by: Jesse Q Sutanto
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy/Satire
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
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A hilariously quirky novel that is equal parts murder mystery, rom-com, and a celebration of mothers and daughters as well as a deep dive into Chinese-Indonesian culture, by debut author Jesse Q. Sutanto.
1 (accidental) murder
2 thousand wedding guests
3 (maybe) cursed generations
4 meddling Asian aunties to the rescue!
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 accidentally shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for their 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 auntie’s perfect buttercream cake 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?
Story Locale: Southern California
When I picked up Jesse Q Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties, I had no idea what to expect. My initial thought was that this was hilariously funny. However, the word hilarious doesn’t do this story justice.
Meddy Chan is 26-years-old. She lives with her mother and works as a photographer for the family wedding business which is owned by her mother and three aunts. Meddy doesn’t date. This of course, doesn’t go over well with her mother and aunties. Meddy’s mother decides to set up an online dating profile for Meddy and doesn’t tell her until the day of the date she’s set up while pretending to be Meddy. Meddy has no choice but to go on the date. From the start, the date is bad. But it gets worse when the guy gets handsy and Meddy defends herself. Now she finds herself with his body in the trunk of her car and no idea what to do. Good thing her aunties are only a phone call away and live nearby.
With the help of her mother and aunties, they hide the body in a freezer at Big Aunt’s bakery, thinking they can bury it in the California desert, after the big weekend wedding which will put their company on the map. Of course, things don’t go according to plan. The body ends up on the private island where the wedding is taking place. After several attempts to get the body off the island, the body ends up seemingly everywhere. The story definitely gives off a Weekend at Bernie’s vibe, with Crazy Rich Asians added to the mix.
Dial A for Aunties is a feel-good, make you laugh when you're feeling down book. It's like Jesse thought of the craziest, most outlandish things and put them in the story. There’s a little romance, some mistaken identity, and a little theft. This story is simply over the top. I've read somewhere the book has been optioned for a movie. I laughed so hard my stomach was hurting just reading the words. Seeing the words in action is going to be just too much. I can’t wait to see it.
**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Rating: 5
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This book sounds fun. I have added it to my want to read list.
ReplyDeleteJanine, this book was beyond funny. There's a scene, where Meddy is reading the text messages her mother exchanged with her date. I don't recommend eating or drinking anything during that scene.
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