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owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
What first got my attention with Seven Days of You was the location. I love everything having to do with Tokyo and I just had to take a chance and read this novel. I don't often delve into contemporary reads but, aside from Tokyo, the story of having only seven days to say and do what you've been wanting to for a long time was intriguing.
Although these two things caught my attention from the start, it didn't quite work out the way I was hoping. Throughout most of the book, Tokyo was lacking. There were references to a few of the areas, but were short and mostly in passing. It left me wanting more description and hoping for more of it within the pages, instead of the same locations such as Starbucks, the karaoke places, and random other spots the characters decided on.
There was much going on though with Sophia and her "friends" that got packed into the seven days she had remaining in Tokyo. Much of the events that transpired made me annoyed and irritated by how rash they were with each other, especially considering they were all supposed to be the best of friends. We have David who is the worst of them, Mika who isn't honest about her actions, James who is back with feelings that will take any hit, and Sophia who has blinded herself to all of it and flips emotions from one minute to the next.
"But it was hard to focus on the present moment when everyone in it was acting so weird. I felt like I was floating. Lost between this second and the next, between all these different versions of myself I'd left scattered across the globe."
I liked most of James' and Sophia's story, and enjoyed James' character a lot more than the main character herself. He was the friend that everyone hopes for and the boyfriend that many wish they had. I just couldn't get my head around how it was all happening so fast, mainly because of how much love she is said to have for David, how obsessed with a connection that doesn't really exist. Then all of a sudden she has all these feels for James that grow hundred times more in just a few days, mind you a guy she hasn't spoken to or seen in several years.
Even with those irksome moments, I kept reading all the way through. I wanted to know what happened, if she found a way to stay, what the outcome was going to be. I read much of it, but moved along quicker in some areas and found that I was mostly glad she was going to leave and start the next phase of her life elsewhere. The only hard part was leaving James behind, because there wasn't much of Tokyo to miss. Seven Days of You was a hard one for me because I truly wanted to love this novel and it turned out to be a mix of feels.
Although these two things caught my attention from the start, it didn't quite work out the way I was hoping. Throughout most of the book, Tokyo was lacking. There were references to a few of the areas, but were short and mostly in passing. It left me wanting more description and hoping for more of it within the pages, instead of the same locations such as Starbucks, the karaoke places, and random other spots the characters decided on.
There was much going on though with Sophia and her "friends" that got packed into the seven days she had remaining in Tokyo. Much of the events that transpired made me annoyed and irritated by how rash they were with each other, especially considering they were all supposed to be the best of friends. We have David who is the worst of them, Mika who isn't honest about her actions, James who is back with feelings that will take any hit, and Sophia who has blinded herself to all of it and flips emotions from one minute to the next.
"But it was hard to focus on the present moment when everyone in it was acting so weird. I felt like I was floating. Lost between this second and the next, between all these different versions of myself I'd left scattered across the globe."
I liked most of James' and Sophia's story, and enjoyed James' character a lot more than the main character herself. He was the friend that everyone hopes for and the boyfriend that many wish they had. I just couldn't get my head around how it was all happening so fast, mainly because of how much love she is said to have for David, how obsessed with a connection that doesn't really exist. Then all of a sudden she has all these feels for James that grow hundred times more in just a few days, mind you a guy she hasn't spoken to or seen in several years.
Even with those irksome moments, I kept reading all the way through. I wanted to know what happened, if she found a way to stay, what the outcome was going to be. I read much of it, but moved along quicker in some areas and found that I was mostly glad she was going to leave and start the next phase of her life elsewhere. The only hard part was leaving James behind, because there wasn't much of Tokyo to miss. Seven Days of You was a hard one for me because I truly wanted to love this novel and it turned out to be a mix of feels.
jecinwv's review against another edition
5.0
I've seen this book get a lot of criticism for being about white people in Japan. I didn't think that way. Having been an expat in Japan for a few years this story resonated with me. This is a tale of the kids of expats, so they are even less likely to fit into traditional Japanese norms. Also, keep in mind they are in Tokyo and not the countryside, that story would be very different.
That said this book was like reading nostalgia. Falling in love while leaving Japan is something I share in common with the main character. This is ultimately a story of female bonding and friendship more than it is a story about romance. The main character has to work out kinks with her best friend, her sister, and her crush's ex gf. The female love and resilience made this book special to me.
And the countdown watch was one of my favorite storytelling aspects/tools.
That said this book was like reading nostalgia. Falling in love while leaving Japan is something I share in common with the main character. This is ultimately a story of female bonding and friendship more than it is a story about romance. The main character has to work out kinks with her best friend, her sister, and her crush's ex gf. The female love and resilience made this book special to me.
And the countdown watch was one of my favorite storytelling aspects/tools.
tattythomas's review against another edition
4.0
*4.45*
A story of friendship and loss. A story of desperately trying to cling to every second before it's over. A story of saying goodbye to the place that you belong. I haven't related to a book this much in a long, long time.
A story of friendship and loss. A story of desperately trying to cling to every second before it's over. A story of saying goodbye to the place that you belong. I haven't related to a book this much in a long, long time.
cozy_reading_times's review against another edition
3.0
I love the lovestory, I love he way Tokyo was describe, I love the whole book
cdala's review against another edition
4.0
Spoilers ahead.
The first thing I can tell you about this book is that it gave me a lot of Lost in Translation vibes, from a teen point of view. It's about Tokyo as seen by foreign eyes, and I think the author uses the city in a really beautiful and subtle way. Everything everyone does in this book screams Japan without drawing too much attention to it, because our characters are not tourists seeing the sights, they have all lived there for a while. They are all teens from outside of Japan who go to an international school, which means they're not necessarily invested in learning about the culture or the language, they're just going to school with a lot of other foreign kids.
I have read some Japanese books, and they are all immersed in the culture, which is very different than ours. This book doesn't have that, because again, it's told from a foreigner perspective. And I loved it.
I've been to Tokyo twice, and I felt like I was back there while reading this. From the Tokyo Tower and the Meiji Shrine to Hachiko and the Starbucks in Shibuya, I felt like I was right there with these characters. I went to karaoke, had ramen, strolled Tokyo by night with them. The book really takes advantage of its setting, and it made me want to go back to Japan a third time. Maybe next year!
The story is also quite cute, with a romance intertwined with a deeper issue that runs throughout the book, the issue of figuring out where you belong and where home is when you're constantly moving and changing friends.
The romance was well developed and managed to escape the insta-love scenario due to the fact that Sophia and Jamie already knew each other from years past, and they'd already been good friends before Jamie left. In fact, I liked the whole cast of characters, from the friends to the sister, they all felt real to me.
Another thing I appreciated were the small nods to the 90s, from mentioning Buffy the Vampire Slayer and My So-called Life, to referring to Debra from Empire Records when a character shaves her head.
I really enjoyed this book. Tokyo as the backdrop still manages to come through as the vibrant city it is, and the foreign perspective on it is very true to life.
And about where home is, I leave you with this:
"I think you choose. I think you choose where you belong, and those places will always be there to remind you of who you are.
You just have to choose them."
The first thing I can tell you about this book is that it gave me a lot of Lost in Translation vibes, from a teen point of view. It's about Tokyo as seen by foreign eyes, and I think the author uses the city in a really beautiful and subtle way. Everything everyone does in this book screams Japan without drawing too much attention to it, because our characters are not tourists seeing the sights, they have all lived there for a while. They are all teens from outside of Japan who go to an international school, which means they're not necessarily invested in learning about the culture or the language, they're just going to school with a lot of other foreign kids.
I have read some Japanese books, and they are all immersed in the culture, which is very different than ours. This book doesn't have that, because again, it's told from a foreigner perspective. And I loved it.
I've been to Tokyo twice, and I felt like I was back there while reading this. From the Tokyo Tower and the Meiji Shrine to Hachiko and the Starbucks in Shibuya, I felt like I was right there with these characters. I went to karaoke, had ramen, strolled Tokyo by night with them. The book really takes advantage of its setting, and it made me want to go back to Japan a third time. Maybe next year!
The story is also quite cute, with a romance intertwined with a deeper issue that runs throughout the book, the issue of figuring out where you belong and where home is when you're constantly moving and changing friends.
The romance was well developed and managed to escape the insta-love scenario due to the fact that Sophia and Jamie already knew each other from years past, and they'd already been good friends before Jamie left. In fact, I liked the whole cast of characters, from the friends to the sister, they all felt real to me.
Another thing I appreciated were the small nods to the 90s, from mentioning Buffy the Vampire Slayer and My So-called Life, to referring to Debra from Empire Records when a character shaves her head.
I really enjoyed this book. Tokyo as the backdrop still manages to come through as the vibrant city it is, and the foreign perspective on it is very true to life.
And about where home is, I leave you with this:
"I think you choose. I think you choose where you belong, and those places will always be there to remind you of who you are.
You just have to choose them."
aylasreads's review against another edition
3.0
i liked it! to be more clear- i liked the romance. i hated the side characters and i thought the setting didn’t make a lot of sense. it could have been better in a lot of ways, but i enjoyed it for a fun quick read.
twistedreader93's review against another edition
3.0
This book got me out of a reading slump so yay! Only took me 24 hours to read too! Cute story sucky ending...
tracy_j's review against another edition
3.0
Cute for aYA book, but not so many stars because of the classic whiny bits of a teenager.
kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Sophia doesn’t want to leave Tokyo, but she doesn’t have a choice. Jamie moves back to Japan, something he’s wanted for a while. But when the two meet again for the first time in three years, their relationship changes and Tokyo becomes more to them than a shared hometown.
THIS BOOK! I loved this book more than anything. I don’t know why I have waited SO long to read it but I think this might be one of my new favorite books ever. I loved this.
I loved the friendships in this book. Mika, Jamie and Caroline are amazing friends to Sophia and I was SO sad she had to leave them.
At first I really didn’t like Sophia’s older sister, Allison, but the more I read and the more their relationship developed I started to really appreciate her. Their bond is one that is strong and rocky, but they have each other.
One of the blurbs on the back called this book “a neon explosion” and “a fizzy drink” that is exactly what this book felt like to me. I don’t even have the words to explain how much I loved this book.
This book deals with so much, with change, divorce, love, and just so may things. I loved getting to know more about Japanese culture and I JUST GAH!
I know, this review is a lot of yelling. This book made my heart feel so many things.
I really recommend this book to everyone who loves romance novels. This was just amazing.
THIS BOOK! I loved this book more than anything. I don’t know why I have waited SO long to read it but I think this might be one of my new favorite books ever. I loved this.
I loved the friendships in this book. Mika, Jamie and Caroline are amazing friends to Sophia and I was SO sad she had to leave them.
At first I really didn’t like Sophia’s older sister, Allison, but the more I read and the more their relationship developed I started to really appreciate her. Their bond is one that is strong and rocky, but they have each other.
One of the blurbs on the back called this book “a neon explosion” and “a fizzy drink” that is exactly what this book felt like to me. I don’t even have the words to explain how much I loved this book.
This book deals with so much, with change, divorce, love, and just so may things. I loved getting to know more about Japanese culture and I JUST GAH!
I know, this review is a lot of yelling. This book made my heart feel so many things.
I really recommend this book to everyone who loves romance novels. This was just amazing.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Was skeptical at times, but by the end of the book the characters and story had really grown on me. It took a while to get to know Sophia and that was certainly a barrier at connecting to the story. I also really liked the family stuff at the end and wished we could have seen more of that throughout. Was also doubtful about how Sophia's friendships were tested as she was getting ready to leave Tokyo, but I thought the author did a nice job of bringing that together. Basically I liked how everything came together and worked out, but struggled with how we got there and how long it took to get there. Really enjoyed the look at Tokyo (no idea if this was authentic) but there were a few too many Japanese words used throughout that I had no idea what they meant.