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jennybrycebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating: 3.5
This review and more can be found on my blog!
This is a good book. The writing is great, the setting is amazing, the characters are well-written and likable. This would be a solid 4.5 even 5 stars from me if it weren't for one thing. Sophia. I swear, I tried to get over it. I tried to accept her for who she is and just move on. But OH MY GOD. She's pretty much everything I hate in an MC. She constantly feels sorry for herself. She gets jealous literally every two seconds. She says dumb shit but instead of apologizing like a normal person she wallows in self pity. I'm sorry, I just can't. If I can't connect or at least empathize with the narrator of a book, I just can't fully enjoy it. Which really sucked in this case, because as I said before, this is a really good book!
I LOVED the setting. As someone who's never been outside the US, I love getting to experience other countries and cultures through books. Reading this book made me want to go to Tokyo so bad!
I also really liked pretty much every other character besides Sophia. Mika and David were so hilarious, and they seemed like such fun friends to have. I really liked Caroline, and it pissed me off that Sophia was so mean to her just because she was jealous of her. I also really liked Alison, and I loved their sibling relationship. And then there's Jamie. Oh, Jamie. Sweet, innocent Jamie. I loved him so much, and I just wanted to hug him and tell him that he deserves so much better than Sophia. Even though their relationship was super cute, I couldn't fully get into it because I was just so mad at Sophia the entire time.
Overall, this is just a case of a bad MC ruining a perfectly good book. If you are not like me, and you're okay with reading from the POV of someone who's a little frustrating, I would say go for it.
This review and more can be found on my blog!
This is a good book. The writing is great, the setting is amazing, the characters are well-written and likable. This would be a solid 4.5 even 5 stars from me if it weren't for one thing. Sophia. I swear, I tried to get over it. I tried to accept her for who she is and just move on. But OH MY GOD. She's pretty much everything I hate in an MC. She constantly feels sorry for herself. She gets jealous literally every two seconds. She says dumb shit but instead of apologizing like a normal person she wallows in self pity. I'm sorry, I just can't. If I can't connect or at least empathize with the narrator of a book, I just can't fully enjoy it. Which really sucked in this case, because as I said before, this is a really good book!
I LOVED the setting. As someone who's never been outside the US, I love getting to experience other countries and cultures through books. Reading this book made me want to go to Tokyo so bad!
I also really liked pretty much every other character besides Sophia. Mika and David were so hilarious, and they seemed like such fun friends to have. I really liked Caroline, and it pissed me off that Sophia was so mean to her just because she was jealous of her. I also really liked Alison, and I loved their sibling relationship. And then there's Jamie. Oh, Jamie. Sweet, innocent Jamie. I loved him so much, and I just wanted to hug him and tell him that he deserves so much better than Sophia. Even though their relationship was super cute, I couldn't fully get into it because I was just so mad at Sophia the entire time.
Overall, this is just a case of a bad MC ruining a perfectly good book. If you are not like me, and you're okay with reading from the POV of someone who's a little frustrating, I would say go for it.
rice83's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
zany07's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.
I received this novel from the lovely people at Hachette Book Group Canada and I was very excited to read it. I love novels that take place in countries other than the states and I especially love novels that take place in Japan. Sadly I was a little let down by Seven Days of You.
The story started out cute enough and I was enjoying the characters but the story quickly flipped into instalove and I hate when novels do that. Sophia went from hating Jamie to loving him in the blink of an eye or the flip of a page.
I was really hoping for more passionate dislike between Sophia and Jamie, with a lot more time building up their relationship. I dislike nothing more than instalove and instantly disappoints me in a book.
I enjoyed the Japanese aspects Vinesse threw in but I do wish we had a little more in the way of culture in the book. Though I wish for more, this was the part I liked most about this book.
If you don’t mind quick love and enjoy reading about Japan, you may enjoy this book. If you have read this book, I’d love to know you’re thoughts in the comments below!
I received this novel from the lovely people at Hachette Book Group Canada and I was very excited to read it. I love novels that take place in countries other than the states and I especially love novels that take place in Japan. Sadly I was a little let down by Seven Days of You.
The story started out cute enough and I was enjoying the characters but the story quickly flipped into instalove and I hate when novels do that. Sophia went from hating Jamie to loving him in the blink of an eye or the flip of a page.
I was really hoping for more passionate dislike between Sophia and Jamie, with a lot more time building up their relationship. I dislike nothing more than instalove and instantly disappoints me in a book.
I enjoyed the Japanese aspects Vinesse threw in but I do wish we had a little more in the way of culture in the book. Though I wish for more, this was the part I liked most about this book.
If you don’t mind quick love and enjoy reading about Japan, you may enjoy this book. If you have read this book, I’d love to know you’re thoughts in the comments below!
shanayahreads's review against another edition
3.0
Full Review Here
This is Cecilia Vinesse’s debut novel, so I hadn’t heard of her before. I think overall, it was a pretty good story for a debut, but there were some parts that didn’t sit well with me. I can relate to the story as I was an expat living in an Asian country for a few years, and I think Cecilia captured the essence wonderfully, but I wasn’t such a big fan of all the drinking, since I think there’s so much more than just that. I liked how Cecilia portrayed emotions, and I could really identify with how everyone felt, especially Sophia’s and Mika’s feelings when it got down to the deep stuff.
Once you push away the love-triangle, I generally liked the romance aspect of the story, like even though it was definitely an insta-love romance, it didn’t seem that way because of the age-old friendship I suppose. There was so much potential for strong family relationships!! Unfortunately, it kind of fell short at the beginning, even though it did get better towards the end!! I wish the relationship had been consistent throughout.
I didn’t like most of the characters though. Sophia herself bothered me at times, because she was so selfish and I couldn’t deal. Jamie was a precious cinnamon bun and was way too good for her and put up with too much of her nonsense. Her friends weren’t much better, I found most of them were just terrible friends to Sophia and I wasn’t a fan. I only really liked Caroline, because she was such a sweetheart.
I understand that these characters are mostly expats, but I would’ve liked to see more of the Japanese culture and Japanese characters, it didn’t really feel like the story was set in Japan, and I don’t really know how to explain it, but I wasn’t a big fan of the way the setting was written, if that makes sense. Also, I feel as though Sophia would’ve learnt some Japanese, especially if she’d been living there for more than 3 years :/
The story was cute though, even if I’m kinda iffy about it. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone I meet, but I can see the writing potential and I would love to see what else Cecilia has to offer.
I received a review copy from the publisher
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This is Cecilia Vinesse’s debut novel, so I hadn’t heard of her before. I think overall, it was a pretty good story for a debut, but there were some parts that didn’t sit well with me. I can relate to the story as I was an expat living in an Asian country for a few years, and I think Cecilia captured the essence wonderfully, but I wasn’t such a big fan of all the drinking, since I think there’s so much more than just that. I liked how Cecilia portrayed emotions, and I could really identify with how everyone felt, especially Sophia’s and Mika’s feelings when it got down to the deep stuff.
Once you push away the love-triangle, I generally liked the romance aspect of the story, like even though it was definitely an insta-love romance, it didn’t seem that way because of the age-old friendship I suppose. There was so much potential for strong family relationships!! Unfortunately, it kind of fell short at the beginning, even though it did get better towards the end!! I wish the relationship had been consistent throughout.
I didn’t like most of the characters though. Sophia herself bothered me at times, because she was so selfish and I couldn’t deal. Jamie was a precious cinnamon bun and was way too good for her and put up with too much of her nonsense. Her friends weren’t much better, I found most of them were just terrible friends to Sophia and I wasn’t a fan. I only really liked Caroline, because she was such a sweetheart.
I understand that these characters are mostly expats, but I would’ve liked to see more of the Japanese culture and Japanese characters, it didn’t really feel like the story was set in Japan, and I don’t really know how to explain it, but I wasn’t a big fan of the way the setting was written, if that makes sense. Also, I feel as though Sophia would’ve learnt some Japanese, especially if she’d been living there for more than 3 years :/
The story was cute though, even if I’m kinda iffy about it. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone I meet, but I can see the writing potential and I would love to see what else Cecilia has to offer.
I received a review copy from the publisher
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850melissa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cheermio's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher on netgalley.
so much of this story was demented in the ways you would expect of hormone addled expat teenagers in a foreign country. maybe it could be attributed to my very boring, sheltered teenage life and the fact that I'm now 38, but I found these characters difficult to relate to in the ridiculous throes of their unbearably stupid decision making skills. they also really didn't relate well to one another the vast majority of the time. they were mean and petty and then condescending and then self absorbed and yet they were all best friends and some were in love?
I'm giving it 3 stars rather than 2 because I feel like probably this IS what teenagers are like and I thought she captured the living in a Japan as a teenager pretty well. but honestly I want to give it 2 because I didn't really enjoy it.
so much of this story was demented in the ways you would expect of hormone addled expat teenagers in a foreign country. maybe it could be attributed to my very boring, sheltered teenage life and the fact that I'm now 38, but I found these characters difficult to relate to in the ridiculous throes of their unbearably stupid decision making skills. they also really didn't relate well to one another the vast majority of the time. they were mean and petty and then condescending and then self absorbed and yet they were all best friends and some were in love?
I'm giving it 3 stars rather than 2 because I feel like probably this IS what teenagers are like and I thought she captured the living in a Japan as a teenager pretty well. but honestly I want to give it 2 because I didn't really enjoy it.
missanderson's review against another edition
3.0
I've got to be honest, a book titled Seven Days of You is not usually something that would appeal to me. It sounds incredibly fluffy and so I really wasn't sure what to think going in, but I decided I'd give it a shot. It wasn't at all what I expected.
This novel tells the story of Sofia, a teenage girl who, after living in Tokyo for the past four years, must return to the States with her family. The story takes place during her last week in Tokyo when an old friend comes back into her life and threatens to change everything.
As you'll have noticed on Goodreads I gave this book a 3/5 stars, I think that needs a little explanation. In reality, I think I'd actually give it a 3.75... or a 3.5... Basically not quite a 4, but not as bad as a 3/5 makes it sound. This is definitely one of those times where I wish Goodreads would allow .5's.
I didn't find it at all surprising to find out that this book is semi-autobiographical, as Vinesse herself moved about between Tokyo, Paris and the States as a child. Ultimately, this has meant that the real character in this story is the city of Tokyo, and that all the other elements of this novel feel like a subplot.
For that reason, Tokyo is well represented in the story, obviously taking a lot of influence from Cecilia's own experience as an expat in Tokyo city. This really helped the setting to feel very authentic and stopped the cultural details from seeming too extraneous, but rather it became a really integral part of the tale. I really enjoyed seeing all the Japanese cultural elements in the novel, especiall through the eyes of an expat who came from a more similar background to myself.
Since Tokyo isn't technically a character, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about Sofia. I've been very lucky over the past month or so with my female protagonists. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky here. I'm not a huge fan of Sofa as a character, I didn't find her all that relatable (despite the fact that I've literally been in her situation, facing leaving my friends and boyfriend and returning home to my family after a year in New Zealand), I just kept feeling like she made dumb decisions. But don't get me wrong, she's no America Singer, who had me frequently yelling at the book, but she's definitely no feminist hero either. She's a typical angsty, teen girl who thinks that everything that happens to her is the end of the world - just your average YA protagonist really.
Her friends weren't much better. I really didn't like David as a character, he was just too much of a dick in my opinion, and I felt like it hindered my view of Sofia that she was friendly with him! Mika was slightly better, but still not amazing, to me, she felt like a punk reinvention of Lane from Gilmore Girls.
Once again, I've got to talk about her shitty family. I love a peaceful family dynamic in stories, especially in books where the family relationship doesn't take centre stage. Personally, I felt more could have been done with her relationship with her mother and her sister, she always claimed to love them but I never really saw anything particularly admirable in their relationship. My mum always trusted me as a teen, but I still would never dream of leaving the house without telling her where I was going!
Then, of course, there's the drama with her Dad which was just complete overkill. Between Jamie's messed up family, Mika's overbearing parents and Sofa's relationship with her mum and sister, the whole saga with her Dad just felt like too much. Personally, I think the book could have stood up without it. It was enough that the parents split up, we didn't need more drama and obviously didn't contribute to her relationship with Jamie.
Speaking of Jamie, why don't we talk about our epic love story? Even though the entire book takes places over the course of only a couple of days, I don't think it felt too insta-lovey - which is quite impressive. I suppose the fact that they already knew each other helped. I liked a lot of aspects of their relationship, but I was not a fan of anything that happened during or after their fight. It was too dramatic and inconsistent with their characters in my mind.
After that ending, I'd be quite interested to read a novella set a few years in the future to see where they all ended up - it's not a story I'm ready to leave just yet.
Overall, I did quite enjoy this. Like I said, it's not quite a 4/5 stars, but a 3 seems a little low. I did like it, and it only took me a couple of days to read. If you want something light that won't require you to think too much, or simply something to curb your wanderlust, I'd give it a shot when it comes out on the 9th March.
(More reviews on my blog: missabigailsite.wordpress.com )
This novel tells the story of Sofia, a teenage girl who, after living in Tokyo for the past four years, must return to the States with her family. The story takes place during her last week in Tokyo when an old friend comes back into her life and threatens to change everything.
As you'll have noticed on Goodreads I gave this book a 3/5 stars, I think that needs a little explanation. In reality, I think I'd actually give it a 3.75... or a 3.5... Basically not quite a 4, but not as bad as a 3/5 makes it sound. This is definitely one of those times where I wish Goodreads would allow .5's.
I didn't find it at all surprising to find out that this book is semi-autobiographical, as Vinesse herself moved about between Tokyo, Paris and the States as a child. Ultimately, this has meant that the real character in this story is the city of Tokyo, and that all the other elements of this novel feel like a subplot.
For that reason, Tokyo is well represented in the story, obviously taking a lot of influence from Cecilia's own experience as an expat in Tokyo city. This really helped the setting to feel very authentic and stopped the cultural details from seeming too extraneous, but rather it became a really integral part of the tale. I really enjoyed seeing all the Japanese cultural elements in the novel, especiall through the eyes of an expat who came from a more similar background to myself.
Since Tokyo isn't technically a character, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about Sofia. I've been very lucky over the past month or so with my female protagonists. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky here. I'm not a huge fan of Sofa as a character, I didn't find her all that relatable (despite the fact that I've literally been in her situation, facing leaving my friends and boyfriend and returning home to my family after a year in New Zealand), I just kept feeling like she made dumb decisions. But don't get me wrong, she's no America Singer, who had me frequently yelling at the book, but she's definitely no feminist hero either. She's a typical angsty, teen girl who thinks that everything that happens to her is the end of the world - just your average YA protagonist really.
Her friends weren't much better. I really didn't like David as a character, he was just too much of a dick in my opinion, and I felt like it hindered my view of Sofia that she was friendly with him! Mika was slightly better, but still not amazing, to me, she felt like a punk reinvention of Lane from Gilmore Girls.
Once again, I've got to talk about her shitty family. I love a peaceful family dynamic in stories, especially in books where the family relationship doesn't take centre stage. Personally, I felt more could have been done with her relationship with her mother and her sister, she always claimed to love them but I never really saw anything particularly admirable in their relationship. My mum always trusted me as a teen, but I still would never dream of leaving the house without telling her where I was going!
Then, of course, there's the drama with her Dad which was just complete overkill. Between Jamie's messed up family, Mika's overbearing parents and Sofa's relationship with her mum and sister, the whole saga with her Dad just felt like too much. Personally, I think the book could have stood up without it. It was enough that the parents split up, we didn't need more drama and obviously didn't contribute to her relationship with Jamie.
Speaking of Jamie, why don't we talk about our epic love story? Even though the entire book takes places over the course of only a couple of days, I don't think it felt too insta-lovey - which is quite impressive. I suppose the fact that they already knew each other helped. I liked a lot of aspects of their relationship, but I was not a fan of anything that happened during or after their fight. It was too dramatic and inconsistent with their characters in my mind.
After that ending, I'd be quite interested to read a novella set a few years in the future to see where they all ended up - it's not a story I'm ready to leave just yet.
Overall, I did quite enjoy this. Like I said, it's not quite a 4/5 stars, but a 3 seems a little low. I did like it, and it only took me a couple of days to read. If you want something light that won't require you to think too much, or simply something to curb your wanderlust, I'd give it a shot when it comes out on the 9th March.
(More reviews on my blog: missabigailsite.wordpress.com )
yc22's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
queleoar's review against another edition
3.0
2,5 Stars
Sophia tiene tan solo 7 días para despedirse de Tokio y de sus mejores amigos Mika y David; su nueva vida en Nueva Jersey la espera y a pesar de estar acostumbrada a las idas y venidas, esta vez se siente diferente. Esta partida no va a ser como ninguna otra y en solo 7 días el mundo de Sophia se dará vuelta por completo, haciéndola pasar por una montaña rusa de sentimientos y emociones.
Me gustan los contemporáneos, pero esta historia no fue para mí, el libro me resultó algo chato y nunca llegué a interesarme demasiado por el argumento ni por sus personajes, a los que por momentos toleraba poco. Es llevadero y fácil de leer, ideal para esas tardes en las que simplemente queremos desconectar con una historia que nos haga pasar un lindo rato, pero no es mucho más que eso. Particularmente no me gustó el final, y después de lo que pasa en el libro hubiera esperado otro desenlace y que la protagonista le diera algo más de importancia a lo que esos 7 días la hicieron sentir. Los personajes tenían comportamientos extraños por momentos y algo contradictorios, pero me quedo con Jason que es el que más ternura me dio y que logro sacarme varias sonrisas.
El estilo de escritura de la autora vuelve al libro muy rápido de leer, aunque por momentos había ciertos diálogos que por el vocabulario o la forma en que se desarrollaban me generaban cierta incomodidad. En resumidas cuentas, es un libro súper light y si están buscando algo poco rebuscado podría ser el libro para ustedes. ¿Les gusta el género contemporáneo? ¿Son de leer este tipo de historias?
Sophia tiene tan solo 7 días para despedirse de Tokio y de sus mejores amigos Mika y David; su nueva vida en Nueva Jersey la espera y a pesar de estar acostumbrada a las idas y venidas, esta vez se siente diferente. Esta partida no va a ser como ninguna otra y en solo 7 días el mundo de Sophia se dará vuelta por completo, haciéndola pasar por una montaña rusa de sentimientos y emociones.
Me gustan los contemporáneos, pero esta historia no fue para mí, el libro me resultó algo chato y nunca llegué a interesarme demasiado por el argumento ni por sus personajes, a los que por momentos toleraba poco. Es llevadero y fácil de leer, ideal para esas tardes en las que simplemente queremos desconectar con una historia que nos haga pasar un lindo rato, pero no es mucho más que eso. Particularmente no me gustó el final, y después de lo que pasa en el libro hubiera esperado otro desenlace y que la protagonista le diera algo más de importancia a lo que esos 7 días la hicieron sentir. Los personajes tenían comportamientos extraños por momentos y algo contradictorios, pero me quedo con Jason que es el que más ternura me dio y que logro sacarme varias sonrisas.
El estilo de escritura de la autora vuelve al libro muy rápido de leer, aunque por momentos había ciertos diálogos que por el vocabulario o la forma en que se desarrollaban me generaban cierta incomodidad. En resumidas cuentas, es un libro súper light y si están buscando algo poco rebuscado podría ser el libro para ustedes. ¿Les gusta el género contemporáneo? ¿Son de leer este tipo de historias?