Pan Macmillan Released 25th May 2021, $18.99
A Reese Witherspoon Book Club YA Pick!
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean is a hilarious and heartfelt novel perfect for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Princess Diaries.
Izumi Tanaka has lived an uneventful seventeen years in her small town, keenly aware of all the ways in which her family is different from most of her classmates. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity . . . and he's none other than the Crown Prince of Japan.
Soon she's traveling overseas to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she's only 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 fairytale, happily ever after?
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean is a hilarious and heartfelt novel perfect for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Princess Diaries.
Izumi Tanaka has lived an uneventful seventeen years in her small town, keenly aware of all the ways in which her family is different from most of her classmates. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity . . . and he's none other than the Crown Prince of Japan.
Soon she's traveling overseas to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she's only 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 fairytale, happily ever after?
Review.
Tokyo Ever After is one of those YA books that is a joy to read, one of those feel-good stories that, while it's not all happiness and sunshine all the time, still leaves you with a smile on your face.
I really love a good YA contemporary, which this was, add in a whole secret royalty storyline and you have yourself a funny, exciting and intriguing story with an atmospheric setting in Japan.
What made this story so enjoyable was our main character Izumu (Izzy); I loved her; she was so interesting and quirky and just so much fun.
I don't think there was really any characters that I disliked, except maybe The Shining Twins (read the book, and you'll understand).
This book definitely had The Princess Diaries vibes, which is certainly not a bad thing.
I look forward to book two; I can't wait to see what's next for Izzy and the whole cast of characters.
A big thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for this free review copy.
All thoughts are my own.
