Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Book Review

      

Well, That Was Unexpected

by 

Jesse Q. Sutanto 

September 27, 2022, Delacorte Press

Genre: YA romance, rom com, multicultural

My goodreads/NetGalley review:

The author describes the book as a "love letter to Indonesia," the country of her birth and current residence. This is a YA romance novel, with an Indonesian-American teen meeting family in Indonesia for the first time, and falling for a handsome young Chinese-Indonesian from a wealthy family.

I like that the two teens discover feelings and attitudes in common which are too modern for their traditional Chinese=Indo families. I also learned a lot about Indonesian culture, cities, geography, and food from following young Sharlot as she discovers her mother's homeland and is shown around by her new friend, George Clooney Tanuwijaya.

This indeed a love letter to Indonesia, and I came away with a new appreciation for its food, its cities, and a new understanding of its traditions. The budding romance between Sharlot and George is a plus to this YA novel, with its ups and downs along the way to their full understanding of each other.

Sunday Salon: A Thriller and a YA Rom Com

 I read and reviewed fewer books last week, with so many other things going on. But I sneak in a few minutes here and there and managed to finish this first book and start the second one. 

ARC Review

All the Dangerous Things

by 

Stacy Willingham, author of A Flicker in the Dark

Publication: January 10th 2023 by Minotaur Books

Source: thanks to NetGalley

Isabelle Drake woke up one morning to find her baby Mason gone from his crib and room. After fruitless searches by police and neighbors and a seeming dead end, her husband wants Isabelle to accept Mason's disappearance and move on with life. But she persists in trying to find out what really happened to him.

I found themes of sleep walking and memory loss intriguing, as well as Isabelle's searching into her past for answers that keep eluding her. Her childhood and memories of her younger sister Margaret tie this plot together in the dual timeline of the story.

The book kept me curious to the finish although I had some idea of what the ending might be. An enjoyable and suspenseful psychological thriller.

Currently reading something light:

Well, That Was Unexpected

by 

Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties

September 27th 2022 by Delacorte Press

About:

A humorous 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, (publisher)

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday