Member Reviews

After a few heavy reads I needed something light and funny, Aunties to the rescue.

You know what you are going to get with these books, chaos, hilarity, heart and wild adventures. The third book and final book did not disappoint with any of these. This time we are in Jakarta for Chinese New Year. The whole family is there, including Meddy and Nathan who are on their way home from their honeymoon. There is lots of food, family and laughter. Until it all goes so very wrong, and they set off on another dangerous but hilarious ride.

This book was everything that I needed. I am sad that the adventures with the Aunties is over, but I will never forget these books.

Thanks to HQ for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on March 28th.

Was this review helpful?

Rated 4.5/5

The writing was light, entertaining and humourous. I was kept entertained from the beginning right through to the end. I never knew what trouble the family would get into next, but it was always fun to read about.

The chapters were long so you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. There were lots of things happening throughout the book, but there was a good pace to the story, making it was easy to read from one situation to the next.

The characters were excellent. I loved the characters in book one and I still loved them in this book. What I particularly liked was how the culture that they were brought up in was highlighted and presented in a humorous light through their interactions with eachother. The culture fuelled their individual personalities and dictated how they interacted with one another. Even though they were constantly at odds with each other, there was an overwhelming feeling of love and loyalty which was nice to read about.

Lastly the settings. I enjoyed being taken round the various mansions in Jakarta. This was however a character focused story, so we didn't spend too long on the settings, just enough to ground and add excitement and suspense to the story.

Overall an enjoyable light read.

Was this review helpful?

Nathan and Meddy are back from their honeymoon but the family have travelled to Jakarta to visit family and to celebrate Chinese New Year. But it won't be long before this happy occasion turns into a wild event full of Mafia bosses and rivalry.

The Aunties are back.
Sutanto gives us another crazy narrative with our well-loved characters.
I loved that I didn't know what could possibly happen next.

I felt the reasons for the conclusion didn't hit the spot, but then again, it makes sense and worse things have been done for a lot less.

Fourth Auntie has to be my favourite and I am sad this is the final novel as I would love to hear from all these characters again, even a spin-off with just Fourth Auntie; I really think she is great.

Overall, another fantastic novel from this author. And I will truly miss these characters.

Was this review helpful?

Dnf
Just couldn’t get into the story, enjoyed the characters though, maybe I’ll try again in the future and enjoy it but at the moment it wasn’t for me I’m sure others would really enjoy it though.

Was this review helpful?

The Good The Bad And The Aunties by Jesse Sutanto
I give this book 4 stars.

It’s Chinese New Year, a time to celebrate…
Meddy and Nathan meet the Aunties in Jakarta for a family celebration.
Suddenly they find themselves in the middle of a feud between Jakarta’s most powerful business moguls – and in great danger. To save her loved ones, Meddy takes on the mission– but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is impossible… just complicated.

This is the final book in the Aunties trilogy and while I will be sad not to catch up with them again,I think it’s the right time to end it.
I absolutely love the entertaining antics along with the chaos and confusion that goes along with Meddy and her extended family as they play sleuths to get themselves out of their latest predicament.These books aren’t meant to be taken seriously but that’s why l enjoy them so much, they provide a much needed escape from reality and never fail to make me laugh.l will forever have a soft spot for the bickering crazy aunties,the unbelievable plots and the incredible family bonds and traditions they live their lives by. Thank you to Jesse Sutanto,Netgalley and HQ for my chance to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

Disappointing compared with Dial A for Aunties. I hadn't realised I had missed the second in the series, but that didn't matter. Although the book is meant to be humorous and a bit farcical, this was a step too far. The plot was very thin and unbelievable. The constant arguing of the aunties became boring. I'm glad Sutanto has made this the last in the series. I do, however, look forward to her next book as I did enjoy Dial A for Aunties. You could say this was An Aunt Too Far.

Was this review helpful?

Shenanigans Begin Again…
The third outing (and it seems, the final) in the Aunties series and another quirky, fun fuelled and chaotic instalment as Chinese New Year dawns and the celebrations begin. What could possibly go wrong when the Aunties congregate with family and friends in Jakarta? Well, as it transpires, everything. Let the shenanigans begin! The author clearly hit on a winning formula with this series featuring an eclectic, warm and eccentric cast and madcap, frothy plots. They hit the spot for entertaining and engaging reads with buckets of humour and warmth along the way. Very enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

The Aunties are back with their third and final installment in the series.

The gang along with Meddy and Nathan of course, who had just returned from their honeymoon are set for a family trip to Jakarta in order to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended family.

Of course a trip like that couldn't go without a hitch and soon enough they find themselves involved in feud among three very powerful and not very legal bussinepeople.

I found the plot very similar to the previous books, the characters all acted exactly like they did in the previous book, I hoped they would have learned from their past adventures and be more careful but alas that wasn't the case.

If you enjoyed the previous Aunties antics and wanted it one more exactly like that you will probably still enjoy this book.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

The final book in 'The Aunties' series and if you've enjoyed the previous two I've no doubt you'll love this one too!
Filled with shenanigans, chaos and fierce family love this is a fun fast paced story that continues to build on the characters and their personalities.
One of my favourite things about this book in particular was the way Nathan became more of a key character who had agency and was clearly cementing himself as a family member. It was good to see him get involved a bit more!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book

Was this review helpful?

The Aunties are back again and after just how bonkers they were in book 2, I didn't think I'd be returning any time soon. But like any Asian family, you just can't stay away from them for too long. So it only felt natural to read the final installment in the Aunties saga.

'The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties' made me realise just how much I've missed the Aunties. And I know, who would have thought I'd missed reading about 4 Asian aunties? But I do. This book centered around the Lunar New Year and Jakara felt more of a natural step for the series compared to book 2 which was out of this world bizarre. Though the story felt similar to its predecessors, I don't think that's what really makes the readers return time and time again. It's the characters that make this series a success. The warmth from the Aunties scolding you even though you know they really love you. The sweet relationship between Meddy and Nathan. And to top it all off, the hilarity of the absolutely bonkers situations and just how the aunties manage to make it through. That's what it's all about.

Overall, I've loved the Aunties. Book 1 really took me by surprised and this finale was just brilliant.

Was this review helpful?

Meddy and the aunties are back for another fun filled, action packed adventure. Absolutely adored this book as much as the other 2. Never fails to make me laugh and it’s the lighthearted read I was looking for.

Was this review helpful?

Hilarious!!! I laughed out loud so much, this is book number 3 of the series and they seem to be getting funnier and funnier!
I was so happy to be reunited with Meddy and Nathan, but most of all Ma and the Aunties!
Get ready for more drama, more fun and more adventures as the gang once again crosses dangerous people!

Was this review helpful?

This book was so bittersweet for me because I love the aunties series so much and knowing that this book is the last in the series makes me so sad but I loved the way that this book wrapped up the series.
This series just continues to get crazier and more over the top and unrealistic in every book and it is why I adore this series so much! I love how I never really knew where the plot was going to go and I loved being on the wild journey that this book took me on.
Once again, these characters had me laughing out loud at some of the things that they said and did. I couldn't help but fall in love with every single one of the aunties and Meddy and Nathan all over again whilst reading this book.
I love Jesse Sutanto's writing and I love how easy it is to fall into this story and fly through the book because I just did not want to put it down and had to know what was going to happen next.
I am so upset that this series is over but I cannot wait for the next Jesse Sutanto book and to see what she is going to write next. I will miss having a new aunties book to look forward to every year though.

Was this review helpful?

She’s done it again; another can’t put it down, laugh out loud, action novel, starring our favourite family. Our favourite characters are back with another hilarious, oh no we’ve gone and accidentally gotten involved with criminal acts again, romp. This time they’re in Jakarta, and suspected mob bosses are involved. The story is very fast-paced, so you can’t put it down, and yet still retains all the hilarity and touching family scenes that were used to with other novels in the series. The only disappointment is that apparently this is the last book in the series, so here’s hoping the author starts a new one we can get behind, as I’ve absolutely loved following the family’s antics in this series

Was this review helpful?

Meddy and Nathan are finishing off their honeymoon by heading to Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with Meddy’s extended family. When an old flame of Second Aunt turns up, he tries to impress her by handing out generous red packet gifts at the celebration. Except one of those red packets wasn’t intended for them, and Meddy finds herself in the midst of a bitter rivalry between some of Jakarta’s biggest business owners. Or are they gangsters?

With each book of Jesse Sutanto’s that I pick up, I hope it is going to make me laugh out loud as much as Dial A for Aunties did, but none have come close. I’d say The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties is fun rather than funny.

It was great to see Meddy’s family return to their roots in Jakarta, and witness their Chinese New Year celebrations. I thought maybe the premise would be them running round Jakarta, trying to locate the missing red packet, but alas, they find it pretty quickly and then things go downhill.

Abi, Julia Child, and Kristofer are just not convincing as the people they’re meant to be. If you believe them, they are high-flying business owners, or if you side with Meddy, they’re gang leaders. Instead they act a bit like children. People who kidnap people, aren’t nice people, even in a comedy they should have been a bit edgier. However they aren’t particularly developed as characters at all.

This is the end of the Aunties, and it’s probably the right decision, as it feels like she’s struggling to come up with plots for them, or didn’t want to put them in the way of any real harm.

It was a quick and easy read, of course, and if you already love the Aunties and don’t mind a bit of silliness, it’s worth your time to finish their story.

Was this review helpful?

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗗, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦
—𝗷𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼 | 𝟰.𝟮𝟱🌟

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵—𝘐 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘻𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.”
𝘔𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮. “𝘐𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘺𝘢? 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘺—” 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨. “𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.”
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?” 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘺.”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲:
✨Cosy thriller
✨Absolutely hilarious
✨Blend of humour and Chinese-Indonesian culture
✨The Aunties are the best characters ever

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:
A large family celebration for the Chinese New Year held in Jakarta turns into a disastrous debacle as Meddy, Nathan, and the Aunties find themselves in the crossfire between three triad leaders.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝! I am 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗱 it’s come to an end but sincerely hope that Jesse Sutanto uses this end to continue with creating more 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨 books!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘥, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 is a 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 and 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 which is 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺, 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, and yet is also such a 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿. This was such a 𝗳𝘂𝗻 and 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱, I will miss the characters of the 𝘈𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 so much, the dynamic that JS created between them was 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 for my 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 and this is a series that I know I will 𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

In this installment, the 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 of 𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲-𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 continues, although readers are transported to Indonesia this time; 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀, 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 I felt like I learnt lots about the culture whilst enjoying myself immensely.

The 𝘈𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 series is so 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 but I love them particularly for that reason. They are the 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗼𝘁𝗲 to 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 and provide an 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗺 from the severity of daily stressors. This installment is no different; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆. Full of interfering Aunties telling you what to do.

𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 | 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆

Was this review helpful?

A good way to get through life is to avoid gangsters. Meddy Chan knows this, but when her aunties are in trouble she has no choice but to get involved, even though she know it will all end in chaos. How does she know this? Because, where the Aunties are concerned, it always end in chaos. Newly weds Meddy and Nathan are visiting their extended family in Jakarta for Chinese New Year, a complex and ritualised holiday. One of the rituals is the distribution of Red Envelopes containing gifts, usually money, to all of the children. In Meddy’s family there are hundreds of people involved. This year, however, there is an extra donor in the form of Abi, Second Auntie’s old flame who hopes to rekindle the relationship and who happens to be the Head of one of the three biggest cartels in Indonesia. He is absolutely one hundred percent not a gangster, certainly not a Triad leader, just an ordinary business man. Unfortunately, due to a mix up with the Red Envelopes a gift that Abi intended for the Head of one of the other cartels, goes astray and as a result the Head of the third cartel gets dragged in. With disastrous consequences which drags them all into a conflict which only Meddy and the Aunties can resolve.
This is the third and final part of the “Aunties” saga, but it can be read as a standalone. The Aunties are an eccentric bunch, constantly bickering and offering advice, but always from a position of mutual love and with the best intentions. This story follows a very similar structure to the previous one, not a problem because the plot per se is different. The characters are believable and relatable although the plot is quite unbelievable, and the actions are illogical, comedic and slapstick. This format has a limited life span, because it becomes repetitive and self-referential, so it is wise of the author to decide that three is enough.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Was this review helpful?

Iv gave the rest of the series 5 stars I absolutely loved them and read them within a couple of hours however this one just did not hit. It felt a bit more drawn out, a bit too unrealistic (which i never minded in the rest of the series) just felt this book could have gone with a different storyline. As usual though the characters are amazing!

Was this review helpful?

Dial A for Aunties is in my top 10 books so any Aunties book I am super excited to pick up and get into. The second Aunties book didn't knock my socks off so I was hopeful I'd really enjoy this one. The first 50% I was hooked and loving this last part of the series, and the second 50% fell a little short of the excitement of the first half. I must say though I still really enjoyed this read and the Aunties never fail to make me laugh out loud. This was a great goodbye to Meddy and the Aunties.

Was this review helpful?

If you want a thrilling read then this a definitely one for you! It’s funny and serious such a delightful read.

Was this review helpful?