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jwinchell's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect YA novel! CJ’s voice is so steady and authentic, even when she’s a hot mess and making everything more difficult than it needs to be. That’s one thing I really loved about her- she really messes up and hurts people deeply and gets stuck in her same way of thinking about things. And the solutions are not easy. There are layers of messes- back to WWII Japanese American internment, to the McAllister company’s ill gotten gains, to the messed up dynamic between CJ’s mom and auntie, to the white savior complex of perfect Brynn. I loved the flower arranging and meanings behind the flowers; they are beautifully indexed in the back and carefully layered throughout. There is love!
From the author’s note:
How are we affected- as victims and as perpetrators- by the failures of the past? How do we measure the harm done to us as individuals, and as families, and as communities? How do we decide what to let go? What to forgive? What to carry into the future?
Grade 9 and up.
From the author’s note:
How are we affected- as victims and as perpetrators- by the failures of the past? How do we measure the harm done to us as individuals, and as families, and as communities? How do we decide what to let go? What to forgive? What to carry into the future?
Grade 9 and up.
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
4.0
Japanese American main character, working in a florist shop with her aunt, rejecting the high achievement above all aspect of her mother. Historic racism, especially what happened to the land and businesses basically stolen from the Japanese Americans who were interned during WWII. Some sex leads to unwed pregnancy, which leads to a real conversation between mother and daughter.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't seen a lot of books with this plot (a family reckoning with the family that took their wealth when they were sent to Japanese internment) and I wish it was explored with more nuance here. The perpetrators are conveniently millionaires, conflict comes to a convenient resolution, and the sale of the store is overshadowed by (interesting) subplots around romance and friendship. There's some great food for thought here, but I was hoping for more.
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I listened to this one on audio (like I do most contemporaries these days), and it was an overall enjoyable listen, if it didn't connect with me as much as other recent reads.
I want to preface and say that I do think this book touches on a lot of important subjects, and the exploration of all of these within the book was very well done! I liked CJ as a character and her voice as she gave readers a background of Japanese Americans in the US, especially in regards to WWII and internment camps and the lasting effects these had on the lives and careers of Japanese Americans. Suguira also did a really great job of providing a wide perspective on the topic through the voices of varying characters, from the extremes of CJ's aunt and mother (history is everything vs. history means nothing) to the more muted versions of these perspectives in CJ and her classmates. On top of this, there were discussions on teenage and unwanted pregancy, on feeling like a failure/not living up to your parents' expectations, etc. and in the end this gave the book a lot of layers.
Unfortunately, because there are so MANY big topics focused on in this book, it made the discussions of most of the other topics besides the treatment of Japanese Americans feel quite shallow. I thought we would get deeper looks into the other topics mentioned above, but they were more there to give CJ extra depth than to actually be fully explored in the book. It meant that while I enjoyed the book, it didn't feel lasting.
There was also a LOT of friend drama between CJ and literally all of her friends and the people around her, and even the romance was only sort of cute. I loved all the characters individually quite a lot, and loved CJ and the LI together, it was just how they got together and all the friend drama that came with it that I struggled with. It was hard to listen to at points because some things just got so petty and very 'high school' (which makes sense because they're in high school), but it just felt overly dramatized at points.
In the end though, these annoying aspects didn't overshadow the story for me, though I think this might be because I listened to the story and was moving along no matter what. If I had been reading physically, there would've been too many times I wanted to throw away the book, I think. Still, I enjoyed this, and will probably be reading other works by Sugiura!
I want to preface and say that I do think this book touches on a lot of important subjects, and the exploration of all of these within the book was very well done! I liked CJ as a character and her voice as she gave readers a background of Japanese Americans in the US, especially in regards to WWII and internment camps and the lasting effects these had on the lives and careers of Japanese Americans. Suguira also did a really great job of providing a wide perspective on the topic through the voices of varying characters, from the extremes of CJ's aunt and mother (history is everything vs. history means nothing) to the more muted versions of these perspectives in CJ and her classmates. On top of this, there were discussions on teenage and unwanted pregancy, on feeling like a failure/not living up to your parents' expectations, etc. and in the end this gave the book a lot of layers.
Unfortunately, because there are so MANY big topics focused on in this book, it made the discussions of most of the other topics besides the treatment of Japanese Americans feel quite shallow. I thought we would get deeper looks into the other topics mentioned above, but they were more there to give CJ extra depth than to actually be fully explored in the book. It meant that while I enjoyed the book, it didn't feel lasting.
There was also a LOT of friend drama between CJ and literally all of her friends and the people around her, and even the romance was only sort of cute. I loved all the characters individually quite a lot, and loved CJ and the LI together, it was just how they got together and all the friend drama that came with it that I struggled with. It was hard to listen to at points because some things just got so petty and very 'high school' (which makes sense because they're in high school), but it just felt overly dramatized at points.
In the end though, these annoying aspects didn't overshadow the story for me, though I think this might be because I listened to the story and was moving along no matter what. If I had been reading physically, there would've been too many times I wanted to throw away the book, I think. Still, I enjoyed this, and will probably be reading other works by Sugiura!
briannethebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
CJ has never felt like she’s made her mother proud, never excelling in sports or hobbies like other kids growing up. The only time CJ feels fulfilled is when she’s working at their family’s flower shop, run by her Aunt Hannah. The shop was owned by her grandfather before he was interned during World War II for being Japanese. Years after being released, her grandfather worked and saved money to buy back his flower shop from the people who had taken it from him. Hannah and CJ both feel that the flower shop is their family’s history and that it’s their duty to honor their family members that suffered, but the flower shop has been losing money for years, and CJ’s mom is tired of funding what she sees as a “hobby” for her sister and daughter. CJ and her mom have never seen eye-to-eye, and the harder CJ works to preserve the history of their family, something she thought her mother would be proud of, the more strained their relationship becomes.
I really appreciated this novel as a 4th generation Japanese American who also had grandparents interned in camps. CJ was extremely frustrating at times, as most teenagers are, because she was stubborn and self-centered at times, but as the novel went on we got to see her grow up a little. There was some teenage love drama which I always enjoy, and I really liked how the story was told. Thanks @bookofthemonth for the great option, as always! ❤️
I really appreciated this novel as a 4th generation Japanese American who also had grandparents interned in camps. CJ was extremely frustrating at times, as most teenagers are, because she was stubborn and self-centered at times, but as the novel went on we got to see her grow up a little. There was some teenage love drama which I always enjoy, and I really liked how the story was told. Thanks @bookofthemonth for the great option, as always! ❤️
allisonw92's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the language of flowers being pulled in so much to the story; it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. [b:The Language of Flowers|10032672|The Language of Flowers|Vanessa Diffenbaugh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333577674l/10032672._SX50_.jpg|14928278]
This book also covered very important topics including racism, and the characters of the story were so relatable. It is a beautifully written YA novel with an important message about history, accountability, and finding yourself.
This book also covered very important topics including racism, and the characters of the story were so relatable. It is a beautifully written YA novel with an important message about history, accountability, and finding yourself.
reading_rachel's review against another edition
4.0
I’ll admit it: I was initially drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover. Throughout most of the story, CJ made me so mad, but it felt so true. This book tried to do a lot, and didn’t hit on every front, but I liked seeing how “younger” generations might respond to the injustices and after effects of Japanese internment in the US.
_reedmylife_'s review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book and I think if I read this while I was in high school, I would have loved it. Now that I am older I realize that a lot of YA Contemporary novels portray young girls as whiny and toxic. I am not sure if it made since for such an unlikable character in this novel as it was trying to combat hate.
CJ is a very self-serving character even though she pretends she is doing everything to help others. The book tried to redeem her by giving her an abortion plotline that makes absolutely no sense. Overall, I felt like this book could have executed CJ's unlikable characteristics better and used them to its advantage.
I did not hate this book by any means, and felt that a lot of the topics of racism, colonization and class were well thought out. I just wish we had better characters to root for.
CJ is a very self-serving character even though she pretends she is doing everything to help others. The book tried to redeem her by giving her an abortion plotline that makes absolutely no sense. Overall, I felt like this book could have executed CJ's unlikable characteristics better and used them to its advantage.
I did not hate this book by any means, and felt that a lot of the topics of racism, colonization and class were well thought out. I just wish we had better characters to root for.
annie2000's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
This is a really sweet book. Very easy to listen to, informative and introspective. I really liked that it gives representation to minority groups.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Abortion