Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and loved The Obsession and The New Girl by Jesse Q Sutanto, I had high hopes for Didn’t See That Coming! I really enjoyed the discussion of how women are treated in the gaming world, both as women competing and how women are portrayed in games (oftentimes sexualised). I really loved how Kiki held herself at the end of the book especially after being treated so horribly.

This is the first book I have read by Jesse Sutanto so I didn’t know what to expect. From the description, I thought this would be a sweet teen romance and it is, but actually this book also tackles some important issues faced by teens the world over.
Kiki’s parents move her to a new school which is more “traditional” than her previous one and she is having trouble making friends and accepting the institutionalized sexism and bullying that is so entrenched in this supposedly elite school. I liked her sense of self and her fierce independence but the moments when she struggled and disliked herself were also something we can all identify with.
She is a keen and skilled online gamer, playing under a user name which suggests she is a boy after receiving threats and harassment whilst playing as a girl. The toxic gaming world of misogyny and bullying is mirrored in her real-life experience at her new school. The relationship with her online gaming friend is a genuine and sustaining friendship and when she discovers her online BFF is at her new school, the road to transferring that online friendship to real life is predictably bumpy.
An enjoyable and thought provoking YA romance.

Jesse Sutanto brings her trademark humour and charm to this young adult story, which has the additional bonus of being set in the relatively unusual world of a female gamer. That is not to say that women don't often love gaming, but simply that their interests are not often represented well in fiction.

The setting of the book is also unusual, and allows for some insights to be shared about various aspects of one particular country's version of Asian culture. Asia is an extremely diverse region, so I would advise against characterizing this as an introduction to "Asian culture" as if it is monolithic, as some reviewers tend to.

Despite taking a light hearted and humorous approach to story telling, and using the familiar friends to lovers trope, the book also offers insights into misogyny, bullying and cultural aspects of understanding (or the lack of it). Not to mention, the widespread sexism prevalent in the world of online gaming.

If you are looking for an intelligent, enjoyable and funny YA Romance, look no further. It gets 3.5 stars from me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were likeable and you were rooting for them throughout the book.

An easy but thought-provoking YA read with some great humour, especially from the younger characters. The usual YA sassiness but an underlying seriousness tackling online abuse, misogyny, bullying and class differences. I flew through the book and thoroughly enjoyed it plus I learned about Asian traditions, food and their schooling systems. Kiki is a fantastic character and the way she was gaslighted and started to lose her confidence was brilliantly portrayed but lightly done so as not to ruin the flow of the story. Highly recommended.

This was an interesting book. It tackled some difficult topics including sexism, misogyny, cultural expectations, and bullying and I thought it handled them all really well. The backdrop of the gaming world was also an interesting aspect and seeing the sexism and misogyny both online and in the real world was a nice and realistic touch.

The romance between Kiki and Liam was cute, and the friends to lovers trope was well done throughout the book. The 'You've Got Mail' aspect was also great and I loved reading it!

I did have issues with the pacing of the book, and the direction it went towards the end. The start of the book felt slightly slow, and then there was a storyline towards the end which I didn't particularly like. The actual ending also felt very rushed and I wish we got more of Liam and Kiki.

I love gaming and as a female gamer there's not often respect so I was excited to read this romance book with the theme of a girl gamer

"Dimples appear in his cheeks. He has dimples? How dare he"

In true Jesse Sutanto fashion, i was HOOKED by the end of Chapter 1. i bloody love this author. I loved the Aunties series, i LOVE Vera Wong and now I love this book.

𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
What is there not to love about the cover. it screams Jesse Sutanto. Although the artwork is a bit different to her usual style. Love the colour combo!

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
Gamer Girl, set in Indonesia, bullying, social media, cultural expectations, sexism! Theres a lot going on but it all worked so well together.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
Kiki is the main character and i liked her! shes confident and fun but she really struggled and i loved how that was written. theres a lot of vulnerability in this book.

𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
There is SO MUCH banter in this book. i was chuckling and snorting quite a bit. lots of references that Asians will roll their eyes at and it just feels SO FRESH!

and guess what? right at the end i realised that is the second book, so now i need to go and read the first lol

𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
they said the L word too quick, ew i hate that. i would have preferred not to hear that at all in this type of book. and i was a bit mad at how much Kiki lied, but.... character development?

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲
“That first day I saw you in class, the moment I saw your face . . . I felt like I’d come home.”

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read, acquire, and share this book with readers. It’s so unique to find a book set in the gaming world especially for young women interested in gaming and I’m so excited to share my full thoughts and review here very soon.