Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean Book Review

Hi reader, thank you for dropping in, today we're here together to get my views on Tokyo Ever After, which is an #ownvoices contemporary YA romance by Emiko Jean. A huge thanks to Pan Macmillan India for providing me with the review copy. Image source of a mood board: Pinterest/Google.

PLOT:  Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world.

But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

REVIEW:  Talking about why you should read this book, and why I think you'll love it as much as I did.

1. A funny, emotional, and a wrecking story

"If you don't fly too high, you don't have too far to fall." 

                                   

The story is about Izumi, who finds out that she is a royal princess and the daughter of the crown prince of Japan. Not sure of what the future waits for her, she departs for Japan, which is her home. But that's what she thought and sometimes what we think is far from reality. The quest to become worthy of being called a royal is not a walk in the park. No social life, no private space, and the whole nation judging you for the smallest things. Being a person with dual nationalities, a Japanese-American, Izumy felt out of space in her own home, she was never Japanese enough. And not knowing Japanese culture was not helping at all. Sometimes the struggle of being a foreigner was funny, sometimes it broke me as a reader, her consistency gave me hope, but the way she was treated at times enraged me. As you can see a roller coaster of emotions filled with a brilliant fresh story. 

2. Bodyguard Romance, betrayals, broken connections & the work on reestablishing them

"His dreams are ending while mine should be beginning."

Okay, so this can count as a tiny spoiler since the plot already suggested as much, the story has bodyguard romance. Starting out as enemies to lovers since they had a very bad impression about each other but well, eventually we know how it ended up, don't we? No, you do not, since it does not end how we predict, oh my god, yes, that's the heartbreak I'm talking about, keep your tissues ready. Also, we know she grew up away from her family in Japan, which of course did not give both sides any chance to get familiar with each other, there was always a wall, the invisible barrier between them. The struggle to overcome it was worth reading, it was relatable, we cannot always love our parents. There is anger, disappointment, rage, and it is normal.

3. A rich taste of Japanese culture and traditions

"Every story needs a villain. I just wish mine didn't come in double."

Now, since the book is based in Tokyo, Japan, we get to see a lot of Japanese culture and taste. Talk about food, you get it, talk about traditional clothes, you see it. Me who has never visited Japan in person, my heart was full. Not only that, it made me wish to see Japan even deepened. Rich culture deepened and seasoned in years of tradition. I cannot describe how much I loved reading about it. Asian sceneries are not very common in the world of YA contemporaries, and seeing it finally getting some unique space, made me very happy. 

4. Izumi Tanaka

"Find somewhere I belong."

Izumi is my favorite, why, you may ask? Because she is flawed and she is aware of that, she works on it and tries to become a better person. She makes mistakes, but tries to improve herself so that she never repeats them again. Izumi is a normal girl, I am Izumi, you're Izumi, flawed but in progress. 

5. The story spans over several generations instead of one

"Nothing is insurmountable."

This story was carefully woven with stories of not just one, but several different generations. The story started with Izumi but took us on a journey of not only her, but also her parents and their parents. We got to know the mysterious story of her parents and their forbidden romance on the campus of their college, Harvard, surrounded by bodyguards and very close to a scandal that can destroy their lives, but well did they care? Nope. We stan. I'd lie if I said that they're not my favorite pair, yeap more than the main lead too. 

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