beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A nice, light-hearted read with some unexpected depth - however I did want just that bit more from it.
If you enjoyed the film version of The Princess Diaries, then you'll probably enjoy this because the premise is very similar.
The MC, Izumi, felt narratively younger than she actually was - it was only when she was talking about more complex concepts that I realised she was supposed to be about 18 or so.
I felt like the could have been left out because the main couple lacked chemistry, although their . Weird thing to say, I know.
I enjoyed the visit to Kyoto, and there were interesting discussions around the idea of belonging and identlty - Izumi, though she is of Japanese heritage, was raised in a very white area of the US and has very little knowledge of her own culture. Her eventual realisation that. There were also some lines that really jumped out at me and were relatable (unfortunately it's been nearly a week since I finished reading so I can't recall exactly what they were). I also really appreciated how - in this version of the country at least, I don't know how true to life it is - we saw how in Japan the royal family were viewed as celebrities, and how every detail of their lives was scrutinised by the media, leaving no room for error.
I also felt like Emiko Jean could have gone deeper into the role that class and privilege played in Japanese society in terms of the Japanese people's attitude to the royal family's higher status and wealth, though I admit that I'm coming at this from a Western perspective and may sound ignorant as a result.
In short, this was fun and light-hearted - but it could have been more.
If you enjoyed the film version of The Princess Diaries, then you'll probably enjoy this because the premise is very similar.
The MC, Izumi, felt narratively younger than she actually was - it was only when she was talking about more complex concepts that I realised she was supposed to be about 18 or so.
I felt like the
Spoiler
romanceSpoiler
ending workedI enjoyed the visit to Kyoto, and there were interesting discussions around the idea of belonging and identlty - Izumi, though she is of Japanese heritage, was raised in a very white area of the US and has very little knowledge of her own culture. Her eventual realisation that
Spoiler
she could be both American and Japanese was satisfying and felt earned, if predicatable.I also felt like Emiko Jean could have gone deeper into the role that class and privilege played in Japanese society in terms of the Japanese people's attitude to the royal family's higher status and wealth, though I admit that I'm coming at this from a Western perspective and may sound ignorant as a result.
In short, this was fun and light-hearted - but it could have been more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Dementia
Minor: War and Mental illness
cadybooks's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
- 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
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
mcz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Vomit
peachani's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racism, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Chronic illness, and Classism
goldendreams's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault
karina_dreamsinwords's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Okay this was The Princess Diaries meets What a Girl Wants in Japan, & I loved it! The way I immediately wanted to buy my ticket to Japan so I can see the literal beauty in person! Ugh. Hopefully one day I can visit this gorgeous country.
Tokyo Ever After is such a great young adult novel about Izumi discovering herself within her Japanese heritage and learning to adapt to the fact that she is a literal princess. The romance was super cute and seemed quite natural between Izumi and Akio. Not to mention the snippets of the Japanese tabloid- The Tokyo Tattler, giving us the tea in real time, uncovering Izumi's many frolics around town. There were some pretty funny bits & tons of sass revealed through these little articles between chapters, which made the reading experience all the more fun!
Tokyo Ever After is such a great young adult novel about Izumi discovering herself within her Japanese heritage and learning to adapt to the fact that she is a literal princess. The romance was super cute and seemed quite natural between Izumi and Akio. Not to mention the snippets of the Japanese tabloid- The Tokyo Tattler, giving us the tea in real time, uncovering Izumi's many frolics around town. There were some pretty funny bits & tons of sass revealed through these little articles between chapters, which made the reading experience all the more fun!
"I'm not a novelty here. I am not a sore thumb. What a privilege it is to blend in.”
It was lovely to see Izumi feel a sense of belonging in Japan, to feel at home after spending time amidst her homeland. I also loved seeing Izumi connect with her father and returning to Japan in the end. This was overall a really sweet story about our protagonist finding her roots and blooming into who she was meant to be all along.
I already have the sequel preordered and I cannot wait to read it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
aus10england's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
Cute easy read! Wasn’t crazy about it either way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Toxic friendship
Minor: Dementia
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
linesiunderline's review
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
sqacedvst's review
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