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stormzx's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
personal age rating: 11/12+
this book was a really fun and lighthearted read. there were a number of embarrassing moments that forced me to put the book down but other than that it was a fantastic book. there were some parts of the book where i found it was hard and boring to read. the book was still enjoyable though. i cant wait to see what the next book is gonna be about.
i can’t believe that yoshi really sold the picture of akio and izumi kissing to the press. he was a very funny character and i liked him a lot throughout the story. i can understand why he hates being a prince but that’s no excuse to bring izumi down because of it.
this book was a really fun and lighthearted read. there were a number of embarrassing moments that forced me to put the book down but other than that it was a fantastic book. there were some parts of the book where i found it was hard and boring to read. the book was still enjoyable though. i cant wait to see what the next book is gonna be about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit
katiemcgregor's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Tokyo Ever After is basically Princess Diaries meets What a Girl Wants meets Japan, and I'm here for it. I'm not going to lie, it took me a few chapters to really get into it, but I suspect that has to do with the fact that this is such a tonal change from the intense adult fantasy books I've been reading lately. It was jolting to hop back into YA (and not at the fault of this book).
Honestly, Tokyo Ever After would make a really fun movie. Izumi is quite consistent in her tonal narration, her first encounter with Japan was fun to read about, and the romance was super cute (I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really pulled through).
I think my main issue with the book are the fact that I wish it delves a little deeper into Izumi's issues with identity and assimilation. But at the same time, I think that the level of exploration that is provided actually fits for the YA genre (again, I've just gotten so used to brutal and deep adult character arcs lately). My one other gripe has to do with the dialogue. I'm actually okay with the cheesiness of it since it's so consistent, but every once in a while it feels like Izumi uses vocabulary that is totally out of character. Maybe this is because she's learning to be a royal and this book simply isn't long enough to fully explore how this might change her mannerisms and vernacular, but it still feels a little jolting. I also wasn't super into the dialogue breaks that happen so an inside joke or small piece of information could be explained. I found that these make it a little hard to distinguish dialogue from narration, but this is really a style preference.
All that being said, my favorite thing about the book is how well Emiko Jean inserts Japanese culture into the Tokyo Ever After without spoon feeding information and phrases to the reader. I've read far too many books where an American girl goes to Japan and then every other sentence is explaining a cultural difference or what a Japanese word means. It's so tedious. Jean still includes some of this information, and actually taught me some things about Japanese culture that I wasn't previously aware of, but she does it so smoothly. I really appreciate that.
Tokyo Ever After is a ridiculously fun and fluffy book. It's exactly what I needed to reset from all of the heavy content I've been reading. I'll be looking forward to the sequel.
Honestly, Tokyo Ever After would make a really fun movie. Izumi is quite consistent in her tonal narration, her first encounter with Japan was fun to read about, and the romance was super cute (I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really pulled through).
I think my main issue with the book are the fact that I wish it delves a little deeper into Izumi's issues with identity and assimilation. But at the same time, I think that the level of exploration that is provided actually fits for the YA genre (again, I've just gotten so used to brutal and deep adult character arcs lately). My one other gripe has to do with the dialogue. I'm actually okay with the cheesiness of it since it's so consistent, but every once in a while it feels like Izumi uses vocabulary that is totally out of character. Maybe this is because she's learning to be a royal and this book simply isn't long enough to fully explore how this might change her mannerisms and vernacular, but it still feels a little jolting. I also wasn't super into the dialogue breaks that happen so an inside joke or small piece of information could be explained. I found that these make it a little hard to distinguish dialogue from narration, but this is really a style preference.
All that being said, my favorite thing about the book is how well Emiko Jean inserts Japanese culture into the Tokyo Ever After without spoon feeding information and phrases to the reader. I've read far too many books where an American girl goes to Japan and then every other sentence is explaining a cultural difference or what a Japanese word means. It's so tedious. Jean still includes some of this information, and actually taught me some things about Japanese culture that I wasn't previously aware of, but she does it so smoothly. I really appreciate that.
Tokyo Ever After is a ridiculously fun and fluffy book. It's exactly what I needed to reset from all of the heavy content I've been reading. I'll be looking forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Vomit, and Xenophobia
negs's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Dementia, Sexual assault, and Racism
umerabab's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Racism
marjokat's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Racism, Vomit, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Dementia, and Sexual harassment
joeie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
diet_marmalade's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
linesiunderline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
This was a Reese-made-me-do-it / GORGEOUS cover impulse buy. And then it lingered on my TBR shelf for months. I even toyed with the idea of passing it on in my neighborhood Little Free Library. But I am so glad I didn’t because it was a throughly enjoyable, escapist royal romp!
Izumi was funny, complicated, relatable, and real. I loved the Lorelai / Rory feel of her relationship with her mom, and her friendships were full of love and inside jokes and support.
I didn’t read The Princess Diaries as a kid, but I watched the movies in my younger adult years, so I can see that the comparison is fitting.
I appreciated the exploration of identity and culture and personal history, and how these things merge in a complicated way for many teenagers, trying to find their place and a sense of self.
I hadn’t expected the sense of place to be so beautifully written. I love that in a book. Reading this made me bump Japan up on my someday travel list.
Some events relied too much on coincidence, and some of the secondary characters weren’t especially developed (the shining twins for instance), but the whole experience was just a delight, and I will be preordering the sequel that comes out in 2022. Spoiler alert: it’s also gorgeous.
Izumi was funny, complicated, relatable, and real. I loved the Lorelai / Rory feel of her relationship with her mom, and her friendships were full of love and inside jokes and support.
I didn’t read The Princess Diaries as a kid, but I watched the movies in my younger adult years, so I can see that the comparison is fitting.
I appreciated the exploration of identity and culture and personal history, and how these things merge in a complicated way for many teenagers, trying to find their place and a sense of self.
I hadn’t expected the sense of place to be so beautifully written. I love that in a book. Reading this made me bump Japan up on my someday travel list.
Some events relied too much on coincidence, and some of the secondary characters weren’t especially developed (the shining twins for instance), but the whole experience was just a delight, and I will be preordering the sequel that comes out in 2022. Spoiler alert: it’s also gorgeous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, and Racism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content
psistillreadyou's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Dementia
sqacedvst's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia