Reviews

En chance mere by Emiko Jean

allysonmarie's review against another edition

• 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

4.5

I loved the style of writing in this book- so many highlights of snippets that sounded so poetically stunning to me and I think the themes of parental relationships were rich and layered. I think some of the themes were distinctly told to you when the story itself was sufficient for the message to be delivered. This book mostly focused on feelings and the character development more than plot but I thought it was beautiful and a good balance between the two still. The characters are flawed and complex and resonating. 

lizzidown's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

kristensreadingnook's review against another edition

4.0

I am a huge fan of Tokyo Ever After and Tokyo Dreaming, so when I saw that Emiko Jean was writing an adult fiction novel I had to read it.

I am so thankful to the Thoughts From A Page podcast and William Morrow for a digital arc through NetGalley. Thank you to Harper Audio for a complimentary audiobook.

Mika is a real mess. Her home is messy. Her love life is messy. Her appearance is messy. She has trouble holding down a job. She was hard for me to understand in the beginning of the book because my personality and life experiences are so different. But then, as the story unfolds about her past, I completely understood why she was living in chaos. Not only did she give her daughter up for adoption but she has some serious trauma that she has not dealt with. I just wanted to give her a huge hug by the end of the book.

I will read anything Emiko Jean writes!

lindsaysmeldrum's review against another edition

2.0

This was super cheesy. Inconsistent characters, lots of drama… not my thing!

mindfullibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

(free review copy) What a powerful story! Motherhood, adoption, family trauma, identity, found family, immigrant experience and oh yes, love. There were parts of this story that initially made me uncomfortable, and that pushed me to challenge myself about WHY they made me uncomfortable. A good growth opportunity. I loved the Portland, OR setting and the rich, unique storyline and ultimately grew as a human and reader through this book.
CW: sexual assault

sundeviljewels's review against another edition

4.0

This exceeded my expectations. I really liked the story of the adoption, meeting her birth mother, and how Mika found herself again!

alanakuni's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.0

although i dont have a lot of first hand experience with a lot of the themes in this book the characters felt v authentic and imperfect. i really enjoyed listening to it and fell in love with all the diff characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

thebookishboymom's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.0

I first discovered Emiko Jean's work via her YA novels. I binged both of those in about 48 hours and quickly moved onto "Mika in Real Life". I am thrilled that I did because this book is such a breath of fresh air. Mika's life is messy and complicated and while there are parts of her story that I didn't love, I found her journey into adulthood to be beautiful. Jean created a character arc that allowed readers to walk side by side Mika as she found her way in a life with family, friends, and love. 

I related to Mika's relationship with her parents and saw myself in her interactions with her mother. It's always refreshing to see yourself in the books you read. While Mika and I grew up in vastly different cultures, we both allowed life to ebb and flow to get us where we are today, with our very own happy ever afters. 

starrysheep's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

jlworley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Really sweet story that’s doesn’t feel overly saccharine in dealing with adoption.