Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties #2) by: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery 

Published: March 29, 2022 by: Berkley Books 

Pages: 293 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

Meddy Chan is engaged to her handsome college sweetheart Nathan, and wedding plans are in full swing. Of course, Meddy's meddling aunties and her doting mother have made their opinions on the planning known, especially since Meddy doesn't want the aunties' wedding catering business to cater the wedding, but instead have the aunties just enjoy the day as guests. The aunties propose that Meddy hire another wedding catering company run by a Chinese-Indonesian family just like themselves, and Meddy is immediately charmed by the company's photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself. However, things quickly turn devious when Meddy learns that Staphanie and her family are connected to the mafia, and they intend to use Meddy's wedding day to get some revenge. Soon, the aunties and Meddy become tangled into another criminal mess, all while Meddy tries to keep her big day, and her family, under protection. 

This is the second book in the Aunties series, the first one being Dial A for Aunties, which I absolutely loved. I adored the quirky humour of the book and the fact that Sutanto was able to weave a criminal mystery into a hilarious story of immigrant aunties and their antics. I knew I had to give the second book a try. I was delighted by the setting of a wedding, as I just love wedding-centred books, and the charm from the first book remains. I definitely think this book falls into the category of not outdoing the original, but overall, I found it to be a satisfying accompaniment. 

Like I mentioned before, I thought the setting of this book was fabulous. I thought that the aunties' occupations as wedding vendors in the first book made for a very entertaining story, as wedding settings can prove to be full of chaos, especially when opinionated family members are involved. But this time, the wedding that the aunties are preparing for is Meddy's, and we got to see how each aunty truly wanted Meddy to have the best day ever, even if sometimes their intentions could have been a bit overbearing. Sutanto makes it clear that although the aunties are meant to be a bit embarrassing and quirky, they truly do mean well, and the family dynamics of this book are meant to highlight the eccentrics of aunties in a lot of Asian families, as opposed to readers simply making fun of the aunties. I appreciate the aunties because they remind me a lot of the aunties on my Pakistani side: very much into gossip, heavily opinionated, and a little too obsessed with British culture. Still, I think whether you can relate your aunties to these aunties or not, you will find this story to be deeply joyous. 

I enjoyed getting to learn a bit more about Nathan in this book. We meet him in the first book as an accomplished businessman who has a heart of gold. Nathan and Meddy have such a sweet relationship, and he treats her aunties with so much respect. While the aunties try a little too hard to win over Nathan's British family, he never once disrespects them or pokes fun, he truly sees how much they care about Meddy and that's all that matters to him. I loved Meddy's and Nathan's positive relationship and seeing it flourish in this book was so awesome to read. 

I thought the mafia plot to this book was interesting. Meddy and Staphanie start by really connecting due to their family's similarities, and at first you think that a unique friendship is forming. Of course, very quickly it is revealed that Staphanie's family are into some shady business, and I thought the mystery plot of this book was handled with intense organization and well development, so that no plot holes were left. While it's hard to believe how the aunties could get into such an absurd situation again, part of the charm of this series is the absurdity of it all. It's supposed to be over the top, and I can appreciate that. 

I've read a lot of reviews of people saying that while they enjoyed this book, they didn't feel as wowed by it because the personalities of the aunties is already known at this point. And I could definitely agree. Since I already know the aunties are opinionated and eccentric, it was a bit more difficult to be surprised or engaged with their antics as I was in the first book. I don't know if Sutanto will ever be able to top the entertaining aspect of getting to know the aunties for the first time. While I will definitely read the third book, I wonder if eventually, the personalities of the aunties will wear off simply because I already expect what they're going to do. I suppose I'll have to wait and see. Still, if you have yet to explore the world of Meddy and her aunties, please do so! You won't be disappointed. 

Have you read Four Aunties and a Wedding? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess