DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING

Nothing can dim the light of the “Fabulous and Marvelous Kiki Siregar.”

Nothing except maybe the atmosphere at the super-conservative Xingfa School, which her parents have made her transfer to from more the progressive Mingyang High, where she “wasn’t even considered one of the more outspoken pupils.” Seventeen-year-old Jakarta resident Kiki is optimistic that she can shine at her new school if she stays true to herself. But in just the first few days at Xingfa, she’s patronized by Jonas Arifin, a popular, wealthy, and misogynistic classmate; goes viral on TikTok as #CrazyKiki in an embarrassing video in which she’s wearing her school uniform; and is admonished by the principal after standing up for herself against golden boy Jonas. Fortunately, Kiki finds solace in online gaming, most notably in Warfront Heroes, which she plays under the screen name Dudebro10 to avoid harassment from male gamers. She confides in Sourdawg, her “adorkable” online friend, about her school troubles—but later realizes that he’s actually her kind classmate Liam Ng, whom she does not want to lose as a friend (or possibly something more). From Kiki’s irrepressible self-confidence to Jonas’ seemingly delusional attraction to her, the story is a parody of gender disparities in a school setting that occasionally leans more into caricature. Readers may find Kiki to be a refreshing lead and the hijinks entertaining, although the teenspeak feels artificial at times. The cast is mainly Chinese Indonesian.

Rollicking, if somewhat over-the-top, fun.