Meddelin Chan's tightly knit Chinese-Indonesian family runs a full-service wedding business that provides cakes (Big Aunt), hair and make-up (Second Aunt), flowers (Meddie's mom), entertainment (Fourth Aunt), and photography (Meddie). A spectacularly rich couple hire the Chan's for their biggest event yet, a grand wedding to be held at an exclusive resort on an island off the coast of California. Things go wrong almost immediately. Some of the "wrong" includes a dead body, groomsmen too drunk to get dressed for the wedding, a major theft and an impending storm. Also added to the mix: the owner of the resort is Meddie's ex and one true love, her college boyfriend Nathan.
The aunties band together to keep the wedding on track and support Meddie through the absurdity. As the title implies, there's a cell phone ringing, pinging, or buzzing roughly every five minutes. The aunties are minimally tech savvy, just enough to be dangerous. There are more secrets and lies than layers to the enormous wedding cake that Big Aunt perfectly crafted and the situation gets crazier as the wedding week-end progresses.
This novel combines romance, comedy, capers, and family drama in a way that gently recognizes stereotypes while following the traditions and culture of a Chinese-Indo wedding. The aunties will be back with more hilarity and chaos in the sequel Four Aunties and a Wedding, expected publication in late spring 2022.