I didn't love this book. It was a cute idea, however it fell a little flat for me. I love Tokyo and I felt as if this book did not do it justice.

**Sigh** (happily) - what can I say except Julie Caplin has managed to do it again. How much research does this woman need to do to be able to write such amazing detail and bring the sounds, smells and sights of the places in her books to life??? Honestly - everything about this book was just perfect and the vivid descriptions of the food, the cherry blossom and the mountains brought it all to life for me.

Fiona (who readers may remember from the first book in this series) arrived in Tokyo after winning an all expenses paid trip and a chance to exhibit her photographs at the Japan Centre in London. During the trip she has to be mentored by one of the best photographers in the world but on arriving at the airport she can’t see the photographer and instead sees a face from her past, a man who was the main cause of her now lack of confidence ten years ago and who clearly doesn’t remember her.

Gabe Burnett is her replacement mentor and he is less than happy about it. Meanwhile Fiona can’t quite believe their paths have crossed again. Whilst in Japan, Fiona is staying within Gabe’s landlord, Haruka who runs a tea shop and is a master of tea.

Fiona is keen to learn from the best not only about photography but also about Japanese customs. Will she get that all important elusive shot?

As I said this is a wonderful book which I am sure you will all enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

3 stars

The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin writes a story about a young woman traveling to Japan to capture it’s culture through photography. Fiona departs from the comfort of her hometown and ends up with a different mentor than she initially signed up for. Gabe Burnett, who just happened to be the professor Fiona kissed when she was a university student.

Will he recognise her? Could she put her feelings aside and focus on her task? You will have to read it to find out!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC of this book. It was a perfect reading escape.

The Little Teashop in Tokyo was a cute, sweet read. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Japan, and it made me want to go back to Japan myself.

Overall, a sweet book if you want an easy ready.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

Only a couple of chapters in and you could already empathise with Fiona and her feelings of loneliness on her journey staying in a new country. And what a beautiful country it is, the description in this book really brings it all to life (especially the food!) it really gave me a sense of the culture of the country and I loved learning all about Tokyo and Japan.

I also really liked that this book was about photography, it's something I haven't seen all that much. And the relationships between Fiona and the family, and her and Gabe kept me gripped. It was an emotional rollercoaster!

It was a little slow to start, but it did really pick up the pace. It was a great feel-good romance that I was glad to pick up.

This is such a sweet and warming story that really makes you wish you were in Japan. The vivid descriptions of the different scenes and tourist attractions make you feel like you are standing there yourself. I always thought of Japan as chaotic, neon lights and robots but this book shows you that there is so much more. The culture and the people shine through in this book in an amazing way.

It’s really made me wish I could spend some time out in Japan to discover these beauties for myself. The relationship between Fiona and Gabe is one that could definitely be true, maybe not the kissing the teacher bit - although I loved that film so could picture those scenes so well.

On reflecting about this book I can see that it would make an amazing film, highlighting all the sights of Japan and really wishing you could go and visit. I would definitely recommend this book

This was so cute! I loved getting to explore Tokyo through the writing, and learning about the culture too! The romance was really interesting too!

I was ready for a lot of things from this story...
...to fall in love with the time and place.
...to experience the culture with eyes wide open.
...to UTTERLY DESPISE our handsome yet shifty leading man, Gabe.
...to cheer on our lovely yet under confident leading lady, Fiona.
...to see the world from a new angle with just the right lighting.


What I wasn't prepared...
...to experience the vast differences between the traditions of old and new, which equally thrive like a neon heartbeat.
...to change my mind about Gabe, however begrudgingly, when he finally gets his **** together...even when it might simply be too late.
...to adore our Miss Fi so much for her fresh take on the every day, her willingness to stick to her guns, and her ability to stand on her own two feet, come what may.


All in all, it was quite the trip! From the moment my eyes alighted on the lovely cover to the final flick of the epage, I was fully immersed in the story and holding my breath that every thing in fact would turn out alright. Getting to know the family she stays with, and fully taken in by the culture thanks to the author's wonderful writing, was a special bonus to an already heart warming, and smile inducing story. Recommended for older teens through adults for a little bit of steam, but it's very mild, so feel free to add it to your book club reading suggestions.

Good storyline. great charcters, the story flowed really well, and it was a fun read. I sat and read this in the garden and it was a great way to while away an afternoon.

This book was so descriptive it really immersed me in the culture of Japan. In that regard it really was quite inspiring. I have to admit I ended up liking Gabe more than our main character but I think she just tried my patience a little too much. But it was still a very good story and I am pleased I read it.

This was so fun to read! I loved getting to travel around Japan with Fiona and really see what a travel blogger does. The Japanese culture that was represented in this book, all the different sites, and the fun writing made a very enjoyable read. Did I also mention it has a second chance romance which I’m a sucker for? I love the chemistry between the two characters and really like seeing them get to know each other again. This was funny, adventurous, and made me swoon! I won hundred percent recommend this one if you’re looking for a good Second Chance Romance while traveling the beautiful country of Japan.

If you love Japan and would love to travel there, at least through the book, I would recommend you this book. You will for sure enjoy it. And if you are a tea lover on top of it, then you can’t go wrong with it. Pick this book up and let it take you to Tokyo.
Full review can be read on my website

I loved every page of this book. I loved seeing Japan through Fiona’s eyes. I loved the romance. I loved seeing Fiona grow in confidence across the book. I really hope there’s more to come as I’ve binge read the whole series in the last month and need more.

Reading has always been my escape and my me-time! I do like to read some serious books on occasion, but the majority of what I like to read is fun, light-hearted books like the ones Julie Caplin writes! After reading The Secret Cove in Croatia last summer, I was thrilled to have the chance to read her newest book, The Little Teashop in Tokyo!

The best part of Julie Caplin’s books for me are the idyllic settings. They transport you to gorgeous places that many of us only dream about. This was such a fun aspect of the book (especially with the world the way it is right now) because I was transported to Tokyo and to many iconic sites in Japan.

On the other hand, I’m sad to say that I just didn’t connect with the characters in this book, particularly the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the main characters, Fiona and Gabe. I wanted to feel it, but it was a struggle until about 60% of the way through the book. The ending did make up for some of it, but overall it just didn’t quite live up to my love for the other book I read by this author.

3/5 stars!

{Thank you so much to One More Chapter and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!}

So I just have to say I have never read a bad Julie Caplin book and I am absolutely delighted to say that I still haven’t. This is the sixth book in the Romantic Escapes series and was just as wonderful as the others however even though it’s part of the series can be easily read as a standalone book.
One of the many things I love about Julie’s books is how she transports me to the place she is describing and has done this in every book I have read, so much so that I now have a list of places I want to visit and Tokyo is now firmly on that list.
Places that are mentioned like the Borderless digital art lab which actually exists and mentioning so many traditions of this respectful country.
Little things like ‘highlighting dust motes dancing like tiny fairies’ and ‘delicate tea pots glazed in pale blues, greens and bronzes and the solid china cups would fit perfectly in your hands’.
All of the above combined with fantastic characters makes this a page-turner which really absorbs you into the world of Haruka, Setsuko and Mayu the family who plays host to Fiona who has won a photography competition and going to Tokyo is part of the prize.
What she doesn’t anticipate is meeting Gabe, her former teacher and how she will feel about seeing him again after all the years since she developed a crush on him.
Will her heart be broken again – read for yourself and find out.
Fantastic as always and I really can’t recommend enough reading Julie’s books, (read the other 5 in the series if you haven’t already) you won’t be disappointed.

This book captures the beauty of Japan and of photography very nicely. Lots of things to see and do in and around Tokyo are mentioned here, including the famous tea ceremonies, putting on a kimono, a variety of food and the traditional wooden houses. I also sometimes wished to see the photos that were described in great detail and taken by either Fiona or Gabe.

Unfortunately I couldn't really warm to these two protagonists. I didn't get the feeling that I got to know either one of them, and thus I also didn't get particularly invested in their love story . Although I did like the ending very much!

What a cute story!
I loved the storyline and the characters made everything so much better!
Highly recommend!

What a delightful book! At a time when I was missing travel, this book came along and took me to Japan. A little culture, a little romance, The Little Teashop in Tokyo is a perfect light hearted read. This is the first book I’ve read by Julie Caplan, and I was so excited to discover she has many more!

Thank you to Julie Caplan, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE Julie Caplin's romantic escapes series. This is the second one I read and it was just as great as the Croatia one I read last. What I love the most about her series is her ability to describe sooooo much of the country you're visiting including its customs and food without feeling like a monologue drone or boring the reader. Her descriptive style is strong enough to convince you to buy a ticket to go visit these places yourself. In fact, her Croatia installment did make me buy a trip to Croatia. Covid is stopping me from buying a ticket to Tokyo.

This is such a great super romantic, a bit sexy shmexy time story set in such a fabulous country the Caplin has so vividly brought to life.

I knew that this was a book that I was going to love, when I discovered that our leading lady, Fiona, was a travel blogger. Bloggers just love reading about other bloggers, am I right? Fiona is given the opportunity of a lifetime to be mentored by one of the best photographers in the world, Yutaka Araki. It’s clear as day that Fiona could not be more over the moon with this adventure to becoming inspired and the best she can possibly be – nothing can take this moment away from her, not even her hypochondriac, anxiety-ridden mother begging her to stay home. Glowing with confidence, inspiration ready to strike, Fiona is set to capture every stunning moment in sight and around every corner, however, life has other plans and she is abruptly reunited with a man who broke her heart ten years ago. Yutaka is unable to mentor at the last minute, leaving Gabe Burnett to put his mentoring skills to use – or not.

Fiona was such a gorgeous character to read about, from following her on her journey to capturing photographs for her upcoming show, to putting her heart and soul in to exploring the cultures Toyko has to offer, with the help of Haruka and her family. I absolutely adored the friendships Fiona created amongst Haruka, her daughter and grand-daughter. They grew fond of each other rather quickly and from the get-go, they got on like a house on fire. If anything, I believe these three ladies inspired Fiona during her stay in Tokyo more than anybody. They created a true friendship for life and I think when travelling, there’s nothing more wonderful than that. Her journey was filled with the most gorgeous of sights including; The Sky Tree, the Digital Art Museum, Ueno Park and Mount Fuji. Not only was this an eye-opening, educational trip for Fiona, but I, as the reader, also really benefited from all of the knowledge that Julie captured in this story. I have never visited, nor read about Toyko before, so I dived in to this book, with little expectations of what was going to be offered. Julie’s descriptions of every location visited was absolutely divine and had me entranced until the very end. I haven’t ever had an interest in visiting Tokyo, however, Julie has unleashed my fascination towards what sounds like such a gorgeous city and that most likely wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her words sparking an interest in me.

Gabe was a stubborn man indeed, and his lack of enthusiasm towards supporting Fiona with her photography had me irritated more than enough times. With every location they visited, he left Fiona to her own devices and never offered his knowledge when Fiona would have appreciated and benefited from it. As the story progresses, we find out why Gabe has turned into a massive grump and it was an interesting backstory indeed. You go from being irritated by Gabe to wishing him the best. Yumi is an influential character on our leading man indeed and it’s safe to say she most certainly knows how to keep a man at her feet, no matter how much she is hurting them. I’m really glad Fiona stepped back in to Gabe’s life, despite the remorse she felt every time she was near him at first, as she allowed him to open up his eyes to a world where he could have full control of his own life and that if he was willing to also open his heart, he could find happiness for himself, instead of using it all on a woman who didn’t deserve a single second of his time. The enchantment Gabe had towards Fiona, as their friendship began once more was heart-warming to witness – he had been stuck on Yumi as his muse for so long, causing him to neglect a career he once loved, until Fiona and her luscious red hair and tall legs came and stole the spotlight. She was just the refreshing change he needed and their chance of reuniting could most definitely be described as luck with fate.

The Little Teashop in Tokyo was a stunning, uplifting and inspiring book, filled with adventure, friendships, culture and all the romance you could possibly want. Thank you, Julie, for opening my eyes to a world I had never had the pleasure of knowing until now, through your beautiful descriptions and an even more beautiful story.