Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Tokyo Ever After, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.

Only...

Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.

But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?” - taken from Goodreads.

Picking up the story from the first book, Izumi is struggling to fit into the role that is expected of her. When parents decide to get married, the news is not well received and the Royal Council denies their request. Determined for her parents to finally have their happily ever after, Izumi decides to become the perfect Japanese princess. Unfortunately, the road to perfection isn’t easy, especially when Aiko calls things off between the two of them. Heartbroken, Izumi finds the courage to play the royal game and even discovers that she has more allies on her side than she thought. Can Izumi become the perfect princess society expects her to become without losing herself?

Visit Emiko Jean’s website.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After book 1)

 

“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.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book definitely lived up to all of the hype surrounding it. Izumi Tanaka and her mother live in Northern California. A high school senior, her mother doesn't talk about who her birth father is. One night at home with her friend Noora, they discover an inscription in a book by her mother's bed that is signed and dated the same year she was born. Noora decides that she is going to find out who this mystery man is. What Noora uncovers is that Izumi is the spitting image of the Crown Prince of Japan. When Izumi reaches out to her father, little does she know the firestorm her newfound identity causes.

 Definitely one of my top reads of 2021. 

Visit Emiko Jean’s website.