Rating: 3.5-4 stars

Four Aunties and a Wedding is just as campy and chaotic as Dial A for Aunties and reuniting with the Aunties was definitely the highlight. I love the way Sutanto is able to seamlessly combine over-the-top antics, heartwarming family moments, and Chinese-Indo rep all in one story because at the end of the day, Four Aunties and a Wedding is about the lengths one family would go to for one of their own. I love the complexities the aunties bring to the story--they're bold and loud, maternal and ridiculous--and Sutanto manages to capture the many feelings--exasperation, embarrassment, affection, and guilt--that only family can bring out all at once.

I was excited when I read the author's note in the beginning about how her goal in writing Four Aunties and a Wedding was to "show how varied the Asian diaspora experience can be" and was disappointed we didn't get to see more of Nathan's interactions with his family. (We actually don't get see much of Nathan at all, but more on that later.) The story primarily focuses on Meddy's relationship and interactions with her family, and while there isn't anything inherently wrong with that--after all, aren't we all here for the aunties?--the introduction seems to build up expectations that don't quite match what's actually delivered. I also think the contrast between Nathan's parents and Meddy's family could've made for a really interesting.

Going back to Nathan, I wish he'd played a bigger role in the story. The "I can't tell Nathan" subplot seemed like unnecessary drama for drama's sake and a rehash of the last book.

As in the last book, the resolution is kind of thrown together in the end and it's all very absurd, but I'm willing to overlook that since the series isn't so much about the murders or the mafia, but the mother-figures in Meddy's life.

Four Aunties and a Wedding is a farce masquerading as a mystery. There are some really funny lines but the improbability of it all kept banging me on the head.

It’s not quite as great (by a slim margin) as book one, but this zany sequel is still ridiculously fun. The aunties and Meddy make for great reading. The author’s take on the family dynamic and conversations just kill me. I can’t help but laugh out loud, startling anyone near me, as each situation escalates into hilarity.

My only small criticism is that we don’t get enough Nathan in this book. His presence was missing. I wanted to get a stronger sense of his character as he’s now dragged into schemes and capers too. But he was shoved aside too often.

Still, it’s funny and sweet and improbable and endlessly unique. I love this series so much and I’m equal parts scared and eager to see what could possibly come next. There better be a next!

4 AUNTIES AND A WEDDING by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a sequel to 2021’s Dial A for Aunties. This time instead of the family planning someone else’s wedding, it’s Meddy and Nathan’s day in the spotlight. And the aunties think they’ve found the perfect planning family to oversee the wedding. But nothing can be that easy for the Chan clan, can it?

This fun, fast-paced, humorous novel keeps the whimsy of the first book and absolutely amps up the caper vibes. Great to see that Meddy and the aunties' actions of the first book have (hilarious) consequences in the second.

Based on the author’s own experiences, 4 Aunties and a Wedding looks at the different experiences people of the Asian diaspora have and how that affects their children. Meddy realizes that while her mom and aunts might seem eccentric or even embarrassing, they love her and will do anything, even commit a crime while wearing Komodo dragon fascinators, to keep her safe and her wedding on.

Family-focused with light romance.

Perfect for fans of Lillie Vale, Julie Tieu, and Jackie Lau.

And hysterical follow up to dial a for auntie's

Meddy is getting married to her dream man Nathan. Her caterers are a family that is a mirror projection of her own family. Everything is perfect until she finds out that her caterers are part of the mafia and are using her wedding as a chance to kill someone. Meddy and her own family will do whatever it takes to ensure that no one dies at her wedding.

I love Meddy's aunts and her mother in a way in which I'm glad that they're not related to me. They are very embarrassing but also very hysterical. I'm impressed with how quickly they help Meddy take on the mafia.

My only problem is that sometimes the embarrassment is a little too much for me. So I have to close my kindle and walk away. And Nathan feels like a cardboard cut out of a person.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I loved Jesse Q Sutanto's first book in the series Dial A for Aunties. However, I was a little worried about how she was going to write a second book and where the characters were going to go from here. I shouldn't have been worried since she absolutely knocked it out of the park with Four Aunties and A Wedding. All the humor that was present in the first book is back. I had to stop ready a few times because I was laughing so hard.
Meddy is finally getting married to Nathan in England. She can't wait for the wedding, but she has to manage her four aunts who keep coming up with wild ideas for the wedding. While trying to keep her family in check, she also has to deal with a past issue that is now threatening her future.

There’s a particular quote in this book that pretty much sums up exactly how I felt while reading:

-- Half of me is crooning awww, and the other half is tearing its hair out and going, “THIS IS A DISASTER!”

Four Aunties and a Wedding was such a fun-filled sequel to Dial A for Aunties. Similar to the first novel, it wasn’t heavy in the slightest – despite dealing with things like murder and the mafia. These stories may be loaded with disaster from beginning to end, but this chaos won’t have you on the edge of your seat so much as falling out of your seat with laughter.

With each page that I turned, there was something new to crack up about. The “misspelled” and “celebrity” names in the first book were too funny, but there were even more in this one to cause hilarious confusion. Of course, there were also the aunties and their outrageous antics. If you thought that covering up a murder was a big production to pull off, you should see them try and hold their own against the mafia! It felt like a perfect mix of crazy schemes and hysterical dialogue. There were moments as I was reading that I would highlight a phrase and just annotate it with “HAHAHA” because I literally couldn’t hold in my laughter!

The only thing that didn’t seem quite right to me was how Meddy reacted. In the first book, she hid everything from Nathan, but later on, realized it was actually more helpful to involve him. The fact that she was so determined to keep everything to herself in this book bugged me! It felt like she hadn’t learned anything from the “first time around,” and I believe that despite all of the hullabaloo, she had enough wits about her to share with her soon-to-be/new husband if something chaotic was going on – especially on their wedding day.

Since these books aren’t filled with weighty topics so much as goofy schemes, it’s nice when there are moments of tenderness and depth. Meddy really struggles to appreciate her family when they’re acting absolutely bonkers – especially in front of Nathan’s posh parents – but she also realizes that they’re willing to do absolutely anything for her. So, the way that she talks herself down when she wants to criticize them is really heartfelt and sweet. I loved seeing her love for her nutty aunties seep through as she navigates the challenges in this book.

While I found most of the plot points pretty predictable, there was at least one moment that made my jaw drop, and that was intensely satisfying. I can’t say this book held my attention quite like the first (there are very few books that do – Dial A for Aunties was something uniquely special), but for a sequel, it certainly didn’t disappoint!

Content Warnings: (major) bullying, murder, torture, and drug use, (moderate) bullying, cultural appropriation, and racism

Jesse Sutanto has written an excellent sequel to Dial A for Aunties, with more mayhem for Meddy and her family as Meddy and Nathan get married.

Meddy's family can't be the wedding vendors for her event, so they find who (they think) are the next best thing. At first, Meddy isn't sure, but she instantly feels a connection with Staphanie Tanuwijaya (and no, that isn't a spelling mistake), her uncles and her grandmother. Staphanie is the photographer, her grandmother is the wedding planner, Big Uncle does the flower and decor, Second Uncle does hair and makeup, and Third Uncle is the MC (Master of Ceremonies). Despite her initial concerns, Meddy and Nathan agree that they are the perfect wedding vendors.

But before the wedding begins, Meddy and her family find out that their "perfect" wedding vendors are planning on killing someone at their wedding, and are part of the mafia. If only Meddy's biggest worries could be her family's fake British accents and horrible slang, their bright purple dresses, and kamado dragon hats! But instead she spends her wedding day trying to protect who they think would is the target, lying to her new husband, and trying to look like she's having fun.

This book had me laughing out loud. Sutanto does an excellent job of writing complex characters who you'd love to invite over for tea (even special Chinese tea that might make you high or fall asleep). I thoroughly enjoyed reading Four Aunties and a Wedding, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys funny mysteries!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this great book!

Another fun and entertaining addition to this series. I love Meddy and her crew, this had me laughing out loud. It’s chaotic, ridiculous and charming.. I love the. Han family and this time they are trying to outsmart the mafia that are infiltrating Medfy and Nathan’s wedding. A delight to read.

I loved it! It was such a good read. I thought the characters were well written, and their growth and arcs were well paced. I enjoyed the way the conflits were presented to us the reader! Highly recommend

This is one of my favorite series! I fell in love with the authors work last year when I read her young adult thriller and then Dial A for Aunties and I don't think I can get enough. She's a diverse writer and has a little something for everyone. I can't wait to read her upcoming releases and purchase a copy of this one for my self. It's a favorite of 2022!

Another great entry in one of my favorite series! So excited to see this on netgalley and getting to read it has been awesome.

After all the hype I gave Dial A For Aunties, my expectations were sky high for this one. Maybe that was my big mistake starting the book. I was expecting there to be hijinks and humorous moments where Meddy and her aunties would crack me up. And sure, these moments were present but there was just something that was missing.

First you have to leave your disbelief at the door because some of the kooky stuff that happens here is really out there. But this story just once again solidified my love for the aunties and how they are willing to put everything on the line for Meddy. Meddy on the other hand...she was not my fave. I feel like she changed from the first book. I'm not sure what it was but I wasn't a fan of her criticizing her aunties and just being kind of mean to them.

Despite this, I did enjoy the "background" wedding and how it all went down. The ending is really sweet and I'm excited and hopeful at the idea of a third book. I'm sure there's plenty of things the aunties and Meddy could get swept up in.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for giving me the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my own opinions.

"Four Aunties and a Wedding" by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a madcap romp through Medellin and Nathan's wedding day in Oxford, U.K.. Meddy's Indonesian/Chinese family and Nate's proper British family don't mix well at all despite her mother and aunties' attempt to fit in with coaching on British slang and fascinators (that are more than fascinating). Add this together with another Indonesian/Chinese wedding planning family who don't know what they are doing and you get a bit of a mess,

"Four Aunties and a Wedding" continues the story from "Dial A for Aunties" exactly how you would expect it to (with a few ridiculous twists thrown in along the way). Anyone who enjoyed the first book will enjoy the second and be hoping for more.

This was so much fun!!!! I don’t even know where to start. First of all - getting the characters from the first book back was great. But of course, the cover is funnily misleading because I did shed multiple tears as I read. Sutanto really knows how to bring out so much joy and happiness from you and I absolutely adored this read. 5/5 stars!

I just can't get enough of these aunties!

I love this series and all the twists and turns it has taken me on. I love how we still have multiple thrilling and page turning aspects but it is most definitely still hilarious.

I will say, I guessed the major twist very early on, so for me it was more of the journey why instead of a matter of what.

Overall a very fun read! I hope there is more to come from the aunties!

Thank you netgalley and berkley for the gifted eARC!

Meddy and her delightful family are back in this story, and if you thought that Dial A for Aunties was a pleasure to read, this one completely holds up. Meddy and Nathan are getting married, and have chosen to have the wedding on Nathan's home turf in Oxford. Meddy thinks they've found the perfect wedding vendors with tons of family similarities to hers to pull off this long-distance wedding, but as readers might expect after book one, things don't go completely to plan.
This book was charming and funny, and still has the cozy mystery-esque vibes that made the first book so delightful. Meddy, her mother, and the aunties get into such ridiculous and over the top situations in this book, and turning each page to find out what happens next is so entertaining. But there's also such a giant heart in this story- Meddy and Nathan's love is never in doubt, and the love between Meddy and her family (and how much they love and embrace Nathan) is also there. The author's note indicates how important it was to her to represent a variety of experiences of the diaspora in this book, and I think that's accomplished beautifully. You must go back and read Dial A for Aunties before reading this book, but I promise that the journey is worth it.

Meddy's big day is here, and her mother and three aunties are going to mark sure it is the biggest, poshest, most memorable day ever. As the group begins planning their trip to London for the big day, they engage the services of Staphanie and her entourage of uncles and aunties as wedding planners. Things get crazy when Meddy overhears Staphanie on the phone planning an assassination at the wedding. The aunties go into full defense mode until the final confrontation when Meddy and her family realize Staphanie and her family already know them.

I loved "Dial A for Auntie" and this one was a great sequel. I like the look into Indonesian culture and how Meddy embraces her aunts because of the deep-rooted love and bond between the women, even though all the craziness. At first I was a little sad that the wedding turned into such a mess and that Meddy really didn't get to enjoy it, but in the end, what really mattered was that she and Nathan were married. Fun read - think of an Indonesian version of Stephanie Plum.

This was so much fun. I just can't get enough of the aunties antics and their relationships with Meddy and Nathan. Somehow this made the ridiculousness of the situation seem plausible and I could not stop reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC! Meddy is getting married but of course things can't go smoothly, and this rollercoaster goes right off the rails. Lots of laughs as things go from bad to worse, but the undercurrent of loving your family for who they are rang true. So very many of the problems could have been solved with a frank discussion or pausing to think, but the frantic energy really worked for this plot. I hope there is a 3rd book in this series, perhaps set in Indonesia?