Dial A for Aunties by Jesse G. Sutanto

 

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Well, i spent some time this weekend creating an impromptu video where I talked about a whole lot (no shelf control, folks) of books I wanted to read for the summer. However, it was too darn long to load into a post and I finally gave up posting it on Facebook after what felt like a zillion tries. 

So, I'm a bit late posting and I'm going to try another, shorter video and get that up Friday. 

Meanwhile, I have been reading a few books, and I finally finished this novel that's a bit romance, a bit screwball comedy, and well, a slight murder mystery. 

Meddelin Chan has three aunts and a mom who run a successful wedding company. They do it all: flowers, cake, makeup & hair, and Meddy is the photographer. Their biggest wedding is coming up: two wealthy families joining together on a posh island hotel resort. It's huge for Meddy and her family, and they can't screw it up. 

Meddy's mother sets her up on a blind date, and things go terribly, terribly wrong. As in dead body wrong the morning they are to leave for the wedding. What's a girl to do? Call her aunts! And what's wonderful about Meddy's aunts and her mom is that they believe her without question, and throw themselves into solving the pickle Meddy has created (accidentally). 

At the hotel resort, Meddy runs into Nathan, now part-owner of the luxury hotel. He is Meddy's true love, and she broke up with him in college because she couldn't leave her family in California. The heat is still there between the two, and Nathan makes it clear he's missed Meddy and still has feelings for her. Now, to just explain about the dead body in the cooler...

It really is a screwball comedy in that we have a group of women preparing for a major wedding, dragging a cooler around with a body in it-trying to hide it but constantly being interrupted and having to change course. Toss in a developing second plot involving the maid of honor, theft, and a whole fleet of really, really hungover groomsmen, and this wedding will take a miracle to pull off! 

I wasn't sure what to expect and actually enjoyed this novel very much. I wouldn't say it's a mystery, nor a straight romance, either. Kind of a little bit of both, with plenty of Chinese-Indonesian culture and family dynamics. Will Meddy have a happy ending? Happy news! This novel has been optioned for a Netflix movie!

Rating: 3/6 for a fun read about a wedding where everything that can go wrong, goes wrong-and how having a meddling ma in your romantic life can lead to a really, really bad blind date. Enjoyable, full of loveable characters and a demonstration of what families will do for each other in times of crisis. 

Available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio, and ebook. 

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Dial A for Aunties by Jesse G. Sutanto

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Whenever I look through the children's and YA fiction sections at my local bookstore, I find myself having a hard time not buying one of everything. I have to remind myself that I didn't win the lottery, and I have to pay my bills and buy food. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'd be spending a big chunk of change on books. Yes, I do use my library, but I also (as I've said before) buy books every month week. I bought Ghost last year and it sat on my shelf until this month. One of my book groups will be discussing it next week. I love reading a book for a group discussion and  ticking it off my backlist reading challenge. 

Ghost is a quick read, and I quickly became a fan of Jason Reynolds. Ghost is a young boy named Castle Cranshaw, and he can run. He found that out one night when his father, drinking heavily, tried to shoot Ghost and his mother. They fled and his father went to jail. Now Ghost and his mom have a new normal, and that new normal is tough for Ghost. He's bullied at school for pretty much everything: how he looks, what he wears (his mom buys clothes bigger so he can grow into them), what he eats (french fries at lunch so he has money to buy sunflower seeds after school). He doesn't really have any close friends, and feels isolated. Until one day he sees some kids practicing at a track, and his life takes a big turn. 

Ghost's life doesn't automatically become better just because he's given a chance to be part of a track team. He still struggles between doing what's right and doing what's wrong, and not letting his emotions and frustration guide his choices. Coach is tough on Ghost, but that's what Ghost needs. His mom is hard working and striving to make life better for both of them, but that leaves Ghost alone all week and he's very conscious of not creating extra demands on his mom. All of this is bundled up inside Ghost, who runs to find relief and escape. 

You get quickly invested in Ghost, and will find yourself cheering him on. He's a good kid who reacts and hasn't yet learned how to deal with frustration and anger. Yes, your typical teen. We've all been there, right? But Ghost has a whole lot of difficult emotions to work through and a whole lot of stereotypes to deal with as well. 

Ghost is the first in The Track Series. I was excited to see this, and plan on reading about all of the track team members. I'm sure their stories will be just as compelling as Ghost's story. There are discussion questions at the back of the book for book groups--I'm sure my group will have some interesting things to say about Ghost. 

Rating:  4/6 for a compelling story about one young man's choices, working through emotional turmoil, finding a positive outlet and believing in yourself. 

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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Ghost by Jason Reynolds