Scan barcode
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Mika in Real Life took me on an emotional journey. As someone who is adopted, yet has no real chance of finding my birth mother, Penny and Mika's story is one that is unexpectedly emotional. And a domestic transracial adoptee as well! While it's not dual POV and only tells Mika's story, I loved Mika's character. How the past has a way of coming back to us and asking questions. Her own feelings of guilt, anger, and sadness as she remembers giving up Penny and her feelings, were heart wrenching.
But where Mika in Real Life excels is how universal Mika's feeling is. How there's this temptation for wanting our lives to be better than they are. To cover up our own insecurity, and how much we want to be able to live a life that is different than ours. Who doesn't feel that way sometimes or always? So while Mika's mistakes and lies are born from this place of wanting to not disappoint the people we love, it becomes instantly relatable.
Mika in Real Life took me on an emotional journey. As someone who is adopted, yet has no real chance of finding my birth mother, Penny and Mika's story is one that is unexpectedly emotional. And a domestic transracial adoptee as well! While it's not dual POV and only tells Mika's story, I loved Mika's character. How the past has a way of coming back to us and asking questions. Her own feelings of guilt, anger, and sadness as she remembers giving up Penny and her feelings, were heart wrenching.
But where Mika in Real Life excels is how universal Mika's feeling is. How there's this temptation for wanting our lives to be better than they are. To cover up our own insecurity, and how much we want to be able to live a life that is different than ours. Who doesn't feel that way sometimes or always? So while Mika's mistakes and lies are born from this place of wanting to not disappoint the people we love, it becomes instantly relatable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and Racism
More...