Didn't See That Coming
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A confident, charismatic protagonist headlines this dynamic story of hidden and mistaken identity, inspired by the rom-com You've Got Mail, by Sutanto (Well, That Was Unexpected). To avoid harassment based on her gender, 17-year-old Kiki Siregar, who lives in Jakarta, plays her favorite virtual game, Warfront Heroes, using the handle DudeBro10, and has persuaded fellow players that she is a boy—including her in-game best friend, whom she only knows as Sourdawg. But as she and Sourdawg grow closer, the lie eats away at her. Kiki's real life is soon upended when she transfers from Mingyang High to ultra-conservative Xingfa School, where the social dynamics differ significantly from what she's accustomed to; classmates patronize her for her outspoken personality and school administrators do nothing to curb escalating bullying. On top of that, she learns that Sourdawg attends the same school—and might just be the schoolmate she dislikes most. Sparkling humor, vivacious storytelling, and occasionally theatrical scenarios inject levity into this perceptive romp with weighty themes. Most characters are Chinese Indonesian. Ages 12–up.
Customer Reviews
Book that crosses ages
I had read this author a couple of times, but those stories were more in line with the adult books, and not the YA ones. I love the humor in this author’s books, and had thought this might be similar. I was wrong. But, that is not a bad thing.
This book is an emotional journey. One that even the author said took a turn that she was not expecting. For me, it was a rewind of my own introductions into new schools when I was in a teen, and all the feels of anger, fear, and bullying that were there. I found myself at one point with tears running down my face in one scene, as the text brought back some memories I had thought I had abandoned with age. This is not a bad thing, though, it is a compliment to the writing, and the book that I was brought to these emotions. It shows that this story goes beyond just the audience it was intended for.
This book is aimed at teens, as I mentioned, but as I found, it does resonate with even someone way past that age. The story is simple, one of making friends, and issues of bullying; but it is packed with details, and real situations that have happened for many.
The only thing that I have to say critical is the use of texting and abbreviations of the slang. As someone not in the gaming crowd, or the young texting crowd, I had to have my phone with me to look up many terms. I felt that the abbreviations could have had a dictionary, or a footnote somewhere to help those of us not in the know. Years from now, those abbreviations may not be in use, and the book will be dated because of it. Even though the story is one that I feel will last for 50 years as it, as I pointed out it resonates for all ages, future readers may not want to have to look up abbreviations that they no longer use. A simple fix if the publisher wishes to add, but for those in the age it is intended, it is probably fine the way it is for now.
I recommend this book for the age it is aimed at, but also feel that older adults, and seniors might enjoy the story as well. The story of high school, cliches, and bullying is something many of us can relate to, and the love story placed on top of this gives this a very enjoyable tale. Again, recommend.