Right after author Jesse Q. Sutanto turned in her final manuscript for her blockbuster debut Dial A for Aunties (reviewed here), she began work on its sequel. Four Aunties and a Wedding features the same madcap energy as the original, which combined all the best elements of Wedding Crashers, Crazy Rich Asians, and Weekend at Bernie’s. But with the stakes now so much more personal for Sutanto’s protagonist Meddy Chan, there’s a sadness to the frenzy that makes the humor bittersweet.

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Meddy has taken part in many weddings but has never really thought about her own. One thing is for certain Nathan and Meddy know they want her aunties to enjoy the day as a family and not to have them work the wedding. As you read you can quickly see that any decision they want to make will be taken over by the aunties. Meddy was looking forward to interviewing vendors and selecting them but the aunties are one step ahead of them and they have been selected. They hired vendors that are much like themselves a family company.

Because Nathan’s family lives in London they decided to do the wedding there. You know that this will be a posh kind of wedding right? Nope, not when it comes to the aunties. The aunties live up to their larger-than-life personas from the Komodo dragon fascinators to their bright and colorful gowns. They definitely will outshine the bride on her special day.

To Meddy’s surprise, she really gets along well with the photographer, Stephanie that is until she overhears a conversation Stephanie is having over the phone with someone. It’s a plan to take down the Queen at her wedding. But who is the Queen? She also realizes that there is more to that family than they let on. Will they be able to stop the mafia before they take the Queen down?

When Meddy confronts Stephanie, Stephanie tells her to keep her mouth shut because she knows Ah Guan (the guy Meddy killed) and to proceed with the wedding. Meddy is determined to not let anything happen at her wedding and enlists the help of the aunties to make sure the wedding runs as smoothly as it can with no one getting hurt. You from this point antics will be happening. Can the Chan family pull this off?

Without going into too many details it was nice that the storyline carried over from the first book was addressed and wrapped up.

I absolutely loved Dial A for Aunties so I was excited to read Four Aunties and a Wedding!

Meddie and Nathan are getting married and the whole entire family have flown to London for the nuptials. It’s difficult for Meddie to turn over the wedding vendor reins to outsiders but when she meets Staphenie she knows her wedding is in good hands. You see Staphenie’s family is exactly like Meddie’s. When Meddie finds out their family are Mafia all heck breaks loose.

Y’all I wanted to like this book but it was too over the top for me. Granted so was the first one but this one really flys off the rails. The Aunties behavior isn’t as funny as the first book and it felt forced. I really wanted to see Meddie and Nathan get married but the whole Mafia plot overshadowed the wedding. Sadly this was a miss for me.

Four Aunties and a Wedding was very entertaining, but I also felt like it was very over the top!
The Aunts are supposed to make you laugh, and they certainly do, but this book was almost too much.
I loved Meddy and Nathan and would have liked the book to show a little bit more of their relationship without Meddy’s family. I understand that Meddy’s family is a central part of the plot, and I did enjoy them, but just a tiny step away from them would have been good.
This book and Dial A for Aunties reminded me of I Love Lucy, a character just getting into crazy situations. This book was very well written, and you could easily visualize the physical comedy being played out in each scene. The Aunts really do steal the show in this book. I also loved seeing the family dynamics play out, especially between Ma and Fourth Aunt. Those two could have their own reality show for sure!
Overall this was a great read. I laughed out loud often while reading it. I wish there had been a few more scenes involving Meddy and Nathan.

Four Aunties and A Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the much-anticipated follow-up to Dial A for Aunties. This time around the family is traveling to England for Meddy's wedding. Of course, some misadventures have to happen along the way. You can't go wrong reading about interesting fashion, mafia, and murder. Buckle up for a fun ride! Read and enjoy!

Meddy and her family continue to be delightful in this silly and madcap adventure. I loved the discussion of how culture is not a monolith and how family, even when frustrating can still be the best.

The aunties are still hilarious but almost ruin Meddy's wedding by acting crazy. I liked the author's point that not all Asian families are the same and I love how patient Nathan is with Meddy's family. I thought this book did a good job of tying up loose ends from the first book.

TOO CUTE! Dial A for Aunties was so so cute (despite needing to suspend disbelief), and this was just as cute of a read.

I actually loved this book so much and I can honestly say that there were very few, if any, flaws.

Getting back into this fictional world made me so happy. Total nostalgia feels – and for people that I’ve never actually met! The author did an amazing job in making the Aunties and Meddy resonate with readers from the first book and this continued in the sequel. Even though I am Indian-Canadian, I could easily relate to some of the conversations Meddy was having with her Aunties. Of course, the book verges on the ridiculous but it does so in a warm and fuzzy way; there is no mocking or derision here.

One thing I really loved about this book is that Meddy finally grows to love, accept, and defend her family and their oddities. In the first book, Meddy was always so worried about how crazy her family is, and this same concern is there throughout this book. However, readers really get to see Meddy grow and fall in love with the eccentricities and craziness that make her family so unique.

The relationship between Meddy and Nathan was actually very cute. In the first book, I wasn’t a fan of the way the author had just told readers that there was a connection. Well, in this sequel, the author really made them shine. Nathan is this lovely unobtrusive character who doesn’t take center stage in all the drama, but still shows readers how he is Meddy’s person. I don’t know, it just all worked for me, and I’m not going to try and justify it too much here.

Like I mentioned earlier, this book is nuts. This is a ride that requires readers to put away all forms of logic and just enjoy the kookiness. I found it hilarious and ridiculous, and I laughed out loud on a bus while reading sections of this novel – and of course, I received A TON of weird glances for that. Whatever. I was having the time of my life! The story still has a fast pace, a crazy storyline, and tons of miscommunication (if you’re a fan of that trope) to keep things exciting.

One thing I will say about the miscommunication in this book: it was well done. I usually hate this trope and avoid reading books with it, but here, it was more plausible why Meddy was keeping things secret from Nathan and why there were so many assumptions made about different characters. I don’t want to spoil the book by saying any more but well done Jesse Sutanto for making me enjoy a book with my most hated trope!

If I had to give one negative critique, it would have to be the way the author described Meddy’s relationship with Staphanie. In the book, they are meant to be close, almost like good friends, through their planning of Meddy’s wedding. However, it wasn’t really shown in the book and I never enjoy it when I’m told and not shown something. Was this a huge deal in the grand scheme of things? No. But if it had been better developed, it would have probably made me love this book even more.

Overall, I loved this novel. It is wacky and crazy and just downright entertaining. I’m giving it 5/5 stars because it truly deserves it. I hope this series never ends!!!

👰🏼‍♀️Book Review👰🏼‍♀️
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Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for adding me to this book tour! Four aunties is available now and is the sequel to Dial A for Auntie.
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Summary: 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. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family—actual mafia, and they're using Meddy's wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. 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.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts: While I loved the first book Dial A, this one missed the mark. The auntie magic kind of wore off on this one for me 🤷🏼‍♀️I did love how light hearted it was and Nathan is a dream. But this one had way too much going on it was hard to follow ! Overall a good read but for me it didn’t live up to the original.
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#fourauntiesandawedding #dialaforaunties #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookworm #bookwormsofinstagram #bookwormsunite #booklover #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #booknerd #bookobsessed #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readersofig

I've very enjoyed this sequel to one of my favourite book I've read this year, Dial A For Aunties.
Both premises of the books were so interesting and original, and they delivered what they've promised, which was a funny, entertaining book, with romance elements and what I've appreciated the most, Chinese-Indonesian traditions.
In this second book, we follow Meddy and her extravagant family, during her wedding.
You will laugh, you will be moved, but mostly, again, you will laugh!
I've particularly enjoyed the author's reading note at the beginning: it will give you a lot of perspective to understand the plot (cultural differences between the two families, even though they're both Chinese immigrants).
Is there going to be a third book? I think so!

Remember when we all became obsessed with Dial A For Aunties and were like "damn, it would be cool if we had a continuation"? Fear not, it's here!

Hot Takes
- If you cackled your way through the first book, this book will make you cackle just as much. Most notably Meddy's auntie's wedding outfits.
- Again, please don't read this as a serious book. Read it knowing it's going to be ridiculous in the best way possible. It's an escape!
- Nate is still a dream and you still get just enough of him to know he's still the sweetest and most loyal person ever lololololol.

Again, if you loved the first, you'll love this one! In a world that is out of control, books like this series are the best kind of escapes.

For as much as I loved the first book, I disliked this one. Well, I wouldn’t quite say I disliked it, but it was a disappointment.

Meddy is finally getting married to Nathan. Of course, her mother and her 3 aunties have to poke their noses in and they encourage Meddy to hire a family of Indo-Chinese wedding planners that reminds Meddy of her own family. The night before her wedding, Meddy overhears Staphanie, the wedding planner and Meddy’s equal, talk about taking out a target and comes to the conclusion that Staphanie’s family is a part of the mafia.

I think everything that worked in the first book is what didn’t work in the second. The Aunties went from being over the top to unbelievably over the top. I felt like in the first book it was a lot of acting out of love and misunderstanding that made things a bit ridiculous whereas in this book they were making conscious choices to act ridiculous and therefore read as caricatures of themselves. I also felt like Meddy was just dumb in this book. Plus I really disliked the way she spoke about still being embarrassed by her family, especially in front of Nathan’s parents.

I would have hoped that after everything Meddy had been through with her family it would’ve opened up communication and bettered their relationship, but it seem to be just the same, except now Meddy is just as clueless. In the first book, I was on the edge of my seat because I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work out and come together. With this one, I picked up immediately on what the true problem was and while I didn’t know exactly how it was going to get solved, I didn’t feel that same page turning desire.

Unfortunately, there was less Nathan and Meddy in this story and more Big Aunt and Fourth Aunt. Not even too much her of mom, which I would’ve loved reading more of their back and forth.

While this book wasn’t terrible, I almost wish they had stopped with book one. If there are more in the future, I don’t think I will be reaching for them. I enjoyed the first book so much, so I was disappointed by how much I didn’t love this one. While the aunties’ antics were charming in the first book, I found them embarrassing in the second.

Four Aunties And A Wedding (FAAAW) is the second instalment of The Aunties series, and in my humble opinion, to get the most out of this one, you should read Dial A For Aunties first before diving into this sequel simply to understand the characters and some of the continuing plotlines. In Four Aunties, Meddy and Nathan's wedding is finally here, and the aunties are back and more audacious than ever as their excitement for Meddy's big day takes over. The bride- and groom-to-be plan to hold their wedding in Oxford to minimize the chaos, but with the aunties there, this occasion is anything but calm. The aunties help find a Chinese-Indonesian family-run wedding vendor similar to their business to plan the event, but little do they know, this family may just have mafia ties and be targeting one of Meddy and Nathan's wedding guests.

Just as in Dial A For Aunties, the four aunties' penchant for hijinks and ridiculousness takes center stage in FAAAW, but like others have said, I thought their antics were a little too much in this sequel. I completely appreciated that the aunties were trying their hardest to fit in with Nathan's family and that some of their mannerisms were necessary for Sutanto to make the point that not every Asian immigration experience looks or feels the exact the same way (and they still definitely elicited some laughs from me!), but some of the things they did and said just struck me as too over-the-top in this sequel. Additionally, I disliked that Meddy's big day took a backseat to potential criminal offenses, assumptions, lack of communication, and outright lying. My heart ached for her as she spent most of this book feeling anxiety about the cultural differences between her family and Nathan's, and the majority of her big day evading Nathan. As a married lady myself, I know all too well how fast your wedding day goes (even when you're not trying to prevent a potential mafia hit!), and I wanted her to experience more of the magic and memories than she had the opportunity to.
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Don't get me wrong - I still really enjoyed this book, thought it was a lot of fun, and am super excited for more books in this series; I'm just hoping for more Nathan and Meddy time in the next one!


Thank you so much to @berkleyromance and @berittalksbooks for my gifted galley, and to Berit @thephdivabooks and @dg_reads for hosting and allowing me to participate in such a great buddy read!

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q Sutano is the sequel to her previous book, Dial A for Aunties. Meddy Chan is set to marry her sweetheart, Nathan, and she wants her family (her crazy aunts) to all relax and enjoy the upcoming wedding. They decide to hire a Chinese-Indonesian company, who are perfect for the job. Staphanie is the contact and wedding photographer, who Meddy becomes friends with, until she overhears her talking on the phone about plans to take out a target on her wedding day. Once she tells her aunts and mother, they make plans to make sure the wedding is safe, and now the chaos begins.

What follows is a wild chaotic wedding, which the aunts/mother constantly are over the top with their antics, especially taking one by one the wedding planners’ people, in order to protect Meddy and the wedding itself. Meddy was a very good heroine, though her unconventional crazy family members continued to wreak havoc during the wedding, with Meddy trying to keep things in order, as well as not tell Nathan what was going on. This is a difficult review, as the story is somewhat humorous, it is weird, insane and way over the top. It does not help with the aunts/mother/wedding planners all constantly talking in different languages (Chinese, Mandarian, Taiwanese, Indonesian), which did make it somewhat confusing, with Meddy, Nathan the ones who spoke english.

I did enjoy Dial A for Aunties, but not sure why, I found this book not as much fun, or as humorous, especially as it seems to make me more nervous, rather than laughing. Jesse Q. Sutanto did write a fun story, even if I thought it was a bit too much.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. The aunties are hilarious and I think I would love to have aunties like them. However, this book isn't moving as fast and not engaging as the first one. I think it is really slow and I am forcing myself to finish because I know the premise.

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.

It's definitely entertaining, but also ranks high for ridiculousness. I appreciate the genuine-yet- racheted-up-for-drama voice Jesse brings to the AAPI experience on the page. You just have to suspend reality a little bit because this one is so wacky, it's not really believable. Still very entertaining and kept me turning pages.

Meddy and her four aunts are back and this time Meddy is getting married!

I absolutely loved Dial A for Aunties last year and was excited to read this one. This one was just as entertaining and laugh out loud funny. The four aunties are hilarious from them trying to impress Meddy’s future in-laws by learning to speak “British” but end up talking like pirates, their outrageous outfits and getting caught up with the “mafia.” It was fun reading about all the crazy predicaments they get themselves into, and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend! If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh and smile, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I friggen love these books, y’all. I laughed so many times, and to the point of tears streaming down my face. Meddy’s Aunts are phenomenal. They are hilarious without knowing they are. They are fiercely loyal and 100% authentic to themselves. I want to hug them and then get into some crazy shenanigans. I want a Komodo dragon hat, a glass of champagne 😆, and to pretend I’m part of the mafia.

I really need @netflix to pick this up as either a movie or a series. Preferably a series since it’s two books, and I want to be able to watch their antics for more than two hours.

Have you read these books yet? If not, add them to your TBR! Then buckle up when you read it because they are a hoot and a half.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the arc! ❤️