Well, That Was Unexpected

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Okay. WELL, THAT WAS UNEXPECTED. An utter delight of a romcom. To give you an idea of how amazing this book is: it opens in California with Sharlot (our main character) being caught by her mom while she's trying to lose her virginity. At the same time, in Indonesia, George Clooney (our love interest) is caught by his dad and sister (Eleanor Roosevelt; she's my fave) while beating the snake to elf/budger porn. (Okay, that’s technically not true, I’m so sorry for slandering you this way George.) spending time together, sharlot explores and falls in love with indonesia while slowly realizing that she's getting feelings for the boy who's very different from the online persona. and vice versa with george. both conflicted with their feeling for the person on front of them and the online personality that their parents had created. For example, Sharlot's fake hobbies include cooking strong bone broth and hopefully one day being a good wife, while George's hobbies include math and someday taking over the family empire. 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. George Clooney Tanuwijaya is the son of one of the wealthiest families in Indonesia. His father insists that he settle down soon and find a wife.

As the teens are forced to continue the charade for a number of different reasons, they begin to get to know one other on their own terms. 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! So: word of George's furry proclivities (I swear he's being framed guys) spread, and George’s dad/sister decide to find George a non-furry girlfriend so that his (AMAZING) Eight Aunt will stop believing that he’s into bestiality (have I mentioned that this book is HILARIOUS? I was dying). At the same time, Sharlot’s mother decides that Sharlot should spend the summer in their native Indonesia so as to, you know, not lose her virginity. Since Sharlot is not exactly happy to be away from California, though, her mom decides to find a good Indonesia-based boyfriend for her daughter, so she won’t hate being there.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? This is definitely my favorite Romantic Comedy of the year and in fact, is one of my favorites ever. I have now read Jesse Q. Sutanto’s writing in three (3) different genres, so let me make something very clear: I will follow her into the very fires of Mordor. What is she publishing next? Children's literature? Middle grade? Graphic novel? I am reading it. A cookie recipe? I'm ALSO reading it. The phone book? I'm reading that too. Is she doodling on a roll of toiler paper while she's on the phone? TAKE MY MONEY because I'm buying it. Seriously, this author's talent is so multifaceted and boundless, I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next.

this book was hilarious from the get go and i was hooked from the beginning to end. i ended up reading this in just a day!So, this book is masterful bc it has sooo many tropes layered one over the other. Because Sharlot and George end up going on vacay together to Bali and fake dating, but they also make some big assumptions on the other based on their first online interactions (which, let us remember, were basically parent-catfishing.) So there is a touch of enemies to lovers there, and ooooh, the flavor. Not to mention that George is part of a very rich Chinese Indonesian family so THE TABLOIDS are after them, and... it's a mess. The most perfect mess. Guys, I fell hard for this book. You know what wasn’t unexpected? Me falling in love with everything about this book. The characters, the romance, and the setting especially. And the plot. Oh my God, the plot. This was a wild ride of a romance and a disaster and Indonesia all rolled up in one beautiful cover. Fake dating for the media? Billionaire love interest? Travel romance? Catfishing? Mutual pining paired with deception? Guys, the PINING. As for the characters themselves, bleh. Sharlot in particular seemed almost like a parody of herself, at one moment blushing and stuttering with George but constantly bursting out with frustrated feminist declarations. Hardly any character traits or development showed up beyond these showy statements. I have almost nothing to say about George because he had no characteristics beyond "Hey, I'm a nice hot guy!" 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.