4

Tokyo Ever After

Emiko Jean
Book
July
2021

Review:

So cute! It was like the unknown princess trope, the falling in love with the guard trope and the foreign country trope all in one, with a bit of female empowerment mixed in. It was so much fun to read because it was such a light book that I really didn’t need to even think about it; it was just good. I loved the guard, and the whole book helped me understand more what it is like to live in the U.S as a Korean American or anyone who is not white. I related to never seeing your name on keychains, but I am grateful for how much of a privilege I have in the world. It was very interesting to read a prince's book where the prince is Asian because I feel like you don’t read that enough. It did follow the Princess Diaries a little bit too much initially, but besides that, everything was really different. I also love how there wasn’t that really sexist makeover scene because I feel like she kept herself and who she was so much better than in other books I have read. It was a fantastic book, and I would absolutely recommend it.

Trigger Warnings:
Racism, Alcohol consumption, and Bullying

Synopsis From Book:

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, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izzy 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. 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?
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