Kiki is upset at having to change schools for last year, especially when her new school is much more conservative. Her parents insist it will be good for her, but Kiki finds opposition from the teachers and her classmates, who shun her after she stands up for herself against her classmate Jonas. Kiki is a gamer and has dealt with a lot of sexual harassment while playing online, but also made a really good friend who happens to now attend the same school. Kiki tries to navigate the social ostracization, the male dominated culture online and in the classroom, all while keeping her online identity a secret from her new friend. Overall, a quick read that's part romance, but also focuses on the sexual harassment faced online and sexism in school.

Despite her abundance of confidence in real life, Kiki is forced to adopt a male persona and play anonymously online in order to avoid harassment. She never expected it to be a problem until she actually makes a real friend in game, a sweet cinnamon roll of a teenage boy who balks at the idea of that girls can’t game. When she finds out that he attends the same school she just transferred to for her senior year, Kiki does whatever she can to find out his identity without giving hers away.

A gamer girl, a cinnamon roll teen boy, a twist on You’ve Got Mail—honestly, what is there not to love about this book? Kiki was a fun side character in WELL, THAT WAS UNEXPECTED and it was an absolute joy to see her take the role of main character in this story.

Kiki as a character was a beautiful representation and direct response to the idea of “it could never be me” in the context of staying quiet when being bullied/harassed/etc. We are able to see the toll that the gaslighting, bullying, and harassment has on this confident young woman and how anyone can be forced into silence. Sutanto has a beautiful way of discussing heavy topics while still keeping the story light and comedic and that is exactly what happens in this book.

Despite the predictability of the story, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the overall story. Kiki, Liam, and several other characters were incredibly nuanced and had layers that revealed themself as the story went on. Some characters, however, were a bit one note in their villainy and actually made me angry and/or gag with some of the things that they said. In the end though, Sutanto’s witty writing and clever storytelling kept me completely engaged and excited to get to the end.

My biggest gripe about this book is the audacity to call my generation “ancient millennials.” I DID NOT COME TO BE ATTACK LIKE THIS, JESSE! (Never mind the fact that I do, in fact, feel ancient. We don’t talk about it, okay?!)

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

This is both a sweet romance and a satisfying continuation of the world Jesse Q. Sutanto established in Well, That Was Unexpected. The relationship that develops between Liam and Kiki is predictable (though not in a bad way) and adorable--I was pleased to see that Sutanto didn't drag out the You've Got Mail trope for too long--and I appreciate that the high-school drama serves to emphasize how harmful sexism and toxic masculinity are in any society. (On that note, I loved reading about Indo food and culture!)

This was a good read by an author I enjoy. The last 25% was slightly disappointing, but prior to that it held up well and I enjoyed the relationships. I like the way that the author writes realistic voices for her characters.

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING was a quick and cute read, but doesn’t live up to the standards of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s other novels. This book was pretty easy to fly through but ultimately a little forgettable. I will continue to read Sutanto’s adult novels, but probably steer clear of her YA stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING.

I love Jesse Q. Sutanto's books, no matter if it is a mystery, romance or now evenbher YA romances, they are always top notch and I love them. This book is definitely attractive to the YA audience with the gaming aspect. There have been plenty of girl gamers who go online and hide their identity because of the disrespect they get as girl gamers. I loved this it was a quick read and I definitely give it 5 stars!!!
I just reviewed Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto. #DidntSeeThatComing #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

•Content Warning: bullying, cyberbullying, sexism, toxic masculinity
As someone who enjoy playing games I was so excited when I read the blurb for this book! I didn't even realise who was the author (aka "Dial A For Aunties") until way later- I really enjoyed those books too so super exciting!
I really enjoy books with fake identity, secret life tropes so this one was perfect for me!
I really like Kiki, and felt so sorry for her when she couldn't actually be close fo her online friend IRL as she needed that so much. I had guessed who was her online friend straight away, but it didn't spoil/ruin the book for me! When I was reading it, I thought "that gives me Moxie! vibes!" and I was so excited when this book/movie was mentioned in the book because I was like "YEAH I got it!" Highly recommend!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: November 28, 2023

This was a fun read for anyone who will enjoy a gamer twist of the You’ve Got Mail trope! While this had humor, it also had substance. This shed a lot of light on the misogyny in gaming.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the main character and her love interest. The book made me laugh out loud at some parts. It includes gamers, undercover identities, and finding yourself. I would read other books by this author.

I loved this book! It was such an original take on the You've Got Mail trope that I found really authentic and believable compared to other instances I've seen of the trope. I really enjoyed learning about different cultures (gaming and Indonesian) and the way the author tackled important issues around sexism in both. This was the first book I'd read by this author and I'm excited to read more.

I DNF’d this book at the 70% mark because I was struggling to get through it tbh. The last chapter I read really made me cringe so hard that I was like I cannot continue reading this. The writing is trying really hard to be relatable to teens, but I found it to be super cringey. The FMC Kiki is disrespectful to her parents IMO, immature, and also super self centered. I found her to be very unlikable to the point where I didn’t want her to be with the MMC Liam. The plot is also very over the top. I’m not saying it’s unrealistic because I’m sure that things like this do happen, especially in regard to the sexism that is brought up multiple times throughout the novel. I just found that the character Jonas is more like a caricature than a real person, and with this statement I’m talking more so about his proposal to Kiki at the 70% mark. Overall I just did not like this book. I gave it as much of a chance as I could stomach.

I fell in love with Jesse Q. Sutanto's writing thanks to the "Dial A for Aunties" series, and so when I saw that this one was available, I knew I had to request it; I was counting on it being full of the same humor and heart as the Aunties and "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers," and I was not at all disappointed. Sutanto does an incredible job crafting characters who are just so lovable and entertaining, and it's impossible not to become invested in their journeys. Kiki's story is relatable, her struggles a vivid reflection of the society in which we live (regardless of where in the globe we make our homes), and the cast of characters supporting her are just as vibrant as she is. I loved every second of this book, and I look forward to reading anything and everything else that Sutanto graces us with in the future.

This was a lot of fun, but it also covered the serious topic of misogyny and abuse experienced by many girls in gaming. Was it an exaggeration? Based on what some of my students have experienced, sadly, I don't think it WAS an exaggeration. When I first received the ARC, I had no idea this was the second in a series. I did read the first book (and really enjoyed it--it's a great beach read), but it turns out you don't really need to as this story really stands on it own. That said, I loved that Eleanor Roosevelt ended up in this story, since she completely cracked me up in the first book.

I loved Kiki's character, and although I kept urging her in my mind to come clean with Liam, I could understand why she didn't, and what she was so afraid of. It absolutely had more to do with her past experiences, her treatment at the school (except by Liam and Eleanor), and her fear of losing the only friend she seemed to be making than about him, so it made sense. But then again, we as the reader could totally see how much he liked her and that he was such a decent guy he would have been fine if she had come clean with him in the first place. But we have to remember that these are teenagers, so all of this is normal behavior.

Despite there being a romantic aspect to this book, I love how the author incorporated the different aspects of Indo-Chinese culture and beliefs and handles many of the challenges modern teens face as they try to be respectful of traditions, but also learn how to speak up when some of those traditions need to change, for example, in how females are treated. As I mentioned above, the author does a great job in addressing the hostile environment experienced by females (and gender queer folx) in the world of gaming. I haven't read too many books that have done this, and I especially like how she let us see what Kiki was experiencing in the school, in the world of gaming, in her own family, and while there were many commonalities, you could also see the differences. With her own family, I totally understood why she kept all she was going through from them, but I absolutely loved how they responded when it all came out. I was totally cheering by then. I also liked some of the side characters and how they ended up changing their stance because of Kiki's example. The ending was awesome and made me want to eventually check out the narration when I get the audiobook.

Despite being far older than the target audience, I really enjoyed this story and I plan on checking out some of her other series. I will say that I just recently finished the author's Vera Wong, and I absolutely loved it--it was probably my favorite of her books. I rather hope there will be a second book in that series!

If you're looking for a fun and quick read with a bit of substance, you should definitely check this book. While this book is written for teens, and I can see many of my own students enjoying it, as an older woman, I also loved it and wish books like this had been around when I was young.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think the book was fine, fun at times. There’s a lot of good in the book dealing with the sexism and sexualization towards women in gaming communities but the book kind of dragged for me in parts

Thank you to Random House Children’s for the gifted copy.

Fans of You’ve Got Mail will love this story! Kiki loves gaming, but as a girl, she didn’t love the sexism she faced when playing. So she changed her handle and pretends to be a boy so she can play without the unnecessary comments. She hasn’t even revealed her secret to her online bestie. But when she transfers to a new school and realizes her online bestie is her new classmate things get complicated. And to make it worse, as she gets to know him in real life, she develops a crush on him. But there’s no telling how he will react if he ever finds out her big secret.

Jesse Q. Sutanto is such an incredible and versatile author - I am so amazed by her talent every time I read one of her books. Didn’t See That Coming is a fun YA rom com with a sweet crush, a teen finding her voice, and many laugh out loud moments. I thought this book approached the misogyny in gaming incredibly well and I adored Kiki’s girl power and how she stood up for herself. Other highlights of this story included the oh so sweet love interest, the Indonesian culture, and the glimpses of the main characters from Well, That Was Unexpected. Overall, this was a fun read!

jesse q sutanto is my favourite author for a voice that grips you and never lets you go. and online friendships and unique formats are always a winner for me in a book, so it's no surprise that i enjoyed this to the fullest!

At this point, I'm fairly confident that anything by Jesse Q Sutanto will be a hit for me. I love her voice and how vibrant her characters are. While some parts of this story were predictable and a staple in just about all media for young adults, it's setting in Indonesia and the backdrop of Indonesia-Chinese culture made everything still feel fresh.

This was a great story of teenage feminism! I absolutely adored the main character and her love interest. This book had me laughing out loud multiple times.

I will say that I did not love the blackmailing plot point and I wish the main character had come clean on her own. Other than that this was a near perfect book for me. I definitely recommend it and I liked it even more than the first.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This is my first YA book by Jess Q. Sutanto while I previously enjoyed her adult romance books. This was such a cute, sweet book with some deeper issues woven throughout the book. Didn't See That Coming had a "Moxie" feel to it. I'm not a "gamer" but I totally enjoyed the gaming world minus the cyberbullying aspect. I adored the secret correspondence/friendship that was established between our main couple Kiki and Liam. The fact that Kiki had to keep not only her identity, but her gender on the gaming board secret was so disheartening. It was easy to see how she started the faking of a "male persona"...then she felt trapped with withholding the information from her gaming pal, Sourdawg. She never dreamed she would ever meet him in person...then she transfers schools and low and behold she meets him in person.

As much as I adored the cuteness overload of our main couple, there was just as much that frustrated and totally angered me due to the misogynist, abusive, bullying behavior not only of our main "bad guy" but also adults in power! AHHHHHH!

The book is kind of predictable with the outcome, but I applaud the grand plan and passionate ending when "girl power" wins in the end and we get our happily ever after.

I want to check out the previous book in this series. Some of the characters in this book were mentioned that I suspect played a main role in that book.

4 stars

I have always enjoyed reading a well developed YA, and this book is certainly that. This book touched on so many important topics with a ton of humor and some great characters. Kiki was fiercely independent and proud to be herself, but what stands out the most is the honest portrayal of her struggles and doubts. It is so important for teens to see a positive Southeast Asian representation, and Sutanto delivers a lot of heart with this one. This is a companion novel to Well, That Was Unexpected, which I read last year and adored! While you don't have to read that book in order to enjoy this one, there are a few characters from the first book who make brief appearances in this follow-up novel.