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indiekay's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second Misa Sugiura book I've read - the first being It's Not Like it's a Secret. Both books have some similarities to them. But I found when I read INLIAS that I really didn't like the romance aspect of the story, but the family stuff was so compelling that I ended up enjoying the book a lot. I also found with that character that I understood her thought processes with decisions she made, and she had a lot of feelings around shame and expectations that I understood well.
I feel like Nozomi in this book has absolutely no concept of shame. Every decision she made had me screaming WHY DID YOU DO THAT. And I was so frustrated with her constantly. But with YA I usually give the character the benefit of the doubt and say "ok, well, they're a teenager. Teenagers do stupid shit." and that helps me calm down (there's a bit in the story near the end where Nozomi asks her dad, "Am I a terrible person?" and he responds, "You're a teenager." which had me going YES!)
The problem is is that this book was more romance-heavy than INLIAS, and I didn't find the family stuff nearly as compelling, so there's not a lot I can say I enjoyed about this? The ending had me going, "Yeah, I don't think these characters are going to be together for longer than 6 months, tops."
I feel like Nozomi in this book has absolutely no concept of shame. Every decision she made had me screaming WHY DID YOU DO THAT. And I was so frustrated with her constantly. But with YA I usually give the character the benefit of the doubt and say "ok, well, they're a teenager. Teenagers do stupid shit." and that helps me calm down (there's a bit in the story near the end where Nozomi asks her dad, "Am I a terrible person?" and he responds, "You're a teenager." which had me going YES!)
The problem is is that this book was more romance-heavy than INLIAS, and I didn't find the family stuff nearly as compelling, so there's not a lot I can say I enjoyed about this? The ending had me going, "Yeah, I don't think these characters are going to be together for longer than 6 months, tops."
lee17's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nozomi pissed me off. didn’t really care for the characters or romance but loved the rep for sf. made me miss the bay
seasonforreading's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very cute read! I loved the diversity of characters, and the story included some very important messages. I liked the take on love, that sometimes it isn't enough, but to never give up.
I also found the complexity of the relationship between our MC, Nozomi, and her grandma to be extremely well written. Nozomi battled throughout the book with the decision to come out to her grandma, and in the end came to the conclusion that she felt as though she would damage her relationship if she did.
The Japanese cultural references were explained in detail, and the description of the art installation designed by Della was my favourite part of the book.
Overall I thought this book was okay. It was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to fans of contemporary YA.
I also found the complexity of the relationship between our MC, Nozomi, and her grandma to be extremely well written. Nozomi battled throughout the book with the decision to come out to her grandma, and in the end came to the conclusion that she felt as though she would damage her relationship if she did.
The Japanese cultural references were explained in detail, and the description of the art installation designed by Della was my favourite part of the book.
Overall I thought this book was okay. It was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to fans of contemporary YA.
donnereads's review against another edition
This book was nothing special for me. I liked Dela a lot and the banter that she and Nozomi had but aside from that, I didn't really care for the characters or the story. It's definitely not the books fault, it just wasn't for me.
ambersreadingcorner's review
4.0
First of all, a big thank you to Harper YA for this gorgeous gifted ARC
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I read this on the plane ride over to Pittsburgh about a week ago & even though it’s messy, I feel like it embodies the awkward, chaotic & conflict avoidant tendencies of sapphic teens 😂
I appreciated the representation of elder generations in the SF Bay Area not being as accepting as the rest of the world thinks we are? Does that make sense? I feel like so many people think that everyone in SF must be extremely liberal and welcoming when it comes to marginalized folks, especially the queer community. However, it’s just not true. Many of us still have family members or people around us that do not support, or approve of our existence. Nozomi wasn’t close to her to begin with & then had to grapple with if she felt it was even important enough to bring up!
Overall, I recognize that Nozomi was a bit selfish, naive, sheltered & acted out of fear/shame but I still loved her & rooted for her, as I knew she’d eventually own up to everything & make better decisions haha.
Lastly, I loved learning about Japanese culture, especially the Tanabata festival also known as the star festival 🫶🏽
I read this on the plane ride over to Pittsburgh about a week ago & even though it’s messy, I feel like it embodies the awkward, chaotic & conflict avoidant tendencies of sapphic teens 😂
I appreciated the representation of elder generations in the SF Bay Area not being as accepting as the rest of the world thinks we are? Does that make sense? I feel like so many people think that everyone in SF must be extremely liberal and welcoming when it comes to marginalized folks, especially the queer community. However, it’s just not true. Many of us still have family members or people around us that do not support, or approve of our existence. Nozomi wasn’t close to her to begin with & then had to grapple with if she felt it was even important enough to bring up!
Overall, I recognize that Nozomi was a bit selfish, naive, sheltered & acted out of fear/shame but I still loved her & rooted for her, as I knew she’d eventually own up to everything & make better decisions haha.
Lastly, I loved learning about Japanese culture, especially the Tanabata festival also known as the star festival 🫶🏽
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Infidelity, and Homophobia
hailey2510's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning and middle were good, it got draggy by the end.
sophie_sciuto's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
3.0
i liked this one more than the other book by Sugiura that i've read. the characters were flawed but loveable and i liked the way this book subverted the fake dating trope.
stuff's review against another edition
1.0
I did not enjoy this book. I made myself read this but I did not enjoy it. I just didn't like any of the characters and the main character was just always annoying me. Maybe I just hated it because it was a romance with no other plot going on but I just really didn't like this book.