It was so much fun to dive into another adventure with Meddy and her endearingly quirky family. For their final adventure in this series, the family, including Meddy's new husband, Nathan, heads to Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year with Meddy's extended family. When Abi, a man courting Second Aunt who is "definitely not in the mafia," accidentally gives away a red envelope meant for an equally shady business associate, chaos ensues. Meddy's aunts are as fearless and fun as they topple headfirst into another hilarious escapade, and I enjoyed every minute of the journey.

When I realized I had the opportunity to hang out with my meddlesome aunties again, you best believe I was on it! "The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties" took me to Jakarta after Meddy's wedding to celebrate Chinese New Year. Second Aunt's past love interest shows up showering gifts to the family to display his affection and win her heart. During the festivities, the gift intended for a business rival to cement a business alliance is accidentally given to the family, causing trouble and putting everyone in danger. Leave it up to Meddy to ensure Nathan and the Aunties' safety.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the book. By the time I reached 40% of the story, I expected more character development, especially from Meddy, as we'd spent time with her. However, the book focused too much on Meddy's inner dialogue centred around her "stomach" and emotions. I felt that she was immature in handling and reacting to situations under pressure, despite her experiences with the Aunties.

In my opinion, the book was unnecessarily long, and it didn't add much to the series. However, the Aunties, especially Fourth Aunt, stole the show with her witty banter and insistence that Meddy should loosen up. I appreciated the overall message of the series, which is doing whatever it takes to protect your loved ones, even if it means going to extreme and unrealistic lengths to achieve it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The final book in the Aunties series takes place in Jakarta. I loved reading about the Chan's in their home country. The aunties were up to their usual funny antics. Unfortunately the storyline was too far fetched for me. All of the books have been a little out there and full of misunderstanding but this one was really out there. Overall I've really enjoyed the series and love the multi cultural aspect so much!

Also around 52-53% there is a spot where the aunties wake Meddy and Nathan up to tell them Second Aunt is kidnapped. In one paragraph they're explaining this then all of a sudden they are in Julia Child's office discussing it with Abi too. There was no break or transition so hopefully this was caught in editing.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

The Aunties are back, and as expected, they brought their special brand of chaotic warmth. This installment finds Meddy and the Aunties in Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year. A man from the Aunties' past gets them implicated in a situation with some people who may or may not be law-abiding business people. When Nathan is taken captive, Meddy and the Aunties must set things right or face the consequences.

I know, that last line sounds terribly ominous, but this was an Aunties book, so I knew hilarity would ensue. I always find it difficult to put a label on an Aunties book. They are sort of cozy capers with some suspense/criminal/mystery element. Here, Meddy had to recover the lost title deed while she tried to convince herself that these perfectly law-abiding business people were not really criminals. Of course Meddy and her family had a plan, and of course, it went awry, but that's what I love and expect from this clan.

As always, the story was fast paced and packed with shenanigans and mayhem. Nathan was his adorable, precious self while Meddy was simultaneously exasperated and appreciative of her zany family as the Aunties wrecked their own special brand of havoc.

Though I am sad to say goodbye to these characters, I was happy to have this last adventure with them. It was a rollicking good time filled with humor, merriment, and lots of heart.

I can't resist the Aunties. Its more of the same, and sometimes you're just in the mood for the slapstick drama of this family.

The last book in this fun multicultural series finds Meddy Chan and her crazy family observing Chinese New Year. I've grown to love this chaotic clan and was so glad to get the ARC of Book 3 so I could relish their quirky personalities and adventures once again. Jesse Q. Sutanto has become an auto-read author now, and The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties will definitely delight her many fans, as it did me. Enjoy!

I received a gifted galley of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutano for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the opportunity to read and review!

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AUNTIES is the third book in the author’s Aunties series. Maddy and Nathan arrive in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with the Autnies and the extended family. Everyone is surprised by the arrival of Second Aunt’s old flame, but his attempt at impressing her and the entire family goes wrong when a very important package is accidentally given out as a new year’s gift. The family finds themselves in the middle of a dangerous rivalry, working to get the missing package back to keep everyone safe.

I have really loved this series, and this book upheld that trend. Each book will work fine as a standalone, but I do think it is worth it to go back to the beginning to meet everyone from the start. Each book also progresses a bit in Maddy’s life and her relationship with Nathan.

This book is full of the all of the silly fun that you can expect from any of the aunties book. I did also really enjoy getting information on Chinese New Year traditions as the family celebrates. Having traveled a bit in Asia over Chinese New Year, I’ve really been extra interested in this in 2024!

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AUNTIES was a fun time!

The conclusion to the Aunties series was so fun and was genuinely a great time. I wanted to be more overall invested in the story but couldn't find the energy to care about certain aspects of the book. I wanted to get behind the mafia/kidnapping plot and throw myself into the wild ride with Meddie and the aunties but I couldn't click with it. A fun end to the series though!

Thoughts:
We go into the world of Meddy Chan and her eccentric extended family as they navigate chaos, romance, and unexpected alliances during Chinese New Year.
This story is a rollercoaster ride of laughter ,love that celebrates family and family bonds and the aunties who steal the show and are there at all times. This is the last book in the Aunties series and as always I recommend starting with Dial A for Aunties to get the follow background to the story of the Aunties but this can be read as a standalone Thank you netgalley

If you are looking for a lighthearted, cozy murder/mystery series that will have you laughing-out-loud, I highly recommend the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. The aunties are a special group of ladies that everyone could use in their life!!!

This is the third and (upon finishing I sadly discovered) the last book of this wonderful series about family, love, and undying loyalty.

I have to say, I think the setting of the final book was perfect. It is set in Jakarta, birthplace of the aunties, during the Chinese New Year. It was great to read about the aunties homecoming and “seeing” them in their element, especially Big Aunt.

As usual, they soon find themselves in a crazy, dangerous, scandalous situation of life and death. With their usual charm and wit, the aunties develop plan after plan to save the day and make us laugh. This series is an absolute delight and one of my favorites ❤️

A perfect end to such a fun series. The Aunties concealed murders and tangled with the supposed mob, all while we got to watch Meddy fall in love. This book is so fun and the extended family was such a great backdrop.
Getting to see an Auntie in love was great, getting to see the other Aunties dealing with an Auntie in love was incredible.
I highly recommend this entire series!

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is the third and final book in the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Meddy Chan and her family, once again, take us on a wild ride as they try to stay one step ahead of trouble. While celebrating Chinese New Year in Jakarta with their large extended family. The story is lighthearted and a quick fun read. My favorite part of the story are Meddy's family and the chaos that surrounds them continually. All of the aunts have very specific personalities and in spite of the trouble they cause I can't help but like them.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a digital review copy.

The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties is the 3rd third and final book in the Aunties series. Meddy Chan and her husband, Nathan finished their romantic honeymoon across Europe, and decide to spend the Chinese New Year with their family in Jakarta. They are happily greeted by Meddy’s mom and aunties, as well as so many of their Jakarta relatives. During the celebration, a surprise visitor shows up at the party, bringing gifts for the children. Abraham Lincoln is a former beau of Second Aunt, and is determined to rekindle their romance, with the gifts his way of resuming his courtship.

Things will take a nasty turn, on the day after the party, when Abraham realizes that one of the gifts was erroneously given out. He explains that one of the gifts that was handed out was actually a deed to some property that he had promised to Julia Child. Meddy and the aunties learn that Abraham is one of the three crime lords, with Julia and Kristofer Kolumbes being the other two in Jakarta. Now they are desperate to find the gift, in order for Abraham to make peace with Julia.

This leads Meddy and her meddling aunties to being caught up eventually with all three crime lords, in their decades-long war. There was a lot of hilarious action throughout, especially with the aunties their sass and constant meddling. The fourth aunt was always the strongest one, always meddling, but all of them were totally a riot. To get out of this mess, Meddy would be the one to save the day.

What follows is a wild, hilarious, roller coaster ride, with the aunts totally over the top with their crazy antics. Meddy was a great heroine, and I loved Nathan. The aunts/mom (sisters) were always entertaining and humorous, though at times a bit ridiculous. The Good, the Bad and the Aunties was a fun story, that was also weird and insane. The Good the Bad and The Aunties was well written by Jesse Q Sutanto, which was entertaining and humorous.

Jesse, do you ever get tired? Tired of making characters for me to love? Tired of writing laugh-out-loud moments? Tired of creating such relatable stories? 10/10

Meddy Chan and her crazy family are back, and you know what that means, drama galore.
In this book, she and her new husband, Nathan, take a break from their honeymoon to join up with the family in Jakarta to celebrate the Chinese New Year. All is fine until one person gets an important document, and as usual, hijinks follow.

While this book isn't as over-the-top as the previous releases, the author adds some well-placed humor to ramp up the ridiculousness, namely the names of the three rivals this story centers on - Abraham Lincoln Irawan, Julia Child Handoko and Kristofer Kolumbus Hermansah. Yes, those are really their names.
While there is no death in this book, there is plenty of action:
Assaulting a teenager.
Kidnappings, yes, more than one.
False identities.
Theft.
You know, just another day when these Aunties are involved.

I really enjoyed this plot as the Aunties and Co. not only work their magic to recover the stolen document and save family members, but they also manage to resolve the decade-long rivalry between these Mafia lords (as Meddy declares them to be). I relished catching up with Meddy and Nathan and their sweet love story. If he can handle her family drama, he's a keeper.

Overall, this was a great addition to the series.

This was definitely just as goofy as the past two books, but for some reason, I couldn’t feel as invested in this mafia/kidnapping plot, as I have been in the past. I think the absolute ridiculousness and surprise of Dial A For Aunties will forever be seared into my mind, so this plot just didn’t intrigue me as much or stick out to me.

I always appreciate the representation of the pull between growing up in America versus feeling the massive guilt of owing your elders, because that’s so real </3 I think Jesse W Sutanto always does a great job in illustrating this.

The aunties were still so funny, but I just didn’t care that much about the missing land deed plot ugh.

I didn’t realize it was a continuation from the other books in the series - I thought they were all interconnected standalones.

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC

I enjoyed this but not as much as the previous books in the series. I listened to the earlier books and the audio was stellar so I’m not sure if I just missed the narration or if this one actually wasn’t as good as the others. But still a solid 4 stars and a fun time.

This final installment in the Aunties trilogy was the perfect mix of hilarious chaos that made this series so readable. I read the first book when it came out and devoured it in one sitting, and the other two novels have certainly followed in the footsteps of their predecessor.
I really loved seeing the family back home in Jakarta and the culture exemplified in this novel. In fact, I wish there was more of the setting in this installment!
Overall, this series is hard to not enjoy and I will forever pick up Sutanto’s wacky books.

The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties had me in stitches throughout my reading journey. The dynamic between the sisters (the aunties) is a riot, their interactions brimming with humor. The cultural nuances, particularly when juxtaposed with Western perspectives, add a layer of comedy that is universally enjoyable.

I was captivated by the depiction of Indonesia. Sutanto's vivid and detailed writing allowed me to explore a new country from the comfort of my reading nook. It's a modern, affluent landscape, which contrasts with my previous perception of it as a resort-like destination. Also, the Chinese New Year celebration was a cultural feast, enriching my understanding of this significant event.

Meddy is a compelling character. Raised in the US by her mom and the Aunties, she deeply understands her family's beliefs and traditions. Meddy and her new husband, Nathan, serve as cultural bridges, helping Western readers navigate the contrast between their lifestyle and the traditional life of Chinese and Indonesian peoples.

I was very sad to see that this is the last book in the series. Meddy is starting a new chapter in her life, and I would have loved to see how it plays out for all. They are just such a fun family, and everyone needs a little fun in their lives.