Book Review: "Dial A for Aunties" by Jesse Q. Sutanto
"Dial A for Aunties" by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Synopsis: What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?
You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming 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 inadvertently 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 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 auntie's 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?
Rating: 4
Trigger Warning:
Review: I teased earlier this year that anything pitched as combining “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” was something I couldn’t resist, and ultimately, I was more pleased with this book than even I expected. This is the third “murder farce” I’ve read this spring, and while this is never a genre I actively sought out, it’s been a nice brain break — plus it gives me a chance to hone those detective skills I’ve picked up by watching countless episodes of SVU and Criminal Minds.
Within the first few chapters of the book, we meet Meddy and her meddling aunts, who are absolutely charming (if you aren’t related to them). Of course, then the book takes a dark turn: we also see Meddy accidentally get drunk on the blind date from hell and murder said blind date. Whoops? The rest of the novel focuses on what to do with the body during the biggest work weekend of the year for them — a fancy wedding at an island resort.
Think that’s it for this comedy of errors? Add in Meddy’s secret college boyfriend running said resort, four very strong auntie personalities, a groom-zilla, and a meddling sheriff. I spent most of this book simultaneously laughing out loud and cringing for how horrifically awry Meddy’s weekend goes.
I’m also somewhat astounded that I felt so bad for Meddy throughout this book; even though she was ostensibly the “villain” of the book — a murderess trying to cover up the crime! — she was also a hot mess, and I wanted to give her a hug more than I wanted to send her to jail. To be fair, I’m not sure she would have actually been convicted for murder (no malice aforethought), but she didn’t know that!
Yes, you’ll have to suspend disbelief a little bit, but this book is fun and funny, while also being clever and thought provoking. It’s an interesting mix of characters, and the plot is wholly original - all in all, a win from me.
If You Liked This, Try These:
“Arsenic and Adobo” by Mia P. Manansala (Bookshop | Kindle | My Review)
“Finlay Donovan is Killing It” by Elle Cosimano (Bookshop | Kindle | My Review)
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