WELL, THAT WAS UNEXPECTED

Southern California high school junior Sharlot Citra had everything planned out for her first time.

What she did not plan for was her mom walking in on her and her boyfriend. Meanwhile in Jakarta, George Clooney Tanuwijaya, son of the country’s second richest family, is caught by his father in a similarly racy solo situation. George’s dad and sister decide he needs a girlfriend and set up an online profile for him. The perfect match comes in the form of one Sharlot Citra—or at least Sharlot’s mom, who’s likewise committing a catfishing scheme to set up her daughter with a respectable boy. Mama has whisked Sharlot off for her first trip to Indonesia to spend the summer learning how to jadi orang, or succeed as an adult. Horrified but resigned, the teens reluctantly meet, and an awkward coffee date spirals into a fake relationship for the press; George is the public face of an etiquette app for teen boys that his family’s company is launching. Can a less-than-honest beginning lead to genuine connection? Sutanto’s novel is full of hijinks, humor, and heart. Beyond the fake online personas are two teens with lots to connect over. Sutanto gives dimension to the secondary characters, exploring interpersonal expectations and misperceptions. Readers are swept along as Sharlot discovers her mother’s home country, including naming quirks, dynamite coffee, layered history, and a conservative social climate. Most characters are Chinese Indonesian; biracial Sharlot is White and Chinese Indonesian.

A delightfully lively rom-com.