Reviews

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

saraelizabetha's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

allenfarm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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 absolutely adored this book! The writing style was super easy and flowed well. The author wrote a believable 17 year old girl going through an extreme coming-of-age-transition. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was flawless and sounded just like you'd think Izumi would sound. (They kept the narrator for the second book and I am so glad they did so!) "Princess Diaries" meets "Crazy Rich Asians" with a little bit of "What a Girl Wants" thrown in. Definitely pegged the Princess Diaries. Izumi was raised in California never knowing who her father was. Her grandparents wanted to assimilate into American culture and stopped speaking Japanese, so Izumi had no history of her culture, and yet always felt like she didn't belong - not looking American enough, but not being enough Japanese. When she discovers who her dad is and sets out to meet him, it has an unexpected result that she is a Japanese Princess! Her father brings her to Japan and Izumi is quickly mired into centuries of Japanese culture and traditions, language tutors, public engagements, and news media training. Izumi bumbles through, making mistake after mistake as she learns how to be a Princess, and she does it with grace and the right amount of self deprecation. In Japan, she may look like everyone else, but maybe she is too American to ever fit in after all. The romance is kind of an enemies to friends to lovers deal and it was a lot of fun to read. As her body guard, I enjoyed watching Akio go from stiff and cold to big cinnamon roll of a hero. I also liked how loyal he was, not just to Izumi, but to his job and country as well. I absolutely loved the ending, and was so excited that book 2 was just released so that I can keep the story going! I already know I am going to be jonesing for book 3 by the end of it. 

sage_runner's review against another edition

Just not quite my type of book, got pretty boring.

bbumpus01's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

shaila_m's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely loved this story!

elena_gabriela's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

lolocole's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

Meet the Princess Diaries/Parent Trap/Frankly in Love mashup set to the song “Bodygaurd” by Beyoncé. 
Pacing was a bit scattered but it was an easy read and entertaining. 
The most engaging parts for me were when Izumi was with her friend group. Their dynamic was awesome. 

Quote: 

If I could speak freely, I might say you remind me of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, with dark hair that absorbs the light. A face so lovely it blinded men… and yet, also far from a mortal’s reach (234) 

kmoses87's review against another edition

2.0

I would have liked more focus on the romance,  especially towards the end. I was disappointed that it was her dad that came to see her in the United States,  though I understand tha  was an important part. I felt very impatient through the reading of the article of the interview she gave after coming back. It was like a summary of the whole story when I just wanted to see if she and Akio would be able to get together.

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

5.0

This one lived up to all the hype. I loved getting to know Izumi and her friends, and watching her grow. So much humor and heart in this story, and any “happily ever afters” are ultimately on Izumi’s terms.

soulkissed2003's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

5.0