Scan barcode
wiltedpages's review against another edition
5.0
From Little Tokyo, With Love, centers Rika, the half Japanese, half white MC who's often at odds with herself trying to fit in Little Tokyo. Her white dad was just the deadbeat that got her mom pregnant, and her mother died as a teen, giving birth to Rika. Her mother's sister, along with her wife, have been raising Rika and her two cousins for the past 17 years of Rika's life and since they had a fairytale romance, of course, their kids are hopeless romantics too. But not Rika, who rejects every notion of love she's ever encountered.
During the Nikkei Week Festival parade, Rika finds herself in a chance encounter with celebrity Grace Kimura, who somehow knows Rika's name and immediately goes off the grid after their seconds-long contact. That, followed by a hidden childhood picture of her mother and her aunt, Rika is absolutely sure that Grace is her mother. With the help of Henry, one of Grace's costars, Rika goes on a wild hunt around LA to find her off the grid mom.
This book is so cute and well written and Henry and Rika are adorable and the ending scene in Little Tokyo was so heartwarming and I definitely cried a little.
During the Nikkei Week Festival parade, Rika finds herself in a chance encounter with celebrity Grace Kimura, who somehow knows Rika's name and immediately goes off the grid after their seconds-long contact. That, followed by a hidden childhood picture of her mother and her aunt, Rika is absolutely sure that Grace is her mother. With the help of Henry, one of Grace's costars, Rika goes on a wild hunt around LA to find her off the grid mom.
This book is so cute and well written and Henry and Rika are adorable and the ending scene in Little Tokyo was so heartwarming and I definitely cried a little.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Book has good message but some dialogue and pacing in general was off.
Book has good message but some dialogue and pacing in general was off.
janeblue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
thegloomth's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
kerropiz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i think this book is magical.
maybe it’s because i needed something like this, or maybe it’s because i’ve been through my share of wishing for happy endings and still coming up short. and maybe, ultimately—because it almost always comes down to this, i was losing hope for .. something.
but genuinely, i connected with this book on such a level that i honestly didn’t think i would’ve.
now, i don’t mean magical in the sense that it solved all my lingering emotions. the book had its set themes and tackled them wholeheartedly, albeit almost surface level. but the characters, especially rika, all have a heart to them. and its characters like rika who have the experiences that she does that makes you believe that actually yeah, i can have whatever happily ever after i wanted when i was young—regardless of the fact that societally? a happy ever after isn’t meant to be in the cards for me.
i think that it came into my life at the right time. it definitely wasn’t a perfect book—more like a crash course on asian hate and the experience of feeling so out of place in a society that deems you unworthy of existence—but it’s a nice, funny, sweet, enchanting start to it.
and maybe i just needed a fairytale to believe in today.
maybe it’s because i needed something like this, or maybe it’s because i’ve been through my share of wishing for happy endings and still coming up short. and maybe, ultimately—because it almost always comes down to this, i was losing hope for .. something.
but genuinely, i connected with this book on such a level that i honestly didn’t think i would’ve.
now, i don’t mean magical in the sense that it solved all my lingering emotions. the book had its set themes and tackled them wholeheartedly, albeit almost surface level. but the characters, especially rika, all have a heart to them. and its characters like rika who have the experiences that she does that makes you believe that actually yeah, i can have whatever happily ever after i wanted when i was young—regardless of the fact that societally? a happy ever after isn’t meant to be in the cards for me.
i think that it came into my life at the right time. it definitely wasn’t a perfect book—more like a crash course on asian hate and the experience of feeling so out of place in a society that deems you unworthy of existence—but it’s a nice, funny, sweet, enchanting start to it.
and maybe i just needed a fairytale to believe in today.
almond's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Sweet romance with strong family relationships. Moved me.
books4susie's review against another edition
5.0
Rika feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere. Orphaned at birth, she lives with her doting aunts and cousins. Biracial, she is often made to feel out of place in her Japanese American community. When she bumps into a famous movie store at a parade, Rika’s life is turned upside down when she realizes that her mother may be alive after all. With the help of the handsome Henry Chen who just so happens to be filming a movie with her supposed mother, the two go on a quest to uncover the truth. Rika must confront not only her own insecurities but fight against a racist bully and society's preconceived notions in order to uncover her own happily ever after.
cassiesnextchapter's review
4.0
Adorable, funny, sweet, and fierce!
⠀⠀
This audiobook was just what I needed! Two people finding their way to their own happy ending, through racial stereotypes and prejudices, family betrayals and insecurities, doubt and anxiety.⠀
⠀⠀
A bit of Cinderella, a lot of heart, a smidge of insta-love, tons of self-discovery and hope and forgiveness. Go give it a listen! Emily Woo Zeller narrates spectacularly!⠀
Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook!
⠀⠀
This audiobook was just what I needed! Two people finding their way to their own happy ending, through racial stereotypes and prejudices, family betrayals and insecurities, doubt and anxiety.⠀
⠀⠀
A bit of Cinderella, a lot of heart, a smidge of insta-love, tons of self-discovery and hope and forgiveness. Go give it a listen! Emily Woo Zeller narrates spectacularly!⠀
Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook!