The day 35-year-old Mika Suzuki got fired again, she received a phone call from her daughter Penny, whom she placed for adoption 16 years ago. In a desperate move to impress Penny, Mika makes up a glamorous life with a successful career and a loving boyfriend. When Penny and her adoptive father plan a trip to Portland, Mika must now do everything she can to keep up the appearance and determine what she truly craves — her passion for painting, yearning for familial bonding, and want for love.

Mika in Real Life is a book marketed as romance but delivers much more. I especially love the relationship between Mika and Penny, and the juxtaposition between their upbringing. Mika, brought up by her Japanese immigrant parents, who never felt close to her family or culture; and Penny, adopted by white midwesterners in a loving and supportive household, who craves to learn more about her roots. I also appreciate how realistic Emiko Jean depicts Penny's teenage personality. I often find the teenagers in romance books overly precocious (sometimes even insufferable) and would 1000% want their single parent to date someone else.

I wish there were more development in Mika's love life, just because the synopsis made it sound like a romance book when it only constitutes a small portion of the plot. And I was also craving a lighter read at the time. Regardless, Mika in Real Life is an astonishing read that digs deep into the relationships between mothers and adoptees.