Well, That Was Unexpected

By: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Narrated by: Risa Mei, Yoshi Sudarso

"A delightful, hilarious, captivating love letter to Indonesia, and coming of age in a large meddlesome family, and the thrill of finding your person where you least expect it!"—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

A 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 bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties and The Obsession

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?

©2022 Jesse Q. Sutanto (P)2022 Listening Library

50% travelogue 50% teenage romance

This started off as a cute romance with Indonesian convoluted cultural conundrums that make you laugh. But…. Somewhere in the middle it devolves into a travelogue of Indonesia and minute descriptions of Indochinese food. If you want to know in detail what to do in Bali this is your book.

Great!

Really liked this one!! It was funny and easy to listen to - just like the title says, “that was unexpected” and delightful.

This book surprised me, in a good way.

Initially, I didn't think I would like this book because the characters in the story are so young but it pulled me in. The author has a great way of showing the issues within the Chinese community (status, bloodline, conflict based on where people are raised, expectations...etc) and how it affects the youth that have to navigate changes in the world and familial demands. Great Book!

Meh

It was ok but it really dragged in many areas. Didn’t have much of a plot - more of a travelogue then anything else.

Over a good book but…

I was honestly shocked when the book started the way it did. I wasn’t expecting it to go directly into sexual talk and I almost turned it off and didn’t give it a chance. I put it on the back burner for almost 3 months. But then I picked it back up and finished it today. Once past this part it was actually really cute and lighthearted. There were some topics in there that may get to some but it was a good easy read. Onto her next book.

Enjoyable listen:Study in cultures and family structure.

I loved how the characters' accents and dialog reminded me of different generations and their expectations for each other. Funny and fast read.

Just silly

Juvenile reading. The story is contrived and silly. Character are completely unbelievable. The female narrator has a

cringing voice and I am most grateful that I won’t have to hear her mispronounce “villa”again. Lot’s of filler language that most simply put is annoying. Don’t waste your time on credit unless you are 13 or younger and even then this story is so bad.

Tedious at best

I purchased this listen because I loved Jesse's 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice'. Unfortunately, this was tedious to get through even as an audio book. I kept wanting the characters to shut up and just get on with the story. I sat through excessive inner dialog of vapid, stupid characters. I know they're supposed to be teenagers, but I was expecting some depth and basic reasoning. Its one redemption was the good descriptions of food and culture. Also, I found the female narrator's voice annoying.