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stormzx's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit
katiemcgregor's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Xenophobia, and Vomit
negs's review
- 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
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, and Dementia
umerabab's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Bullying and Racism
marjokat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Dementia, and Sexual harassment
joeie's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Racism
diet_marmalade's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Racism
linesiunderline's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Dementia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual content
psistillreadyou's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Dementia
sqacedvst's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia