Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and she considers all three places her home. She has a masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. When she's not writing, she's gaming with her husband (mostly first-person shooter) or making a mess in the kitchen with her two daughters. You can find her online at JesseQSutanto.com.
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate—especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding that Meddy, her Ma, and her aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It is the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her aunties' perfect buttercream flowers. But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding, all in one weekend?
If there's one thing Sutanto wants you to walk away thinking about after Dial A for Aunties it's the aunties—I mean, it's right there in the title! The aunties are hilarious and heartwarming, always trying to do their best for Meddy even if....well, even if it means hosting a corpse to a wedding. It doesn't get much more intense than that (or does it? Read the book to find out!). The aunties demonstrate their love and devotion to Meddy time and time again, making this book more than about the love between Nathan and Meddy, but rather about the love between family. The people going to the greatest lengths for one another are the Chans, and Meddy spends the whole book uncovering what the real love story is—the one between herself and her aunties.
But of course, there's a traditional romance if that's what you're into! Nathan and Meddy are would-be college sweethearts. In the first part of the book, we get flashbacks of Nathan and Meddy falling in love at their time in college. And then, after their fallout, of course they're going to be reunited during one of the most tense weekends for both of them! So, we follow them as they navigate this stressful landscape, and as Meddy tries to keep Nathan out of her and her aunties' circle of crime. Their romance is wholesome, and entirely believable. While much of the book is focused elsewhere, I still found their storyline to be compelling, and a necessary ingredient to balance out the humor and crime.
Because, if you haven't noticed yet, there is some crime in this book! Sutanto handles it with a lot of humor—because the concept is hilarious, and that's the only way to really handle an accidental murder like this. The humor is consistent throughout the novel, and Sutanto strikes a good balance between Meddy's internal thoughts being hilarious with the external events being humorous. There was just enough incredulity sprinkled in for readers to suspend their beliefs, and for the ending to be satisfying. The crime of the novel makes it what it is—the concept of the book would not work if the guy wasn't dead—but as a reader, you stay for the humor, and the pleasure of reading to find out what happens next.
Sutanto does a wonderful job with Dial A for Aunties, and there's even a follow-up, for fans of the aunties and Meddy's story with Nathan! I definitely recommend checking it out if those were your favorite elements. You can find Sutanto online at JesseQSutanto.com.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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