Jesse Q. Sutanto - Well, That Was Unexpected

Jesse Q. Sutanto - Well, That Was Unexpected 

3⭐

Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Asian Literature 

Pages: 346

Format: Paperback  

Publisher:  Electric Monkey 

Date Published: 27th September 2022

 

Book Blurb: 

This YA rom-com debut is about a girl whisked from L.A. to her mother's native Indonesia in order to "get back to her roots," who— through a comedy of errors and overzealous parents—finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families in Indonesia, and is surprised when she actually starts to fall in love-with the boy, the country, and the big family she never knew before now.

My Review: 

This book was such a whirlwind of a story. I liked parts of it, such as Indo-Chinese culture and the beautiful setting of Indonesia,  but at the same time, I couldn’t stand some of the characters, especially Sharlot.

The story follows Sharlot who is furious with her mum, as her mum suddenly decides to take her to Indonesia for summer. Sharlot has never been to her mum's home country, doesn’t know much about it, and doesn’t want to admit to her mum that she wants to learn more about her heritage. Her mum, however, wants to set her up with a good Indonesian guy, so that Sharlot learns some manners, culture and stops being an angry teenager. At the same time, we meet George, a son of a famous businessman in Indonesia. George is nerdy and awkward and because of that, his father wants him to have a girlfriend, even though George couldn’t care less. So, both of the parents are set on finding the right partners for Sharlot and George online and once both children find out what their parents are up to, it is too late. Both Sharlot and George are stuck fake dating each other. Will finding the truth from each other about what their parents have done break or make them or is there a chance that both of them might fall for each other?

I loved the exploration of Indonesian heritage and culture. It made me feel like I am on a journey with the characters through Jakarta and Bali, where most of the book is set. I also really enjoyed learning about the dynamics of Indo-Chinese families, including pressures on children, public image, deep cultural prejudices and opinions. I think all that was brilliantly portrayed and gave me a lot of food for thought. Also, it was the only aspect of this book that I truly enjoyed.

I found the romance between the two main characters a bit too insta-love. They hated each other from the very beginning but just after a weekend together, they were falling for each other. For me, it just seemed a bit unrealistic. I also didn’t like the online-parents’-catfishing-their-children plot in this book. It just felt silly and unrealistic.

George’s character was the most down-to-earth and genuine, as well as kind, even though his parents and aunts are very harsh to him. Whereas I felt that Sharlot was really ungrateful and selfish, as well as always angry and not happy about everything…Even with the redemption arc at the end of the book, I still didn’t think she and George were a good fit since they are so different.

Overall: Quick and easy-to-read YA Rom-Com, with beautiful scenery and exploration of Indonesia and Indo-Chinese culture. Romance and Catfishing plotlines were rather weak in this one, as well as quite unrealistic and easily forgettable. Although, humour and laugh-out-loud moments did make the romance a bit more bearable. 

About the Author:

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she's not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids.

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