| Book Description | 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) and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izumi 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. Izumi 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? |
| Star Rating | ★★★☆☆ |
| Pros | I really enjoyed this book and it was perfect for bringing me out of the reading slump. I love a good royalty romance story. It actually had depth for such a light read and I liked the main characters. I can’t speak too much to the cultural accuracies, but it was really enjoyable being put into the shoes of a princess from Japan. |
| Cons | It was a little cliched. I think there was a little disconnect from her struggling in Tokyo to her acing everything in Kyoto. The romance was a disconnected too (there were poems that were a little iffy) and the side characters were two dimensional. |
| Three words | Light, happy, heartwarming |
| Trigger warnings | Bullying, alcohol use |
Tokyo Ever After By Emiko Jean Bite Sized Review
