Didn’t See That Coming is an adorable YA from Jesse Q. Sutanto

Normally, there aren’t many YA books I’ll pick up but one by Jesse Q. Sutanto is enough to make me want to pick it up. That’s why I had to feature Didn’t See That Coming.

If you’ve read this author before, she’s so compulsively readable. You might recognize her from her Dial A For Aunties series, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers or her YA works including Well That Was Unexpected or The Obsession.

As you can see, she’s a bit all over the map when it comes to writing. That’s why seeing her write a rom-com was so shocking yet I was immediately intrigued by it so I’d like to thank Delacorte Press for sending me an ARC to read early.

If you’re a gamer girl or have a young gamer in your life, then I think you can’t go wrong in gifting them a copy of Didn’t See That Coming.

Didn’t See That Coming is a fresh and feminist take on You’ve Got Mail.

The story begins with Kiki who is a 17-year-old gamer who is obsessed with a game called Warfront Heroes. Due to the online harassment, she pretends to be a guy and has an online friend called SourDawg. She’s become incredibly close friends with him but hasn’t revealed the truth to him yet.

However, things get even more complicated when Kiki goes to a new school and is bullied from the start. She’s targeted by Jonas who is the most popular guy in school and she ends up being seated by Liam. Liam is sweet and quiet but it’s clear the two have a connection. Of course, we find out quickly why they feel so comfortable with each other.

I won’t get too deep into the plot but Didn’t See That Coming ends up being a lot more about sexism and bullying as Kiki is dealing with so much. She’s dealing with a new school where she truly can have no personality, being bullied, and being pushed around for standing up for what she believes in. It’s frankly hard to read at times and it felt almost too real.

Regardless, Kiki doesn’t let it break her down too much and she ends up taking the power back in her own way. Ultimately, it’s as much a coming-of-age story as it is a romance. I think that if you’re looking for a gamer romance, you won’t be disappointed in this one. Plus I do think it was so interesting to see how everything played out in the third act of the story.

While this is different from the other Jesse Q. Sutanto books I’ve read, it still has her addicting writing style and plenty of fun moments in here. If you’re looking for something new from this author or want something a little more serious from her, then I think you’ll enjoy Didn’t See That Coming.

Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto is out where books are sold.

Will you be picking up the latest YA release from Jesse Q. Sutanto?