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king_of_the_pippins's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
3.25
sophie_laura_'s review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart explores the end of a friendship through genres of memoir and food writing. After hearing Hannah May discuss it in a youtube video, I was so excited to read it that I bought a copy immediately.
I found it really refreshing to see Leow talk about the end of the friendship, an experience that’s universal yet shrouded in shame, with the openness that people more commonly associate with the breakups of romantic relationships. Leow’s descriptions of food and life in Japan were enthralling and exquisite. This is one of the most open, raw, and underrated memoirs I’ve ever picked up.
billytaysay's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
calm and simple beauty. soft reflections
marplellous's review
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Having lived through the worst break-up of my life while also living in Kyoto, this book felt too targeted towards me.
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This was, frankly, f*cking incredible. I started off highlighting my favourite passages, but had to give up when I realized I would end up highlighting the whole book. The way that the loss of a friendship - in a painful and confusing way - is interspersed with the relationship with a city was fantastic. The descriptions of life in Kyoto were mesmerizing, and I really liked the exploration of "romantic friendships". Truly, 10/10 no notes (other than that I wish it was much longer!).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief