Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is accidentally shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for their family wedding business—“Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream cake flowers.
But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?
A masterpiece. A tear-jerking, knee-slapping, and heart-wrenching masterpiece.
I picked up this book with three things in mind: 1) pretty cover 2) Asian aunties 3) murder comedy. The book went beyond all my expectations and left me yearning for more stories about Meddy and her meddling Asian aunties. Dial A for Aunties is an ingenious book that packs so much love for big, chaotic Asian families. The book had me on my seat the entire time as each chapter jerks through the rollercoaster and not allowing me to sleep until I finally finished. This is one of the best books that I’ve read this year and an instant 2021 favorite.
Dial A for Aunties follows Meddelin Chan, or Meddy, as she navigates a wedding weekend as the wedding photographer for her family’s wedding business. But an unfortunate murder by Meddy calls for an assembling of the #AsianAuntiesProtectionSquad lead by Big Aunt and thus ensues the most comedic banter that I’ve ever read. Seriously, Sutanto’s banter are so good that I will read anything that she puts out. Aside from dealing with the body, Meddy must figure out what she wants with the ex boyfriend that she’s completely head-over-heels for. Which means a lot of delicious tensions between the two and extremely hilarious aunties playing the cupid.
The most heartwarming thing about Dial A for Aunties is the familial aspect—I miss my own aunties now! I heavily appreciate the way Sutanto writes the Chans and Meddy’s reckoning with her own guilt and place within her family. Our Meddy is also an extremely relatable MC as she voices both her frustrations and adoration for her aunties, along with the expectations that come with growing up (especially female) in an Asian household. For those who have big and loud immigrant families, this book is for you. Dial A for Aunties acknowledges the filial expectations of immigrant kids but also celebrates the love and sacrifices of these obnoxiously loving families. I love this book so much and will definitely be rereading soon!
allegory of words. 
i loved this one so much too!!
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