Jesse Q. Sutanto Books In Order

Publication Order of Aunties Books

Publication Order of The Obsession Books

Publication Order of Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit Books

Publication Order of Vera Wong Books

Publication Order of Well, That Was Unexpected Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Busybodies Collection Books

Jesse Q. Sutanto
Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Singapore and Jakarta and considers both places to be her homes. She was fortunate enough to do her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, which is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the entire world.

She lives in Jakarata on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties.

When she is not busy ripping her hair out over her current WIP, she spends time playing FPS games and baking. Oh, and being a mom to her two children.

Jesse is passionate about diversity in publishing and women’s rights. She regularly does giveaways where she will critique queries or the first few pages, and she is particularly interested in helping out writers from marginalized communities.

Jesse is able to write so much because of caffeine, lack of hobbies, and lack of a social life. But it’s also because she’s learned how to write pretty fast, so she writes 2,000 words each weekday, and that amounts to quite a few words over time.

“Dial A for Aunties” is the first novel in the “Aunties” series and was released in 2021. What happens when you mix an accidental murder with two thousand wedding guests, and then throw in a potential curse on three generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family? You get four meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

Meddelin Chan winds up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mom calls for her even more meddlesome aunts to help her dispose of the body. Unfortunately, a corpse proves to be much more of a challenge to get rid of than one may anticipate, particularly when it’s inadvertently shipped off to some cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding that Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline.

It is the largest job to date for the family wedding business: “Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!” And there is absolutely nothing, not even some unsavory corpse, is going to get in the way of her aunt’s perfect buttercream flowers.

However things go from inconvenient to absolutely torturous when Maddy’s big college love, and largest heartbreak, makes a surprise appearance amid all this wedding chaos. Could it be possible to charm her ex back in her life, escape from murder charges, and pull off such a stunning wedding in just one weekend?

“Four Aunties and a Wedding” is the second novel in the “Aunties” series and was released in 2022. Meddy Chan has been to numerous weddings, however she never imagined for a second how her own would go. Now the day has come, and she cannot wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Rather than have Ma and the aunts cater the wedding, she wants them to just enjoy the day as her guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: this Chinese-Indonesian family-run company that’s just like theirs. Meddy is pretty reluctant at first, however hits it off immediately with Staphanie, a wedding photographer, who reminds her of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy knows that is where their similarities stop, though, when she eavesdrops and hears Staphanie talking about taking out some target. Meddy, horrified, cannot believe that Staphanie and her family are not exactly like her own family, they are The Family, real Mafia, and they are using Meddy’s wedding as an opportunity to conduct their shady business. Her aunts and mom will not allow Meddy’s wedding ceremony to turn into a murder scene, over their dead bodies, and are willing to do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if this means taking the Mafia on.

The aunties have returned, much fiercer than ever and are prepared to handle any catastrophe, even the Mafia.

“The Obsession” is the first stand alone novel and was released in 2021. No one knows Delilah quite like Logan does. No one. And Logan knows this for a fact, since he spends all of his free time watching her through her window and looking through her social media profiles. Some may refer to him as a stalker, however Logan prefers to be called “romantic”. They are simply meant to be together, but he just needs to wait for that perfect moment to sweep her right off her feet.

Except, during one of his watching (okay, spying) sessions, he sees her kill her abusive stepdad. His perfect and sweet Delilah is not all that perfect after all. However that is okay, Logan is not unrealistic. Everyone has their flaws. And just as long as Delilah understands that they are meant to be, everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be utterly and totally perfect. And if she doesn’t, well then. Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy, right?

“Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit” is the first novel in the “Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit” series and was released in 2022. A Chinese-American boy inherits a grieving fox spirit and has to learn to embrace his heritage in order to solve the mystery of his brother’s death.

Theo Tan does not want some spirit companion. He only wants to be a normal American child, going to conventions, playing video games, and using cirth pendants to cast spells just like everybody else. However when his big brother dies, Theo winds up inheriting Kai, Jamie’s fox spirit.

And Kai’s not happy about any of this either. Theo’s nothing at all like Jamie was, and the two of them haven’t ever gotten along. However once they realize that the mysterious journal that Jamie left to Theo is chock full of secret codes and clues, it is obvious that something strange was happening with Jamie’s internship at Reapling Corp.

However the only way to get onto the campus is the super competitive “Know Your Roots” summer camp program, which is a celebration of Indian and Chinese cultures that is designed to help connect students with their heritage. Kai and Theo are going to need to set their differences aside just long enough to honor Jamie’s final wishes, or the mystery that he died for is going to remain unsolved for good.

About Jesse Q. Sutanto

As an author of Young Adult literature, Jesse Q. Sutanto is a widely regarded writer who’s come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Making a name for herself, she’s really pushed her books to the forefront of her genre, with her bold and invigorating style and approach. This has led many readers around the world to sing her many praises, as she’s found success with an international audience. Creating a style and a brand, she really understands the reader, allowing her to become an internationally recognized household name.

Telling her story from her perspective, she’s both fresh and exciting in how she’s established her own style and niche. This is what has resonated with readers so well, allowing her to become hugely versatile, adapting to many different styles and tones. With her own unique voice at the heart of it all though, she’s definitely made it all very much her own, with her now trademark wit and intelligence. Progressive and funny, her books are extremely clever and highly entertaining, making for stories that really stand-out from the rest.

Coming a long way in a relatively short amount of time, she’s made sure that her books really leave an imprint upon the reader. This with her well crafted characters too ensures that her books will stand the test of time for many years to come. Maintaining a presence both online and off, she engages with her many fans on a regular basis too, always with a new exciting project in the pipeline. With plenty more novels and stories to come yet, she’s a writer who will carry on for a long time to follow, with lots more on the horizon.

Early and Personal Life

Growing up between Jakarta and Singapore, Jesse Q. Sutanto would grow up with a keen interest in both reading and writing from an early age. During this time she would continue to develop her voice, creating both a style and a tone that was very much her own. Getting her Master’s Degree from Oxford University in creative writing, she would study to a high-level, all the continuing to write regularly.

Always searching for her next big idea, she would continually be hunting for inspiration for her next novel. Putting everything into her work, she would use her own experiences to inspire her and her writing, ultimately making a name for herself. Raising a family from her home in Jakarta, she continues to write to this present day, and there’s plenty more to follow.

Writing Career

Starting out in 2021, Jesse Q. Sutanto would begin her literary career with ‘The Obsession,’ introducing her as an author for the first time. In 2021 she would quickly follow up her first novel with her second book ‘Dial A for Aunties’ and this would go on to become enormously successful. Not long after its release there would be a bidding war to the rights for it, with Netflix winning the rights to adapt it for film.

Later in 2022 she would go on to write her third novel ‘Four Aunties and a Wedding,’ which would be a cozy mystery novel this time. Using her own family for inspiration a lot of the time, she would create stories that felt wholly real and genuine upon the page. Gaining numerous awards for her work, she maintains a strong presence both online as well as off, reaching readers from all over.

Dial A for Aunties

First published in 2021 on the 27th of April, this would initially come out through the Berkley publishing label to much acclaim. Working completely as a stand-alone book, it’s very much its own thing in a self-contained narrative with its own arcs. Set on the California coastline, it’s relevant to Sutanto’s own life, using characters based on characters from her family, although it uses an entirely fictional premise.

Combining several different genres, there’s a lot of humor here, with it being absolutely hilarious in some places. With elements of drama too, it’s a fun ride all the way, with strong characters at the heart of it ultimately driving the story. The setting is great as well, making the most of everything, from the location to the premise, in a book that is well paced and highly compelling.

During a blind date gone wrong, Meddelin ‘Meddy’ Chan ends up inadvertently killing her date, which leads her to seek the help of her aunties in covering up the accident. That’s when, in attempting to hide the body, it’s accidentally shipped in a cake to the island wedding of a billionaire one of her aunties is working upon. With this being one of their biggest weddings to date, it could potentially ruin the entire family wedding business if discovered. Not only that, but the once great college love of Meddy returns, and everything is turned upside down in ‘Dial A For Aunties.’

The Obsession

Written originally in 2021 on the 2nd of February, this would first be published through the ‘Sourcebooks Fire’ publishing label. Setting up a new series of novels of the same name too, it’s Young Adult with elements of thriller and mystery about it. Telling a self-contained story, it’s easy to pick up, while it does potentially pave the way for more to follow in the future.

While this is Young Adult fiction, there are some fairly dark themes and ideas here present throughout the story. There’s definitely a lot driving this novel, propelling it forwards through it murky subject matter towards its finale. It’s definitely a book that will leave a strong impression, on the reader too, as both the characters and the story are well established every step of the way.

Stalking Delilah through her social-media and with cameras on her house, Logan feels that he’s being ‘romantic’ in a twisted sense. That’s when he sees her kill her abusive step-father leading him to believe that he might not know everything he thought he knew about her. Now she seems tainted in his eyes, despite the fact she feels completely free, and Logan decides he’s going to keep this over her. A character in his otherwise sick fantasy, she aims to make him forget about her in an way she possibly can in ‘The Obsession.’