I loved this series. This was a fantastic end to a fun series. I can't wait to see what else this author has to offer.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto was a wonderful finale to the Aunties trilogy.

As with the first two books, I loved Meddy, Nathan and the Aunties. This book takes place in Jakarta as the they travel to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended family. I thought it was fun to see them get into trouble in yet another location. This time around, the chaos is caused my Second Aunt and the rekindling of her teenage romance. However, her boyfriend is now part of the mafia and accidentally ends up getting Meddy, Nathan and the Aunties tangled up in a feud with his biggest rivals.

Overall, this was another solid book. The Aunties made me laugh out loud several times with their antics. I enjoyed how everything came together and that this was a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Absolutely obsessed with this series and this author. So sad to say goodbye to the Aunties and looking forward to whatever Sutanto brings out next.

I received an e-galley of The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is the third book in this hilarious series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. The aunties are back again as they reunite in Jakarta for Chinese New Year. Meddy and her husband Nathan have been honeymooning in Asia and meet their family in their homeland for the New Year's. While there, Second Aunt's old flame and beau shows up with extravagant gifts to woo Second Aunt. Due to a mishap in the red envelopes handed out, Meddy and the Aunties are pulled into a longstanding feud between some of the most powerful families in Jakarta that may have gang affiliations. Meddy does not want Nathan to get involved in the chaos and crazy messes that her family keep finding themselves in, but when danger finds the family again, each member will have to do their part to make it out safely.

As always, the Aunties do not disappoint. Their responses to emergency situations are hilarious and full of spirit. The misadventures of this family are so fun to follow and despite all the arguing, the love and loyalty they have for each other shine through.

After a honeymoon across Europe, Meddy and Nathan join the Aunties and their extended family in Jakarta for Chinese New Year. Fourth Auntie has arranged for an old beau of Second Auntie to join their family celebration. Abi comes bearing gifts, lots of gifts. But one of these things is not like the others and was meant for a business rival. The Aunties all agree it is only right to return that gift to Abi. So, they start looking for it. Chaos ensues when the person who has it doesn't want to give it up.

The Aunties all have a time to shine, especially Fourth Aunt and First Aunt. They dominate the plans and follow through. Meddy has less to do until closer to the end. She and Nathan are mostly swept along in the chaos that is the Aunties. There is not much character growth, but we do get to see a more well rounded depiction of some of the characters.

The plot moves along fairly quickly once it gets going. Problems arise and the Aunties make plans to solve them. The plans often seem a little wild and complicated. You've got to suspend your disbelief, but then you can sit back and enjoy what happens.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is the third and final book of the series. I felt it was left open enough that if the author changes her mind she could easily revisit these characters. I have to say that I've really enjoyed reading about the Aunties and the chaos that seems to follow them. I also like the way they love one another and will band together whenever one of them is in trouble. If you enjoy humorous mysteries, this could be a good series for you. The Aunties will definitely keep you on your toes.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto was released March 26th, 2024 by Berkley.

3.5, rounded up. This is a fitting end to a joyfully goofy series; I'll miss the aunties and their madcap adventures. Some of the plot points feel ludicrous even for said silliness, but overall it's a good time. I also love the ending, though it makes me wish there were more books to come.

Oh these aunties! This final instalment in the Aunties trilogy was just as fun to read as the first two. I loved that we got to see a different side to the aunties - a more sentimental side - and that Nathan was included in the (mis)adventure with the aunties.
I felt like this book wrapped up quickly - and it felt like a quicker read than the previous two - but it was still a very enjoyable read and one I would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the electronic advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another crazy scenario this family gets into, but this is sort of what you expect at this point. The setting is nice and adds to the storyline, but the whole book also felt unnecessary?

It’s nice to see Nathan have a bigger role this time around, but the antics of Meddy’s Ma and aunties just felt a bit too much this book… overall, I did enjoy the nice close to the series.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Though this seems like a fitting ending for the series, it’s still bittersweet.

After honeymooning through Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband, Nathan, meet her Ma and aunties in Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year. Second Aunt’s long-lost love (tipped off by Fourth Aunt) surprises the family with a generous bounty of red envelopes.

Unfortunately, a gift for a business rival to secure a deal is inadvertently included. Though Meddy and the Aunties agree to return it, retrieving it is no simple matter and unleashes escalating tension among a triad of ruthless competitors.

This has the zany, over the top antics that characterize the series, and suspension of belief is required. The setting offers the Aunties a chance to reflect on their decision to immigrate to the United States. I enjoyed reading about the Chinese New Year traditions and meeting some of the extended family. In this book, Fourth Aunt also gets more of a spotlight, Second Aunt gets a romance, and Big Aunt returns to the job where she was so respected.

Sometimes the Aunties are very funny, but sometimes they can be cruel and cutting. Regardless, Meddy is expected to “respect her elders.” I know this is a cultural difference but it’s hard for me to accept when the Aunties are dismissive or worse. (I am sure the Aunties would be horrified at how I talk to my mother!)

My grandma and I once were in the San Francisco area coincidentally around Chinese New Year and caught a parade. I loved watching the dragon!

A fun conclusion to this series but didn't meet the high bar that was set by book one. The aunties are always entertaining and worth returning to but, for whatever reason, I struggled more with the plots of both books 2 and 3.

But I think this series works when you are in the right mood for it. You have to be able to suspend a lot of disbelief and just have fun.

Quality of Writing 3/5
Pacing 3/5
Plot Development 2/5
Character Development 4/5
Overall Enjoyability 3/5

The names of the criminals and the over-the-top interactions were so funny. There was so much chaos and unrealistic things that's happened especially with the aunties, that made me want to go and read the other books in the series for the interaction. Though this was a cozy mystery, there were still twists and turns, and I liked how the investigations turned out. The romance between Nathan and Meddy was also cute. I recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers who like unrealistic and fun plots. Such a fun series!

This was a cute continuation of the Aunties series. It had the pacing and dynamics that I've grown to expect from Jessie Sutanto in this series of books and she definitely delivered. While being on the scale of cozy mystery, there are still a lot of moments of levity and shenanigans that keep the story light and fun. I've enjoyed how Meddy's character has grown and progressed throughout the series and seeing Nathan's role in this story now that they're married was a really satisfying element of the story.

There are definitely a lot of characters in this book - Meddy's large family and extended network comes out in full force. This both moved the story along well and also got a bit overwhelming at times. I liked that the story was set in Indonesia - there were some interesting elements of the story that could be explored because of that setting. Although, there were a few times where it felt kind of easy to forget that they were overseas.

The drama in this book is dialed all the way up too - which makes for some amusing situations and plot lines that made me chuckle. This is definitely a madcap romp of shenanigans and humor that was light and refreshing to read. It's a quick read as well. I probably wouldn't call this a totally standalone book - it's definitely helpful to have the context of the previous stories to understand how we got to where we are with some of the main characters development.

Overall, a very fun and entertaining story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

This was a fun and hilarious novel. I loved the family dynamics and characters. This book made me want to read other books in this series and anything else the author has written.

Honeymoons are supposed to be a time to relax and get to spend time with your new partner, right? So why is Meddy so stressed? Could it be because she is introducing her husband to the full extended family (close to 80 people)? Well, that could be a big part of it. It could also be the (purported) mob boss who has accidentally handed out a gift to the wrong person, but he's not quite sure who got the red envelope meant for his business rival. And, when they don't show up with the right gift, something very valuable to Meddy is held instead.
Still a crash of craziness and I think regular readers will enjoy the mayhem.

Four stars
This book comes out March 26, 2024
Follows Four Aunties and a Wedding
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

These Aunties have me in stitches every single time! This series never disappoints. Read them all for love, laughter, and family!

I was excited to see this new and last installment in Jesse Q. Sutanto's Aunties trilogy and the main question for me was, would it get repetitive and a bit stale or would it stay just as fun and over the top as before and this book delivered. It was fun and crazy with just the right amount of mystery mixed in and the Jakarta setting made the book even more special ! I loved seeing Nathan and Meddy together after having come to love them in book one and two.
The writing is still just as light, entertaining and humourous. I was entertained from the beginning right through to the end. I never knew what trouble the family would get into next, but it was so much fun to be along for the ride.
There were lots of moving parts and things happening, but there was a good pace to the story, propulsive !
The characters were excellent, yet again and there aggressively loving interaction and the humorous culture references made this book so special. Even though Meddy and her mom and aunties were constantly at odds with each other, there was an overwhelming feeling of love and loyalty which was just so nice to read.
The Jakarta setting and the description of some more elaborate mansions added to my enjoyment !

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The third and final book in the Dial A for Aunties series is here and it's another wild adventure. As with previous installments, you're definitely going to have to suspend quite a bit of disbelief at the outrageous situations this family keeps getting themselves into, but once you do that and sit back and enjoy the ride, it's quite fun. I didn't love this series quite as much as I loved this author's Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (that book made me laugh out loud more times than I can count), but you can see how they were certainly written by the same author with the same sense of humor. There was one particular plot point at the end that seemed sort of... just dropped in there that threw me off a bit. It's not that I wasn't expecting it, it's just the way it was done seemed a bit abrupt. But other than that, this was very entertaining and a a satisfying conclusion to a fun series.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book. I really liked the first one, the second was okay, but the hi-jinks of the aunties really just lost me on this one.

This was my favorite of the Aunties trilogy, possibly because I found it the least stressful of the three to read! Meddy and Nathan are celebrating their honeymoon in Jakarta with her entire extended family, and it’s so much fun to read. The food descriptions are fantastic, and it feels like the Aunties are content and happy being around so much family.

Of course, in classic Aunties fashion, everything goes wrong! Ma drugs random people! Second Aunt breaks out the tai chi! I feel like this book does a great job of continuing the experience we’ve had with the Aunties in the previous two books - I love how each book builds on top of the conflict from the previous book, rather than introducing completely distinct issues.

This was the perfect ending to the Aunties trilogy, and I’m so pleased with the way the story wrapped up.