So, Didn't See That Coming is You've Got Mail but with underage, Southeast Asian gamer kids, basically. Dudebro (Kiki) and Sourdawg (Liam), our main pairing, become confidantes in their gaming world with Kiki adopting the guise of Just Another Teenaged Boy. I thought it'd be fun and refreshing to read about main characters from Singapore and Indonesia...I'm not sure what I expected, but I think this plot would have worked a lot better with college students or older adults. It was uncomfortable to read what amounted to friendship-catfishing at one point from the POV of a protagonist, Kiki, whose narrative voice was so very young sounding. In fact, her POV was very simply not my jam at all, so the story felt doomed for me from the start. As the inner monologue-narration for a show or movie, I could see it working, but on page it was a cringe-fest.

Kiki was most bearable when she was pushing back against misogyny in her school and challenging dress code boundaries, although her bravery balks at playing overtly as a female on her game. The plot addressed school violence in Asia, which was a great, timely inclusion as it's been all over the news and dramas on tv. The downside of that was Kiki being called "Crazy Kiki" for a lot of the book, something I wasn't wild about either.  Other narrative choices include <i>a lot</i> of in-game chats recorded on-page, texts, etc. - in all their shorthand, internet slang glory; I know a lot of people don't love epistolaries, and this is probably a quarter to a third of that. There is also the miscommunication slash hidden identity trope at play here, where Kiki figures out they're online gaming buddies and doesn't tell Liam, all while she's also got a complicated relationship with another boy going on.

I like the representation in this story, and some of the social issues it tackled, but overall, I did not enjoy the narrative for itself.

I did enjoy the premise of this one, and it turned out to be way more than a simple love story. The setup in Indonesia made it all very interesting since it is not that often I've read something set there. I have to admit that I'm a huge Asian tv show lover and I've seen a bunch of things setup in Asia and I always enjoy it because it is so different and I love learning all about different cultures. This book was such a beautiful cultural ride, definitely interesting.

I loved that the book showcased important topics around the education system, bullying, online harassment, how girls are treated differently and all, it was really well depicted. My only problem was that it was the major part of that book, the romance was honestly only a tiny part and I thought I signed up for something fun and light based on the cover and sound of the blurb... And I'm not saying this book was overly depressing, it was still light enough in tone while approaching these topics, but I felt like at one point, every chapter started with: things are getting worse. So yeah, after a while it was hard for me to enjoy the story. And I know it's unrealistic of me but I would have at least wished for a more satisfying ending.

I did like Kiki, how she was fighting for herself, being independent, proud and motivated to make things better. But I also have to admit that I was really not okay with how she treated Liam after knowing who he was. Trying to get information on if he liked her, not being honest with him while he was being so open. Big nope. So it was hard for me to overcome that feeling. I was also mad at that whole fake dating scheme because it made no sense to me that she would agree to that and I was really disappointed at her.

It could have been a great one for me honestly cause I was there for it all, but I just couldn't put my mind around some of our main character's actions and the slightly depressing vibe (it's november... it's already snowing, dark all day, I don't need more reason to be down). I still consider this one an important story to be told and I'm glad I read it.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Didn't See That Coming is a fun YA novel. You can't help but root for Kiki as by night she is one of the boys playing video games (an alterego to avoid online harassment as a female), and by day tries to be true to herself at a new school.

High school challenges, and a variety of personalities make this an enjoyable, quick read. I devoured it in a couple hours!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Children's for the ARC.

I enjoyed Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties and was curious about her YA books. Didn’t See That Coming demonstrates how versatile Sutanto is from the absurdly funny to sweet romcoms. Didn’t See That Coming is very much the latter, but it also provides insight into heavier topics like toxic masculinity, bullying, and finding space within or possibly outside of the patriarchy.

As different subplots began to pop up, the main story started to get buried under them. I wanted more time and effort spent on Kiki solving her Sourdawg mystery and discussing their relationship, both online and potentially offline. As things began to come together at the end, their relationship offline just seemed to be resolved too quickly. I don’t know if I would have done the same had I been Sourdawg.

Overall, I enjoyed Didn’t See That Coming. It’s a cute YA romcom with an endearing main character. It reminded me why I like Sutanto’s writing style, which is why I picked Well That Was Unexpected, the book this one is a companion to. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

"Didn't See That Coming" by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a delightful young adult romance that skillfully tackles sensitive topics like sexism, online harassment, and bullying. The story follows Kiki Siregar, a confident gamer girl who plays incognito to avoid harassment. When she discovers her online best friend, Sourdawg, attends her new elite school, the narrative explores identity and the impact of virtual connections on real life.

One of the strengths of "Didn't See That Coming" is its ability to resonate with readers of all ages, evoking nostalgia for those who have experienced online friendships during their teenage years. The narrative is lighthearted, filled with laughter and cheer, making it an enjoyable read. I will admit there was a moment in the plot near the end that felt out of place, but when I finished the book, I found myself wishing I could have spent more time with these characters!

This novel stands well on its own, and even if you haven't read the preceding book, "Well, That Was Unexpected," you won't miss any crucial details. "Didn't See That Coming" is a must-read for its engaging story, relevant themes, and nostalgic portrayal of high school friendships in the digital age.

I enjoyed this book. It was funny and emotional and made me think. I'm in the United States so I am not familiar with some of the more strict environments that are explained in the book. I am always very interested and curious of how others live and learn, etc in other parts of the world.

I have read other books by Jesse Q Sutanto, and enjoy her kind of humor and family life. Although I am Mexican American a lot of what she talks about regarding family is similar to how I live and act with my own family. This book is Teen/YA and different from her other books but, I enjoyed it just as much as her adult books.

In Didn't See That Coming, the main character - Kiki is just a girl who loves gaming but hates that in the *seemingly* male dominated gaming world where she is harassed, verbally abused and more - so she creates a male persona to play games and not be bothered. It is all fun and games until she finds out she has transferred to the same school as her online gamer buddy. At the same time she's dealing with how unfair her school is, how they treat girls vs boys, bullying, and give kids with more influence more leeway compared to the other kids in the school. I feel like many young girls will relate to how it's unfair to be treated like this in the gaming world and in the real world. Although gender equality seems to have made some progress it is not nearly enough.

I would recommend this book to older teens, I looked it up and it says 12 and up which is fine maybe a little young, there is some language that not every parent (or child) will like but otherwise the book is tame and not inappropriate.

This sweet and fun YA book is set in Indonesia. Main character Kiki is sent by her parents to a different, much stricter school for her final year in high school. She has always been popular, but at the new school she struggles to fit in and to deal with sexism. She also worries that her secret identity as a video gamer using a male name may get revealed. But maybe along the way she’ll make friends and even find romance.

This was just such a cute book - loved Kiki and the side characters, loved the way it played around with so many different romance tropes, loved the feminism, loved that it was set in Indonesia which is definitely unusual for this type of book. It’s also a totally clean book perfect for even young teenagers if you care about that. I love Jesse Q Sutanto’s books for adults in the Aunties series and Vera Wong - this one is a little less zany than those but I loved it and totally want to check out her other YA books. In fact, apparently this one is a sort of quasi on the side sequel to another book so I definitely need to go back and read that one.

You’ve got mail is one of my favorite rom coms ever and this book is an amazing retelling. It’s really refreshing to have a story talk about online harassment and the treatment of women in the gamer world. I really enjoyed Kiki and Liam’s story. The way Jesse was able to delicately navigate the difficult topics was amazing

Didn’t See that Coming (15+) is a light hearted YA Contemporary, narrating the story of finding one’s momentum in a new environment and highlighting the sexism and misogyny in the gaming community.
Read this book if you like-
• Gaming
•You’ve Got Mail
•Sassy and Confident FMC
•Friends to Lovers
•Library Hideouts

Kiki is a gamer girl who plays as a male player to avoid unwanted harassment. Starting a new, much stricter school, she finds out her online bestie (who doesn’t know she’s female) is now her classmate. Navigating that deception, while trying to fit into a school rife with bullying and blame the victim attitude is a lot to take on.

While I loved the premise, I struggle with the main character POV. Though YA, the MC felt more juvenile than I’m used to and the emotional whiplash of her moods turned me off.

This one was ultimately not for me but I hope others enjoy!

Thank you for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Delacorte Press, Random House Children's Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I look forward to recommending this book to my high school students, and I’ll make sure my school library gets a copy ASAP.
What an enjoyable book! This book was the perfect mental vacation during my long Thanksgiving weekend with my bestie and his family. While this book is the second in a series, you can definitely read it as a standalone (I did) - but I liked it so much that I listened to the prior book (Well, That Was Unexpected) immediately after finishing! I really enjoyed the author’s standalone adult release earlier this year, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, and I’ve also read her Dial “A” for Aunties series. Her thriller I’m Not Done with You Yet, published in August, just popped to the top of my TBR. I’m so impressed with how many books she has published in such a short period of time!!
Anyway, back to Didn’t See That Coming. Prior to reading, I didn't know very much about Indonesian and Singaporean culture. I appreciated learning more, while in the context of a YA romance drama, particularly about school culture and social issues. As a high school teacher, I was intrigued to read many scenes set at the students’ high school. Even though the school described is very different from the one I teach at, the same issues like bullying, technology, and respect are hot topics. And I like being reminded how school “feels” in the perspectives of current students, even fictional ones, as it helps me connect with my students. I've never done much gaming, but the way the gaming culture, especially online, was described, made it approachable for all. I also enjoyed that this romance was more about teens getting to know each other on an emotional level with very little physical relationship, as opposed to many YA-marketed books that include heavily physical/sexual relationships.

I don’t know what it is about Jesse Sutanto books but they keep me glued to my seat. They are so entertaining, so engrossing, and so weird. I love it.

She takes the secret penpals trope and makes it her own.

Our main character Kiki starts off somewhat unlikable but by the end I was 100% on her side. She made me want to root for her.

Would recommend

Thank you Net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This started as a lighthearted novel about a teen gamer and dealing with real life. Real life included issues like bullying and peer pressure. This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

I’ve read all of Suntanto’s adult books and wanted to give her YA a try. She does not disappoint! It’s a super cute story that I’d recommend to those that enjoy YA novels.

Pick up this YA contemporary romance if you love:
✨️ friends-to-lovers
✨️ hidden identity
✨️ high school romance
✨️ funny & lighthearted
✨️ several important topics

This book is not just about a simple and sweet teenage love story, but it also brought up several important topics like cyber-bullying, sexism, toxic masculinity, and school bullying that still happen in real life.

Kiki’s character is loveable and feels very relatable. I can feel her rage and her sadness of being helpless to the point of losing her old self.
I also admire her for being able to stand up for herself and how she encourage others to do the same with the help of her supportive friends and family.

Kiki’s rebellious act and her relationships with her best friends had me laughing and smiling since I used to did the same thing with my friends in real life like shorten the uniform’s skirt, going to a café after school, texting during class, etc.
I also love the blooming sweet romance between Kiki and Liam. Liam is such a sweetheart and I kinda wished he had his own POV in this book.

The ending was a little bit rushed but overall it’s such a page turner!
As an Indonesian, I can totally relate to a few things mentioned here which I found enjoyable and entertaining.
Highly recommended especially for teenagers and I’m really looking forward to read the next book from this author!

Didn’t See that Coming is a standalone book but a few characters from <i>‘Well That was Unexpected’</i> made an appearance here and if you’re curious about Sharlot and George’s story then you can check that one out.
Nevertheless, you can enjoy reading this book without having to read <i>‘Well That was Unexpected’</i>.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Bullying, sexism, emotional abuse, misogyny, classism, toxic relationship & environment, racism, sexual harassment, a few strong language

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, the author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

This book was so delightful! 4/5 stars and a wonderful sequel to Well, That Was Unexpected. This book follows Kiki as she starts a new school but also navigates the world of online gaming (trying to avoid major spoilers here!) I loved how this book handled sensitive topics of bullying both in the online sphere and in the real world. If you have not read the first book, you would most likely be confused, so I would definitely recommend reading it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and am leaving this review of my own choice.

This book had everything I love about YA. A strong FMC, an adorable MMC, banter, & real life issues that causes tension. I was fascinated by the light given to Asian culture. It isn't something I had been aware of prior. It was my first book by this author but won't be my last.

This was cute! As someone who is not a gamer herself, I thought the elements and overall message of the book great. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to quite connect with either character which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story and the pacing felt a bit slow towards the middle.

However, Liam was the sweetie that I couldn't help but gush over!

I really enjoyed this book, it was so cute and funny. It talked about topics that girls go through in the gaming community as well as different cultural difficulties women face as well. I really liked it and thought it was very well written. I’m so glad the ending turned out the way it did and highly recommend this read if your looking for a cute story about a gamer girl and boy!

I sped through this and was thoroughly entertained by this. It was very fast-paced and it was easy to get to know the characters. I wish the book gave more breathing room for characterization instead of zooming through plot lines. From halfway through, the plot became very predictable and honestly, it lost some of its charm for me. I wish there were more moments for the MC and LI to interact after the big reveal for their love declarations to be believable