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A review by sweetsxrrxw
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.75
i'm so so so glad i blindly picked up this as my first 2025 read, because words can't explain how much i loved it.
it is a slice of life book (and a graphic novel) so, sure, there wasn't much "on-screen" character development but i ended up laughing, crying and loving the three main characters. each one of them was so different, however i could find parts of myself in each one of them.
nao is a immigrant who left japan as a kid to go live in usa but who went back to japan for a year just to reconnect with her japanese side. if you're an immigrant or a child of one, you know how it feels: you're never enough for any of the sides. you'll always be an outsider to both of them, no matter how hard you try to adapt yourself to fit in. some people, especially your closest family and friends will understand and believe you're enough. others won't. but you just have to learn to live with that and keep making changes that will make you happy.another thing i genuinely loved and that actually brought me to tears is looking up and trying to watch the events unfold by your parents' point of view. it's so gut-wreching to think of how it must feel to see your kid turn into a stranger, refuse to get involved with cultural traits from your country, for whatever reason they might have and still staying strong in front of them.
hyejung had always been the perfect daughter for her parents, a girl who "fitted herself into whatever mold you wanted if that made you want her." she studied and studied so hard just to make her parents happy, at seeing how she could break the ceiling glass they had always been under. however, she never really stopped to think of what she really wanted to do (i felt so seen by all of that lmao). when she decided to study artshe had a huge fallout with her parents which led up to her moving to another country to try to figure out herself. and why she always missed every little comfortable thing that happened at home, she never kept in touch with her parents, until her mother came visit a year and a half later. (her father still refused to talk to her. i felt seen by that too because if i ever find myself in that scenario, i know for certain that's how it will develop.) hyejung saying she loved her home but hated how she felt at home will never not be heartbreaking to me.
i think tina is definitely the one who stole most of my heart. the literal definition of remaining gentle despite the horrors (or failures). she is a hopeless romantic, with a huge heart filled of love for her friends. she deserves so much better.despite relating a lot to her when she just said that she didn't have any dream (me) and maybe she just wanted to be an ordinary person enjoying every day of her life, i genuinely hope she finds the love that exists inside of her. i'm also glad that, despite her and her mom not being the most communicative (me, again) she could also catch up with her.
but i think what i loved the most about these characters is their friendship and how, despite facing their hardships on their own, had always each other's backs. female friendships are just so beautiful and i'm glad that this book wasn't all centered in the romantic side plot but more on the girls' growth over a year.
i didn't mind stuff such as the accents, the translations under the kanjis and hangul or the humor in such a "serious" story (i actually loved all of that). but i do think the pace was a bit off-ish? during hyejung's storyline it was so hard for me to distinguish between present and past, at some points. and whenever a new chapter started i was expecting a bigger time jump but some of them started the day after the last chapter finished.
i can't deny this has kinda became a bit of a comfort book for me, however i think the effects of this story can only work with people who can relate to it and won't mind its peculiarities. so, i would only recommend it if you're one of those people!
it is a slice of life book (and a graphic novel) so, sure, there wasn't much "on-screen" character development but i ended up laughing, crying and loving the three main characters. each one of them was so different, however i could find parts of myself in each one of them.
nao is a immigrant who left japan as a kid to go live in usa but who went back to japan for a year just to reconnect with her japanese side. if you're an immigrant or a child of one, you know how it feels: you're never enough for any of the sides. you'll always be an outsider to both of them, no matter how hard you try to adapt yourself to fit in. some people, especially your closest family and friends will understand and believe you're enough. others won't. but you just have to learn to live with that and keep making changes that will make you happy.
hyejung had always been the perfect daughter for her parents, a girl who "fitted herself into whatever mold you wanted if that made you want her." she studied and studied so hard just to make her parents happy, at seeing how she could break the ceiling glass they had always been under. however, she never really stopped to think of what she really wanted to do (i felt so seen by all of that lmao). when she decided to study art
i think tina is definitely the one who stole most of my heart. the literal definition of remaining gentle despite the horrors (or failures). she is a hopeless romantic, with a huge heart filled of love for her friends. she deserves so much better.
but i think what i loved the most about these characters is their friendship and how, despite facing their hardships on their own, had always each other's backs. female friendships are just so beautiful and i'm glad that this book wasn't all centered in the romantic side plot but more on the girls' growth over a year.
i didn't mind stuff such as the accents, the translations under the kanjis and hangul or the humor in such a "serious" story (i actually loved all of that). but i do think the pace was a bit off-ish? during hyejung's storyline it was so hard for me to distinguish between present and past, at some points. and whenever a new chapter started i was expecting a bigger time jump but some of them started the day after the last chapter finished.
i can't deny this has kinda became a bit of a comfort book for me, however i think the effects of this story can only work with people who can relate to it and won't mind its peculiarities. so, i would only recommend it if you're one of those people!