At this point, I'm fairly confident that anything by Jesse Q Sutanto will be a hit for me. I love her voice and how vibrant her characters are. While some parts of this story were predictable and a staple in just about all media for young adults, it's setting in Indonesia and the backdrop of Indonesia-Chinese culture made everything still feel fresh.

This was a great story of teenage feminism! I absolutely adored the main character and her love interest. This book had me laughing out loud multiple times.

I will say that I did not love the blackmailing plot point and I wish the main character had come clean on her own. Other than that this was a near perfect book for me. I definitely recommend it and I liked it even more than the first.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This is my first YA book by Jess Q. Sutanto while I previously enjoyed her adult romance books. This was such a cute, sweet book with some deeper issues woven throughout the book. Didn't See That Coming had a "Moxie" feel to it. I'm not a "gamer" but I totally enjoyed the gaming world minus the cyberbullying aspect. I adored the secret correspondence/friendship that was established between our main couple Kiki and Liam. The fact that Kiki had to keep not only her identity, but her gender on the gaming board secret was so disheartening. It was easy to see how she started the faking of a "male persona"...then she felt trapped with withholding the information from her gaming pal, Sourdawg. She never dreamed she would ever meet him in person...then she transfers schools and low and behold she meets him in person.

As much as I adored the cuteness overload of our main couple, there was just as much that frustrated and totally angered me due to the misogynist, abusive, bullying behavior not only of our main "bad guy" but also adults in power! AHHHHHH!

The book is kind of predictable with the outcome, but I applaud the grand plan and passionate ending when "girl power" wins in the end and we get our happily ever after.

I want to check out the previous book in this series. Some of the characters in this book were mentioned that I suspect played a main role in that book.

4 stars

I have always enjoyed reading a well developed YA, and this book is certainly that. This book touched on so many important topics with a ton of humor and some great characters. Kiki was fiercely independent and proud to be herself, but what stands out the most is the honest portrayal of her struggles and doubts. It is so important for teens to see a positive Southeast Asian representation, and Sutanto delivers a lot of heart with this one. This is a companion novel to Well, That Was Unexpected, which I read last year and adored! While you don't have to read that book in order to enjoy this one, there are a few characters from the first book who make brief appearances in this follow-up novel.

Jesse Q. Sutanto has done it again! I am honestly so impressed with her range--romance, thrillers, dark comedy, cozy mystery. She really does it all, and she does it sooooo well. This book highlights some feminist themes really well:

-Presents a discussion on misogyny in the gaming community/industry. Kiki pretends to be a boy in order to avoid harassment while gaming, and she pushed back against the hypersexualization of women in video games and longs to see the industry become more inclusive for people who aren't cishet men.
-Kiki is an active protagonist who fights back against sexism at her school, even when she is reprimanded and labeled as "crazy"
-Highlights the challenges that make it difficult for girls to report abuse; Kiki is punished in both the game and real life when she attempts to report her harassers.
-Subtle discussions on purity culture: Kiki's new school preaches "purity" as a key value and she is often criticized for not living up to this standard
-Critiques the “not like other girls” trope and instead places emphasis on solidarity & community building between girls. Kiki finds comfort in building friendships with other girls and this lights a fire under her to keep fighting back.

Such a great book that I will definitely be recommending to teens at my library!

Didn't See That Coming is a hilarious YA romance from author Jesse Q. Sutanto.

This novel deals with serious issues of bullying, patriarchy, and online trolling while brining laughs as Kiki navigates her world.

I appreciated the eventual understanding of Kiki's parents, and how Kiki was able to stand up to her bullies and be true to herself. The threats and violence against women gamers is an important issue, and I'm glad the author was able to illustrate it in this book.

I love the concept of this book - a girl gamer who is trying to fit into a primarily male gaming world. Add to that having to secretly hide the fact they are a girl to fit in and falling for a fellow gamer. This was a quick read and an entertaining story. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Didn't See that Coming is a charming and entertaining novel that effortlessly blends humor, romance, and the complexities of online identities. Author [Author's Name], known for their bestselling works, delivers a fresh and delightful story reminiscent of 'You've Got Mail,' weaving a tale of secret identities, unexpected encounters, and teenage camaraderie.

At the heart of the narrative is Kiki Siregar, a seventeen-year-old gamer girl whose vibrant personality shines through both online and offline worlds. Her dilemma of playing anonymously as a guy to escape harassment adds depth to her character and highlights prevalent issues faced by female gamers. The chemistry between Kiki and her online confidant, Sourdawg, is palpable even without knowing each other's true identities.

As Kiki navigates her senior year in a new elite school, the plot takes an exciting turn when she discovers that Sourdawg attends the same institution. The ensuing mix of anticipation, trepidation, and curiosity about each other's real identities sets the stage for a captivating storyline.

What makes this novel truly engaging is its exploration of friendship, trust, and the power of genuine connections forged in the digital realm. The author skillfully depicts the evolution of Kiki and Sourdawg's relationship from online friends to potential real-life confidants, expertly capturing the emotions and uncertainties of teenage romance.

The characters are vividly portrayed, and readers will find themselves rooting for Kiki as she navigates the complexities of revealing her secret identity to Sourdawg. The witty banter and playful exchanges between them add a delightful layer to their blossoming relationship.

This is a heartwarming and refreshing take on modern romance, celebrating individuality and the beauty of finding true connections in unexpected places. It's a delightful read that resonates with themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the thrill of first love. Fans of young adult novels filled with humor, relatable characters, and a dose of romance will thoroughly enjoy this delightful story.

It is a YA book about a teenage gamer girl, Kiki, starting a new fancy private school in Indonesia, trying to find her way. With a You’ve Got Mail twist, Kiki used a name that made her sound like a boy to stop the online harassment she received when other gamers knew she was a girl and then she realized@her online bestie was a boy at her school. This book just warmed my heart. I loved Kiki’s spunk, I loved that she spoke her mind and I loved that she was such a strong woman, not afraid to challenge the patriarchy. This book had all of the hilarity and cleverness that we saw in all of her other books. Seriously, can this woman publish her shopping list because every single book she has written is so brilliant and funny and yet also in all different genres. Am absolute autobuy for me.

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Pub Date: November 28, 2023. Rating: 4 stars. Immersing into the world of teenage gaming, this is the story of a young girl who is trying to figure out her identity in a man's world and how to stick to her guns and be true to herself. Kiki is the main character who has a female has struggled to fit in to the online gaming world dominated by men. She creates a secret identity online so the other gamers don't know she is a female and starts to be taken more seriously hidden behind a male online identity. The main hold up is one of her online gaming friends turns into a real life love prospect and Kiki has to figure out how to navigate both worlds and not screw up the relationship/friendship in the process. Full of teenage emotions, tough subjects such as bullying both in person and online as well as first love feelings, this book was full of surprises that kept me wanting to read more. I really enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #didntseethatcoming #netgalley

Based in Indonesia, this contemporary romance is so much more than teens falling in love. Sutanto highlights the challenges of sexism for coming-of-age young, independent-thinking women in a conservative culture, along with topics of bullying both in school and online.

Quick highlights:
✨Side Characters: especially 13-year-olds Sarah Jessica Parker and Eleanor Roosevelt, who create a matchmaking service called Lil’ Aunties Knows Best. They provide a fabulous dose of humor.
✨Friends: good group of girlfriends that feed your soul. I also love how Sutanto almost role-modeled scenes for young readers on how to stick up for people when they see bullying and gaslighting. An important lesson!
✨Narration: If you listened to Dial A for Aunties, you’ll be familiar with her stellar narration! She not only projects humor but also highlights Kiki’s struggles (our MC).

Overall a great message, especially for a younger YA audience.

Super cute read, very engaging and perfect for young readers. I was invested in the story from chapter one.

Kiki is confident, loves to play the video game Warfront Heroes, and has close friends, including her online bestie, Sourdawg and has always been well liked in school. Well, Kiki gets transferred to a new elite private school by her parents and she then finds out that Sourdawg goes to her school and she wants to officially meet in person, the catch? She’s been pretending to be a guy online all this time and is afraid as to how he’ll react, not to mention she is trying to fit into this new stricter school.

This was such a good read! The topics it brings up though were intense. The bullying, cyberbullying, the sexism, etc. it was a lot, but also you see this girl truly experience it when she thought it was only in the movies or shows she watches. It was a struggle to see Kiki suffer. She had this confidence that I was so envious of. I mean this girl knew who she was and let the world now, shouted it to the world! And then she goes to this school that rips her apart, and you see her start to just wilt and give up. And I’m sitting here screaming at my kindle to tell her to not let them treat her that way, that she isn’t what they say! And then she slowly gets back on her feet and becomes that confident girl again. The transition and explanation of all this was well done, heartbreaking, but well done!

I adored Kiki! Her inner monologues were hilarious and I related to her thoughts and opinions. I wish I had the confidence and soundness that Kiki has, but she was a delight to read about! I love that she’s a gamer and I love how she lets other people know how she feels about the way they treat girls, especially in the game. Girls can be gamers too, I’m one!

Her relationship with Sourdawg was so cute and hilarious. They could finish each other’s sentences and they hadn’t even met in person yet! It was too cute!

And then when they do meet…Kiki’s reaction is golden 🤣 she knows who he is, but he doesn’t know who she is, and the interactions they have in person were very sweet and adorable.

I also loved the relationship Kiki had with her friends and family. It was very relatable how she would treat them, especially her parents.

I really enjoyed this book so so much! I highly recommend this one!

I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was super cute and sweet while also tackling important topics around sexism, oppression, and bullying that occurs both in schools and online. It was a fun, entertaining read that was highly relatable and shared a good message from a kick-ass outspoken female.

It also shows that even the most confident people can make mistakes, get overwhelmed, and be pushed and judged until their light no longer shines as bright. It relays to the reader that one should be true to themselves and stand up for what they believe in and not always follow the status quo because it is easier.

Didn't See That Coming is a fun and cute story, set in Jakarta, Indonesia, It's fluffy and hilarious but talks about realistic problems in a conservative society.

Kiki is a gamer, when she started playing she had a girl username and the other players treated her less because she was a woman or sent her messages harassing her, although she reported it, the system did nothing. Her solution: Create a new account, with a boy's name; now no one harasses her and she makes friends in the game. In real life, her parents transfer her to a more conservative school, from the first day she will have problems adapting, she will accidentally break several rules and will have friction with the popular boy, which will lead him to nickname her crazy Kiki and everyone will her bullying.

Bullying and harassment are two big problems (not only in conservative societies) but the author's writing makes the story feel bearable and light. Kiki is Likable, charming, and fun, a normal teen, who wants to fit in; online, that is one of the reasons why she uses a boy username. At school, she wants to have friends. boys are fine, but a girl squad is more important and fun, she makes several attempts to make friends but it's hard, all thanks to the crazy Kiki username.

Everything gets complicated when she discovers that her online friend goes to the same school as her and that he is her deskmate, a cute and nice boy who doesn't insult her like the rest, and with whom she has become friends. There is romance, it’s slow and friends to lovers, very cute. She wants to date her deskmate Liam but doesn't know how to tell him that she is his friend in the online game.

Love the female friendship representation, but I wish for more scenes with the ¨Aunties¨ they are younger than Kiki, but very smart girls, they make an app like Tinder for teens, and they secretly launch it at school, Kiki will have the most random dates.

Finally, this is a stand-alone novel, but a companion to Well, That Was Unexpected, both can be read separately, and a couple of characters from the last novel are mentioned here. I hope the Aunties get their own novel in the future.


Read if you want:
• POV Characters; asian teens
• Indonesia setting
• Cute and funny story
• Realistic problems (sexism, harassment and bullying)

Didn’t See That Coming is a teenage romance with a funny lovable protagonist. Due to a little bit of cussing, I would label this one for older teens. Kiki is smart, funny, and confident South Asian teenager. A little too proud and opinionated for her parents, Kiki finds herself tossed from her liberal school into an ultra conservative school where the good old boys know better than the cute little girls. From the first day of class, Kiki deals with bullying and misogyny as she struggles to find her place. The only happy place she really has is online gaming with a boy who is one of her best friends but doesn’t know she’s a girl. A existential crisis hits Kiki when she discovers the only nice boy she’s met at school is her online friend and feels there’s no one he will accept her after her lies. She loses herself a little bit before finding the strength to buck off the system, standup for what is right, and try to get the boy. Reading like a feel good teenage romantic movie from the 80’s, the story drags the reader through heartbreak before our lovable heroine makes a grand gesture to win the day while taking on important topics of sexism and bullying. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This was the first book in months that i COULD NOT PUT DOWN. I enjoyed this story so much. Yes, I guessed who SourDawg was early on but who cares? That's not why we read the story! The fresh take on "You've Got Mail" but with two teenage gamers in Jakarta was so fun. I also really appreciated the message of feminism and the quote about how you're supposed to continue to fight something when the world is telling you that the fight is already over/won.

I have enjoyed every single Jesse Q. Sutanto book I have read and I will continue to read them all and enjoy them.

This was such a refreshing read and a good break from the murder mysteries I have been reading lately. It reminded me so much of the old Sunday night Disney movies I used to watch and loved so much – students struggling for acceptance finding each other, come together to fight the bully, and prevail in the end – but with more adult language and grittier, fun characters. The characters kept me invested in the story. I’m always happy with the Asian representation in Sutanto’s novels and look forward to reading more of her work.

Didn't See That Coming is a fun, dynamic high school romance story featuring one of the most elite schools in Jakarta and its insane lifestyle (and if you're a Jakarta native, you know) with Kiki Siregar, the side character from Well, That Was Unexpected, as the novel's protagonist.

Not only does it highlight the classist and sexist school system that only benefits a certain group of people, it also highlights the issues of perceiving young women in the so-called “male space”, like role-playing games, and what it means to be loving, respectful, and appreciative to a girl while keeping the writing style easy and engaging to read.

Kiki Sinegar is a smart, strong gamer girl. She can slay in Warfront Heroes as well as anyone. But when she got tired of the misogyny and bullying in the game, she changed her girly in-game name to Dudebro10. And suddenly, all the bullying went away. She could play as much as she wanted, and she was treated like any other player. Well, any other male player. And that’s how she made a friend in the game.

Kiki feels good playing with her friend Sourdawg, and while he’s in Singapore and she’s in Indonesia, she feels free to share some of her life and challenges with him. Sometimes it’s a little difficult pretending to be a boy, but she gets by. And she encourages him in his sourdough obsession.

But then real life becomes a problem. Kiki’s parents have enrolled her into a new school, one with higher standards and far stricter rules. She has to wear a new uniform and leave her phone outside of her classroom. And worst of all, she has to sit behind Jonas Jayden Arifin. Just looking over the bulletin boards outside of the classroom, she sees that he is a top student and an athlete. It turns out that he is also the class prefect, there to help enforce all the rules Kiki isn’t interested in following.

While the classes are more intense and the homework load is twice what she was used to, Kiki was excited to find out that they’re doing a group project where they are designing their own game. They’re assigned groups, and she’s with Jonas and a couple of other kids, including Liam who is quiet. Jonas immediately takes over the project, coming up with a sketch of a stereotypical curvy woman that actual girl gamers find offensive. Kiki can’t help herself and speaks up. Jonas is immediately offended that she has opposed his ideas, and the others in the group just stay quiet.

This is the first in a series of interactions that make Kiki increasingly angry and gets her deeper into trouble. And when she vents to her best online friend Sourdawg, she finds out that she had been wrong. Dawg wasn’t in Singapore like she thought. He lives in Indonesia. And he goes to her new school. And now she has to figure out just who he is, without letting on that she goes to the same school, or that she’s been lying to him about being a boy.

As she feels her soul getting squashed by her new school and struggles to find a friend at her new school, Kiki also has to decide what to do about Sourdawg. Does she expose herself, or does she stay quiet? And will she ever find her place in the new school, or will she lose herself trying to stay quiet and out of trouble?

Didn’t See That Coming is the latest YA novel from bestselling Jesse Q Sutanto. This incredibly readable re-telling of You’ve Got Mail is set in a strict Asian high school, but all the feelings are familiar and relatable. These characters shimmer with energy and intelligence and a gaming edge. It’s funny and heartwarming and sweet.

But it’s also heartbreaking and frustrating and sad. Seeing Kiki at the new school, bending to all the rules and feeling her true self faded away brought back some not-so-happy feelings and memories for me. So if you are someone who was bullied and felt alone, this book could bring back some strong unpleasant feelings. But things do get better, and isn’t that why we read novels in the first place? I love the writing, which is smooth and lovely. And I just wanted to keep rooting for Kiki. I still recommend this book very strongly, but if you are someone who has dealt with bullying, or you’re buying it for someone who has dealt with it, know that there could be some strong reactions to some of the scenes.

Egalleys for Didn’t See That Coming were provided by Random House Children’s through NetGalley, with many thanks.