Well, That Was Unexpected

Product Information

Well, That Was Unexpected is a multicultural rom com that delivers heart-warming, laugh-out-loud moments. Sharlot "Who knows why these English names are not spelled the way they sound?" is caught by her mum in a compromising situation with a boyfriend and is promptly whisked away to Indonesia, her mother's birthplace. Meanwhile, George Clooney Tanuwijaya, son of the most famous family in Indonesia, is caught having some "alone time" as his dad and younger sister walk in on him. They decide that he needs a real life, "nice" girlfriend and turn to a dating app to find him one. Sharlot and George are catfished by their own parents as Sharlot's mum sets up a fake profile for Sharlot and George's dad and sister begin messaging her. Neither parent has represented their teenager accurately, both portraying them as they would like them to be seen. So, when Sharlot and George meet for their first fake date, they aren't quite what each other was expecting! To keep up the Tanuwijaya family reputation Sharlot is whisked off to Bali where she gets swept up in a highly publicised 'romance'. As George and Sharlot are expected to spend more time together, will they fall in love for real? Well, That Was Unexpected is suitable for the 14+ reader due to the fact that the book does contain some offensive language, sexual content and the use of offensive text speak. Which in my opinion is a shame as the book would have been great for book/intervention groups due to the wonderful world-building and excellent writing skills from the author. Reading Bali through Sharlot’s eyes was a dream come true for me. Here’s a girl who’s never been to her mom’s home country and is being slowly awakened to the cultural richness of her heritage. I love it so much.

If you’ve read any books by Jesse Q. Sutanto, you already know that her books start out with hilariously crazy situations and have lovable characters. Well, That Was Unexpected is about Sharlot (our mc) who is caught by her mother in an unideal situation. After her mother catches her trying to hook up with her boyfriend, in their California home, she is moved to their native Indonesia for the summer. In Indonesia, George is caught in his own mortifying situation by his father; I mean, he’s a teenage boy so we can’t really judge him for that little mishap. I did almost die of second-hand embarrassment on behalf of the two teenagers. A delightful, hilarious, captivating love letter to Indonesia, and coming of age in a large meddlesome family, and the thrill of finding your person where you least expect it!"—Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis That moment was everything to me. I never thought I would read a book where the main characters spoke my language and wore batik clothes.

BookBliss

this book did an amazing job in depicting asian family relationships and societal expectations. and if you're looking for a laugh out loud romcom with a lot of family drama, this one's for you!

Adelightful,hilarious,captivatinglove letter to Indonesia, and coming of age in a large meddlesome family, and the thrill of finding your person where you least expect it!”–Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour for choosing me as one of the participants in the #WellThatWasUnexpected tour. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. After Sharlot Citra's mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It'll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.First of all, Sharlot as a protagonist was absolute perfection. I loved her personality, I loved her narration style, and I loved how damn ready she was to tell people her opinions. She was a total queen and she managed to own the whole situation (aka all of the plot line) so readily. I am in awe. When George and Sharlot actually start to enjoy each other’s company they both have a huge secret pending because of their parents’ meddling. sharlot is the daughter of a single mom who left indonesia years ago when she got pregnant with her and george is the only male heir of his family's dynasty. I open my eyes again and find that George has taken us off the main road and we’re now on a small road that goes alongside the cliffs overlooking a pristine beach. Wow. This time, my entire body relaxes. It’s impossible not to when I’m presented with this incredible view - the fine sand so yellow it looks like something a child might have drawn, the water a deep sapphire, all the robust tropical jungle around us. So different from the beaches of California. So much more untamed and magical.”

And, one my fave parts of the story: INDONESIA. So: Sharlot grew up in the US, and she doesn't know much about her mother's culture. On top of that she's half white, half Asian: she feels at home nowhere, and often struggles to fit into her loving (but filterless) family. Over the course of the book, her relationship with Chinese Indonesian culture deepens. It’s complicated and layered and something Sharlot is very much growing into-and we, the readers, get to be right with her. So while Sharlot learns more about the history of Indonesia, Dutch colonization, Chinese Indonesian society and customs, and many other things, so do we. We get to experience Jakarta both from Sharlot and George’s point of view, and it's fantastic and unique. Yes, I am ready to visit. George and Sharlot are both caught in embarrassing moments by their parents. Their parents have similar reactions, they both think their teenager needs better influences. That said, I loved the other elements so much that I really want to see what this author does next.After Sharlot Citra's mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother's native Indonesia. It'll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks. Thank you so much to Random House Children's for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Sharlot doesn’t know much about her Indonesian culture and doesn’t feel like she fully fits in anywhere. George is the only male heir in the famous Tanuwijayan family. He feels pressure to do things perfectly for his family and join their business. Set in beautiful Indonesia: Sharlot and George meet, discover new parts of themselves, and learn amazing lessons surrounded by the love of their meddlesome (but well-meaning) family members. whilenobody dies in ‘well that was unexpected’ like they do in ‘dial a for aunties’, jessie sutanto breathes life into indonesia like she has been been waiting to do so her entire life. if you haven’t been, you’ll walk out of this book feeling like you have. if you have been, it’ll feel like greeting family again.