Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Well, That Was Unexpected
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Book Series: Untitled Book Series Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Chinese Indonesian American MC and characters, Chinese Indonesian MC and characters, Sapphic couple, Bisexual character
Recommended For…: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, humor, fake dating, Indonesian, Chinese Indonesian, travel, celeb boy/normie girl
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Age Relevance: 16+ (sexual content, cursing, parental death, HP reference, teen pregnancy, romance)
Explanation of Above: There is a lot of sexual content in the book. There is no sex or sexual acts shown, but masturbation (nothing shown, just mentioned and talked about) and talking openly about sex and wanting sex is in the book. There is a lot of romance in this book. There is a lot of cursing in this book. Parental death and teen pregnancy are mentioned. There is one HP reference, but quickly another author is mentioned as being better (N.K. Jemison).
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 352
Synopsis: After Sharlot Citra’s mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It’ll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.
When George Clooney Tanuwijaya’s father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot’s mother and George’s father do what any good parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children.
When the kids find out about their parents’ actions, they’re horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?
Review: This book was so cute! This book is an adorable contemporary romance with multi-POVs. One of the POVs is a Chinese Indonesian American girl who is caught in a compromising position with her boyfriend and taken to Indonesia by her mother for it. The other perspective is a Chinese Indonesian boy who is from a wealthy family, but when he is also caught in a compromising position his family take matters in their own hands via setting him up on a blind date… with our other MC. I loved how it openly discussed sex and sexual desires in teenagers, but also showing and talking about some of the dangers of sex at a young age especially socially in certain countries. While sex is natural, it is not seen that way in a lot of countries and this book talks openly about that. The book has my favorite trope in it (family sets me up on blind date) and the book also showcases the fake dating trope. The book was well written and I loved the story. I also loved seeing Indonesia through the eyes of our MC and I love all of the commentary about the land from an American and Native Indonesian prospective. The book also had well developed characters and world building.
The only issue I had with the book is that I didn’t think it was necessary to have an HP reference, even if it’s slightly bashed. It could have been “oh you’re reading Percy Jackson” or something like that instead.
Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!
Book Info:
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Publishing Date: September 27, 2022
Synopsis:
An outrageous, laugh-out-loud YA rom-com about a girl who’s whisked from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia to get back to her roots and finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families there, from the author of Dial A for Aunties.
After Sharlot Citra’s mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It’ll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.
When George Clooney Tanuwijaya’s father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot’s mother and George’s father do what any good parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children.
When the kids find out about their parents’ actions, they’re horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59382071-well-that-was-unexpected
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593433971/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/well-that-was-unexpected-jesse-q-sutanto/1140956682
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Well-That-Was-Unexpected-Jesse-Q-Sutanto/9780593433973
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/well-that-was-unexpected/9780593433973-item.html
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593433973
About the Author:
I grew up going back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and consider both places my homes. I was fortunate enough to do my Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, which is surely one of the most gorgeous places in the world.
I am passionate about women’s rights and diversity in publishing. I regularly do giveaways where I critique queries or the first few pages, and I am especially interested in helping writers from marginalized communities. If you are a writer from a marginalized community, do hit me up! I love hearing from other writers, even if it’s just to say a quick hello.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.jesseqsutanto.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewritinghippo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesseqsutanto/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19278992.Jesse_Q_Sutanto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JesseQSutanto/
Tour Schedule:
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