This ARC was out of my normal reading-but it was a cute YA love story. The main characters were quirky and fun. This will be a hit with game loving middle grades.

I am a big fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto, so it was a no-brainer to request the ARC for her newest YA RomCom. A big thank you to NetGalley for providing the digital arc so that I can provide an honest review.

"Didn't See that Coming" follows 17-year-old Kiki Siregar, an outspoken, confident gamer girl who just wants to be herself. Except, she can't ever truly be herself. Growing up in a traditional society where the collective whole is more important than the individuals, Kiki is constantly at odds with the people around her. She tried to find solace in the thing that makes her the most happy – video games – but was met with sexism and harassment until she adopted the handle Dudebro10. She is thriving in this online environment and even considers a guy named Sourdawg to be her best friend. The only problem is... he doesn't know that she's a girl... the bigger problem... he also attends the elite private school where she has been the victim of bullying and a trending hashtag.

After reading "Dial A for Aunties" and "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers," I assumed Sutanto's YA would have the same storytelling vibes but more lighthearted. What is more lighthearted than a gamer girl falling in love with a boy at school only to discover that they are best friends online, and he thinks she's a boy?

Unfortunately, this book is not a RomCom. Not only did I not find this book funny at all, but our female main character is the most unlikable character I have ever read in a YA book. I wanted to like Kiki because I was supposed to feel sorry for her, but she was disrespectful, spoiled, selfish, and arrogant. What's worse, Kiki's inner thoughts (this is told in the first person) often reveals that she is aware that her behaviors towards others are a problem, but then brushes it off in favor of feeling victimized. Victimized by parents, online, in the classroom, by society, and the patriarchy...

Instead of this book being a cute YA RomCom, it is a message-heavy book about feminism and bullying. The entire book is Kiki whining about how life isn't fair to girls, and that no girl should be called crazy. I can agree with both of those points. However, as a reader, I would like to be able to come to that conclusion on my own, while still reading a cute RomCom, but unfortunately the plot took a backseat on this one.

P.S. This book had more f*bombs and references to d*cks than most adult RomComs and considering this books is for 12-17 year olds, that is pretty problematic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet romance. I love books with geeky main characters in romance novels. This was a fun and charming book.

Didn't See That Coming was a hilarious book that I enjoyed immensely! The characters were immediately likeable and the whole book had an amazing plot with really well thought out characters. The relationship between Kiki and Liam was adorable, however, the plot was a little predictable. Overall this is a great read that I would recommend to avid YA readers.

What an absolute delight of a read! Well, mostly. Omg, poor Kiki! (as the editor said)

I loved this! I love that it's an own voices story. I think my students will adore it because it can be both a window and a door book seeing as they are living here in NYC, but I have a very diverse student population.

The story was compelling and beautifully written. I love the characters - especially Eleanor Roosevelt! I hope she gets her own book next!!! I hadn't read the previous book and I guess they're technically stand-alones, but I immediately placed a hold for it about 1/3 of the way through when I realized it had to be set in the same universe as another book.

Anyhow, highly recommend! A great "issues book" that doesn't feel like an issues book.

This book somehow kept a very light and funny tone while still addressing major topics of online bullying and harassment. The romance between Kiki and her online gamer friend and then classmate was so fun and comedic. But how she deals with the online bullying and harassment from being a female gamer and then the bullying in school was also really well done. Sutanto's writing style of poignant rom-com is perfect. It was a very quick read, but I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the book itself but I do not understand authors using so many expletive's in their work.. I know this is the way our young kids talk but using the foul language in books just condones the use of the language and does not allow them to see that people can talk (Or write) without them. I still have kids point to the bad words in the books (which I witnessed last week). If this was changed I would be happy to have this book in our library. It was very well written and I believe the kids would enjoy it but I can't have it in my library with the word choices. That being said, keep writing more books it was a really great story

This was a cute read that satisfied all my romance needs! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review!

"A hilariously fresh and romantic send-up to You've Got Mail about a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online bestie she's never met IRL until she unwittingly transfers to his school, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Well, That Was Unexpected.

Seventeen-year-old Kiki Siregar is a fabulous gamer girl with confidence to boot. She can't help but be totally herself...except when she's online.

Her secret? She plays anonymously as a guy to avoid harassment from other male players. Even her online best friend - a cinnamon roll of a teen boy who plays under the username Sourdawg - doesn't know her true identity. Which is fine, because Kiki doesn't know his real name either, and it's not like they're ever going to cross paths IRL.

Until she transfers to an elite private school for her senior year and discovers that Sourdawg goes there, too.

But who is he? How will he react when he finds out Kiki's secret? And what happens when Kiki realizes she's falling for her online BFF?"

Firstly, so here for the You've Got Mail vibe, but also, I know so many people who've played different genders in games for protection, that I am so here for it.

This was a fun quick rom com. I really liked both main characters, Kiki and Liam. It was a believable friends to lovers. You see the "third act breakup" coming from very early on. I feel like Sutanto did a really good job with incorporating some very real issues that girls/women deal with.
Thank you netgalley and Sutanto for the arc.

This book was so much fun! I love Sutanto's writing style, and this book was no exception. For fans of Eric Smith and Emma Lord, this book was a blast from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and PRH Audio for the arc of this book. I have loved all of this author's novels and this one is no different! I loved reading about Kiki and what she went through as a female online. I completely understand why she did what she did and I'm so happy things worked out for her and Liam. I think this book contained such important topics and is a great read for all teens.

‘Didn’t See That Coming’ is a cute YA romance that is full of fun banter, characters with more confidence than I have in my 30s, & really serves up the “Crazy Rich Asian'' vibes when it comes to the opulence & wealth of this world we get to be a part of for 300+ pages. I was quickly pulled into the story, often catching myself smiling or laughing as I got to know the characters. Kiki is such a spitfire & the Lil’ Aunties are such a vibe - I want to be them all when I grow up.

But I feel like this book is a bit fragmented - while most of the book was super fun & enjoyable, there's a chunk in the last quarter-ish of the book that just felt disconnected & maybe even a little unnecessary. It’s difficult to explain this without giving any spoilers, but I’ll just say that there is a plot point that is introduced in the last bit of the book that really caught me off guard because it didn’t seem to fit. We didn’t really need another point of conflict as the “secret identity” situation really gave us lots of potential conflict. Because of this, I want to give this book a solid 3.5 rating, but I’m rounding it up because there was more of the book that I enjoyed vs. the bits that I didn’t enjoy.

I also really appreciated the way this book approached some really sensitive topics, like sexism, online harassment, & bullying. This is one of those YA books that I wish I had when I was younger, but am glad that it exists now. There were a lot of (unfortunately) relatable moments, so I was rooting for Kiki all along the way.

Side Note: I am obsessed with the Lil’ Aunties & I would love to read a whole book just about them & all the incredible mischief that they get up to!

Didn't See That Coming" initially caught my eye due to its charming and vibrant aesthetics. I also wanted to explore it to determine if it would be a good fit for my teenage daughter, who's an avid gamer herself. To my delight, the answer was a resounding yes


.The story revolves around Kiki, our main character, who harbors a deep passion for video games and the supportive community she finds within them. However, she faces a predicament as everyone in her online gaming world assumes she's a male. This leads her to confront significant misogyny and forces her to adopt a male persona to enjoy her games without harassment. She forms a close bond with an online friend whom she's never met in real life.

As the narrative unfolds, Kiki changes schools and deliberately attracts attention by altering her school uniform skirt, which results in her partnering with friends to create a matchmaking service. Unexpectedly, her online friend ends up attending her school, unaware of Kiki's true identity.

A few key takeaways from this book include the harsh reality of bullying, the prevalent issue of online harassment targeting women, and the beautiful portrayal of culture, which struck me as a prominent aspect of the story from the very beginning.

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed "Didn't See That Coming" and would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Jesse Q. Sutanto for providing me with the opportunity to read it.

This is my first Jesse Q. Sutanto book and I'm glad I liked it so that I can read all her other books! It's an easy read for me and I liked the main characters! Especially being Asian, I relate to her and the traditions of her country a lot! The only thing is that there's too little romance for my liking, it came so late in the book, felt more like a slow-burn. Overall, it's a fun and easy book!
Also I have to say, this cover is SO pretty, it's definitely very eye-catching.

I am going through a YA kick! This is a cute story of gamers with elements of You’ve Got Mail and life in Indonesia. I wanted even more Liam content and didn’t love the twist in the end.

3.5 stars, rounding down to 3.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the advanced reader copy.

This was a cute, modern day, YA take on You’ve Got Mail that is light in tone but manages to incorporate a few delicate and more serious topics in a well handled way.

I was really interested in the first 1/4 of the book, but it did manage to loose me a bit as the story progressed and started to fall a bit flat and some of the fun and the light heartedness I’d grown used to in the book was a bit lost with the heavier topics. The 3rd quartet plot twist also felt a bit much and didn’t fully land for me either.

Overall though this was a cute read and I can see fans of YA contemporary enjoying it! Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love how the author handles some serious issues but does it in a way that doesn’t make the book too heavy. YA can also come off super cheesy, but this one was so funny and well written so that it wasn’t over the top so that even as an adult I enjoyed it. Her writing style is just fresh and laid back. It’s honestly like talking to a friend. I can’t get enough.
Kiki has just been transferred to a new High School by her parents for her senior year because they felt like her previous school was too liberal and they want her to know what a real conservative life will be like after she finishes school. Kiki doesn’t want to transfer schools-she loves her school and her friends and she feels strong and confident there. However, she doesn’t get a say in the matter, so she sucks it up and tries to put her best foot forward on her first day but it goes horribly wrong when she makes enemies with the most popular guy in the school, who ends up bullying her because she doesn’t blindly go along with everything he says just because he’s him.
Meanwhile, at home, she is a gamer who has made a solid friendship with another gamer after she pretends to be a guy because she was getting hit on when she played as a girl. And now she can’t tell him that she’s a guy because she’s let too much time pass and she’s developed feelings for him. Then she accidentally finds out he goes to her school so she sets out to find out who he is with the help of her friends and their new dating app.
If you’re looking for a sweet teen romance that also deals with tough issues like bullying both cyber and in person, inequality and feminism, you will definitely enjoy this book. There’s also so much humor you’ll find yourself laughing despite the seriousness of the topics.
Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This is a great teen drama/romcom. I enjoyed how it addressed the ways females are expected to behave and how they are treated when they don't fit the mold. I think teens will enjoy the gaming aspect, as well as the complications of family and friend relationships.

Will Kiki be able to maintain the anonymity behind her screen name and keep her online friendship separate from her life in her new school when those worlds collide? Will her new tormentor stop being such a jerk, or will the Crazy Kiki nickname be hers forever?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Kiki’s parents decide to send her to a new school, she is devastated, and distraught when she finds the students at this school not as welcoming. the only light in her days is noggin on to her online game and chatting with her long distance bestie Sourdawg. Only problem is, she just found out he isn’t so long distance, and actually goes to her school. That plus the fact that she has been pretending to be a boy in the game since the harassment for female gamers is so bad. Is she finally going to meet her bestie in real life? How can she tell him she is actually a she and not dudebro?

Oh man, this book. It absolutely broke me that Kiki entered her new school as a super happy, and confident girl, yet as time went on we see her spirit just break. I wanted to scream at the tormentors, as well as the principal of this school so damn much. It was just infuriating that Kiki was blamed for everything, when she was the one being harassed daily. I loved that Liam was such a nice guy from the get go and that he was truly a good friend to Kiki. The love story was so perfect, and the ending was just chefs kiss! Plus I loved catching up with Eleanor Roosevelt again!