Dial A for Aunties
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4.0 • 197 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Sutanto brilliantly infuses comedy and culture into the unpredictable rom-com/murder mystery mashup as Meddy navigates familial duty, possible arrest and a groomzilla. I laughed out loud and you will too.”—USA Today (four-star review)
“A hilarious, heartfelt romp of a novel about—what else?—accidental murder and the bond of family. This book had me laughing aloud within its first five pages… Utterly clever, deeply funny, and altogether charming, this book is sure to be one of the best of the year!”—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read
One of NPR's Best Books of 2021!
One of PopSugar’s "42 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021"!
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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Sutanto's bonkers debut, a series of disasters befalls a family wedding catering business. Meddy Chan, 26, works as the photographer for her overbearing, superstitious Chinese Indonesian aunties and mother. Convinced there's a curse that causes men to leave the women of the family and crushed by an obligation to remain near her mother in San Gabriel, Calif., Meddy breaks up with her soul mate, Nathan. She's still not over him when her mom arranges a date for her with a man named Jake, who attempts to rape her, prompting Meddy to tase him. Jake doesn't wake up, and Meddy turns to her aunts for help. They store Jake in a cooler, which is then inadvertently shipped to the Chans' next wedding gig, at a hotel that happens to be owned by Nathan. Plenty of hijinks ensue, but the Chans are oddly glib as they try to keep Jake hidden, and Meddy's pining over Nathan feels trite. The best parts are Sutanto's portrayal of the bantering, interfering aunties (" ‘How could you set Meddy up with such a douchebag?' Fourth Aunt snaps at Ma"), who excel at wreaking havoc. There's plenty of light entertainment here, but don't expect anything with bite.
Customer Reviews
Joy Luck Club Meets The Hangover
A fun braincandy book that reads like it was envisioned as a screenplay. Then every now and then there are some masterful descriptions and heartfelt points.
But it’s largely a light Arsenic-and-Old-Lace vein murder romp, peopled with the Asian cliché aunties and their bumblings and wisdom. Because, in all sincerity, those Asian aunties are out there, and they are REAL.
Cabo Read!
This book has summer written all over it.
Very cute and quick with some family banter mixed in.
The reason this is getting less then 5 stars is just due to some flaws I thought logically didn’t make sense. But other then that well written. The first couple pages took me a minute to get through due to over explaining but after that it was a breeze.
A family willings to help bury body
The book itself is okay with predictable plot. What amazed me the most is Meddlin’s daily interaction with her family. Through hers, I saw mine and in a way that comfort me. I am more of the Meddlin’s cousin type of person. I appreciate their endless care more now.