TOKYO DREAMING was a fun sequel to TOKYO EVER AFTER! I enjoyed it a lot, but didn't love it as much as I loved the first book.

Such a fun followup to Emiko Jean's debut! The adult and teen readers in my house both thoroughly enjoyed this.

I loved this book so much even though I personally think the MC ended with the wrong guy….alas, my fireworks got ruined but they may go the whole way for other readers. The book was enjoyable for sure, and I really loved the MC’s growth.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute follow up to Tokyo Ever After. These YA books are like Princess Diaries set in Japan. Great on audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this follow-up to Tokyo Ever After, but I did have a little bit of a harder time getting into it than I did the first book. Things I love about these books: they are VERY reminiscent of The Princess Diaries (which is a books series I haven’t read but I did enjoy the movie, for what that’s worth), and it has a level of predictability that is comforting while still being unique. I loved being able to read these books with Japanese words integrated throughout without having to overcomplicate the explanations for them. Overall, they gave me a warm feeling while reading. I did think they were a bit overly predictable at times, but I also have read a lot of books and there are only so many tropes you can use. If there is a new book in the universe, I would gladly read it, but I am also happy ending it here.

When The Princess Diaries film came out, I was 7 years old. Like any other little girl that watched the movie, I wanted to know when it would be my turn to find out that I was princess of a faraway land that no one had heard of. Most of all, I remember being incredibly struck by the relationship between Mia and her mom. After a particularly painful heartbreak, Mia is crying, and her mom says to her, “My mother always told me not to cry and to be a big girl. But you’ve been hurt so you just cry. Okay?” I was in awe that there were moms out there who encouraged crying – mine is a product of her culture and generation and definitely was not impressed by my ability to cry about any inconvenience, but Helen Thermopolis was the coolest of the cool for being so warm to her daughter in a vulnerable moment.

Then, back in 2021, I heard about Tokyo Ever After, billed as perfect for fans of The Princess Diaries. Not only that, but the princess in question was a Japanese-American high schooler from Northern California! Even better, the cover is beyond beautiful (so gorgeous that we picked it as one of our favorite covers of 2021). I read it cover to cover in one sitting.The relationship between Izumi and her single mother bears some heavy similarities to the relationship between Mia and Helen Thermopolis, and it was far and away my favorite relationship in the whole book. Imagine my excitement when I found out that the sequel to the book was set for mid-2022!

Enter Tokyo Dreaming. Released on May 31 of this year, Emiko Jean’s follow-up to Tokyo Ever After follows our favorite imperfect protagonist, Izumi Tanaka, as she continues her journey to forge a path as the newest member of Japan’s Imperial family, while upholding her own identity as a down-to-earth young woman from Mount Shasta, CA (only 200 miles from where I sit now!).

In the sequel, Izumi makes the difficult choice to end the relationship she began in the first book. It is a sacrifice she makes for her parents, who need an official stamp of approval to get married. With her relationship not meeting the approval of the eyes of her country, she decides it will give her parents a better chance if she finds someone more suitable for her pedigree. Thus ensues a fake dating scheme and a love triangle that never feel too high stakes, but still delves into the emotions that run incredibly deep in young relationships.

Tokyo Dreaming explores Izumi’s journey to figure out how much of her identity she should compromise to fit the mold that has been set out for her by the Imperial family of Japan. Although light-hearted, there are several valuable lessons learned along the way, and it is nonetheless heartwarming.

As before, Japanese culture is front and center, and we view the world from Izumi’s lens. The relationships that Izumi begins with her various family members are continued in Tokyo Dreaming and more depth is given to The Shining Twins. It is a wonderful sequel to Tokyo Ever After and I highly recommend the series, especially for all the girls who grew up with Meg Cabot’s books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was an absolute delight and I loved it a lot. An excellent sequel to the first book. I can’t wait to read more from Emiko!

“This year the summer of love is in Tokyo”
If you were within a 100 mile radius of me last year it is likely that you already know that Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean absolutely stole my heart, please take a minute to observe my previous gushing https://www.thelitbuzz.com/2021/05/tokyo-ever-after-by-emiko-jean/. There was no option when it came to reading the sequel Tokyo Dreaming, it would happen, or I would perish from heartache. But as always, Queen Bee delivered and I am here, alive and well, to tell you that if you have not yet met Her Royal Highness Izumi, she is eagerly awaiting your acquaintance.

When we last saw Izumi she was in the midst of an epic reunion with her brooding bodyguard turned love interest following a Royal scandal that threatened to keep them apart. And while their relationship is now out in the open as we begin Tokyo Dreaming, it is no less a subject of gossip. In the times she is not able to escape into Akio’s comforting presence she is still struggling with constantly being the center of attention in the press across the globe. Oh, and let’s add the stress of trying what to decide her entire future in mere months on top of everything else. The pressure to perform as a proper royal and the desire to follow her heart is a battle where she feels there will be no winning.

“I don’t want to hide who I am to be the person I’m expected to be”
I am now two books into Emiko Jean’s writing and it is official that she has found the magic combination of humor and feels that will win my heart every time. I once again put my highlighting function to the test, as her characters provided line after line that could lighten even the sourest mood.

There was a suprising plot twist that I would hate to spoil for other readers, but it does influence a large part of the story and introduces a trope I was honestly not expecting to see in this series. I was hesitant about where it would lead, but Emiko Jean proved once again that a love story is always safe in her hands.

I am excited and hopeful to see this world expand and that we will get books for all of Izumi’s friends, as each of them bring unique personalities worthy of their own happily ever afters. I am once again convinced that I do not have the proper words to describe how much I love this series and the characters in it, but if there is ever a recommendation you will take from me, please let this be it.

Congratulations once again to Emiko Jean on an amazing new release!

Much like the first book, I really enjoyed the court drama. Only this time it got on a much bigger scale now that Izumi and her mom were both being scrutinized by the public eye. The book does a nice job of exploring, once again, the criticism faced by women in media and the pressure put on them to conform and be puppeteer-ed by the opinions of others. What I loved about this book is that Izumi encounters different experiences and different opinions from various women in her life who all have to deal with similar, if not the same, kind of pressure.

As in the previous book, there is quite a wonderful cast of characters to be found. I think my favourite evolution over all from book one is that the Shining Twins were fleshed out and their “villainy” was given some more nuance. They were honestly the highlight characters for me, despite their less than wonderful scenes.

And here comes the juicy bit…I never thought that I would say that I enjoyed a love triangle…and I continue to hold onto that statement precariously. HOWEVER, this one was actually very well done, in my humble opinion. We had the awful break up, the ruse of fake dating and then the real fall-in, only to be confronted by The Choice and its aftermath. Bottom line is that Eriku is a sweetheart and Akio is the loyal first love. My oh my. Decisions. Decisions.

Romance aside though, I really enjoyed Izumi’s struggle for her purpose. She spends much of the first part of the book wondering what her next move is going to be and then spends the rest of the book on a path that she is still not sure is for her. Anyone who has ever struggled with the blank page of the future can relate to her troubles, even if we are not princesses of Japan needing to impress an entire nation. Deciding what to be, what to do and who you are is a challenge for everyone.

All in all, the book was cute. Was it missing some of the hijinks from the first book, maybe. But if you want to enjoy a sweet book with an extra dash of court drama then I highly recommend it for you. AND if you were hoping for a little more of a taste between the parents love story, the glimpses this book offers will surely satisfy that hunger!

I was definitely a fan of Tokyo Ever After when it came out, which is why I'm disappointed to say that this book was sadly a DNF (at around the 50% mark) for me. I can't really explain why, exactly, but it just felt like some of the magic of the original was just...lost, and I think that a lot of this has to do with the fact that there was just more tension and drama than I felt like was necessary.

Overall, I wouldn't say that this is a bad book, per se, but I would gently caution fans of Tokyo Ever After that it's not as light and fluffy as the original (again, not that this is a bad thing, just something that didn't work for me!) I'm leaving it with a two star rating, although I may consider picking this book up again in the future if I happen to bein the right headspace for it!

A very solid sequel to Tokyo Ever After! Did we need a love triangle? No, but I’m also not mad at it lol. I enjoyed seeing Izumi come into her own by the end and her parents’ romance made me soooooo happy 🥰🥰🥰

Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this “Princess Diaries meets Japan” YA romance duet 😊

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

Tokyo Dreaming picks up where Tokyo Ever After left off. In this book, Izumi and her boyfriend, Akio, are broken up for most of the story. To not have the press or any other person at the palace start playing matchmaker, she asks a new friend to be her fake boyfriend. He is perfect for the position because he comes from a very wealthy family and is someone who would be accepted amongst the royals. However, things start to get complicated when Akio suddenly wants Izumi back, but her "fake boyfriend" wants to be her real boyfriend. Izumi is also worried that the Emperor and council will never approve of her mother marrying her father, so she does her best to be the "perfect" princess to show she can play her part in all this.

If you liked Tokyo Ever After, you will enjoy the sequel. Also, if you like the fake dating troupe then you will also enjoy this book. It feels like more is on the line for Izumi in this book because she wants to get into college as well as have her parent's marriage approved. She feels her choices play a big part in whether that happens or not. She cares for both love interests in this story and I wasn't really sure who she'd choose in the end! The story itself paced well, although there were some parts I felt were a bit slow. Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the duology.

Wonderful sequel that lives up to the original. Our plucky protagonist, Izumi, is back in Japan with her new boyfriend, and her parents have reconnected. The happily ever after is put on hold when her parents' engagement is held up by the royal powers that be. Izumi will need to make some bold choices to make things right.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
Tokyo Dreaming takes place a few months after Izumi discovered she’s actually the daughter of the Crown Prince of Japan. Still living in the country and the palace, she thinks she’s found her pace with the royal life and the people surrounding her, until her parents’ engagement is threatened.
I found that it was easy to get back into Izumi’s story: Tokyo Dreaming is one of these YA contemporary reads that quickly fits, like an old shoe you’re happy to get back in, in a sense.
Izumi’s character growth is lovely to follow in this story. She’s struggling with what she wants to do, go to college or not, follow a traditional path or not. There are a lot of expectations weighting on her shoulders, both from the situation of being a royal and from her own self, as well. I really liked seeing her grow, make decisions and ultimately find the best one for her. Also, the way she cares for her family just makes my heart soar.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the friendship between Izumi and the Shining twins, Akiko and Noriko. I really loved how we got to know these characters a bit better in this story. We got to peel the layers a little bit more, discovering their past and their struggles and what lay behind their cold, sometimes bitchy exterior. I really loved that and found myself caring deeply for their slowly building friendship, too.
Tokyo Dreaming introduces a new character and I really, really loved him and his relationship with Izumi. It starts off as tutoring, turns into a friendship and then into a fake-dating scheme, which is, let’s be honest, one of my favorite tropes so YAY for that!!

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
Be warned: there is a love triangle in this sequel. I’ll admit that I didn’t feel like this was entirely necessary. No spoilers here, so I will stop my sentence here 😉
Overall, I felt less captivated by this sequel than its predecessor. For me, it was a mix of a mood thing (sorry! but this happens, I guess) and the fact that I feel like, while this sequel brought me back into this world and with these characters I really like, it also didn’t feel… necessary, in a way.

OVERALL
☂️
If you enjoyed Tokyo Ever After, I can still recommend Tokyo Dreaming. This was a fun, entertaining YA contemporary read and you’ll find in it everything you loved in the first book, for sure. I’m eager to read more from the author, maybe in another world and with new characters, though!

Cliché yet cute and lighthearted. If you’re a fan of The Princess Diaries, you will love this series.

This is the second book in the Tokyo Ever After series and I enjoyed it slightly more then the first book. There is the usual hijinks, reconciliations, and a journey to finding who you are an what you want in life.

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

Izumi Tanaka is back in the sequel to Tokyo Ever After. Now Izumi must prove to Japan that she is worthy of being a princess. Tokyo Dreaming explores the societal pressures placed on young adults and how much should be given of ones self. This second installment focused more on the family dynamic and the pressures of Japanese culture. Even though the main plot surrounded the familial pressures, it seemed the secondary plot of romance over took it at times. I had hoped this book would expand on the family and dig deeper into the story. The relationship triangle was superficially done, adding nothing to the overall plot. Both love interest where not given enough space to grow nor the relationship they had with the protagonist. Also, a few poems and giving ups is not a great pot structure. This could have been a third installment with Izumi going to college and dealing with the love interest in a more complex way. Because SHE CAN CHOOSE HERSELF!!!!! It doesn't always have to be a male!

Tokyo Dreaming is a brilliant and vibrant follow up to Tokyo Ever After – following Izumi as she’s settled further into her role as a princess and has some major decisions to make about her future.

I really enjoyed how much Izumi develops as a character within this novel and it was great to read as Emiko Jean delves far deeper and gives Izumi much more depth and complexity which I felt was missing in the first novel. I also liked how the relationships within the novel flourished – even between characters we wouldn’t expect!

I also enjoyed the exploration of Izumi being torn between duty and following her heart. I feel like this thread was explored well and it makes a lot of sense in the context of the story and why Izumi makes the decisions she does – there’s a whole lot of pressure and expectations on her shoulders. I liked how the characters banded together and come to some sort of solutions for the issues which arose and forged their own paths.

The only part of the novel which fell short for me was the central romance, again this is an issue I had when I read the first instalment in the series – I just didn’t find the romance believable at all. The story definitely suffers with second love interest syndrome – Eriku was so much more charismatic and interesting than Akio.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed Tokyo Dreaming more than it’s first instalment and felt like it puts the characters in a great place for a final instalment – although that’s not confirmed yet so watch this space!

After the events of the outing of Akio and Izumi’s relationship as bodyguard and princess, and the reunion of Izumi’s parents, it’s time to figure out Izumi’s life after, college, family… love. But, the people of Japan don’t exactly approve of Izumi’s relationship with Akio, especially as he’s a bodyguard and not of a high standing. But, can their relationship stand the time of the media and the differences of royalty vs. bodyguard?

I gave Tokyo Dreaming four stars, really enjoying the overall story and the growth of Izumi throughout the book. We can see how much family means to her and making them happy. One thing I liked was the bonding and also the communication between Izumi and her family. As her parents were getting engaged, facing the scrutiny of the public eye as well as the royal family and the people that dictate the relationships of each royal member. Including Izumi’s relationship with her cousins, whom she called the “Shining Twins”.

The one big part of Tokyo Dreaming is the beginnings of Izumi’s relationship with Eriku, her tutor and friend that she makes at the University of Tokyo. We can also see Akio and Izumi’s relationship hit a toll as they both discover themselves, Akio in pilot academy, and Izumi trying to get into the University of Tokyo as well as making her family proud, including the public that has their eye on Izumi. I really enjoyed Eriku’s roll in this story and I do wish we were able to see more throughout the book. I’m glad that Eriku was able to resolve his own family issues and gain the confidence he really needed to believe in himself.

Now the biggest part of Tokyo Dreaming that I was looking out for was Akio and Izumi. Their relationship really developed in Tokyo Ever After and seeing them go through hardships throughout this book was something I felt both irritated me and also made me agree with their hardship. I think that because of the strain in their relationship, it really made Izumi discover who she was as a person. She discovered that she didn’t have to please everyone and perhaps also made her realize that maybe she really needed to communicate better with the people she loved.

Akio was someone that while I realize he needed the space, I found that the lack of communication on his end was what put me off of their relationship. As much as I liked them together, I felt that Akio simply ran away too fast from his relationship with Izumi. Yes they both had their problems that they needed to solve, but by the end of the book, I felt that I wasn’t feeling the relationship between Izumi and Akio. Though their resolution at the end of the book made me happy, I did’t feel the chemistry between them the way. I felt in Tokyo Ever After.

Although I’m giving Tokyo Dreaming four stars, I did have a fun time reading this book and also thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. I think that the narrator does a phenomenal job capturing Izumi’s energy and spirit (and heartbreak and sadness) throughout the book.

Tokyo Dreaming has been out for two months when I write this review and I was able to listen to the audiobook which I preordered through Libro.FM. I recommend this cute New adult romance and if you miss Japan, this definitely made me miss it more. The urge to go back to Japan was high.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Flatiron books for inviting me to read Tokyo Dreaming and for providing me with and eARC in exchange for an honest review.