Sutanto, Jesse Q. The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties. New York: Berkley, 2024.
ISBN-13: 978-0593546222 | $18.00 USD | 304 pages | Contemporary
Blurb
What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.
After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.
His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…SEE LESS
Review
3.5 stars
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties brings Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Aunties series to a bonkers finish, and while I can’t say this book was the best thing I’ve ever read (was it even necessary in the grand scheme of things?) it was still a lot of the fun I love about the Aunties, and ended on a fairly solid note, before things got a bit too old (something I cannot say for another series which I previously loved but shall remain nameless, due to the SMP boycott, among other factors).
And the Aunties are definitely the stars of the show, even if they aren’t the POV characters. I loved seeing them in a new/old environment, with the whole family going back to Indonesia for Chinese New Year. This presents an opportunity for fun family dynamics and general chaos, as you’d expect.
The plot took a weird turn this time around, with mislaid gifts getting them mixed up in the business dealings of rival factions in Jakarta. It was odd at times, but sometimes a bit convoluted, but as strange as it all was, I enjoyed seeing all the characters working together and being brought closer.
Meddy as a “protagonist” is perhaps the one weak spot. She kind of always was, but she at least had something to do in the first two books, for the most part, and book one had the most growth for her. She definitely feels a bit less prominent than the Aunties here, although I did somewhat still like her bond with Nathan and her role as a part of the larger family. And while this is the last book of the series, and I can’t imagine the need for more books, I do like that the story ends on a positive note with hope for the future.
This was a charming closer for the series, and while it has its flaws, it’s definitely bittersweet to know it’s over. And while I know there are some others who’ve loved book one who’ve expressed complaints with book two who might find similar flaws with book three, I think will more or less satisfy ride-or-die fans of the series.
Author Bio
Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. She used to game but with two little ones and a husband, she no longer has time for hobbies. She aspires to one day find one (1) hobby.
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