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katiez0314's review against another edition
2.0
Slowest moving YA I’ve ever read. Barely finished it. I was hopeful to have a YA with Japanese culture on my classroom shelf but it missed the mark there too. Bummer.
boja's review against another edition
3.0
This one felt sooo long... it’s 400 pages, apparently... but felt like it’s at least 500 pages...
But other than that, it’s fine... a 3 star book. Just fine...
But other than that, it’s fine... a 3 star book. Just fine...
sfujii's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This book had a lot to like, and then a lot of things that just kind of scratched the surface.
I liked what a self aware person the main character was. She knew when she was being petty, shallow, awkward - though it didn't stop her from being any of those things (LOL)
The story was interesting enough on the whole, but even though it was dealing with very powerful topics (racism, American concentration camps, family dynamics), I felt that those were kind of contrasting with the fact that this was really like a romantic comedy. Not that they each have to exist in isolation as categories, but it felt like it just didn't really mesh, and so the rom com vibe ended up taking over the social activism vibe.
This book had a lot to like, and then a lot of things that just kind of scratched the surface.
I liked what a self aware person the main character was. She knew when she was being petty, shallow, awkward - though it didn't stop her from being any of those things (LOL)
The story was interesting enough on the whole, but even though it was dealing with very powerful topics (racism, American concentration camps, family dynamics), I felt that those were kind of contrasting with the fact that this was really like a romantic comedy. Not that they each have to exist in isolation as categories, but it felt like it just didn't really mesh, and so the rom com vibe ended up taking over the social activism vibe.
rfrockwood's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book because I was interested in the theme of a young woman claiming justice after her family had been affected by the Japanese internment camps. While reading it I found there were so many themes, that they got jumbled and it was difficult to focus. Single mom, teen pregnancy, financial problems, homophobia, racism, and teen dating. I felt like it was all packed in to one book when maybe I would have preferred to see all those themes tie together from different characters points of view throughout a series.
irmakkilinc's review against another edition
4.0
“They’re just wildflowers, doing their thing, and they’re beautiful. Be like them, sweet pea. Just be you and be happy.”
This was quite enjoyable.
Yes, I didn't really like the main character, but considering she was a teenager, everything she felt and thought was quite understandable.
The writing was realistic, in the sense that I know a real teenager would think that way. I also really loved the family dynamic in this, it was definitely one of my favorite things about the book.
I don't have much to say about this. It started as a light-hearted contemporary but got dark real quick. It did tackle important things, which is why I picked it up in the first place, and I liked it more than I thought I would.
This was quite enjoyable.
Yes, I didn't really like the main character, but considering she was a teenager, everything she felt and thought was quite understandable.
The writing was realistic, in the sense that I know a real teenager would think that way. I also really loved the family dynamic in this, it was definitely one of my favorite things about the book.
I don't have much to say about this. It started as a light-hearted contemporary but got dark real quick. It did tackle important things, which is why I picked it up in the first place, and I liked it more than I thought I would.
astrid9595's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about so many things: racism, politics, the pressure of high expectations, gay/lesbian, abortion, identity, family, unexpected love... Somehow this was all interwoven in one great story which was so easy to read and never boring! Deserves all the love!
simoneandherbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I was really hoping to enjoy this one, but it hit a few of my personal pet peeves and didn't work completely for me. However, that isn't to say this book isn't good. It's still a great novel, but definitely relatable more to younger folks who are active in their school community or looking for that one thing to stand up for.
The story follows CJ Katsuyama, your average teenage girl who doesn't know what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She lives with her mother and her aunt; her mom is this #bossbitch who's motivation for life is something she wants to pass onto her daughter. Her aunt runs a small flower shop that's been in their family for many years. However, the shop is failing and there isn't enough money for CJ's family to continue taking care of it. Their only buyer is the same family who purchased the flower shop from the Katsuyamas back during WWII. That was before CJ's family entered the internment camps for the duration of the war. Suddenly, CJ understands exactly what she wants and she's ready to fight for it.
I was really hoping this would be an amazing novel, but honestly it fell flat for me. The writing was great and I don't have any doubts Misa Sugiura is a great writer. However, this book felt all over the place.
It starts off with the family's flower shop needing to be sold off exactly as the premise says, but then the story goes into how the high school CJ attends is also named after that same family. They mention how the grandfather used to deal in slavery back in the day and how no one wants a building named after a racist person. I liked that this was the setup, but then the whole debacle with the flower shop is resolved way too quickly and the focus of the book becomes this group of kids trying to change the name of their high school.
But then the story continues to go into ally-ism. I think this was probably the most interesting part of the whole book. Being an ally is a tricky step between being helpful and being self-serving. I thought the examples of this were great, but also just confused about where this was going.
Then it flips and becomes a typical YA story about a young girl who doesn't know what to do and confused about boys. I just got a little annoyed by this point on how messy this book seemed to be.
I'm sad to say I was annoyed with CJ. Perhaps this is me being too old and the book being too close to a contemporary YA story that I felt CJ to be angry for all the wrong reasons. It's almost like a lack of maturity, which in hindsight makes sense.
I honestly was hoping that there would be more references to the Japanese internment camps and how that affected CJ. I'm not saying that it isn't "Japanese enough," whatever that means, but the premise of the book promises more than what the book is about. Sugiura sets up a short timeline of events when it comes to the internment of CJ's family without any additional info about it. I'm blaming the marketing teams for promising a story that wasn't obviously there.
If you're more of a fan of contemporary YA stories, then this will be the one for you. It covers a lot including social justice issues and how you can make changes to the way the world around you. It may not impact the entire world, but if you can bring a sense of justice to your town then it's better than nothing. I liked the story well enough, but I feel like there was a lack of focus and instead of narrowing in on one theme, the author decided to cover all the themes.
I received a copy of this book from Epic Reads for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
The story follows CJ Katsuyama, your average teenage girl who doesn't know what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She lives with her mother and her aunt; her mom is this #bossbitch who's motivation for life is something she wants to pass onto her daughter. Her aunt runs a small flower shop that's been in their family for many years. However, the shop is failing and there isn't enough money for CJ's family to continue taking care of it. Their only buyer is the same family who purchased the flower shop from the Katsuyamas back during WWII. That was before CJ's family entered the internment camps for the duration of the war. Suddenly, CJ understands exactly what she wants and she's ready to fight for it.
I was really hoping this would be an amazing novel, but honestly it fell flat for me. The writing was great and I don't have any doubts Misa Sugiura is a great writer. However, this book felt all over the place.
It starts off with the family's flower shop needing to be sold off exactly as the premise says, but then the story goes into how the high school CJ attends is also named after that same family. They mention how the grandfather used to deal in slavery back in the day and how no one wants a building named after a racist person. I liked that this was the setup, but then the whole debacle with the flower shop is resolved way too quickly and the focus of the book becomes this group of kids trying to change the name of their high school.
But then the story continues to go into ally-ism. I think this was probably the most interesting part of the whole book. Being an ally is a tricky step between being helpful and being self-serving. I thought the examples of this were great, but also just confused about where this was going.
Then it flips and becomes a typical YA story about a young girl who doesn't know what to do and confused about boys. I just got a little annoyed by this point on how messy this book seemed to be.
I'm sad to say I was annoyed with CJ. Perhaps this is me being too old and the book being too close to a contemporary YA story that I felt CJ to be angry for all the wrong reasons. It's almost like a lack of maturity, which in hindsight makes sense.
I honestly was hoping that there would be more references to the Japanese internment camps and how that affected CJ. I'm not saying that it isn't "Japanese enough," whatever that means, but the premise of the book promises more than what the book is about. Sugiura sets up a short timeline of events when it comes to the internment of CJ's family without any additional info about it. I'm blaming the marketing teams for promising a story that wasn't obviously there.
If you're more of a fan of contemporary YA stories, then this will be the one for you. It covers a lot including social justice issues and how you can make changes to the way the world around you. It may not impact the entire world, but if you can bring a sense of justice to your town then it's better than nothing. I liked the story well enough, but I feel like there was a lack of focus and instead of narrowing in on one theme, the author decided to cover all the themes.
I received a copy of this book from Epic Reads for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
sarah_grey's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Expertly navigates a huge part of our history that got overlooked/conveniently forgotten, plus some tough stuff that teenagers deal with. The best part is that there is growth in just about every character. This is for the type A and the type B people. For those who don't understand the levels of racism, for those just trying to get by, for those that think they aren't good enough, or smart enough, pretty enough, whatever enough. Also what a lovely portrayal of strong women and the reality that they face!
Expertly navigates a huge part of our history that got overlooked/conveniently forgotten, plus some tough stuff that teenagers deal with. The best part is that there is growth in just about every character. This is for the type A and the type B people. For those who don't understand the levels of racism, for those just trying to get by, for those that think they aren't good enough, or smart enough, pretty enough, whatever enough. Also what a lovely portrayal of strong women and the reality that they face!
bluebasuar's review against another edition
4.0
everything this book did was great but it did too much at once