Back of Book: 

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 Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Romance | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A one of them is famous YA rom com that takes place among the beautiful backdrop of scenic Indonesia. 

Sharlot Citra is ready to go all the way with her boyfriend. That is, until her mother catches her in the act and whisks her away to Indonesia, the country her mother grew up in. George Clooney Tanuwijaya is just an average guy—if you don't take into account that he was born into a family of millionaires. And what do teenage boys get up to in their free time? They pleasure themselves, of course. When George's father walks in on him during the act, he is also grounded. Desperate for their children to be in a relationship that they consider positive, the two's parents set them up with one another on the most awkward date in Indonesian history. At least they'll never have to see each other again. Except that's not the case when they run into the press and George and Sharlot are made out to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Now, the two most fake date their way out of some sticky situations. . . and avoid the ever-growing sexual tension that they both feel. 

This is my first book by Sutanto, and I think it was a fairly good introduction to her work. Her writing is witty, the banter is so natural, and her character's thoughts are totally uncensored. I wasn't ready for how brash the first couple of chapters were; these two were just so horny! There isn't anything wrong about a couple of teenagers both trying to sexually please themselves and getting caught by their parents, but I just wasn't expecting it, especially right out of the gates. This definitely did a great job at showcasing the in-your-face humor style that Sutanto thrives in. 

The premise of this one is quite comical with Sharlot and George both being punished for not being proper young adults and their parents trying to set them up through an online platform. My biggest complaint about the entire situation is the fake dating element. I was shocked that the two didn't tell each other that their parents were the ones behind it all from the very first moment they met, and I just found it so petty that it just drug on the entire novel. I get that fake dating is a well-loved trope, there is just so many lies involved that it made me uncomfortable at times. 

I love how deeply this book explores parent-children relationships and how they change over time. Sharlot goes through a point where she realizes that her mother had a life before her, which may seem obvious, but I feel like it's something that all kids with parents experience at some point. There's another instance in this book where George realizes that he is proud of his aunt and that has him doing a double take. It is so rare for the young to let the elders in their lives know that they are indeed proud of them too. Relationships are a two-way street, but it often doesn't feel that way in society. 

Seeing Sharlot connect with her heritage and her culture was another great part about this book. Combine this with the fact that George is one of the most famous young adults in Indonesia and this book had a rollicking good rom com vibe. The two had to constantly act all chummy for the press and it was fun to watch the point when the fake dating turned real despite not loving all the circumstances that led to them faking a relationship. 

Overall, "Well, That Was Unexpected" was a mostly good time that had me laughing aloud while also having me connect with the messages that were being portrayed. I definitely had to suspend my belief a time or two over the course of reading this book, but that's to be expected in a fake dating one of them is famous type plot line. Sutanto has a very interesting sense of humor, which I'm excited to read more of in the future. I'm curious to see what I'll think of this book's companion which I'll be reading next. 

Back of Book: 

A hilariously fresh and romantic send-up to You’ve Got Mail about a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online bestie she’s never met IRL until she unwittingly transfers to his school, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Well, That Was Unexpected.

Seventeen-year-old Kiki Siregar is a fabulous gamer girl with confidence to boot. She can’t help but be totally herself… except when she’s online.

Her secret? She plays anonymously as a guy to avoid harassment from other male players. Even her online best friend—a cinnamon roll of a teen boy who plays under the username Sourdawg—doesn’t know her true identity. Which is fine, because Kiki doesn’t know his real name either, and it’s not like they’re ever going to cross paths IRL.

Until she transfers to an elite private school for her senior year and discovers that Sourdawg goes there, too.

But who is he? How will he react when he finds out Kiki’s secret? And what happens when Kiki realizes she’s falling for her online BFF? 

Book Number: Two

Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A gamer romance that takes a deep dive into the misogynistic online world that mirrors the sexism in everyday society. 

Kiki Siregar has always been the most confident girl in the room. That is, except when she plays online multiplayer games. In order to avoid sexist comments and constant harassment, Kiki plays anonymously as a guy. Even her best online friend, Sourdawg, doesn't know her true identity. This isn't a problem, until Kiki transfers to a new private school that Sourdawg just so happens to attend. Unaware of Sourdawg's true identity, Kiki feels the pressure of trying to discover who he is in real life before her secret is blown. 

I must say, Kiki was one of my favorite characters in "Well, That Was Unexpected," so I was happy to learn that she was the main character in this one. I would never have guessed that she was a gamer, but I thought this was a really cool twist. She seemed so glamorous when she was beside Sharlot, but she's much more down to earth than I had originally pegged her as. 

The best part of this book is how unabashedly it attacks misogyny and sexism. Treating women unfairly is common all over, but it seems to be even more extreme in the conservative Far East. It was heartbreaking to see Kiki dismissed time and time again due to her gender alone. The way that Kiki is treated online and in person was totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, many young girls and women are treated like this constantly, so it is so important to bring up the effects of misogyny every now and then. 

The imbalance of power between men and women and those with wealth and those without is devastating. This book highlights that so thoroughly. Jonas is a rich kid who flaunts his wealth and abuses his power as often as he physically can. He is quite misogynistic, revels in putting others down, and is quite the pain to Kiki the entire novel. It's hard to have any empathy for people like him, but this book does a great job at showcasing where people like him are coming from despite all their wrong doings. 

I really enjoyed the first half of this book when Kiki spent her time trying to adapt to her new school, investigating who Sourdawg is, and meddling with Eleanor Roosevelt's nefarious schemes. However, once the fake-dating/blackmail thing started, I felt rather uncomfortable by the whole situation. I couldn't believe that Kiki would let others take advantage of her like that. I understand that she was severely depressed due to the constant bullying, but I can't believe she lowered herself that far for that long. It made it hard for me to really enjoy the last half of this book. 

If Kiki would have literally talked to anyone (her parents, Liam, her best friends, etc), she situation could have been greatly improved so much earlier. I understand why an author would pen Kiki's decisions how Sutanto did, but it's hard for me to understand why Kiki kept everything to herself for practically no reason. There were so many points in this book where I said to myself "If she doesn't talk to Liam here, she's actually an idiot." And then she never did, which made my heart break. Liam is too sweet to have to deal with the kinds of emotional turmoil that Kiki put him through; I would totally understand if he reacted less than positive to Kiki's antics. 

Overall, "Didn't See That Coming" was an enjoyable, humorous gamer romance that blatantly told misogyny to stuff it. Kiki and Liam are both great characters that I was rooting for despite all their less than brilliant decisions. I wish the weird fake-dating/blackmail thing in the middle didn't happen, but I still enjoyed most of my time with this one. I look forward to checking out more of Sutanto's work in the future; her books all sound so funny and interesting!