Definitely not on the same level as Dial A for Aunties. I think I'll stick to Jesse Q. Sutanto's adult books, much more entertaining!

I genuinely enjoyed Well, That Was Unexpexted! It’s a perfect YA romance novel, with rich cultural references and contexts, honesty about those early romantic encounters, all of the emotions of being an adolescent in this world and growing up in specific communities, and a levity to the prose that kept me engaged. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc!

There is nothing better than when the setting is so rich that it is almost another character in the story. In Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Well, That Was Unexpected, Jakarta and Indonesia in general, play as big a part as Sharlot and George.

George and Sharlot are such relatable characters. And, the side characters Kiki and Eleanor stole the show every time they were on the page.

Oh, and I did NOT see the twist at the end coming!

For a slow burn romcom, the build up and the wait was absolutely worth the wait for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the review copy.

This book missed the mark for me. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I just couldn't get in to it. It was fine, but not great.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I was very annoyed with Shar and how much of a jerk she was! I get that this was a YA and she definitely fit the role of a moody, ungrateful teen but man was she a bi***! I do like how we get to see a different side of Indonesia compared to the slums shown on TV. This reminded me a lot of Crazy Rich Asians (which is referenced a bit) but for a much younger audience.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy, but I do apologize for not reading it until now. I read the advance copy while listening to the audiobook that I borrowed from the public library. Having the male and female narrators helped me get into the story. I really enjoyed reading this story.

i loved reading a book set in indonesia (this is my first one actually), however i thought the romance between sharlot and george was a bit rushed which is why this is not a full 5 five star book for me.

I’ve only heard amazing things about this author’s adult book, so I was super excited to try out her new YA contemporary! While I feel as if I’m growing a bit too old for YA contemporary, and haven’t yet found a different appreciation for it now that I can’t entirely relate, I hoped that I’d still really enjoy this one! I did overall enjoy this, but I also just never got that into it. Maybe that’s because I’ve been having a hard time with this genre in general, or maybe it was just this specific book, it’s hard to tell!

I think one of the main issues I had with this book was how long it took for the main characters to actually start liking each other. It was definitely a hate-to-love relationship, but not in the way that usually works for me. The hate was more just like extreme dislike, but the sort of dislike that comes with thinking the person in front of you is not someone you could ever see yourself being friends with. And while I know it was all based on incorrect assumptions due to the premise of the book, it felt like it just lingered on too long to make the final relationship feel true enough to me. I just couldn’t get over how much they just, didn’t care to be friends even.

I did really like the setting of the novel, though, and the exploration of this country and culture that I didn’t really know much about. It also didn’t feel like a super Americanized version of it either. While one character was Asian American, there was still so much focus on her family and her history and where she came from, and it didn’t feel like the book was trying to make Indonesia seem like America. It didn’t feel like the book was trying to specifically cater to me, a white American, and I honestly really appreciated that. It also makes me think that this book will be a wonderful read for teens everywhere, especially in the US, since it really does show how often things are reframed from our perspective, even when it's not needed. There was also just so much love here in this book, even as tougher topics were discussed (feeling disconnected from your history, feeling unwelcome in your home country, homophobia/sexism, etc.). I just loved how this book was able to balance both showing how beautiful and wonderful Indonesia is, while also remaining honest about the issues it has (without trying to find some miraculous fix to them, either).

Overall, while this book wasn’t a favorite, I am excited to finally read more of this author’s books, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books as well!

Review will go live on my blog on June 9.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
.
I really enjoyed this one. I think this is easily a highly recommendable read and I would buy this for others and scream for others to read this!

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto was a fun and quirky read that kept me entertained throughout. The premise of two strangers getting married in Las Vegas and then having to deal with the consequences was intriguing, and I appreciated the author's efforts to explore themes of family, identity, and cultural expectations. The writing was witty and engaging, and the pacing was generally good. However, there were a few issues that prevented me from giving this book a higher rating. Some of the humor felt forced or too over-the-top, and the resolution of certain plot points felt a bit too convenient. Additionally, I found myself wishing for more development of some of the secondary characters. Overall, I think this book is worth checking out if you're in the mood for a light and quirky romantic comedy, but don't expect it to be a literary masterpiece.

So this was definitely not for me. I didn’t finish this because I just genuinely didn’t like the characters, I thought they were mean and unnecessary and I just couldn’t stick through the whole book. I didn’t like how Sharlot treated her mother, she was projecting her anger from how others treat her onto her and it’s not fair to do to someone.

Not saying that it’s a bad book and someone else won’t like it- the cover is gorgeous and the writing itself was great, I just wasn’t a fan of it.

I enjoyed the infusion of Indonesian culture and the queer representation. Thought Sharlot and her mom's interactions had that unique humorously heartwarming vibe that Jesse has mastered. As a coming of a age, it works. As a romance, I'm not sure I bought in completely. Final rating 3.5

3.5 stars.

I really need to stop requesting YA books, it's not that they're not good books, it's that I can't count how many times I say "I'm too old to relate to this" now. This story fell under that category. I just felt like I couldn't connect as it's been so long since I've felt these kind of feelings discussed in this story.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. If you enjoy Sutano’s other books this one will definitely speak to you but it didn’t last for me.

This was a super cute YA title that felt like a mix of Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I've Loved Before. It was light-hearted, but also talked about different cultures' family and personal expectations and how teens navigate these things while becoming their own person. I can't wait to recommend this to my students as a fun read.

This has all the hallmarks of Sutanto's works - it's funny, there are plot points that require suspension of disbelief, there's great representation. It's just a really fun romantic comedy!

While this book had a cute premise and some fun humor in it, it was not the book for me. I found myself skimming through the last half of the book because I just wanted to be done with it. I think I would hav liked it more if it was an adult book instead of young adult. I also just can't stand books with a lot of miscommunication and that was largely what this book entailed. The book was also missing the fun antics of Dial A for Aunties so I personally did not find it as enjoyable.

Well that was super cute!! I loved the characters and as always, the aunts and mom stole the show! The story was fast paced and made me crack up laughing constantly. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy ya and adult rom-coms. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

This book was so cute!! I loved all the characters so much. It was all around funny and you are guaranteed to get butterflies while reading this. 10/10 recommend.