REVIEW: Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto: As Meddy’s big day approaches, she knows she is in for something of a wild ride given it opens with her Ma and Aunties choosing eggplant purple bridal dresses fully decked out with Komodo dragon hats, each fascinator somehow a symbol of the Aunty’s personality. Having selected the venue, she is on the hunt for her perfect wedding vendors and as fate would have it, her Ma and Aunties have found just the Chinese-Indo family to make Meddy’s perfect day all the more special.

Having met Staphanie and her family, there are too many similarities to fully appreciate, however, having arrived in Oxford a day before the wedding, Meddy drunkingly overhears Staphanie discussing a hit-out on someone and Meddy knows she is in deep strife when Staph’s family turn out to be the Mafia with the intent of taking out the ‘Queen’ at her wedding.

As both a sequel and a standalone, this romantic comedy will thoroughly entertain from go to wo. Combining quirky dialogue and glib commentary about the extroverted nature of her ma and aunties, it truly is one mishap after the other that sees the Chan family somehow turn a carefully planned wedding into the type of nightmare that every bride would literally die to be part of. Meddy however, remains relatively calm throughout most of the drama and whilst the comedy fo errors unfolds, she manages to excuse her disappearing throughout the wedding day as ‘family issues’ which groom Nathan buys for the most-part – until of course someone literally ends up with cake on their face.

As a light read, this ticked all the boxes but there were many moments that were too exaggerated to really sing home. And whilst the genre isn’t always known for it’s tru-to form believability, this crossed the borders ever-so-slightly a little too often. Having said that, it would shape up to be an entertaining film, and thus, those who love a good laugh and who have absurdly quirky family members whose short-comings are easily overlooked because of love, then this is one to get your hands on.

Book Info:

Publication: 29th Marth 2022 | Berkley Books | Aunties #2

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.