understand why she didn't, and what she was so afraid of. It absolutely had more to do with her past experiences, her treatment at the school (except by Liam and Eleanor), and her fear of losing the only friend she seemed to be making than about him, so it made sense. But then again, we as the reader could totally see how much he liked her and that he was such a decent guy he would have been fine if she had come clean with him in the first place. But we have to remember that these are teenagers, so all of this is normal behavior.

Despite there being a romantic aspect to this book, I love how the author incorporated the different aspects of Indo-Chinese culture and beliefs and handles many of the challenges modern teens face as they try to be respectful of traditions, but also learn how to speak up when some of those traditions need to change, for example, in how females are treated. As I mentioned above, the author does a great job in addressing the hostile environment experienced by females (and gender queer folx) in the world of gaming. I haven't read too many books that have done this, and I especially like how she let us see what Kiki was experiencing in the school, in the world of gaming, in her own family, and while there were many commonalities, you could also see the differences. With her own family, I totally understood why she kept all she was going through from them, but I absolutely loved how they responded when it all came out. I was totally cheering by then. I also liked some of the side characters and how they ended up changing their stance because of Kiki's example. The ending was awesome and made me want to eventually check out the narration when I get the audiobook.

Despite being far older than the target audience, I really enjoyed this story and I plan on checking out some of her other series. I will say that I just recently finished the author's Vera Wong, and I absolutely loved it--it was probably my favorite of her books. I rather hope there will be a second book in that series!

If you're looking for a fun and quick read with a bit of substance, you should definitely check this book. While this book is written for teens, and I can see many of my own students enjoying it, as an older woman, I also loved it and wish books like this had been around when I was young.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think the book was fine, fun at times. There’s a lot of good in the book dealing with the sexism and sexualization towards women in gaming communities but the book kind of dragged for me in parts

Thank you to Random House Children’s for the gifted copy.

Fans of You’ve Got Mail will love this story! Kiki loves gaming, but as a girl, she didn’t love the sexism she faced when playing. So she changed her handle and pretends to be a boy so she can play without the unnecessary comments. She hasn’t even revealed her secret to her online bestie. But when she transfers to a new school and realizes her online bestie is her new classmate things get complicated. And to make it worse, as she gets to know him in real life, she develops a crush on him. But there’s no telling how he will react if he ever finds out her big secret.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is such an incredible and versatile author - I am so amazed by her talent every time I read one of her books. Didn’t See That Coming is a fun YA rom com with a sweet crush, a teen finding her voice, and many laugh out loud moments. I thought this book approached the misogyny in gaming incredibly well and I adored Kiki’s girl power and how she stood up for herself. Other highlights of this story included the oh so sweet love interest, the Indonesian culture, and the glimpses of the main characters from Well, That Was Unexpected. Overall, this was a fun read!

jesse q sutanto is my favourite author for a voice that grips you and never lets you go. and online friendships and unique formats are always a winner for me in a book, so it's no surprise that i enjoyed this to the fullest!