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Aunties #2
Four Aunties and a Wedding
The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties.
Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can't wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.
Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. It turns out Staphanie and her family are The Family—actual mafia, and they're using Meddy's wedding as a chance to take out a target. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene—over their dead bodies—and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.
Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can't wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.
Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. It turns out Staphanie and her family are The Family—actual mafia, and they're using Meddy's wedding as a chance to take out a target. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene—over their dead bodies—and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2022
1064 people are currently reading
41154 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Q. Sutanto
30 books8,726 followersJesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she's not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,721 reviews
July 27, 2022
I’m so confused because i gave the first one 5 stars…but this one was so boring to me 😭
June 3, 2022
Whoop whoop! My stomach truly hurts after laughing so hard! I laughed more than a regular dental patient who just exposed to extra laughing gas. My eyes are still watery! My cheeks hurt. That was absolutely so much fun!
When I read some chapters of this laugh out loud uncontrollably, incredibly hilarious book, I dropped my e-reader off and a few times I personally dropped down off the couch and found myself trapped in another hysterical laughing crisis.
Mark my words: THIS BOOK IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF REAL FUN!
If you read the first, you already know Meddy Chan, her traditional, unconventional, totally sweet but also batshit crazy family members, including her ma and her three but one of a kind aunts.
At the end of this book, we witnessed the ladies finally got away with Ah Guan’s murder ( that assaulting sleaze- ball dug his own grave by massing with wrong girl and very wrong family) and Meddy finally introduced her family to her love of her life Nathan who finally proposed.
We got some snippets of this book to learn how wedding gown shopping of Meddy goes on and we learn more about aunties’ strikingly purpendecilar ( just like Deep Purple’s album) outfit choices and eye- bleedingly gorgeous hats.
After reading those pages, I was so excited for the second book. The story concept is great mash up of Crazy Rich Asians meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding with Weekend at Bernie’s vibes ( when you read third uncle’s abduction parts you’ll probably understand this reference)
Meddy and Nathan will get marry at Oxford Christ Church. Even though Meddy’s ma and aunties try to steal the show with eye-bleeding-ly sparkling purple costumes and Komodo dragon hats and fake British accents ( their favorite idiomatic expression is “dog’s bollocks! “ and unfortunately they insist to repeat those terms in front of Nathan’s ultra posh, aristocrat family members) , they already hired a great family of five as wedding vendors. So what could go wrong!
Well, let me rephrase my question: when aunties involve into an incident what could go right? Because this sweet family of five seems like tight- knit mafia family who chose this wedding to conduct their next shady business: they plan to execute someone important who will attend to the wedding and if Meddy tries to tell anything to Nathan, they threaten her to talk to the authorities about Ah Guan’s suspicious murder. Both of her family and Nathan will go to the prison because of her mistake!
Poor Meddy still gets haunted from her past but she has to do something to stop this dangerous people ruin her wedding by saving the person’s life they’ve targeted!
Thankfully team of aunties are already experienced to get away with murder. As intimidating First Aunt acts like someone between Vito Corleone meets Downtown Abbey’s Maggie Smith, Second Aunt keeps launching into another Tai Chi move. Ma keeps smuggling pots in her panties and Fourth Aunt keeps getting drunk and tying the kidnapped men with cable cords she carried in her First Class fake Louis Vuitton baggages. So everything is under control! They can stop the execution and the wedding may go as it’s planned without any incident! Well, think again!
I already gave enough away! But I’m telling you my friends, this book is the funniest, the most entertaining, hilarious thing I’ve lately read! It guarantees long and unstoppable laugh out loud moments!
I think I never say no to another sequel! Aunties’ adventures are more addictive than NYC’s Levain Bakery cookies! ( if you already tasted those cookies, you would easily understand how I adored this book!)
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
When I read some chapters of this laugh out loud uncontrollably, incredibly hilarious book, I dropped my e-reader off and a few times I personally dropped down off the couch and found myself trapped in another hysterical laughing crisis.
Mark my words: THIS BOOK IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF REAL FUN!
If you read the first, you already know Meddy Chan, her traditional, unconventional, totally sweet but also batshit crazy family members, including her ma and her three but one of a kind aunts.
At the end of this book, we witnessed the ladies finally got away with Ah Guan’s murder ( that assaulting sleaze- ball dug his own grave by massing with wrong girl and very wrong family) and Meddy finally introduced her family to her love of her life Nathan who finally proposed.
We got some snippets of this book to learn how wedding gown shopping of Meddy goes on and we learn more about aunties’ strikingly purpendecilar ( just like Deep Purple’s album) outfit choices and eye- bleedingly gorgeous hats.
After reading those pages, I was so excited for the second book. The story concept is great mash up of Crazy Rich Asians meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding with Weekend at Bernie’s vibes ( when you read third uncle’s abduction parts you’ll probably understand this reference)
Meddy and Nathan will get marry at Oxford Christ Church. Even though Meddy’s ma and aunties try to steal the show with eye-bleeding-ly sparkling purple costumes and Komodo dragon hats and fake British accents ( their favorite idiomatic expression is “dog’s bollocks! “ and unfortunately they insist to repeat those terms in front of Nathan’s ultra posh, aristocrat family members) , they already hired a great family of five as wedding vendors. So what could go wrong!
Well, let me rephrase my question: when aunties involve into an incident what could go right? Because this sweet family of five seems like tight- knit mafia family who chose this wedding to conduct their next shady business: they plan to execute someone important who will attend to the wedding and if Meddy tries to tell anything to Nathan, they threaten her to talk to the authorities about Ah Guan’s suspicious murder. Both of her family and Nathan will go to the prison because of her mistake!
Poor Meddy still gets haunted from her past but she has to do something to stop this dangerous people ruin her wedding by saving the person’s life they’ve targeted!
Thankfully team of aunties are already experienced to get away with murder. As intimidating First Aunt acts like someone between Vito Corleone meets Downtown Abbey’s Maggie Smith, Second Aunt keeps launching into another Tai Chi move. Ma keeps smuggling pots in her panties and Fourth Aunt keeps getting drunk and tying the kidnapped men with cable cords she carried in her First Class fake Louis Vuitton baggages. So everything is under control! They can stop the execution and the wedding may go as it’s planned without any incident! Well, think again!
I already gave enough away! But I’m telling you my friends, this book is the funniest, the most entertaining, hilarious thing I’ve lately read! It guarantees long and unstoppable laugh out loud moments!
I think I never say no to another sequel! Aunties’ adventures are more addictive than NYC’s Levain Bakery cookies! ( if you already tasted those cookies, you would easily understand how I adored this book!)
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
April 12, 2022
this book/series is so camp and thats definitely its charm.
at least for now.
because, even though i still found the aunties’ over-the-top antics entertaining, i think i may need to quit while im ahead. one more book might venture into annoying territory, with their novelty starting to wear off.
but the storyline of this sequel is good. i didnt love it at much as the first book, but only because i dont care for mafia plots. i did really enjoy seeing meddy and nathan take that next step. even though their wedding day was filled with theatrics, i still felt happy for them.
so if you didnt get enough of the excessive drama and exaggerated love of the four aunties in the first book, you will definitely be wanting to pick this up.
↠ 3.5 stars
at least for now.
because, even though i still found the aunties’ over-the-top antics entertaining, i think i may need to quit while im ahead. one more book might venture into annoying territory, with their novelty starting to wear off.
but the storyline of this sequel is good. i didnt love it at much as the first book, but only because i dont care for mafia plots. i did really enjoy seeing meddy and nathan take that next step. even though their wedding day was filled with theatrics, i still felt happy for them.
so if you didnt get enough of the excessive drama and exaggerated love of the four aunties in the first book, you will definitely be wanting to pick this up.
↠ 3.5 stars
March 29, 2022
Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties #2)
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I think the novelty of the four aunties has worn off for me. I listened to the first book in this series (I get the feeling there might be a third book in the future) and I know that the voice acting helped me to enjoy the story more than I would have if I'd just read it. For this second book, it seems the madcap embarrassing nuttiness of the aunties was ramped up times ten and my brain couldn't keep up with the action. Every sentence seemed designed to shock or bring out laughs and I think the story would have benefited by being toned down a lot.
Meddy Chan and the aunties have a wedding to plan. Although Meddy and Nathan were looking forward to interviewing and selecting their wedding vendors themselves, a Chinese-Indonesian photographer named Staphanie comes with a family that does the full range of wedding services so by hiring Staphanie, their wedding vendor search is over. Meddy's aunts could have done the entire wedding themselves but she wants them to get to enjoy the wedding without working at it.
Fast forward several months to the flight to England for the big wedding. The aunties have a surprise for Meddy. They've learned British slang, complete with British accents. Sadly for me, I can barely read and understand British slang so when their Chinese-Indonesian accents/slang are blended in, I can hardly tell it from the British slang. I probably would have fared better with the audiobook like I did with the last book.
Everything is OTT. The aunties and the problems the family encounter take over the wedding and I had to work to remember that for much of the book, Meddy was wearing such an elaborate gown that the wedding dress could stand up all by itself. The wedding and the groom, Nathan, fade into the background of the antics of Meddy and the aunties. Too much auntie craziness overwhelmed the story for me.
Published March 29th 2022
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I think the novelty of the four aunties has worn off for me. I listened to the first book in this series (I get the feeling there might be a third book in the future) and I know that the voice acting helped me to enjoy the story more than I would have if I'd just read it. For this second book, it seems the madcap embarrassing nuttiness of the aunties was ramped up times ten and my brain couldn't keep up with the action. Every sentence seemed designed to shock or bring out laughs and I think the story would have benefited by being toned down a lot.
Meddy Chan and the aunties have a wedding to plan. Although Meddy and Nathan were looking forward to interviewing and selecting their wedding vendors themselves, a Chinese-Indonesian photographer named Staphanie comes with a family that does the full range of wedding services so by hiring Staphanie, their wedding vendor search is over. Meddy's aunts could have done the entire wedding themselves but she wants them to get to enjoy the wedding without working at it.
Fast forward several months to the flight to England for the big wedding. The aunties have a surprise for Meddy. They've learned British slang, complete with British accents. Sadly for me, I can barely read and understand British slang so when their Chinese-Indonesian accents/slang are blended in, I can hardly tell it from the British slang. I probably would have fared better with the audiobook like I did with the last book.
Everything is OTT. The aunties and the problems the family encounter take over the wedding and I had to work to remember that for much of the book, Meddy was wearing such an elaborate gown that the wedding dress could stand up all by itself. The wedding and the groom, Nathan, fade into the background of the antics of Meddy and the aunties. Too much auntie craziness overwhelmed the story for me.
Published March 29th 2022
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
September 14, 2024
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Four Aunties and a Wedding is the follow up to Jesse Q. Sutanto's hilariously over-the-top 2021-release, Dial A for Aunties.
In this second installment, Meddy and her fantastic Ma and Aunties are back, doing what they do best; getting into trouble, causing chaos and steadfastly supporting one another through it all.
Meddy's Ma and Aunties are wedding planner extraordinaires, but when it's Meddy's turn to take the walk down the aisle, she wants them to attend as her most valued guests, not as the planners.
Therefore, they decide to hire out the jobs they would normally handle. They're pleasantly surprised when they are able to find another Chinese-Indonesian family-run wedding planning business to help them. What are the odds?
Meddy can't believe her luck. That is until she catches the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who she has grown close to over the months of planning, discussing taking a hit out on someone at the blessed event.
Oh yeah, this seems more like Meddy's luck; terrible. As it turns out, the whole family of wedding planners they hired are part of the Mafia and plan to use Meddy's wedding as the backdrop to their next assassination, but who is their target?
Now it is up to Meddy, her Ma and Aunties to protect all of their guests, while simultaneously taking the mafioso down and keeping everyone else, including the groom, in the dark.
If this sounds like the wackiest set-up to you, you're not wrong. It is wacky, wildly outrageous and an absolute blast to read!
I love Meddy and her relationships with her family, especially with her Ma.
All the Aunties and Ma love Meddy so much, she's almost drowning in their support. Sometimes their best intentions overshoot the mark a bit, but what are families for, if not to embarrass you every now and again.
This had some adorably played out drama, however, I will say that I wished there had been a bit more mystery to it. I know it isn't necessarily a Cozy Mystery, but it feels like it wants to be.
There's so much about this to love, but I didn't really feel like their were any stakes involved. I know there was the hit they were preventing but, that almost seemed back burner compared to the slapstick hijinks.
With this said, I still found this to be super cute and fun. For me, this is the ideal type of book to bring on vacation, or to binge in a weekend when you want to forget about real life for a while.
I love these characters so much and hope there's more to this series. From the ending of this one, it sounds like there definitely could be. I would 100% be on board.
Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm definitely a Sutanto fan!!
Four Aunties and a Wedding is the follow up to Jesse Q. Sutanto's hilariously over-the-top 2021-release, Dial A for Aunties.
In this second installment, Meddy and her fantastic Ma and Aunties are back, doing what they do best; getting into trouble, causing chaos and steadfastly supporting one another through it all.
Meddy's Ma and Aunties are wedding planner extraordinaires, but when it's Meddy's turn to take the walk down the aisle, she wants them to attend as her most valued guests, not as the planners.
Therefore, they decide to hire out the jobs they would normally handle. They're pleasantly surprised when they are able to find another Chinese-Indonesian family-run wedding planning business to help them. What are the odds?
Meddy can't believe her luck. That is until she catches the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who she has grown close to over the months of planning, discussing taking a hit out on someone at the blessed event.
Oh yeah, this seems more like Meddy's luck; terrible. As it turns out, the whole family of wedding planners they hired are part of the Mafia and plan to use Meddy's wedding as the backdrop to their next assassination, but who is their target?
Now it is up to Meddy, her Ma and Aunties to protect all of their guests, while simultaneously taking the mafioso down and keeping everyone else, including the groom, in the dark.
If this sounds like the wackiest set-up to you, you're not wrong. It is wacky, wildly outrageous and an absolute blast to read!
I love Meddy and her relationships with her family, especially with her Ma.
All the Aunties and Ma love Meddy so much, she's almost drowning in their support. Sometimes their best intentions overshoot the mark a bit, but what are families for, if not to embarrass you every now and again.
This had some adorably played out drama, however, I will say that I wished there had been a bit more mystery to it. I know it isn't necessarily a Cozy Mystery, but it feels like it wants to be.
There's so much about this to love, but I didn't really feel like their were any stakes involved. I know there was the hit they were preventing but, that almost seemed back burner compared to the slapstick hijinks.
With this said, I still found this to be super cute and fun. For me, this is the ideal type of book to bring on vacation, or to binge in a weekend when you want to forget about real life for a while.
I love these characters so much and hope there's more to this series. From the ending of this one, it sounds like there definitely could be. I would 100% be on board.
Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm definitely a Sutanto fan!!
March 18, 2022
I was so excited for this sequel, because I loved Dial A For Aunties so much. But this sequel was... not it. Everything I loved about Dial A For Aunties was kind of ruined here. Dial A For Aunties had an amazing balance between, yes, absurdity, but also pulling you in emotionally. In this book, the absurdity was dialed up to 11, and not in a good way. I felt like the aunties, who were really funny in the first book but also still felt like real people, felt more like charicatures here - they were just there to be funny, and they didn't feel fleshed out anymore.
I cared about Meddy and Nathan so much in the first book, so considering they were getting married in this one, I actually wanted to see them together. But that barely happened? We truly saw so little of Nathan, and I think that was such a missed opportunity. In fact, it barely felt like a wedding at all because the mafia plot just completely took over and literally EVERYTHING went wrong. I would have much more enjoyed a good balance with some cute moments as well.
Speaking of the mafia plot, I absolutely despised it, until the very end, which did make up for it somewhat. I think there was so much potential to delve into the differences between Meddy's family and Nathan's family, and to see them clash initially and overcome their differences later on, like discussed in the author's note. I would have loved more focus on that and less focus on the mafia plot.
I cared about Meddy and Nathan so much in the first book, so considering they were getting married in this one, I actually wanted to see them together. But that barely happened? We truly saw so little of Nathan, and I think that was such a missed opportunity. In fact, it barely felt like a wedding at all because the mafia plot just completely took over and literally EVERYTHING went wrong. I would have much more enjoyed a good balance with some cute moments as well.
Speaking of the mafia plot, I absolutely despised it, until the very end, which did make up for it somewhat. I think there was so much potential to delve into the differences between Meddy's family and Nathan's family, and to see them clash initially and overcome their differences later on, like discussed in the author's note. I would have loved more focus on that and less focus on the mafia plot.
March 29, 2022
**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, NetGalley, Berkley, and Jesse Q. Sutanto for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.29!**
Mayhem, the mafia, murder, and....matrimony?!
Those 4 'M's--and 4 meddling Aunties--take what should be a lovely and momentous occasion and turn it into pure chaotic craziness!
Meddy Chan and fiancé Nathan are getting hitched in the chapel that served as inspiration for the Harry Potter Great Hall, and of course, Meddy's larger-than-life quartet of Aunties are in tow. Festooned in komodo dragon fascinators (because why not), The aunties have also been put in charge of the behind-the-scenes of Meddy's big day, and they've enlisted the help of Staphanie to serve as wedding photographer, who brings her uncles in tow to help as other wedding vendors. What takes Meddy by surprise, however, is when she hears Staphanie talking about taking out a 'queen'...and she comes to the horrifying realization that she may have invited the mafia to her wedding...and the hit is about to precede her honeymoon! Can Meddy and her mob of aunties keep it together on the altar, save the intended target...and keep Meddy's husband and the wedding guests in the dark? Or will their bumbling wacky ways put ALL of the guests in danger?
New to the Aunties series, it took me a few minutes to get acquainted with Meddy and all of her various aunties, but I found it easy to get up to speed with their quirks for the most part. Sutanto does a fair job of introducing different bits of the plot throughout this book (and tying the two together when necessary) to keep a new reader in the loop. While this was admirable, I know the plot itself was designed to elicit lots of laughs, but I couldn't quite connect with the humor. All of these characters are charming and lovable and might well remind you of your own relatives in some ways, but the plot in this one was a bit too over the top for my tastes.
I couldn't quite buy in to how Meddy ignored her own wedding (A LOT), how husband Nathan was a bit too pitch-perfect-dreamboat of a man, not to mention how the wedding guests sort of just faded into the background for the most part throughout. Meddy herself acknowledges that when she figures out part of the opposition's plot that it was far fetched, and if she'd looked closer, she would have noticed certain telling details (I think she might have even CALLED them plot holes!) and that also contributed to my difficulty throwing caution to the wind and going along for the ride.
Fans of romantic cozies who don't mind a bit of the OTT in their plots will devour this one! But though I feel these four ladies put the auntie in ‘enchanty...ing' (okay, that was a bit of a stretch) I consider myself a bit of a Runaway Bride from this particular wedding 👰 (although who says I won't swing by for installment number three and a picture-perfect ending?) 😉
3.5 stars
Mayhem, the mafia, murder, and....matrimony?!
Those 4 'M's--and 4 meddling Aunties--take what should be a lovely and momentous occasion and turn it into pure chaotic craziness!
Meddy Chan and fiancé Nathan are getting hitched in the chapel that served as inspiration for the Harry Potter Great Hall, and of course, Meddy's larger-than-life quartet of Aunties are in tow. Festooned in komodo dragon fascinators (because why not), The aunties have also been put in charge of the behind-the-scenes of Meddy's big day, and they've enlisted the help of Staphanie to serve as wedding photographer, who brings her uncles in tow to help as other wedding vendors. What takes Meddy by surprise, however, is when she hears Staphanie talking about taking out a 'queen'...and she comes to the horrifying realization that she may have invited the mafia to her wedding...and the hit is about to precede her honeymoon! Can Meddy and her mob of aunties keep it together on the altar, save the intended target...and keep Meddy's husband and the wedding guests in the dark? Or will their bumbling wacky ways put ALL of the guests in danger?
New to the Aunties series, it took me a few minutes to get acquainted with Meddy and all of her various aunties, but I found it easy to get up to speed with their quirks for the most part. Sutanto does a fair job of introducing different bits of the plot throughout this book (and tying the two together when necessary) to keep a new reader in the loop. While this was admirable, I know the plot itself was designed to elicit lots of laughs, but I couldn't quite connect with the humor. All of these characters are charming and lovable and might well remind you of your own relatives in some ways, but the plot in this one was a bit too over the top for my tastes.
I couldn't quite buy in to how Meddy ignored her own wedding (A LOT), how husband Nathan was a bit too pitch-perfect-dreamboat of a man, not to mention how the wedding guests sort of just faded into the background for the most part throughout. Meddy herself acknowledges that when she figures out part of the opposition's plot that it was far fetched, and if she'd looked closer, she would have noticed certain telling details (I think she might have even CALLED them plot holes!) and that also contributed to my difficulty throwing caution to the wind and going along for the ride.
Fans of romantic cozies who don't mind a bit of the OTT in their plots will devour this one! But though I feel these four ladies put the auntie in ‘enchanty...ing' (okay, that was a bit of a stretch) I consider myself a bit of a Runaway Bride from this particular wedding 👰 (although who says I won't swing by for installment number three and a picture-perfect ending?) 😉
3.5 stars
April 8, 2022
"Through everything, I've never once questioned whether or not they'll be here for me. I just assumed they would be. Because of course they will."
4 stars.
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my blog review!
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The gods and my mom know how much I laughed with this book. Meddy's aunties are the best. I love them soooooo much. I want aunties like those tbh.
This book follows Meddy's wedding, which turns out to be an entire chaos. She wants her day go perfectly, but it turns out that the people she hired to organize her wedding are not good at all.
I liked and disliked some things, but overall was fine. I'm rating this book according of how much I laughed. Which it was a lot. I was laughing so bad I ended up crying. Perhaps this was really funny or my humor is broken, but I enjoyed it.
I'm in love with the fact that this book isn't just about the wedding and romance. It's also about family and how far are they willing to go or do, in order to save you or keep you safe... And in the end, you got me crying over that.
This is a lighthearted, fast paced and quick book. Don't mind me taking a long time to read it because I was struggling and crying over uni, that's why it took me a while, lmao.
If you're looking for a funny, quick read and comfy book, this one is for you. Also, there are some plot holes that you can't ignore and that's also why I'm rating it with 4 stars. It felt a little bit different from Dial A for Aunties, but also it's because we're having a different situation.
Have in mind that there's a lot to unpack in the book because most things happen in one day and there's chaos after chaos and hOLY SHIT, I LOVED IT.
I need more of the Chan Aunties because they're a walking chaos and I'm here for it.
previous review:
shut up, this was so fucking good. i loved it.
RTC!
previous update:
oMG, IT'S OUT, I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT, I MISSED MY FAVORITE AUNTIES <3 I WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING JUST TO READ THIS ONE
November 30, 2023
This is a very Funny Cozy Mystery, and this is the second book in the Aunties series. I love the characters in this book series. The Aunties are so funny. I laughed so hard while reading this book. If you want a fun and funny book with a little mystery on the side this is the book for you. I have to add that I did not guess the ending of this book, and that the ending was so good. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley Books) or author (Jesse Q. Sutanto) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
February 19, 2022
As a proud owner of four (4!!!) editions of Dial A For Aunties, no one is more disappointed by my less-than-stellar experience with this sequel than me. Truly.
I try not to pit books against each other, but since these are installments within the same series, I have to say that Four Aunties and a Wedding failed to deliver the same charm, feel-good antics, and laugh-out-loud humor that the first book had in spades.
Even with me shooing away all semblance of logic and common sense, the plot was held together by a very, very flimsy thread. Try as I might to lean into its absurdity, I just couldn't do it. And on top of that, it was incredibly difficult to find humor in the family chaos when there was an underlying current of melancholy throughout the book. It's one thing for shenanigans to happen at your client's wedding (like in Dial A for Aunties), but for everything to disastrously implode on what should be the happiest day of your life - and forcing you to abandon your soon-to-be husband for most of your wedding? It's not funny. It sounds absolutely miserable. And all I could focus on was how bad I felt for Meddy and how even substantially worse I felt for Nate.
Not recommended.
* I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.
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I try not to pit books against each other, but since these are installments within the same series, I have to say that Four Aunties and a Wedding failed to deliver the same charm, feel-good antics, and laugh-out-loud humor that the first book had in spades.
Even with me shooing away all semblance of logic and common sense, the plot was held together by a very, very flimsy thread. Try as I might to lean into its absurdity, I just couldn't do it. And on top of that, it was incredibly difficult to find humor in the family chaos when there was an underlying current of melancholy throughout the book. It's one thing for shenanigans to happen at your client's wedding (like in Dial A for Aunties), but for everything to disastrously implode on what should be the happiest day of your life - and forcing you to abandon your soon-to-be husband for most of your wedding? It's not funny. It sounds absolutely miserable. And all I could focus on was how bad I felt for Meddy and how even substantially worse I felt for Nate.
Not recommended.
* I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.
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April 19, 2025
Four stars for a book that is more of a romantic comedy than a mystery. Meddy Chen and her family did something illegal in Dial A for Aunties which is book 1 in the series. That causes the events in this book, number 2 in the Aunties series. I cannot say more without spoiling book 1. Meddy is getting married to her fiance, Nathan Chan, in Oxforfd, England, where he is from. This is a long way from California, where Meddy and Nathan live. So her Aunties decide to hire a wedding planner company. But then Meddy overhears Staphanie, chief wedding planner, telling someone that are going to kill someone at the wedding. When Meddy confronts Staphanie, she threatens to go to the police about what her family did in book 1.
The rest of the is a series of hilarious mishaps as Meddy and her Aunties try to stop a murder without the police. There is a satisfactory ending.
One quote on differences between Nathan's family and Meddy's family: "As though the wildly different Asian diaspora experiences weren't enough, his parents are also significantly wealthier than my family. Old money: Nathan's grandparents had made a killing in Hong Kong before moving to England. And there wealthy upbringing has always been so obvious to me whenever I've been around them. I mean, they have different glasses for white wine and red wine, for god's sake. Talk aboput fancy."
On a personal note my wife and I have different glasses for red and white wine, but we are only middle class, not wealthy. This was a library book. I recommend reading book 1 first.
My review of book 1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The rest of the is a series of hilarious mishaps as Meddy and her Aunties try to stop a murder without the police. There is a satisfactory ending.
One quote on differences between Nathan's family and Meddy's family: "As though the wildly different Asian diaspora experiences weren't enough, his parents are also significantly wealthier than my family. Old money: Nathan's grandparents had made a killing in Hong Kong before moving to England. And there wealthy upbringing has always been so obvious to me whenever I've been around them. I mean, they have different glasses for white wine and red wine, for god's sake. Talk aboput fancy."
On a personal note my wife and I have different glasses for red and white wine, but we are only middle class, not wealthy. This was a library book. I recommend reading book 1 first.
My review of book 1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 19, 2022
I swear this sequel was even funnier than book 1. I hiiighly recommend the audio - the narrator did an incredible job with all the voices and accents. I was legit cracking up during my listen. It’s another ridiculous and entertaining story with Meddy and her aunties, but this time the mafia may or may not be involved!
August 16, 2022
i think that i have had enough second-hand embarrassment for the rest of my life, and i come from a big vietnamese family, so that says a lot
March 30, 2024
Meddy's wedding is upon us, and I knew from the very beginning that the aunts would stir up their usual mischief. And true to form, they didn't disappoint. It was hilariously improbable, yet utterly captivating—I couldn't tear myself away!
July 14, 2022
Jesse Q. Sutanto pulls off another delightfully escapist read in Four Aunties and a Wedding. For me, this was another light and fun read, exactly what I needed after reading some pretty heavy stuff recently, concerning imaginary pandemics (The End of Men) and a volatile period in American history, the Revolution (Our First Civil War).
Our favorite aunties are back as wingwomen to Meddy Chan, whose wedding day to college sweetheart, Nathan Chan, has finally come. Everything seems to be going well, as Meddy has found a family business that handles all the complicated business of wedding planning, catering, and photography, etc.
Meddy wants her aunts and mother to not to have to work on her wedding day, to sit back and enjoy the festivities. Also, it's a weight off the couple's shoulders, who are giddily looking forward to their big day. (They are so adorable! I say that as someone who doesn't tend to read romance-centered books.)
Meddy and Nathan's wedding is to be held in Oxford, England. Ahead of the wedding, Meddy and her immediate family are to have dinner with Nathan's parents, who live in the area. Let's just say there's a bit of culture shock when the two sides of the family meet. Nathan's proper English parents are put-off by the odd mannerisms of Meddy's family. (Meddy's mother and aunts surprised Meddy with the fact that they'd been taking lessons in British English, and show off their slang vocabulary to much hilarity and embarrassment.)
While their hearts are in the right place, dinner is unbearably awkward, and Meddy leaves thinking that Nathan's parents will never fully accept her or her family, and that her family embarrassed her at such an important event.
As if pre-wedding jitters and self-doubting isn't enough, poor Meddy finds that someone is looking to use her wedding as a front for some sinister plots. And Meddy is blackmailed into silence, lest her caterers go to the police about the incident from the last book. (If you haven't already, just go ahead and first read Dial A for Aunties, otherwise not much of this book is going to make sense.)
Much like in Dial A for Aunties, Meddy and her family take matters into their own hands. I understood that they tried to do all these machinations without involving anyone, including poor Nathan, who is hurt and confused as to why Meddy isn't spending most of her time with him on their wedding day, but it seemed maybe if it'd be better if the police had been involved right away. (Also, I found Nathan to be almost a too-perfect saint at putting up with Meddy and company's antics, especially the not-telling-the-truth-until-it's-too-late stuff. He must really love Meddy.) Alas, that would mean we miss out on the antics and there wouldn't be much of a book.
Aside from those quibbles, which kept my rating from being five stars (but I suppose I did say that it's good escapist fiction; perhaps that requires a suspension of disbelief), I found myself pleasantly surprised about the twists that Sutanto pulled off in this one. (Perhaps I should've known from the beginning, but alas, I was just laughing at the hilarious antics involved. To me, they had the energy of the frying-pan-involved scenes in Tangled, and I was there for it.)
Leaving out the sketchy antics, it is another story attesting to the fierce love Meddy and her "four mothers" share, their support for one another despite all the obstacles thrown in their way. It's as much a family-centered story as anything, sprinkled with a bit of mayhem and borderline illegal activity.
Ultimately, Four Aunties and a Wedding is a good read if you're looking for something light, fun, and heartfelt.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Our favorite aunties are back as wingwomen to Meddy Chan, whose wedding day to college sweetheart, Nathan Chan, has finally come. Everything seems to be going well, as Meddy has found a family business that handles all the complicated business of wedding planning, catering, and photography, etc.
Meddy wants her aunts and mother to not to have to work on her wedding day, to sit back and enjoy the festivities. Also, it's a weight off the couple's shoulders, who are giddily looking forward to their big day. (They are so adorable! I say that as someone who doesn't tend to read romance-centered books.)
Meddy and Nathan's wedding is to be held in Oxford, England. Ahead of the wedding, Meddy and her immediate family are to have dinner with Nathan's parents, who live in the area. Let's just say there's a bit of culture shock when the two sides of the family meet. Nathan's proper English parents are put-off by the odd mannerisms of Meddy's family. (Meddy's mother and aunts surprised Meddy with the fact that they'd been taking lessons in British English, and show off their slang vocabulary to much hilarity and embarrassment.)
While their hearts are in the right place, dinner is unbearably awkward, and Meddy leaves thinking that Nathan's parents will never fully accept her or her family, and that her family embarrassed her at such an important event.
As if pre-wedding jitters and self-doubting isn't enough, poor Meddy finds that someone is looking to use her wedding as a front for some sinister plots. And Meddy is blackmailed into silence, lest her caterers go to the police about the incident from the last book. (If you haven't already, just go ahead and first read Dial A for Aunties, otherwise not much of this book is going to make sense.)
Much like in Dial A for Aunties, Meddy and her family take matters into their own hands. I understood that they tried to do all these machinations without involving anyone, including poor Nathan, who is hurt and confused as to why Meddy isn't spending most of her time with him on their wedding day, but it seemed maybe if it'd be better if the police had been involved right away. (Also, I found Nathan to be almost a too-perfect saint at putting up with Meddy and company's antics, especially the not-telling-the-truth-until-it's-too-late stuff. He must really love Meddy.) Alas, that would mean we miss out on the antics and there wouldn't be much of a book.
Aside from those quibbles, which kept my rating from being five stars (but I suppose I did say that it's good escapist fiction; perhaps that requires a suspension of disbelief), I found myself pleasantly surprised about the twists that Sutanto pulled off in this one. (Perhaps I should've known from the beginning, but alas, I was just laughing at the hilarious antics involved. To me, they had the energy of the frying-pan-involved scenes in Tangled, and I was there for it.)
Leaving out the sketchy antics, it is another story attesting to the fierce love Meddy and her "four mothers" share, their support for one another despite all the obstacles thrown in their way. It's as much a family-centered story as anything, sprinkled with a bit of mayhem and borderline illegal activity.
Ultimately, Four Aunties and a Wedding is a good read if you're looking for something light, fun, and heartfelt.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
May 5, 2022
I tried to finish this, but this is a 10-hour audiobook and I got to nearly 80% of the book before finally dnf-ing so I'm just going to review it.
I gave the first book 2.75/5 stars because of how cartoonish and ridiculous the aunties were, they weren't given any layers but instead have personalities that can be summed up with one line, and were mostly used for one-liner jokes. This one manages to make it even worse, its frustrating when a sequel not only fails to improve from the first book but actually worsens it.
In Four Aunties and a Wedding, the aunties aren't just there to say quirky, jokes to cut through the tension (spoiler once again there was no tension), they were the butt of the jokes. I understand that this falls under the comedy genre as well, humour is subjective blah blah blah, but some of these 'comedic' scenes just left an ugly taste in my mouth since they are often played off the main character's in-laws who are presented as these sweet, posh, rich and 'well-mannered' Asians. It felt like the aunties were parodies to be laughed at cause oooh look how this auntie with no decorum, she just pulled out a bottle of chilli sauce at a restaurant [is it really that embarrassing and bizarre?]. There were some scenes that were so exaggerated that the aunties come off as completely lacking any common sense as if native older generation Asians have no idea how to act at formal events (the family photo scene... why?), it just felt so condescending and didn't make any sense to me. The amount of times the author writes the aunties into acting completely nonsensically and then has the main character's internal thoughts be about how embarrassed she is in front of her higher-classed in-laws who are watching... lord.
This book had no reason being 300 pages/10 hours long. It clearly struggles to find its footing when it came to plot, genre, and characters, but let's just talk pacing first. This book is so. fucking. slow. Whole scenes that could have been two paragraphs are stretched out unnecessarily, simple conversations are milked for these unfunny conversations. These slower, dialogue-based scenes could work if the characters were interesting, but again the aunties and the main characters barely have any personality to offer that can spice up these scenes and make them engaging or interesting. THIS BOOK HAS THE LITERAL MAFIA AND IT'S STILL BORING AND SLOW. It takes 50% of the book before the first crime is committed btw.
Last note, the main character spends 80% of this book lying to her groom on one of the biggest days of their lives, about something that is life or death, and we're supposed to care enough about their relationship to spend 50% of this book focused on their wedding ceremony/planning? And romance is apparently the top shelved genre for this book. HAH.
I gave the first book 2.75/5 stars because of how cartoonish and ridiculous the aunties were, they weren't given any layers but instead have personalities that can be summed up with one line, and were mostly used for one-liner jokes. This one manages to make it even worse, its frustrating when a sequel not only fails to improve from the first book but actually worsens it.
In Four Aunties and a Wedding, the aunties aren't just there to say quirky, jokes to cut through the tension (spoiler once again there was no tension), they were the butt of the jokes. I understand that this falls under the comedy genre as well, humour is subjective blah blah blah, but some of these 'comedic' scenes just left an ugly taste in my mouth since they are often played off the main character's in-laws who are presented as these sweet, posh, rich and 'well-mannered' Asians. It felt like the aunties were parodies to be laughed at cause oooh look how this auntie with no decorum, she just pulled out a bottle of chilli sauce at a restaurant [is it really that embarrassing and bizarre?]. There were some scenes that were so exaggerated that the aunties come off as completely lacking any common sense as if native older generation Asians have no idea how to act at formal events (the family photo scene... why?), it just felt so condescending and didn't make any sense to me. The amount of times the author writes the aunties into acting completely nonsensically and then has the main character's internal thoughts be about how embarrassed she is in front of her higher-classed in-laws who are watching... lord.
This book had no reason being 300 pages/10 hours long. It clearly struggles to find its footing when it came to plot, genre, and characters, but let's just talk pacing first. This book is so. fucking. slow. Whole scenes that could have been two paragraphs are stretched out unnecessarily, simple conversations are milked for these unfunny conversations. These slower, dialogue-based scenes could work if the characters were interesting, but again the aunties and the main characters barely have any personality to offer that can spice up these scenes and make them engaging or interesting. THIS BOOK HAS THE LITERAL MAFIA AND IT'S STILL BORING AND SLOW. It takes 50% of the book before the first crime is committed btw.
Last note, the main character spends 80% of this book lying to her groom on one of the biggest days of their lives, about something that is life or death, and we're supposed to care enough about their relationship to spend 50% of this book focused on their wedding ceremony/planning? And romance is apparently the top shelved genre for this book. HAH.
May 20, 2025
“I am exactly like my family. I suppose a small part of me has always thought I was somehow better more modern, more educated, more sensible; I'm not as flappy, or showy, or loud. In many ways, I am different: I speak flawless English, I don't stew Chinese herbs into drinks I force onto others, I don't guilt trip my loved ones into doing things I want, I don't shout unnecessarily, I speak in a normal tone of view, and I strive to blend in and not stand out. But now I realize, these are all just surface differences. Deep down in my core, I am precisely the product of my family. When skin and flesh are ripped away, I am exact replica of them.”
3 stars 🌟
Four Aunties and a Wedding was a disappointment. I didn't really like it. I loved book 1, but this story felt a bit flat and boring. I unfortunately don't remember much of it now after 3 years, but there's a reason I waited so long to read book 3. It didn't have the same charm as Dial A For Aunties. I will be reading more by this author though as I do like their writing style.
"The last time my mother sprang a surprise on me, I ended up killing it. Or him, rather."
*Read #1 for Asian Readathon 2022
Reviewed on 20th May, 2025
DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
....................
1/5/2022: 3 stars!
RTC.
*#1 Read for Asian Readathon 2022.
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28/4/2022: So excited to read this in May!
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1/8/2021: AAAH I AM SO EXCITED.
December 31, 2022
Oh this was just fun! I read them both with a quick book in between in the span of a couple of days! You have to live a little, have a little fun. These two are beach reads, plane reads, vacation reads. Its not high brow literature. But in my opinion, not everything should be. it was a lot of fun and a lot of love. Hijinx, culture, wedding mayhem. I left it on the plane for someone else to enjoy.
March 17, 2022
Wowie! Zowie! The Aunties are back and firing on all cylinders at Meddy & Nathan's destination wedding -- in jolly old England. Oxford to be exact. It's a gorgeous setting and a crack team of wedding organizers (Indo-Chinese Uncles) is on hand to make sure everything detail is taken care of. The Aunties can relax with a team of Uncles on the job--or can they? I don't want to give anything away, but are you really surprised by anything that happens in the world of the Aunties? Just buckle up your seatbelt, grab a glass of bubbly, and enjoy the ride.
Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
July 17, 2021omg a sequel to dial a for aunties but involving the freaking mafia ... i'm crying i'm really looking forward to this
Want to read
March 30, 2022OMG YOU GUYS IT'S IN TRANSIT FOR ME AT THE LIBRARY IM SO EXCITED 😭 😭 😭
May 12, 2022
3.5 stars! I was laughing my ass off the whole time but irritated at how predictable and repetitive it got at some points
July 12, 2022
I will never get tired of this series, I want more. That's why Jesse Q. Sutanto announcing there's going to be at least 2 more makes my heart full. I'm so excited for the next installment as it's set in Jakarta!
I didn't love this one as much as the first one, I just wasn't that much into the mafia thing, but this book was funny as hell. I'm convinced that as a white Italian person I'm missing out big time. I would never be depressed if my family was four chaotic Chinese-Indonesian aunties. In this book they were probably even more chaotic than what I remember from book 1, at one point they literally offer to break someone's legs and drown a bunch of people to fix things, I'm wheezing. I love the aunties so much. I'm so glad I immediately went with the audiobooks for this series because the narrator is amazing: I adore her voice + she must be magic with the way Meddy and the aunties come alive when narrated by her.
Another thing I have mixed feelings about was having Meddy and Nathan's wedding as the main event. I tried to stop myself, but I got so much anxiety from Meddy running back-and-forth and keeping the truth from Nathan on their wedding day lol. Those two are my absolute favorite characters so that comes from me really caring about them. I guess it's a good thing? 😂
I can't believe this is only my second book by this author. At some point I'll make myself finally read all of her work instead of procrastinating on it, because I can feel her becoming one of my new favorite authors.
I didn't love this one as much as the first one, I just wasn't that much into the mafia thing, but this book was funny as hell. I'm convinced that as a white Italian person I'm missing out big time. I would never be depressed if my family was four chaotic Chinese-Indonesian aunties. In this book they were probably even more chaotic than what I remember from book 1, at one point they literally offer to break someone's legs and drown a bunch of people to fix things, I'm wheezing. I love the aunties so much. I'm so glad I immediately went with the audiobooks for this series because the narrator is amazing: I adore her voice + she must be magic with the way Meddy and the aunties come alive when narrated by her.
Another thing I have mixed feelings about was having Meddy and Nathan's wedding as the main event. I tried to stop myself, but I got so much anxiety from Meddy running back-and-forth and keeping the truth from Nathan on their wedding day lol. Those two are my absolute favorite characters so that comes from me really caring about them. I guess it's a good thing? 😂
I can't believe this is only my second book by this author. At some point I'll make myself finally read all of her work instead of procrastinating on it, because I can feel her becoming one of my new favorite authors.
August 1, 2022
Not as good as the first book.
I expected this to be as funny and quirky as the first one but this one was average.
I expected this to be as funny and quirky as the first one but this one was average.
January 11, 2023
It was okay, but not as good or funny as Dial A For Aunties. I did enjoy the premise just didn't seem to hold my attention as much as the first book did. Was worthwhile for the most part.
April 12, 2022
This sequel lacks the charm of the first entry with a chaotic plot. I wanted to like it as much as before, but I didn't because the laughs failed to hit, and the aunts annoyed me more than they entertained. Also, I do not buy the resolution between the aunties/Meddy/Nathan and the "other family." You can only accept so much suspension of disbelief. I read too much for so little. Plus, Nathan (a Ken doll, if you will) and his parents felt wooden.
Furthermore, I remember my wedding day and there's no way this plot would be plausible. If the setting differed, then I could see the plot's entirety.
Finally, eight days to read feels too long for a book that's less than three hundred pages.
2/5
Furthermore, I remember my wedding day and there's no way this plot would be plausible. If the setting differed, then I could see the plot's entirety.
Finally, eight days to read feels too long for a book that's less than three hundred pages.
2/5
April 13, 2022
GUYS I GOT REJECTED FOR AN ARC WHAT THE FUCK
April 4, 2022
30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 2
Book 2/30
A more than worthy follow-up to Dial A For Aunties, which was one of my favorite reads last year (and favorite audiobooks; Risa Mei is a great narrator). If you liked Meddy and the Aunties the first time, you will like them here as well.
I keep seeing people describe these books as cozy mysteries, but they're not, at all. Cozy mysteries are a very specific thing, and I wouldn't describe this as one, despite aspects of it being cozy and that you could probably stretch to say there is also a mystery (but not really). I prefer to think of Sutanto's stories more as gentle black comedies, or cozy caper farces. There are HIJINKS, and HIJINKS do not exist in cozy mysteries. Parts of this were so uncomfortable, but then it would turn right around and be delightful. It's a rollercoaster. If you can stand the secondhand embarrassment, you will get giggles and agonized groans in return, in almost equal measure.
The plot revolves around Meddy and Nathan's wedding, which is a destination wedding in London, because that's where Nathan's parents are from. Everything is looking to go off without a hitch, until Meddy overhears a phone conversation between her wedding photographer, Staphanie, and Staphanie's Indo-Chinese wedding planner family (who act as mirrors for Meddy's family for the entire book). When Meddy confronts her (drunkenly), Staphanie tells her their family is mafia and they are using the wedding as a cover to kill someone, and if Meddy tells the police, she will turn them in for killing Aguan last year. Meddy has no clue how they know about Aguan, but she and her family can't just sit by and let someone be murdered at her wedding. Hijinks, as previously discussed, ensue.
I literally only have two criticisms of this book, and they are sort of holdovers from criticisms I had of the first one as well. The first is that I wish Second Aunt had more of a personality beyond doing Tai Chi. The other aunties seem much more well-rounded to me, but she's kind of a one-trick pony. I also think if there were more facets to her character, I would have enjoyed a certain pivotal scene more . My second thing is that once again Nathan is my least favorite part of the book. My friend Miriam's review mentions that she thinks he is there to give Meddy something unequivocally nice after the torture the author puts her through, and that's a really good interpretation I hadn't thought of. But I kept wishing that instead of being the straight man out of the loop, that he would join in on the hijinks. I wanted him to *really* be a part of Meddy's family. Maybe in book three?
As a sidenote, I would like to point out that the Aunties are wearing their famous komodo dragon fascinators on the cover of the book, which isn't something I noticed until I was almost done with it. Fantastic touch, cover artist. Just fantastic.
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Read a book in any genre by a POC that's about joy and not trauma.
Book 2/30
A more than worthy follow-up to Dial A For Aunties, which was one of my favorite reads last year (and favorite audiobooks; Risa Mei is a great narrator). If you liked Meddy and the Aunties the first time, you will like them here as well.
I keep seeing people describe these books as cozy mysteries, but they're not, at all. Cozy mysteries are a very specific thing, and I wouldn't describe this as one, despite aspects of it being cozy and that you could probably stretch to say there is also a mystery (but not really). I prefer to think of Sutanto's stories more as gentle black comedies, or cozy caper farces. There are HIJINKS, and HIJINKS do not exist in cozy mysteries. Parts of this were so uncomfortable, but then it would turn right around and be delightful. It's a rollercoaster. If you can stand the secondhand embarrassment, you will get giggles and agonized groans in return, in almost equal measure.
The plot revolves around Meddy and Nathan's wedding, which is a destination wedding in London, because that's where Nathan's parents are from. Everything is looking to go off without a hitch, until Meddy overhears a phone conversation between her wedding photographer, Staphanie, and Staphanie's Indo-Chinese wedding planner family (who act as mirrors for Meddy's family for the entire book). When Meddy confronts her (drunkenly), Staphanie tells her their family is mafia and they are using the wedding as a cover to kill someone, and if Meddy tells the police, she will turn them in for killing Aguan last year. Meddy has no clue how they know about Aguan, but she and her family can't just sit by and let someone be murdered at her wedding. Hijinks, as previously discussed, ensue.
I literally only have two criticisms of this book, and they are sort of holdovers from criticisms I had of the first one as well. The first is that I wish Second Aunt had more of a personality beyond doing Tai Chi. The other aunties seem much more well-rounded to me, but she's kind of a one-trick pony. I also think if there were more facets to her character, I would have enjoyed a certain pivotal scene more . My second thing is that once again Nathan is my least favorite part of the book. My friend Miriam's review mentions that she thinks he is there to give Meddy something unequivocally nice after the torture the author puts her through, and that's a really good interpretation I hadn't thought of. But I kept wishing that instead of being the straight man out of the loop, that he would join in on the hijinks. I wanted him to *really* be a part of Meddy's family. Maybe in book three?
As a sidenote, I would like to point out that the Aunties are wearing their famous komodo dragon fascinators on the cover of the book, which isn't something I noticed until I was almost done with it. Fantastic touch, cover artist. Just fantastic.
[4.5 stars]
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Read a book in any genre by a POC that's about joy and not trauma.
April 6, 2022
It wasn't as good as the first one!
Yes... Have some funny and aunties moments BUT one thing really stressed me out:
Yes... Have some funny and aunties moments BUT one thing really stressed me out:
June 13, 2024
2.5⭐️
This one has all the same crazy antics as the first one but a way less interesting plot! I love the family dynamic and how outrageous everything in this book is, but I found myself very bored throughout the majority of this.
Love Meddy and her aunts/mom tho hahaha
This one has all the same crazy antics as the first one but a way less interesting plot! I love the family dynamic and how outrageous everything in this book is, but I found myself very bored throughout the majority of this.
Love Meddy and her aunts/mom tho hahaha
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