Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Tokyo Ever After

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

33 reviews

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

emotional 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

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Mika in Real Life and wanted to read more of Emiko Jean’s work and decided to read this series. I really enjoyed this book and I love Emiko’s style of writing.

This book is based on Izumi Tanaka, and she has lived an uneventful life for the last seventeen years in her small town, keenly aware of all the ways in which her family is different from most of her classmates. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity and he is the Crown Prince of Japan. Soon she’s traveling overseas to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she’s only dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself – back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she get her fairytale?

I loved the aspect of this, and the Princess Diaries vibes and Izzy was such a fun character, and she was so chaotic, but I wanted to hug her so much during this story. She had such a great character development and I loved how she went from trying to please everyone to standing up for herself and just deciding to be herself. I love her friendship and how brutal and loving they were at the same. I loved that they were like get out of your rut and get the hell back to Japan to fix things. I loved the romance between Izzy’s mum and dad and hoping they get back together in the next book and have a great love story! The love story and the tension between Izzy and Akio was so adorable and I wanted more from them. You could tell instantly that Akio had feelings and connection to Izzy. The poems were also so sweet.

I would have loved for this to be multiple POV with Akio and the side characters especially her mum and dad. The third-act breakup wasn’t needed at all either and especially that it was miscommunication. If the guard said, “he’s gone because he’s quit” rather than “he’s gone” and implying that he had been sacked just drove me nuts a bit. I managed to guess who was involved with the press because I knew the twins were the obvious suspect, but even though it was a bit predictable, I still enjoyed it.

This book was so sweet, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

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borrowedbyaudrey's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gracelang_09's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful slow-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

3.5

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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A nice, light-hearted read with some unexpected depth - however I did want just that bit more from it.

If you enjoyed the film version of The Princess Diaries, then you'll probably enjoy this because the premise is very similar.

The MC, Izumi, felt narratively younger than she actually was - it was only when she was talking about more complex concepts that I realised she was supposed to be about 18 or so.

I felt like the

romance

could have been left out because the main couple lacked chemistry, although their

ending worked

. Weird thing to say, I know.

I enjoyed the visit to Kyoto, and there were interesting discussions around the idea of belonging and identlty - Izumi, though she is of Japanese heritage, was raised in a very white area of the US and has very little knowledge of her own culture. Her eventual realisation that

she could be both American and Japanese was satisfying and felt earned, if predicatable.

. There were also some lines that really jumped out at me and were relatable (unfortunately it's been nearly a week since I finished reading so I can't recall exactly what they were). I also really appreciated how - in this version of the country at least, I don't know how true to life it is - we saw how in Japan the royal family were viewed as celebrities, and how every detail of their lives was scrutinised by the media, leaving no room for error.

I also felt like Emiko Jean could have gone deeper into the role that class and privilege played in Japanese society in terms of the Japanese people's attitude to the royal family's higher status and wealth, though I admit that I'm coming at this from a Western perspective and may sound ignorant as a result.

In short, this was fun and light-hearted - but it could have been more.

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cadybooks's review

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inspiring lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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mcz's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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amberinpieces's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

3.75

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krystalframe's review

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4.0

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peachani's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

agateg's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“You are a world unto yourself. Build your own space. One meant uniquely for you.”

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izzy, her nickname, because “It’s easier this way”, and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her unknown father’s identity, and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means Izzy is a princess. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?

This was such a lovely story. I fell wholeheartedly in love with Izumi almost immediately. I think this was a very touching story full of self-discovery. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the portrayed Japanese culture because it is not my own, nor do I share the same main identity struggles as Izumi, but the story did make me fall in love with the Japan Izumi saw and it will definitely be moved up my dream destinations. The story touched me in so many tender ways, her discovering her dad and forming a relationship with him brought tears to my eyes multiple times. I felt the love through the pages, the familial love that makes a person's heart full. My favourite man Akio was such a delight to get to know, the tenderness of his feelings for Izumi were swoon-worthy and delicately described. And my best princess Izumi was such an inspiration, I so deeply felt everything she felt. I was so proud of her progress and hard work, I liked how she learnt to embrace all sides of herself. I loved Izumi and Akio's chemistry and I can't wait to read what the second book has in store for them. They deserve all the love in the world.

NOT THE PLOT TWIST BEING THAT YOSHI DID IT, I was so SCHOKED and HURT, I was about to hype my man up and he goes and does THIS??

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