****3/26/24**** Finished this ARC - thank you, NetGalley - and happy Pub Day to Jesse Q Sutanto, on this final novel of his Jakarta-themed trilogy. This final book has Meddy Chan and Nathan celebrating their honeymoon, jetting off to Jakarta to join Meddy's family to celebrate Chinese New Year. In Indonesia they quickly run into a mix of romance (Abraham Lincoln Irawan and Auntie #2) and drama between the 3 major business "factions" (aka "mafias") of Jakarta. Quick thinking, humor, and a spirit of adventure follow the crew through a couple of days in Jakarta while they sort out the drama, settle some romantic mysteries and misconceptions, and firm up their familial love and bonds. The book is definitely a lighter fiction celebration of wealthy Indonesian culture, with lots of talk of food and mansions. Definitely what I expected and a nice transition after reading A Little Life (extremely serious and emotional). 4-stars.

It was funny and ridiculous! 🤣 The Aunties were hilarious. 😂 The MFC got annoying at times in the second half of the book. Overall, I ENJOYED this book the most out of the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Aunties are at it again and I am reminded of how funny they are, every time I read up on these women since book 1, I have laughed from beginning to end. I can’t get enough, but now Meddy is married, and they are celebrating Chinese New Year’s with her whole family, and I am sitting here laughing like crazy at the things her mom says, and Fourth Aunt to me will be my most FAVE of them all. Anyway, like I said before these women get into some problems when one of them gets kidnapped over some rivalry that has NOTHING to do with them, but they are tangled up in it somehow, but you know these women always have something up their sleeve.

I felt so sad to know that this is the last we read of this amazing family, I love them so much, but the way this book ended was perfection. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Berkley Books for the free book!

In this final installment of the Aunties series, Meddy and Nathan wrap up their honeymoon by meeting Ma and the Aunties in Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended family. As you might expect, things do not go as planned.

This series is humorous with notes of heartwarming storytelling. Are the plots over the top? Yes, but I love escapist reads, so I suspend disbelief and join Meddy and the Aunties as they navigate their misadventures. The core characters and their unwavering bonds are the big draw of this series. Despite their squabbles, the love is deep, and the stories show the absurd lengths they are willing to go for one another. They are literally "ride or die." I am in stitches with the Aunties' banter-filled and funny responses amid tense and dangerous situations that spiral hilariously out of control, with Meddy trying to manage the chaos. There's a lot of action in this one as they get tangled up with totally law-abiding, not mob bosses in Jakarta. Those poor, not mob bosses, don't stand a chance. All of the Aunties have big personalities, but Fourth Auntie stole the show for me in this one. And the end of this wraps up the series perfectly.

The aunties are back for their third and final installment. In this book, a family Lunar New Year celebration goes very wrong when a specific red envelope finds itself in the wrong hands. As always, the aunties, and Meddy are on the case and ready to save the day and create some extra chaos. This was a great way to wrap up the series - with the typical hijinks and ridiculousness I have come to love from the aunties. This book had so many twists that were completely bananas and unexpected, many of which had me laughing out loud. I will definitely miss the fun and chaos of the aunties!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I grabbed this from NetGalley because I thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series.

This, the last of this small series, features Meddy again, with her new husband going back to Indonesia for Lunar New Year Festival. When a bigger-than-life "uncle" comes over and all the red envelopes get mixed up, so that a present that ought not to be in the mix goes out to one of the horde of kids, the plot gets launched.

This book is like a comedy played mainly for laughs, and for moments of romance (mostly among the elder generation)--and though Meddy is our first person narrator, the story is really about the aunties. Their dialogue is hilarious, and in this one, we get a sense of their young lives that makes the story work, though it's as light as egg-whites.

Thanks to Berkely & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first "Aunties" book and I guessed (correctly) that I could drop in to the book without having read the first two with no ill effects. When the first one came out, it seemed like a cute idea, but after reading this, it seems that it was a joke that has gone on waaaaayyy too long, like this is a cash grab for the author and publisher even though they know they're beating a dead horse. Fir example, there are so, so many passages of Meddy just worrying over what is happening, and repeating over and over internally the events that we have just experienced in the previous chapter. It gives the book the feel of an untested writer who doesn't know what to do to meet a word count. I'd call it lazy, but I think she's just clueless as to what to do with the story (I know this author has had success with other unrelated books, so maybe she herself is over it when it comes to the Aunties?)

As to the plot, there is no point going into it. It's ridiculous, and it's nothing you haven't seen in a sitcom. Take a bad sitcom plot, infuse the barest whiff of "danger," set it in Jakarta, and you've got it.

I did find the Aunties themselves very entertaining, which is the only reason this book gets two stars.

What I loved about this one is the same thing I loved about the other books. It's a fantastic cozy mystery with fantastic and hilarious characters. So many hijinks, crazy situations and a bunch of older ladies with no filter.

So entertaining. And I loved the representation of the Asian community.

Meddy, her aunties, and mom are at it again. This time they have help along the way too. Meddy and her now husband Nathan travel abroad to partake in the Chinese New Year, but of course with mom and aunties in tow, there has to be some shenanigans going on.

This book thoroughly entertained me so much! I found myself chuckling out loud, just as I did in book one! We have gangsters, old romances, and little mysterious gifts popping up in this one as an added piece to add to the hilariously quirky family. If you’re looking to laugh and have a little fun with a mystery, Meddy, her mom, and aunties are the bunch to pick up and read! If you’re familiar with them, you already know the deal! Don’t expect any less than we’ve previously come to find with this family!

🎧The audiobook is just as good as reading the book. I alternated between the two. The narrator always does a great job with Meddy and family! I hope this series will continue on for quite sometime which I’m sure it will at least one more round! 😏

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is the third and final book in the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Newlyweds Meddy and Nathan are spending the Chinese New Year with family. A former beau of Second Aunt's shows up at the Chan residence with extravagant gifts hoping to rekindle. But one particular gift, included by accident, was intended for a business rival.

What follows is an entertaining story of the Aunties agreeing to return the gift, trying to retrieve it and becoming pawns. Of course it turns disastrous. It is up to Meddy to save them all. As usual, the Aunties are one-upping one another while Meddy's goal is to protect her family at all costs.

I found the story to just be okay. There was no character development. Perhaps because this is the final book of the series, the author chose not to delve more into Meddy and the meddlesome Aunties. It is disappointing when a reader wants to learn more about characters but the author just doesn't deliver. It is especially disappointing when the main character is increasingly annoying throughout the formulaic story.

The Aunties series started out with a hilarious entertaining bang in Dial A for Aunties, turned ridiculously unrealistic in Four Aunties and a Wedding then ended on a meh note with The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties. Nevertheless, it will make you chuckle along the way.

Happy Early Pub Day, Jesse Q. Sutanto! The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties will be available Tuesday, March 26.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

I can’t get enough of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s writing! Her first psychological thriller I’m Not Done with You Yet made my list of favorite books of 2023 (I’m giddily looking forward to reading her second psychological thriller soon!). Her writing is so diverse—she has best selling romance books, young adult books, cozy mysteries, and now psychological thrillers. What can’t she do??

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is actually the third book featuring these fun and meddlesome aunties solving murder (and bringing the mayhem) to Meddy Chan’s life. These books can be read in any order, so don’t hesitate to jump in here (though you won’t be able to resist going back to the others after reading it). In the latest mystery, Meddy is venturing off on her honeymoon with her new husband, Nathan Chan. They have already made their way through Europe and are heading to Jakarta to celebrate the Chinese New Year with Meddy’s extended family.

They should have guessed that something would go awry when it comes to Meddy’s family, but how could they know they’d wind up in the middle of a gangster war? Three crime lords going by the absurd aliases Julia Child, Kristofer Kolumbes, and Abraham Lincoln are constantly tangled up in some scheme or another. It turns out that Abraham Lincoln has been in love with Aunt Enjelin Chan for years, and shows up to the Chan residence with extravagant gifts in an attempt to win her back.

Unfortunately the gifts get a bit mixed up with the ones Meddy and Nathan are handing out to the kids. One of the gifts that got mixed up happened to be the title deed to a piece of property promised to Julia Child, a powerful figure in the Ruo Fao Group. Meddy and the aunties do what they can to clear up the mix up by tracking down which child received the deed, and the pressure is on when Meddy’s husband Nathan is imprisoned. They are up against the clock to locate the deed or they risk incurring the wrath of one of the most dangerous crime lords in Indonesia.

Before long, Meddy and the aunties find themselves way too embedded in the battle between the crime lords. The title deed ends up in the possession of someone who is the friend of another Chan. It turns out she is also the granddaughter of Kristofer Kolumbes, another dangerous crime lord! Meddy and the aunties are deep in the chaos of these three crime lords and doing everything in the power to find the deed, return it, and keep their family safe.

This is the end of the Aunties series, and it’s bittersweet! I have loved getting to read about the mayhem these aunties get up to. Meddy has continued to have a lovely character arc and it felt like each book chronicled the right part of her story. I won’t spoil what happens but I will say that the ending of the series was a perfect note. I will miss Meddy and the aunties, but I also left knowing they are going to have so much joy in their lives after we part ways.

This book continued to bring the laughs! The mystery is good and for how outlandish it was at first, it had a very sweet conclusion that I didn’t expect. The author’s note at the end from Sutanto was heartfelt and perfect. Don’t miss out on this series! It may be at it’s conclusion but these books will live on any time you need a pick-me-up!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

This was a really fun book and I loved all the drama lol. All the characters were really interesting and I loved all the Aunties personalities lol especially Auntie #4 with her TikTok 😂. I loved Meddy and Nathan and how ready Nathan is for all the families antics. the family’s shenanigans never stopped. From kidnapping to stealing from a kid and drugging caterers this book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t help but to laugh and continue reading.

✨ Review ✨ The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Thanks to Berkley and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

The third book in the Aunties series, I think I rank this one as not quite as funny and engaging as the first, but less complicated and confusing than the second...so it falls right in the middle for me!

To wrap up their honeymoon, Meddy and Nathan end up in Jakarta for Chinese New Year along with the Aunties and their 80+ person family that lives in Indonesia. Like each of the three books, something dramatic happens and the family ends up broiled in trouble that the family has to work their way out of. This time it involves the Indonesian maybe-mafia, a misplaced red envelope, and the typical chaos hilarity we expect from the aunties.

I enjoyed how this brought the series to a close...while I'm not sure it had quite the hilarity and chaos of the first book, there were still lots of laughs spread throughout. It was a fun, light, weekend read, and it'd be perfect for a beach or vacation read!

The aunties' turns of phrase and shenanigans once again fell at the center of the story and brought me the most joy while reading! I'm sad the series is over but excited for what Sutanto writes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: cozy mystery/thriller with lots of laughs
Setting: Jakarta
Reminds me of: Vera Wong and the previous Aunties books + Finlay Donovan books
Pub Date: March 26, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ silly cozy mysteries with lots of laughs
⭕️ big families + newlyweds
⭕️ Chinese New Year celebrations

As Meddy and Nathan navigate the complexities of married life amidst the Chan family's festivities, a seemingly innocuous gesture sets off a chain of events that thrusts them into the midst of a high-stakes feud between Jakarta's elite business factions.

What begins as a comedic misadventure quickly escalates into a gripping tale of loyalty, courage, and the unbreakable bonds of family. As Meddy takes charge to protect her loved ones, readers are treated to a rollercoaster ride of suspense and excitement. The dynamic relationships between the Aunties, each with their unique quirks and wisdom, add depth and humor to the narrative, making them endearing characters that readers will root for.

Nathan and Meddy are completing their honeymoon bu going to Jakarta for a gigantic family celebration of Chinese New Year. A red and gold envelope that is mistakenly put in the basket with all the money filled red envelopes which are given to all the children is given/traded to the teenage granddaughter of a 'mafia' family. In the ensuing time of retrieving the envelope, there are hostage, kidnapping, more hostages. Meddy is the nervous, scared person who finds solutions to the problem along with her bossy MA and the Aunties.
Read and enjoy the antics of these characters.

Another funny installment of the Aunties series, and sadly the last one. Meddy, Nathan and the Aunties return to Indonesia for the Chinese New Year. When the red packet gifts are handed out, a gift meant for someone else ends up with the wrong person. As a result, old enemies become involved, and Meddy and her Aunties are in danger. The relationship between Meddy and Nathan, and Meddy and her Aunties are what really distinguishes the series. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the third and final installment in the Aunties series. In this book, Meddy is traveling with her new husband Nathan on their honeymoon and then meeting her mother and aunts in Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year. Of course things don’t go as planned during the visit so Meddy and her meddling aunts have to work together to get out of some sticky situations.

This book is a fun, fast read that fans of Sutanto’s earlier books will definitely enjoy. I did not read book 2 prior to this book and definitely felt like I was missing some references, so would suggest reading the three books in order for the best reading experience! Since Sutanto has said this is the end of the Aunties series, hopefully she will have a new series to enjoy soon!

Meddy Chan and her newly-wed husband Nathan plan to wrap up their honeymoon with a trip to Jakarta to meet Ma and the aunties for a family visit and Chinese New Year celebration. The family celebration gets interrupted by Abraham Lincoln Irawan, who makes a huge splashy entrance to impress the love of his life, Second Aunt -- but his largesse to the family turns sour when he realizes he has lost one gift intended for a fellow businessperson, and the consequences could be dire. What else could possibly happen but that the aunties must investigate, and Meddy must pick up the pieces in their wake?

This final outing for the aunties retains the zany humor and antics from the previous two books. Meddy spends her time trying to rein in the aunties, worrying about Nathan's reactions to their over-the-top behavior (he's surprisingly chill), and finding a way out of the whole mess. Great fun, and I'm sorry to see the series wrap up.

Synopsis: In the third installment in Sutanto’s Aunties series, Meddy and her new husband Nathan have made a stop in Jakarta on their honeymoon to celebrate Chinese New Year with her extended family. When the family inadvertently gets involved in a dangerous business rivalry, it is up to Meddy to save Nathan and the Aunties.

Thoughts: Meddy and her Aunties are characters I always look forward to revisiting - they can be counted on to bring a smile to my face. As with the first two books, this one has the same lovable and memorable characters along with some new ones who are a fun addition. While wild and silly, the mystery plot is fast paced and pretty exciting. Suspend disbelief and prepare for some zany adventures and you’ll have a great time reading this book! A note on the audio - this is the first of this series that I listened to on audio, and I’m thinking it just might be the way to go! The narrator was so amazing, and I loved how she brought the Aunties’ personalities to life.

Read this if you like:
🎉 meddlesome family members
🎉 zany adventures
🎉 shenanigans
🎉 cozy mysteries

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is the last installment in the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. This book is charming and funny. We find Meddy and Nathan visiting Jakarta with the Aunties to celebrate Chinese New Year. Nathan meets Meddy's extended family and fits right in the chaos of the Chans. However, their vacation derails when Nathan is taken hostage by a "totally legit business partner" of Second Aunt's former love. Is Second Aunt's boyfriend actually legit or did they get involved with the mafia?

As I said earlier this book is charming. The Chans reminds me of my own Asian family. They can be loud, overstepping, funny, and full of love. Meddy grew up in the West and we see her struggle with her Asian and Western values. She continues to have trouble drawing boundaries and putting her foot down on what she thinks is right. Even in this book, we see her cater to her Aunties' desires because it is what she was taught a good daughter should be. She doesn't seem to make decisions for herself either. I was hoping that her character develops some backbone at the end of the book or even show how she can prioritize her own family without throwing her relationship with her Aunties.

It doesn't feel like the conclusion to a trilogy. In the end, the characters didn't mature and they are at the same spot as they were in the beginning. It also sends a message that being a good child means following your elders always, which we see is not true for this book and in daily life. I was hoping that Meddy would have an emotional talk with her mom and Aunties about their relationship and establishing a mutual respect between them. That, although she is about to grow a family of her own, she will always be their Meddy.

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it read more like a skit than a true humour filled Asian book.