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A review by themermaddie
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
5.0
five glowing stars for meddy and her meddlesome aunts! i think i liked this one better than the first book, but i think that's definitely because this book went a lot more in-depth with meddy's cultural anxieties which is right up my alley.
the plot is just as zany and over the top as the first book, except this time meddy's in the spotlight instead of working behind the scenes. i loved getting to spend time with the aunties again, they were the perfect mix of embarrassing and fiercely loyal and also just funny. i liked their petty rivalries and how insane they drove meddy, but what i liked most was meddy coming to terms with their quirks and learning not to be ashamed of them. a lot of this book speaks to the diasporic desire to blend into your surroundings, and part of that desire is the shame you might feel about your elders for not being able to assimilate the way you do. i really loved meddy's conflicted feelings about her aunties in public, and her desire for nathan's british asian parents to accept her. nathan's parents are fully british, from their accents to their high society standards, and meddy can't help seeing them as the "good" immigrants, the ones who succeeded in their assimilation. i absolutely love that this book sends the message that there is no wrong way to be an immigrant, just like there is more than one diaspora experience. it was really refreshing to relate to a piece of media like this, and i think JQS did a great job of balancing the fine line between stereotype and authenticity.
all of that cultural conflict over a wacky wedding mafia plot and what's essentially a fast-paced action romcom! i loved the staph vs meddy stuff, and my heart broke for the two of them. i was still rooting for them to work it out in the end :( there was still so much plot going on and i enjoyed trying to work it all out as i went, my guesses kept changing bc shit rly do just be happening here LMAO. i did not guess the conspiracy in the end. i'm glad that we got to see nathan and meddy's happy ending, can't believe those two crazy kids got married.
anyway this was super fun loved it but also i hope this is a duology bc i think it's perfect the way it is, i like that it basically full circles back to the first book and i think a third book would spoil it. short of becoming an actual mafia family, a THIRD murder conspiracy would simply be too inconceivable even for this fictional family.
the plot is just as zany and over the top as the first book, except this time meddy's in the spotlight instead of working behind the scenes. i loved getting to spend time with the aunties again, they were the perfect mix of embarrassing and fiercely loyal and also just funny. i liked their petty rivalries and how insane they drove meddy, but what i liked most was meddy coming to terms with their quirks and learning not to be ashamed of them. a lot of this book speaks to the diasporic desire to blend into your surroundings, and part of that desire is the shame you might feel about your elders for not being able to assimilate the way you do. i really loved meddy's conflicted feelings about her aunties in public, and her desire for nathan's british asian parents to accept her. nathan's parents are fully british, from their accents to their high society standards, and meddy can't help seeing them as the "good" immigrants, the ones who succeeded in their assimilation. i absolutely love that this book sends the message that there is no wrong way to be an immigrant, just like there is more than one diaspora experience. it was really refreshing to relate to a piece of media like this, and i think JQS did a great job of balancing the fine line between stereotype and authenticity.
all of that cultural conflict over a wacky wedding mafia plot and what's essentially a fast-paced action romcom! i loved the staph vs meddy stuff, and my heart broke for the two of them. i was still rooting for them to work it out in the end :( there was still so much plot going on and i enjoyed trying to work it all out as i went, my guesses kept changing bc shit rly do just be happening here LMAO. i did not guess the conspiracy in the end. i'm glad that we got to see nathan and meddy's happy ending, can't believe those two crazy kids got married.
anyway this was super fun loved it but also i hope this is a duology bc i think it's perfect the way it is, i like that it basically full circles back to the first book and i think a third book would spoil it. short of becoming an actual mafia family, a THIRD murder conspiracy would simply be too inconceivable even for this fictional family.