A review by lisaluvsliterature
Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I cannot say just how much I LOVED this book! At first, I was a bit unsure, as a character with that much self confidence was not something I understood, since I am not at all like that. But as she moved to her new school, and it was taken away from her bit by bit, I was horrified and so angry at what was happening to such a sparkling shiny character that had been at the start of the book. I was so mad at the bullies in her classes, the teachers, and that principal! Wow! I could not believe it at times. However so much of what happened to poor Kiki is exactly what I know happens in the real world, and while we like to think that people are getting better about it, one character even pointed out that she talked like she’d been watching to many American tv shows. And then it hit me that yeah, in other cultures things are very slow if moving at all towards getting away from the misogyny and stereotypical behavior expected of girls, and even just students in general!

I didn’t get the chance to read the book that featured some of the characters in this book and now I know I really need to go back and read it. Not to mention how much I adored all the characters and hope for more stories for some of them in the future. I’m not really a gamer like these characters, in the past I was a bit obsessed with both the Sims (before I started blogging, I’ve got no time for that now) and then it was Animal Crossing during the pandemic. Honestly most of what I know of the types of games that were played in this book comes from the tv show The Big Bang Theory. But it was interesting to read about, and I definitely liked the way Kiki did her big apology/get back at those who deserved it.

I can’t wait to add this book to my school library and share it with students! And as I mentioned, I’ll be making sure we have the one before as well!