The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties

By: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Narrated by: Risa Mei

What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…

©2024 Jesse Q. Sutanto (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Sutanto packs in loads of local color, and gives the aunties ample opportunity to let their freak flags fly.”—Publishers Weekly

“Sutanto delivers another addictive romp, managing to negotiate a thrilling (multi) happily-everafter finale because, alas, this concludes the Aunties series.”—Booklist

“Sutanto’s hilarious triptych ends with a finale that could just as well have been titled ‘An Auntie You Can’t Refuse.’”—Kirkus Reviews

Pure family joy

Humorous and laughing out loud.Characters remind me of my mother’s side of the family. Narrator is perfect for the story line.

Another great story of the aunties!

Very funny story. It is a good continuation of the previous two- just as unrealistic, but very amusing

A great listen

This book is definitely worth the listen or read! It so adequately brings in the oriental culture while being fun and lighthearted.

Another Great One

I love the ease in which this book was written & how I engaging it is to listen too. Highly recommend! Wonderful story and continuation of the aunties who I love to pieces.

These ladies are not to be messed with

I love Meddy, Nathan, Mom and the Aunties. I love the love they have for each other and the consistency of each character in these books. Sutanto never fails to make me irritated, gasp, laugh, and understand family.

Just when you think you might know where the mystery is going, you realize you forgot something and Sutanto brings it all back together. This book was fun and loving.

The Aunties are Awesomely Funny!

I have read all three of the books in Sutano’s series and this one has been the best so far! I actually found myself laughing out loud so many times as I visualized the hilarious scenes while listening to Mei’s outstanding narration! Her accent, tone and inflection made each character standalone and come to life!
I also appreciated authenticity, learning about the Indonesian-American culture and experiences! I’m awaiting the next Aunties’ Adventure!

I loved the sweetness of the book.

I thought the 3rd book was better than the 2nd in the series. It was so funny, sweet, and good story. I really love the narrator.

The reader is amazing!

At the end of the story and various places, the explanation of events was too wordy.

Was Maddy Always This Neurotic?

I do love Jessie Sutanto's writing. I enjoyed the first 2 Auntie books. I really loved Vera Wong. This one didn't hit as well for me. Maddy is so over dramatic and whiny. Her heart or her stomach or her mind are always seizing or freezing or something. The best part of the whole book is Big Aunt and her relationship to the kitchen.

Excellent!

I laughed out loud and the tension created in the story was actually palpable. Always enjoy the aunties!