It was fun although I did not enjoy it as much as I Love You So Mochi.
You can read my full review here: https://thecaffeinatedrareder.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/book-review-19-from-little-tokyo-with-love-by-sarah-kuhn/

What would a modern day fairy tale look like to someone who doesn’t believe they deserve a happy ending? Growing up, Rika Rakuyama never bought into the whole fairy tales and princess kind of deal. She’d rather be fierce, independent and badass like the nure-onna, a vicious Japanese demon that feeds on humans.

I hated how Rika was singled out as being “difficult” by those in her community when her anger was mostly warranted as she only acted out when she was she felt that there was injustice or when someone tried to come after her family. It’s sad that even her own family doesn’t realize how much she could’ve benefitted from therapy considering all the issues she faces that cause her to “lash out”. Though I guess even in the most progressive Asian families, mental health is still a taboo topic. I did like how Rika comes to terms with her so-called “temper” and how she realizes it wasn’t a personal failing and how, just like her skills in martial arts, her fierceness and passion made her special. That being said, sometimes Rika still frustrated me with her decisions and actions, and how she often got away with dragging others into situations that were borderline illegal.

My favourite part of From Little Tokyo, With Love was getting to explore LA and Little Tokyo alongside Rika and Hank as they embark on a scavenger like hunt for who Rika believes is her birth mother. I’m not really familiar with LA so it was cool getting to see them visit the various LA locations like malls, museums, galleries, abandoned zoos, and the amusement park at Santa Monica Pier. This book was basically a love letter to not only Little Tokyo but LA as well.

Speaking of love, I liked the romance between Hank and Rika as it was quite sweet. I liked how the two bonded over being biracial, and the struggles they face as well as the expectations thrust upon them. Hank also balanced Rika out nicely and it was also refreshing to see a female character with an “anger” problem and a male lead with anxiety and body image issues as usually it’s the other way around.

Without spoiling too much, I’m glad that Rika realized that just like everyone around her she too deserves a happy ending. It was nice to see her finally open up to her cousins and friends because it helped her to realize that she’s not alone in feeling like she doesn’t fit in. A heartfelt read, From Little Tokyo, with Love is a heartwarming story that mostly avoids being overly saccharine.

From Little Tokyo, With Love is a modern fairy tale that is as cute as you'd expect a fairy tale to be, but also surprisingly down to Earth. Seventeen-year-old Rika believes that her father abandoned her as a baby and that her mother died in childbirth so she lives in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles with her aunts and cousins. Between her questionable origins and her temper that she has difficulty managing, Rika doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere, which was depicted so well. Kuhn not only describes the way that Rika feels about not knowing who her parents are and being gossiped about by her community, but also how she puts up walls and has a hard time believing that others could genuinely care about her.

While at a parade in Little Tokyo, she (quite literally) bumps into rom-com actress Grace Kimura, who somehow knows her name so Rika becomes convinced that Grace is actually her mother. This is obviously a bit far-fetched, but I thought that it was a unique way to explore the theme of belonging because Rika believes that finding out her mother's identity is the key to finally feeling whole. She sets out to discover the truth, tracking down photos and clues with the help of actor Hank Chen (whom she also encounters at the parade, naturally).

The romance between Rika and Hank was so cute. SO. CUTE. They are both emotionally guarded for different reasons, and they help each other tear those walls down so that they can accept themselves completely. They also end up driving all over Los Angeles looking for Grace which led to a lot of cute moments, and eventually Rika begins to realize that she is loved and wanted, and that she was standing in the way of her own happy ending.

Beyond that, though, I also love the normalization of insecurity and anxiety in From Little Tokyo, With Love. Kuhn writes about those topics with such care, especially in how Rika realizes that even confident people have insecurities. Overall, this was such a lovely story that melted my heart.

This book was such a joy to read. We get lots of fun fairytale tropes, dramatic family secrets, and a really cute actor to fall in love with so honestly, who wouldn't like this book?

First, I want to mention the idea of belonging and being happy where you are. This was kind of a main theme in this book and I absolutely loved it. This book takes place in LA so there is a lot of love being sent to that city while also talking about the general idea of finding where you belong. It was especially great to explore this theme through the eyes of a girl who didn't really have a family and who was searching for that feeling of belonging.

Speaking of Rika, I had lots of mixed feelings about her throughout the book, but decided at the end that I was a fan. She's been through a lot in her life and goes continues to fight through her problems during the book. Rika has anger management issues which cause a lot of problems for her. Some of the decisions she makes in the book because of these issues are frustrating as the reader, but lend to her overall development. In the end, I was happy I was able to read about her journey and gain greater understanding of how those in a similar situation as her may feel.

Also, I want to briefly mention my love for Hank and his cuteness. He's such a great love interest in general, but I especially loved him with Rika. He supports and helps her through everything she's going through in this book. Plus, he's just a funny guy. I'm a sucker for them.

Overall, I was happy with this book and would recommend it to others. It has a wonderfully diverse cast with a diversity of problems. If you're looking for your next read, look no further.

Cute romcom romance but a little bit all over the place. Rika has some issues…fitting in, anger management, who is her real mom-type issues. These issues are fleshed out throughout the book while also helping Hank/Henry land his dream role. This story suffered from being too long and trying to be too many things. If it had just aimed for the fairytale retelling without the social justice it would have been great.

This is a lovely YA romance whose main characters are of mixed race. I loved the growth of the main character during this story - she leans to express herself instead of keeping what she is feeling bottled up. She also learns to accept herself and who she is. She also realises that the people around her accept her for who she is. A perfect coming=of-age story for those searching to find out who they are within a minority culture.

3.5/5 Stars

17 year old Rika has never felt as if she belonged. She is biracial and lives with her two aunts and her two princess-like cousins, after becoming an orphan when her mother died in child birth. During the annual parade, Rika locks eyes with Grace Kimura, Little Tokyo's romance movie star, and her whole world is turned upside down. With the help of up and coming movie star Hank Chen, Rika begins the journey to discover whether or not Grace is her long-lost mother.

This was a pretty cute romance with interesting enough characters. I definitely liked Hank more than Rika. At times, Rika frustrated me, but I do love that she had flaws and wasn't perfect. I did like the exploration of her feelings of not belonging and her anger issues. I honestly enjoyed Hank's character arc and his struggle with being in the limelight more interesting than Rika's story. I loved Belle and Rory as side characters, they were so sweet and loving toward Rika and her feelings and I enjoyed seeing their relationship in this.

Overall, it was a cute romance, and I enjoyed my time reading it!

This book was such a refreshing read for me!

The whole situation with the MC and dealing with anger issues was so nice to see because it's just not something we see often - if at all, especially in young adult books. I really appreciate the author including it here and doing it so well. While reading, it's very clear that the way the author writes is with intention, she cares so much and it shows.

There were parts that I felt like could be more and that's where the book kinda falls a bit flat for me, despite the good parts. Overall I liked and would still recommend it.

3.5 stars
This was a really fun rom-com following Rika as she searches for her long-lost mother, falls in love, and discovers what it means to be herself. I really enjoyed the Little Tokyo setting, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set there and it was so much fun to explore both it and the rest of LA. The romance was super cute and Hank/Henry was such a sweet love interest, he always said the right things and was encouraging and I loved him! I enjoyed seeing Rika work through her emotions, particularly those of anger and loneliness, over the course of the book. She has a lot of anger and it tends to get her in trouble, but seeing her come to terms with who she is and working it to her advantage really helped develop her as a character and make her extremely relatable. There was discussion of traditional Japanese culture in Little Tokyo and how it could alienate members of the community (like Rika and her family) and I enjoyed seeing it play out and be talked about because it is an important discussion. There was a lot of diversity in the book, including Asian main characters and multiple members of the LGBTQ+ community. My issue with this book was that I just got bored fairly frequently. The book was fun overall and I don’t know if it was my mindset or the book itself but it just seemed to drag on at times and I felt like I had to make myself read it? Other than that pacing/drawn-out issue though, I’d highly recommend this as both a fun rom-com and a book about a girl learning to be okay with herself and embrace herself for who she is.

I absolutely adored FROM LITTLE TOKYO, WITH LOVE! It’s honestly hard to put into words just how much I loved and enjoyed this book. It's such a fun YA romcom with a focus on family and identity. I loved watching Rika and Henry (who was very sweet and swoonworthy) grow closer as they run all over LA searching for Rika’s long-lost mother. Rika’s anger and loneliness in being an outsider in her community felt so real, and I appreciated seeing these feelings come to life in a character. This was the first book I read by Sarah Kuhn, but it will not be the last!

You’ll want to read this book if you love:
☑️ Modern fairytales
☑️ Celebrity romances
☑️ Family secrets
☑️ Los Angeles
☑️ Complex MCs

“He points to me. ‘Not a Princess.’ He points to himself. ‘Not a vandal. Nice to meet you.’”

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes included are from an unfinished copy of the book.

Content Warnings: racism, anxiety/panic attacks, homophobia, invasion of privacy

Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Characters: 4 / 5
Setting: 5 / 5
Writing: 3.75 / 5
Plot: 4 / 5
Romance: 4 / 5
Themes: 5 / 5

One-Line Pitch: This is the tale of a girl who goes searching for her mother while falling in love and figuring out where she belongs.

Rika has always struggled with what it means to be biracial in her Japanese American community, Little Tokyo. Her daily life of going to the dojo and trying to keep her temper in check to avoid drawing more negative attention to herself is flipped upside down when she makes eye contact with rom-com movie star, Grace Kimura during the Nikkei Week Festival. Rika begins to investigate whether or not Grace is her mother, whom she was told died in giving birth. While investigating, Rika grows closer to Hank Chen, a cute actor with ties to Grace, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.


It was refreshing to see a female lead in a YA book struggle with managing anger. Rika also struggles with identity and loneliness- not just within her community, but within her own family, saying she would “never belong to my family as fully as they belong to each other.” I liked the “modern fairytale” aspect of the storytelling, and I loved watching Rika grow and realize that she deserves a happy ending too. From Little Tokyo, With Love provides important on-page conversations about being biracial. There’s the theme of acceptance within Rika’s community and how it impacts the idea of who she thinks she is.

The romance was cute and I loved Henry. His biracial heritage, Chinese and Filipino, allowed Rika and Henry to relate and be vulnerable with each other.


Rep: Biracial Main Character (Japanese/White), Biracial Love Interest (Chinese/Filipino), Pansexual Side Character, F/F Side Couple, Japanese American Side Characters

I went into From Little Tokyo, With Love not expecting much other than a fun summer read. I needed something that would ease me back into reading and this was the perfect read to suit my mood. Besides being a fun adventure filled novel Sarah Kuhn’s From Little Tokyo, With Love engages with topics such as the nuclear family, self-worth, and how one navigates the world as biracial. The story also revolves around fairy tales, some of the chapters start with snippets of a brand new fairytale crafted by the narrative. The plot itself follows tropes from fairy tales and it was delightful to recognize each one when it happened. This was in all honesty a delightful surprise. From Little Tokyo, With Love is a brand new type of fairytale that takes our beloved childhood stories and modernizes as well as critiques them.
Our main character, Rika, has lived in Little Tokyo all her life, but despite living there she isn’t accepted by her community. She loves and engage in activities such as taking classes at the local dojo which is a Little Tokyo landmark. She lives with her maternal aunt, their wife, and her two cousins. Throughout the stories Kuhn demonstrates how the traditional values of the Little Tokyo community do not belong in our contemporary world. One of the main lessons of the book and one which I loved was that communities themselves need to be open to change.
Another thing I enjoyed about the narrative and Rika’s character was her journey of realizing that anger is a valid feeling. All her life she has been told to not let her anger get the best of her even when it is justified. I think this is a wonderful topic the book engages with. Kuhn uses fairytales and Japanese mythology to explain Rika’s anger and temper. With this the author demonstrates how teens such as Rika can find comfort in stories where they are not silenced. The nure-onna is a character which Rika relates to and finds comfort in and Kuhn crafts Rika to be that sort of role model for those who feel like she does.
Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was the setting. The story set in LA is a love letter to the city, it takes to some of Rika’s favorite places. As a reader who loves fantasy I tend to think about adventure stories as those found in such tales, but From Little Tokyo, With Love reminded me that adventures exist in our contemporary worlds. Our cities contains multitudes and the most simple looking of places can serve as comforts for us.
From Little Tokyo, With Love also focuses heavily on Rika’s relationship with Henry. I enjoyed their banter and the support they provided one another. Despite it being a big part of the narrative it wasn’t the main reason why I enjoyed it. I believe this is a matter of preference and that other readers will enjoy their relationship.
If you are looking for a great summer contemporary filled with adventure and powerful discussions of family and community I would definitely recommend picking up From Little Tokyo, With Love.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO FROM LITTLE TOKYO, WITH LOVE BY SARAH KUHN?
From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn is pitched as a modern day fairy tale. So, of course I was DOWN to read this book. Coming across it in the reviewer section of the Volumes app felt like serendipity. While I am take it or leave it with Emily Woo Zeller’s narration style – I knew I had to give this one a shot via audio. I found myself in the mood for a solid contemporary young adult book and that is exactly what I got, thankfully.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Sarah Kuhn’s From Little Tokyo, with Love stars Rika, a teenage girl who is an orphan who lives with her two cousins and her aunts. Rika works at her aunts’ restaurant. Thankfully her cousins who are named after Disney princesses are awesome and her aunts are genuinely good people. Rika is biracial, however, and never really felt a sense of belonging in Little Tokyo. She has an encounter with film star Grace Kimora at the local Nikkei Week festival and comes across an old photograph of her aunt and Grace. It is then that Rika has the idea that Grace may be her mother. With the help of another celebrity that she just so happens to encounter — Hank Chen — Rika goes on an adventure to find out if Grace actually is her mother and to find some answers.

HOW DID I LIKE FROM LITTLE TOKYO, WITH LOVE?
I cannot stress enough how much I adored From Little Tokyo, with Love. Kuhn turns the whole fairytale on its head. I loved that no one really was evil or anything. Rika’s lesbian aunts were actually pretty awesome. Her cousins also had this wonderful enthusiasm and were so supportive of Rika. Plus there are the segments with Rika’s judo skills which was a blast to read about. I also loved the development of the romance between Rika and Hank (aka Henry) Chan. It is SO well written and sweet. Straight up, Henry is absolutely a kind and wonderful romantic lead and not one bit toxic.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
Honestly, given that I am typically on the fence with Emily Woo Zeller’s narration, I actually loved her narration of From Little Tokyo, with Love. The audiobook was 10 hours and 21 minutes long and I jumped back and forth between listening at 1.5x speed and 2x speed. Zeller was easy to understand. Her narration was not overwrought or TOO MUCH, in fact it was just perfect. I am so glad I listened to this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend if you’re looking for a sweet contemporary fairy tale.

I really enjoyed this book. I am not mixed, but being Korean and adopted I could definitely relate to Rika in this book. There is one part that really opened my eyes to something in my past that I thought was really awesome. If you are looking for a good YA contemporary I would def try this one out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

Thank you to @netgalley for this eARC!!!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the Netgalley ARC of this book.
We're following Rika who's situation is akin to Cinderella, as an orphan and taken in by her aunt and lives with her two cousins, both named after Disney characters. She helps out at their restaurant in Little Tokyo where during the Nekkei Week Festival, she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America's reigning rom-com sweetheart. She starts putting clues together that is her long-lost (supposedly dead) mother with the help of actor Hank Chen. It was this whole mystery of her having an uber famous mom, who she was told was dead that made me interested with this book. But not much happens in the story. I liked her exploration of the relationship she had with the family she's known, with her two cousins and her aunts that are all very different from her yet she considers sisters and mothers, respectively. As well as her feeling like she never truly belonged anywhere being biracial and finding a community that understands her. Her search for her mother was overshadowed by the romance ( which I felt was rushed and underdeveloped) and some of the clues that she gets are very vague and unhelpful.

This was very cute. I loved a lot of the book although at times it dragged a bit. It gave off some great Disney vibes and the romance was written really well (that was what kept me invested). I also appreciated the own voices perspective the author gave. This would be a book I would recommend for teens and would definitely put in a school library/school reading lists.

From Little Tokyo, With Love is a modern fairytale that is wholesome and hilarious. It is a story centred around family, discovering yourself and where you belong, and what it means to embrace your roots.

Rika Rakuyama’s life is what you would call a fairytale in today’s world, but she would rather reject that notion at all costs. Despite being orphaned and having little knowledge of her parents, Rika lives with her two cousins (who are pretty much her stepsisters) and her two aunts in Little Tokyo, whom she loves dearly over everything. It just so happens that her cousins are named after Disney characters and even fit the personalities of princesses, but Rika’s biracial roots, hot headed temper, and superb judo skills aren’t what you would call “princess-like”.

However, Rika’s world is turned upside down when she makes a connection with ultra-famous Asian-American rom-com actress Grace Kimura, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From this point on, everything about her unknown familial background begins to unfold. Along with the cute and upcoming actor Hank Chen, Rika embarks on a journey of discovery, one that unravels Little Tokyo’s gems and secrets, and connecting the dots that Grace is actually Rika’s mother.

For Rika, fairytale endings aren’t exactly something that comes her way. With a Hollywood star potentially being her mother and a potential shot at love right in front of her, she might be setting herself up for disappointment. But does Rika take the risk to find true happiness for herself, or is it really all just a fairytale?

The two main characters really sold me for this novel. Rika and Hank were some of my absolute favourites to read about, especially through their differing yet similar personalities. Their uniqueness also comes from their cultural and ethnic heritage, where Rika is half Japanese and half Caucasian and Henry (Hank’s real name) is half Filipino and half Chinese. You get a cultural glimpse through Rika’s perspective, especially in the settings of Little Tokyo and the restaurant, Katsu That, which both of her aunts own. Her personality shines because she has no problems being utterly blunt and straightforward while interacting with other characters. This is interesting because having such an opiniated and outgoing demeanour can be against the grain within Japanese culture. Being half white has also labelled her as not being “Japanese enough”, which can have her at odds with some of the residents within Little Tokyo. Henry stands out as a character because of his East and Southeast Asian roots. Although from the same race, he is ethnically different from Rika in a familial sense. He wants to make his family proud but is afraid being a disappointment to them. As an actor, his personality is a bit egocentric, but deep down he is the soft-hearted and fun-loving guy virtually anyone would love to date. Other likeable characters include all Belle and Rory (Rika’s cousins and adoptive sisters), Auntie Och and Aunt Suzy, and Craig Shimizu because who doesn’t like a good book villain?

The plot and pacing were set quite nicely. As for plot, I liked how clever the hunt for Grace was planned out. It virtually takes you all throughout L.A., from tourist spots you see in the movies to local ones, and ones that were quite relevant to Rika herself. I thought the build up to certain scenes and events was done quite well, and this is done with the help of strong characters. The biggest takeaway for pacing I could put into words is Rika was literally made to be the narrator of this book and I loved how some of the chapters had fairytale-like narrative to go along with the main story. Triggering topics such as racism and anxiety make themselves known in the plot, and this definitely adds a significant amount of traction to the narrative.

The issues I had with this book was how it ended and the romance. It was a bit of a fall off given all the events that Rika and Henry went through to find Grace, it seemed more like a young adult romance novel instead of what the novel advertises itself as. The romance aspect was a bit rushed as well since I thought Henry and Rika were simply going to stay good friends. There was nothing wrong with this, however, I think it should have been made a bit clearer in the synopsis.

Overall, From Little Tokyo, With Love is a fun story for the YA genre that centres around a character whose motives pertain to discovering herself and where she comes form. With the help of a friend and a potential love interest, it is exciting to see the direction the plot goes for the character. The rating for this book is due to who the characters are initially, and who they become in the end. I recommend this to readers who love YA contemporary novels and have an interest in themes of self-identity, multiculturalism, and an overall eye-opening experience into Asian culture. This will show you what it means to have an open mind and understand that change is often necessary to move forward!

I really enjoyed this one as it touches on a sense of belonging and the many challenges the AAPI community face today. I always appreciate representation in novels that I can look up to and relate to. As an Asian American, I certainly understand the challenges and barriers that myself and others have faced.

I loved the characters in this one and the cultural and culinary references throughout. Any story that incorporates food into it is always a winner for me! If you are looking for a cute YA romance novel, this is the one for you.

This own voices novel is certainly one I would recommend. Thank you to Viking Books for an e-ARC of this one. All opinions are my own.

Being a person of mixed ancestry has made me particularly interested in stories about others with similar experiences! From Little Tokyo, with Love definitely explores the “otherness” that some people who are biracial or of mixed ethnicity feel in the world and even within their own family. While my ancestry isn’t of asian descent, I can still relate to some feelings she works through. This book is filled with a great blend of complicated family dynamics, issues surrounding racial identity, and hilarity.
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Rika lives with her aunts and cousins in Little Tokyo, a primarily Japanese-American community in L.A., but because she is half white, she wrestles with feeling as though she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Opinionated, funny, and quick tempered, she makes for quite the dynamic personality! When she and famous actress, Grace Kimura, collide during the Nikki Week festival, Rika can’t quite shake the feeling that there is some connection between the two of them. What ensues is quite the scavenger hunt with a new (and cute!) friend, to discover whether Grace may be her long lost mother. She may also learn a few lessons about herself and her place in her family and community along the way!

I loved this book so much! It really was the perfect wholesome YA contemporary, with some real emotions and struggles to ground it. In the story, Kahn deals with race both as a POC, and as a bi-racial POC, and the ways in which you feel you don’t belong with either half of yourself. She also does a great job representing struggles with homophobia as well. And it’s all wrapped up in this wonderful story of a girl trying to figure out who she is, both literally and figuratively. And the super sweet romance with Henry was just the icing on top!