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chronicallybookish 's review for:
From Little Tokyo, with Love
by Sarah Kuhn
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 4 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Representation: 5/5
TWs: anxiety, panic attack, anger issues, racism, some instances prejudice against the biracial main characters
Special thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an early eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
I loved this book. Was it perfect by any means? No. It was incredibly cheesy, and the writing, while decent, was sometimes lacking, but it was so sweet. This book is the perfect romcom with a whole lot of heart and tackles some really important issues—like race and the identity struggles that come with being bi/multiracial, family, mental health, and the stigmas around mental health and LGBTQ people in Asian communities. I believe the author herself is biracial, lending this book the touch that only an own voices author can.
I loved Rika, and though she sometimes drove me crazy, I saw a lot of myself in her. I’ve also struggled with a nasty temper for most of my life, and I also—especially when I was younger—thought of it as a monster. Rika is different from a lot of YA heroines, and sometimes it does come off a little “I’m not like other girls”-esque, but I really loved seeing such a rough-around-the-edges, hot-tempered girl as the main character.
Henry, too was amazing. I loved his character, and the depiction of his anxiety was really accurate. He was able to be a swoon-worthy love interest without being a cardboard cutout of a character. Their whole romance was definitely insta-love, but it didn’t bother me too much. I was swept up in the chemistry and romance, which I was especially craving since the last book I read was a huge let-down on that front.
Aunt Suzy and Belle felt like pretty two-dimensional characters, and sometimes got on my nerves, and yet I found myself loving them anyway. I adored Auntie Och and Rory—especially Rory—and Eliza too, though I’d have liked to see more of her. Craig was probably the weakest character, and felt wholly unnecessary to the story. He had no real motivation behind his actions, and nothing he said or did felt realistic because of that.
The book was definitely suffocatingly cheesy at parts, but honestly, I kind of loved that about it. I cannot emphasize how much I recommend this book!
Age Rating: 14+
Overall: 4 stars
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Representation: 5/5
TWs: anxiety, panic attack, anger issues, racism, some instances prejudice against the biracial main characters
Special thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an early eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
I loved this book. Was it perfect by any means? No. It was incredibly cheesy, and the writing, while decent, was sometimes lacking, but it was so sweet. This book is the perfect romcom with a whole lot of heart and tackles some really important issues—like race and the identity struggles that come with being bi/multiracial, family, mental health, and the stigmas around mental health and LGBTQ people in Asian communities. I believe the author herself is biracial, lending this book the touch that only an own voices author can.
I loved Rika, and though she sometimes drove me crazy, I saw a lot of myself in her. I’ve also struggled with a nasty temper for most of my life, and I also—especially when I was younger—thought of it as a monster. Rika is different from a lot of YA heroines, and sometimes it does come off a little “I’m not like other girls”-esque, but I really loved seeing such a rough-around-the-edges, hot-tempered girl as the main character.
Henry, too was amazing. I loved his character, and the depiction of his anxiety was really accurate. He was able to be a swoon-worthy love interest without being a cardboard cutout of a character. Their whole romance was definitely insta-love, but it didn’t bother me too much. I was swept up in the chemistry and romance, which I was especially craving since the last book I read was a huge let-down on that front.
Aunt Suzy and Belle felt like pretty two-dimensional characters, and sometimes got on my nerves, and yet I found myself loving them anyway. I adored Auntie Och and Rory—especially Rory—and Eliza too, though I’d have liked to see more of her. Craig was probably the weakest character, and felt wholly unnecessary to the story. He had no real motivation behind his actions, and nothing he said or did felt realistic because of that.
The book was definitely suffocatingly cheesy at parts, but honestly, I kind of loved that about it. I cannot emphasize how much I recommend this book!