Very enjoyable, but certainly felt similar to other books in the “princess” genre. Definitely will add this to my collection from the own voices prespective and does a good job of discussing issues of community and belonging.

A really sweet that covers much of the same ground as The Princess Diaries. This time, though, the newly discovered princess doesn't give up her other identity. Lots of room for the series to continue. I bet there will be an amazing movie at some point.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for an eARC. I really enjoyed reading this book. If you like the movie What a Girl Wants then you'll love Tokyo Ever After. Izumi feels likes she's never fit in. When she discovers her dad is the Prince of Japan she jumps at the chance to meet him. Will she feel like she belongs as a princess? Will she find love? Will her dad and other family accept her? You will have to read to find out. I enjoyed her relationship with Aiko. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Looking forward to the next book in the series! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My thoughts can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4083351784 I also reviewed this title for AudioFile Magazine

A princess... SHUT UP!

So maybe this isn’t The Princess Diaries… But the vibes in Tokyo Ever After clearly brought me back to that perfect ‘00s classic that we all grew up on!

Izumi’s story is adorable and super fun - the perfect read for beautiful spring days in the backyard. We have strong female friendships, strict royal traditions, a grumpy but loveable love interest… and a whole lotta feminism! We love a good enemies-to-lovers story but this one even incorporated another one of my favourite timeless tropes - the forbidden romance

Most of all, I loved reading a modern royalty fiction with an Asian princess! Y’all know how I love my royal romances, but there definitely can be more diversity in this genre. It was also super cool that this Blog Tour fell within AAPI Heritage Month!

This book is perfect for not only fans of The Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians (as many have compared this book to) but also other stories of young women seeking their fathers, like What A Girl Wants and Mamma Mia 💜

Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me an e-galley of this book and giving me the opportunity to participate in this Blog Tour!

I cannot begin to express how much fun I had reading Tokyo Ever After! I felt like I was walking alongside Eden as she travelled from the U.S. to Japan as well as when she walked the more metaphorical road to self-discovery. Tokyo Ever After made me laugh and cry, along with feeling a bunch of other feels along the way.

And did I mention how much I loved being transported to Japan with Eden? For those of you who don’t know, I absolutely love Japan! I’ve been there twice now, and plan to go again once the world is safer. I actually even saw the Tokyo Imperial Palace the last time I went (although only from the outside because it was closed that day)!

If this book had been longer, I would definitely not have complained. I hope that Emiko Jean makes this a series, haha. Or that she writes more YA contemporaries like this! I just really really enjoyed this story. And the characters! They were all so very believable, making me feel things ranging from love to hate for them. I loved Eden for the most part, although at some points I was frustrated with some of her choices, these things were very minor, and I reminded myself that she’s a teenager, took a deep breath, and moved on, haha.

Overall, Tokyo Ever After was super fun to read and I will be recommending it to all of my reader friends! Again, I also really hope that Emiko Jean writes more contemporary, and I’ll be picking up her other books–Empress of All Seasons and We’ll Never Be Apart–while I wait to see what she’ll write next.

This was such a cute book. I felt like it was a cross between The Princess Diaries and the movie, What A Girl Wants.

It seems like it may be a series. I hope we can learn more about Akio!

Rating: 4/5 Stars
This was so cute. Literal serotonin.

1. The characters were so much fun. Izumi is the living the actual fantasy of finding out you’re a princess and then dealing with the entire package. She was funny and cheeky. Her voice was simultaneously self-deprecating and very serious. And I loved Akio, serious grumps/poets are adorable.

2. The whole finding out you’re a princess plot was wonderful. Learning all the rules and then trying to meet these impossible standards is stressful and not easy. Plus being a woman means your every move is picked at! It was a strong message this book wanted to relay… although I do wish it had gone a little deeper into it.

3.Strong themes of identity and family. Izumi struggles with finding her balance as both Japanese and American. Especially growing up in a white neighbourhood with confederate and rainbow flags flying as the book says Izumi deals with many feelings of “unbelonging” that she has to work through. And then finding her place with her newfound family proves to be just as difficult. I loved exploring the relationship with her dad. They were so awkward together lol but I would have loved more moments between them.

4. The romance was sweet. A total modern princess and her guard trope?! Yes, give it to me and it GAVE. I like how Izumi acknowledges that she’s in her own enemies-to-lovers romance, but that she’s also such a romantic. I giggled every time she was like “he’s hot, but ughhh” or when she’d start fantasizing about him. That was fun. I would like to petition for a book about the mom and dad though. Thank you.

5. The whole book was evenly paced and there wasn’t too much action save for some hijinks Izumi gets into and the scandals that follow. It was pretty entertaining throughout and I wasn’t bored, but I felt like a little more drama was missing.

6. It is tagged as Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians and I think it delivers. Even without those comps, this book alone has much to say about identity, family, self-acceptance and love. They’re all messy and complicated. Even when perfection and answers are demanded, we might not have them all and that’s okay because as we grow and discover more about ourselves we learn to embrace our imperfections and unknown answers more.

Izumi’s life is turned upside down after a bit of snooping through her mom’s things go horribly wrong. It’s always been Izumi (or Zoom-Zoom, as her mother calls her) and her mother. She’s never known her father and isn’t bothered by that in the slightest. But when looking through her mother’s things, Izumi accidentally sees a little love note from a man in one of her books. After some investigation and digging, Izumi finds out that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan. From that moment on, Izumi’s life will never be the same. She’s taken to Japan to meet her family including her father, her grandmother and grandfather, and some cousins who may not be as nice as they seem in front of the cameras. Her surly and grumpy bodyguard may offer her more than protection as well…

Tokyo Ever After was a delightful romp of a novel. It was fun and romantic, full of self discovery and political intrigue. I enjoyed learning about the subtleties of court diplomacy along with our charming protagonist. Headstrong yet kind, Izumi is really trying her best, even when her trusting nature gets her into trouble.

Through out the book Izzy struggles with fitting in- both as a Japanese American in her predominantly white hometown, and as the American born princess of Japan. Her wresting with her self identity and feels of being “not enough” resonated with me, as I’m half Chinese and could relate to the feelings of not Asian enough for Asian people but still feeling too Asian for my white friends. When asked about exploring these themes of being stuck between two worlds, Emiko Jean said, “I like the idea of stories being windows and mirrors, allowing the reader to glimpse through to a side of life they have never experienced or see their reflection in the text. Most of all, I hope that readers will take away a sense of empathy and understanding for the Asian-American experience. Right now, I am writing these answers during a wave of anti-Asian sentiment in the United States. A by-product discussion has started on how Asians are portrayed in the media, which is often stereotypical and narrowly focused. I’d like for readers to see that we are whole people with rich lives.”

I also really enjoyed the romantic subplot between Izzy and her bodyguard Akio. When asked, “Tokyo Ever After also features a seriously brooding Imperial bodyguard named Akio, who you have referred to as “offensively hot.” What can you tease about his character and his relationship with Izumi?” Emiko Jean said, “It is very much an enemies-to-friends-to-maybe more situation—there are a lot of sparks between the two!” And while they do start off on the wrong foot, their dynamic added to the story.

My only complaint was that the beginning of the story- Izumi figuring out her heritage and heading to Japan- felt rushed. It took me until she arrived in Japan to get into the story, and for the story to hit its stride.

Aside from Tokyo Ever After, the author has written two other books, and when asked of her next project said, “I don’t think I can say too much other than there will be a second Tokyo Ever After book. I promise more romance, more kissing, and more royal romps!”

As charming as it’s protagonist, Tokyo Ever After is an enchanting story of family and finding yourself. It’s not to be missed and I’d like to extend a big thank you to Flatiron Books and Claire McLaughlin for sending me a copy of this book, providing the Q&As, and for including me in the blog tour!

If you're a Princess Diaries fan, be sure to add Tokyo Ever After to your reading list.

This book is adorable, especially the main character Izumi. She is bold, funny, but also very human. She makes mistakes and owns them. I love how her relationship with her mom and her friends are portrayed throughout the book as well.

This is a super cute found-princess story with a Japanese twist! When Izumi discovers her father is the Crown Prince of Japan, she ends up on a whirlwind trip to discover her roots and learn about Japanese culture. Of course, it's a lot to take in all at once and she makes some mistakes, but she also manages to fall in love with her broody bodyguard. I sometimes had to suspend disbelief because Izumi learned everything (including how to speak Japanese) very quickly, but her personal struggles felt authentic. I think many Asian American teens will relate to Izumi's struggle to feel like she fits in anywhere---she doesn't feel fully American or fully Japanese, and she has to work hard to find herself in the balance. And, of course, what girl doesn't dream of being a princess?

This was one of my anticipated reads of 2021. I love the "I'm really a Princess?" story. I also love Japan so this book was very much a desired read. Our main character Izumi finds out pretty quickly that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan and that she is really a Princess. She is whisked off for a taste of her new life within pages and you will just have to suspend belief that it is pretty much accepted as truth that she is the Prince's daughter and her father receives zero backlash for having a child out of wedlock in the royal family. I liked the story. It is a light, fluffy, enjoyable quick read.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book was so so good and I'm so glad I read it! If you like the Princess Diaries, Crazy Rich Asians, American Royals, and/or Loveboat, Taipei, then Tokyo Ever After is sure to be a slam dunk for you. This story features a lost princess, a swoony bodyguard, family drama, and coming into yourself. And a bit of gossip and drama! So much fun, and absolutely heartwarming. I totally cried a few times!

This was such a high-concept, swoony, delightful read! I love the body-guard/royalty romance trope, and the vivid descriptions of Tokyo and the nuanced discussions of family and culture elevated the story. Full of emotion and fun!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down. The setting, the food, and the characters were so excellent.

In Emiko Jean‘s Tokyo Ever After, Izumi Tanaka is a California girl who lives in Mount Shasta. It’s a predominately white town that’s split between hippies, Confederate flag owners, and everyone else who doesn’t fall into either party.

Izumi, who goes by Izzy because it’s easier for her white peers, is American like the rest of Mount Shasta, but she’s treated differently because she’s Japanese. Her heritage marks her as a foreigner despite the very fabric of the United States being weaved by all races, ethnicities, and nationalities.

Her support system which includes her mother Hanako, her dog Tamagotchi, and her Asian Girl Gang–Noora, Hansani, and Glory–are what’s been keeping her afloat despite her deep-seated yearning to know her absent father.

Cue a little accidental rummaging through her mother’s things which produces a poem signed by the man himself plus some Googling on Noora’s part, and voila: Izumi not only finds out who her father is but that she’s also a princess of Japan.

Tokyo Ever After, at its core, is a young adult book about finding yourself. Izumi has never felt like she’s enough. She’s considered to be too Asian for white Americans, and so she figures Japan will be the place she belongs. But that’s not quite the case there either.

Izumi knows little Japanese, isn’t familiar with Japanese customs, and is very clearly American from her attitude to her irreverence. Obviously, tensions arise and it starts with her bodyguard Akio who will later become her love interest.

From the start of Tokyo Ever After, Izumi’s personality jumps off the page. She’s impulsive, rarely serious, and incredibly dramatic. She also does what she wants when she wants to darn the consequences or forethought to the clear as day pitfalls.

On the long plane ride to Japan, Izumi neglects to read the carefully put-together brief that would have given her cursory understanding of her security detail, the royal family, presumably expectations and protocols, and so on and so forth.

It leads to her not recognizing the young man in charge of her protection, Akio, and instead of admitting this mistake she chooses to dislike him for expecting her to have read the brief. From then on Izumi becomes a fish out of water who is curiously surprised by the expectations she can’t seem to meet.

While reading Tokyo Ever After it was hard to suspend disbelief when it came to just how out of touch Izumi was about the gravity of her father’s position. Makoto is the Crown Prince, heir to the throne, next in line to be Emperor of Japan! But she didn’t think that her life would be dictated to her from her clothing to her schedule?

Even the kerfuffle with the press was puzzling. Her public misstep with the Prime Minister wasn’t her fault, however, expecting a simple apology to her father would suffice was weird. It was a political misstep and though she felt horrible about it, saying “I’m sorry,” and expecting that to be enough was odd.

So was her personal belief that fitting in while in Japan hinged on acceptance from the press and her royal cousins who were rude to her. It made me crave scenes where she interacted with people who weren’t her family or in service to her.

Instead, Jean treated readers to beautiful descriptions of the setting as Izumi comes to know more about Tokyo from the perspective of the palace. She strives toward becoming the person she’s expected to be all while a bodyguard romance brews which adds another piece to this story.

A key component of a bodyguard romance is the inherent taboo of it, and yet Izumi gets upset with Akio once he verbalizes that reality. It briefly throws a wrench into the good-natured vibes they’d fallen into once Izumi stopped seeing him as a grumpy, handsome, control freak who needed to chill. Of course, once Akio throws caution to the wind, that gets rectified. But somehow it’s once again a surprise to Izumi that the inevitable happens and they’re found out, causing a media storm.

Izumi being surprised by what she should have seen coming happened more than once in the plot as did things working out in her favor and conveniently being fixed or a misunderstanding on her part. In order to trigger this plot reaction, she has to run away from her problems first. This happens repeatedly.

There’s so much potential packed into Tokyo Ever After. Izumi’s personal journey concerning her acceptance of herself, though rushed at the end, was important. I didn’t like that there’s a moment in which she ties her place in Japan to whether or not she can be with Akio, but I appreciated that she began to carve out her own space in the royal family.

Jean kept making reference to Izumi leading with her heart which was beautiful. Izumi is capable of incredible selfishness throughout the book, but she’s also generous and kind in ways that were thoughtful toward the people around her.

The romance could have been structured better especially given it’s a bodyguard romance and doing one should actually involve discussion of the power dynamics within the couple. But I appreciated the poetry, the chemistry worked more than it didn’t, and Akio and Izumi did have sweet moments. Though I could have done without the plot twist near the end that set the third act break up into motion.

All in all, Tokyo Ever After juggled more plates than the story could handle and it did so in a way that undermined some of its good qualities. However, Emiko Jean established a unique voice with Izumi Tanaka and a story rooted in themes that will resonate with readers who also feel like they have to choose between their different heritages instead of being one whole person informed by them both.

I feel very safe calling Tokyo Ever After *the* perfect summer book for anyone who wanted to be Amanda Bynes or Anne Hathaway.

This is a seriously fun story that also deals with big questions of identity, expectations, and belonging. You'll want to join Izumi's AGG (Asian Girl Gang made up of three wonderful and supportive friends who deserve the world), swoon over bodyguard with depth Akio (and Reina, for some equal-opportunity badassery), and dream of dropping everything to visit Japan.

My only qualm: I wish the Shining twins were more Peach and Pear and less Clarissa squared, but I think there's some room for redemption if we get a book 2 or the screen adaptation this book completely deserves (please please please)!

I really enjoyed this book! It. is everything I'm looking for in a lighthearted YA book. I really loved the characters and the storyline! I'm excited for the sequel next year!