Awesome YA rom com from the author of Dial A for Aunties! This book reminded me of an edgier Disney Channel Original movie (which I mean as a huge compliment). Sharlot lives in the U.S. but when she gets in huge trouble with her mom and forced to spend the summer with their family in Indonesia, she meets the wealthy George Clooney Tanuwijaya. Both George and Sharlot’s parents attempt to do a bit of matchmaking via catfishing each other online and the two are forced together. Lots of interesting family dynamics and culture shock in this fake-dating gem. If you’re looking for something light and funny yet heartwarming this is your book- out on 9/27/22!

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I have read both books in Sutanto's adult romcom/murder series and loved those, but this was my first time reading a Young Adult book by her.

I was a little worried in the first 4 chapters because I was suffering so much second hand embarrassment (but isn't that how being a teen can be) This book was charming, cringey, and unputdownable. I love that it not only explored Sharlot and George's relationship, but also the bonds of siblings, cousins, exes, and long lost loves. I am a sucker for multigenerational stories and this had that feel while still putting you in the perspective of teenagers who are often embarrassed about their families.

The second half of the book flew by with fake dating, family drama, and societal/cultural conflicts and the last chapter had me smiling. I am giving it 4.5 stars because of the pacing at the beginning, but I can't recommend this book enough.

Jesse Q. Sutanto's stories always have the most insane starting and then lead up to the most entertaining plot unraveling with laugh out loud moments galore! Sharlot and George were both fantastic main characters, but if you blinked you kind of missed them falling in love. That tends to be the case with insta love stories though. The lavish descriptions of food (coffee!) and the gorgeous scenery were a treat to read about and this was just so fun to read!

Jesse Sutanto has quickly climbed to the top of my “insta-buy” list. I find myself laughing out loud and smiling throughout, unable to put down my kindle.

Travel to Indonesia with Sharlot in a coming-of-age rom-com that dives into the rich culture of Chinese Indonesia. You’ll be having flashbacks of your own embarrassing moments with young loves!

Thank you to Delacorte And NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

Why on earth are authors still writing Harry Potter references into books coming out in 2022? That left a sour taste in my mouth and was enough to take this from a 4-star read to a 3. Hopefully that reference doesn’t make it into the published version.

The story itself was cute and if you liked Dial A for Aunties, this brings a lot of that same charm but for a younger audience. It has fake dating, meddling families, and a ton of situational humor. Be warned, it relies pretty heavily on the miscommunication trope.

It took a while to hook me on the story and between the slow start, some repetitive scenes, and the HP reference, I nearly DNF’d about a third of the way in. I’m glad I pushed through, because once I got about halfway in, I couldn’t put it down.

This was a lot of fun and Sharlot and George are adorable. I kind of wished we had seen more of them actually together but I still enjoyed it. I need a novella of them in college.

I received an arc through netgalley.

A young adult romance, set in Indonesia?

Oh yes! I grabbed it at once. And the love letter to Indonesia was such fun to read, especially the lavish descriptions of food (coffee!) and the gorgeous scenery.

Things I liked: the total over-the-topness of George's family. I was laughing out loud at their no-boundaries antics. I also thought the sly not to "Crazy Rich Asians" was a lot of fun. And I also liked the eventual evolution of Sharlot's thread with her mother, even if it took quite a back seat to all the rest of the shenanigans.

What I didn't like: that the story's substrate was based on non-communication. I hate this trope, especially when there's a perfect opportunity right up front for two supposedly reasonable teens, left alone, to just clear the air. Instead, the story has to bang along with contrived ways to keep the non-communication going, when it wasn't necessary. I thought the story would actually have been a lot stronger if the two had been on the same team from the gitgo, instead of the manufactured "fights" built on no one having the brains to just say what was going on.

That said, I loved the other elements so much that I really want to see what this author does next.

Cw: frank talk about teens under eighteen having sex, and sexual exploration. (I thought it well done, but because this is aimed at the under-eighteen market, thought I'd mention it.)

What an absolutely adorable read with a great glimpse into Indonesian culture! This really did seem like a love letter to the theme of getting back to your roots and connecting with family. This was such a cute read, the characters were so entertaining and extremely believable that made this book such an easy one to picture in my head. From the hilarious openings for each main, to the cat fishing parents to the development of Shar and George's relationships this book kept me smiling. While it was a predictable read, that did not take away from anything and it really took me back to those high school years and the struggles of kid versus parent. A fun read for anyone who loves a good YA rom-com.

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0

I received a E-copy of this book for a fair and honest review
This was a lot of fun! I don’t often read YA especially romance simply because it’s not for me anymore. But I love this author so I knew I wanted to give it a chance and I’m glad I did. Sutanto is funny and paints such a wonderful picture of Indonesia you can absolutely tell how much love she put into this book . I enjoyed the descriptions of food and culture and I honestly laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it all. I did feel some of the background characters were lacking and the pacing was a bit off but other than that I really enjoyed myself!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I have enjoyed Suntanto’s work in the past, but this one presented itself as just okay.

The characters were just “meh,” and the contrived arranged relationship just didn’t do it for me.

I haven’t read any books that take place in Indonesia, so it was interesting to read about and learn about Indonesian culture. The book was relateable and the author is witty.

After reading this book I am ready to book my flight to Indonesia- the food, the sights, the people- this book made me want to see it all. In her acknowledgments the author describes this book as a “love letter to Indonesia” and it is exactly that! George Clooney (teenager not famous actor) gets caught in a compromising situation and his father and little sister have the answer! Shark it gets caught in her own compromising situation and is whisked off to Jakarta with her mom as punishment. What Sharlot couldn’t have expected was falling in love with Indonesia and her history. This book delves into a Indonesian history and cultures and makes the reader walk away not only having throughly enjoyed the story but learning something too!

This one was cute. We find out characters bucking against their families but finding themselves and maybe a bit of romance along the way. A great setting.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love YA and always appreciate a good fake dating trope but this book was awfully tedious to get through. The dialog (internal and external!) was tough to read… just very immature and unrealistic even for a teen read. The plot was also frustrating bc most of the issues could have been resolved much earlier. I’m sure there is an audience for this, but it just wasn’t for me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was a very cute rom-com. I could not stop smiling, or book the book down. I love it. The characters are so relatable and funny. I was smiling the whole time. I will confess I did enjoy her other books as well. If you are a fan of cute Rom com’s read this book.

Another one of those books where I just want to yell at the characters to just communicate with each other. This time it wasn't just the main teens, but also the adults. The story was fine and I enjoyed traveling with Sharlot to Indonesia and learning new things about the places she traveled as well as "seeing" it through her eyes.

Fake dating and catfishing…what could go wrong?!?
Her mom wants her to date a respectable young man.
His dad wants him to find an honorable young lady.
This book is set in Indonesia and I loved hearing about the places and culture. This book also covered some serious topics…however, it missed the mark for me. The dialogue between characters and the internal dialogue throughout was hard to read. It was cringy at times. Not what I was expecting after reading Dial A for Aunties. I enjoyed parts but overall it was not the book for me. I’m sure some will love it! I’m a YA fan for life!!

This is by far my favorite read by Jesse Q. Sutanto! I thought it was a great and unique story. The story has a fake dating aspect to it but with a little bit of a twist. The interactions between the characters seemed genuine. They were funny and loveable. Plus this book is set in Indonesia! I have never read a book set there before and I was all for it. I would love to read more books set there. I liked how Sharlot showed the American view of other countries based on assumptions. I thought that was very realistic and I liked that the author included that.

My one complaint about this book is that I felt personally attacked by it! The characters said 27-year-olds are basically ancient! How dare they call me ancient?!? HAHA! It did make me laugh though but made me feel so old and attacked by these fictional characters.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 37% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a slog to get through. This book provided bland characters, a plot both unbelievable and boring, terrible dialogue, and cringe-inducing romance. While aspects of the premise were appealing (who doesn't love a good fake dating story?), how they were carried out left much to be desired.

Following the story of Sharlot, taken to Indonesia by a mother after a near-miss with a scandal, and George, under pressure during a time of great publicity before an important event for his family, nothing about the plot was compelling. Even moments of supposed suspense or romance produced nothing but yawns.

As for the characters themselves, bleh. Sharlot in particular seemed almost like a parody of herself, at one moment blushing and stuttering with George but constantly bursting out with frustrated feminist declarations. Hardly any character traits or development showed up beyond these showy statements. I have almost nothing to say about George because he had no characteristics beyond "Hey, I'm a nice hot guy!"

A small development late in the story (70%) provided some very small relief from the tedium, but that development was dropped almost as suddenly as it was brought up, aside from a tiny mention at the very end.

I found it difficult to keep track of which chapters were from Sharlot or George's perspectives because their inner monologues were the. Exact. Same. And not in a good way.
1.5/5 with the extra .5 for the representation of Indonesian culture (especially the food!) and the small development. I regret having requested my early copy of this book.