3.5 Stars

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean is sweet story about staying true to yourself that revolves around the main character’s determination to give her parents a happily ever after. As a big fan of Tokyo Ever After, I was highly anticipating this sequel, and I was thrilled to see that Izumi is just as entertaining and relatable as I remembered. While I struggled with the love triangle and some of the plot points, I still enjoyed this upbeat story and the chance to return to Izumi’s world.

Following the events of Tokyo Ever After, Izumi has settled into her new life as a princess in Japan, and her parents have gotten engaged. While she is thrilled for her family, the Imperial Household Council is not as supportive of the wedding and refuses to approve the marriage. Determined to help her parents achieve their own happily ever after, Izumi vows to become the perfect princess, breaking up with her boyfriend and applying to university, but as she focuses on portraying the perfect image of herself, she loses her true self in the process. As life at the palace becomes even more complicated, Izumi must choose her own path and follow her own dreams.

❀ REALISTIC MAIN CHARACTER

Izumi is just as entertaining as I remembered, and I enjoyed reading about each of her mishaps and mistakes, which make her a realistic character. In this sequel, her big heart really shines through, and I admired her willingness to do whatever she can to ensure her mom’s happy ending. While Izumi grows a lot in book one, I was thrilled to see even more growth in this instalment as she learns to make her own decisions and stay true to herself. I found myself falling even more in love with her character, and I enjoyed the direction her story takes in the end.

❀ SEQUEL ISN’T NECESSARY

As is typically the case with sequels, this one isn’t as strong as book one. While I still enjoyed the story, I found myself disappointed to see so little of Akio, one of my favourite characters from the first book. As the two decide to spend some time apart, this story introduces a love triangle, which is a trope I always struggle with. To me, this sequel doesn’t feel very necessary, and even though I still adore the premise and the characters, some of these turns in the story almost made me wish that I had stopped reading after book one.

❀ A FUN SERIES

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean is a cute continuation to Tokyo Ever After that is centred around following one’s own heart. Just like in the first book, I enjoyed reading about Izumi’s journey to discovering her true self, and she is a relatable main character. While the story is entertaining, I struggled with the love triangle and some of the directions the author takes the story, but I still think that this is a fun series that is perfect for fans of The Princess Diaries.

This was a good sequel. The story was continued naturally and wrapped up well. The love triangle felt a little forced - they didn’t have chemistry at the get go and so the fake dating felt fake…because it was. So when it turned into real dating, it didn’t feel that way. But that’s the only main criticism. A nice ending to Izumi’s story.

Book 2 in this YA series did not disappoint!!

Princess Izumi is mastering the art of being a royal. And finally, the dream of having her family reunited is coming true. Her mom is in Japan and as in love with her father as she was when they met in college. A royal wedding is on the horizon, but it's up to Izumi to remove the last obstacle and show The Imperial Council that she can be the perfect princess. She begins to lean into the restrictive lifestyle by allowing others to dress her, choose her school, and even what she'll study. Izzy is losing herself, and where her heart is leading her, and it doesn't feel right at all.

I love Izzy and her girl gang. Positive female friendships are at the forefront in this book, and getting a better understanding of Izzy's twin cousins was a bonus of this book. Izzy and her mom's relationship is still amazing, and the look into what it takes to be a royal astounds me.

Tokyo Dreaming is a sequel that asks us what we are willing to sacrifice for what we want. For what we think is best. Each of these characters have to contemplate how much of themselves they give up for their dreams. For acceptance from their family and society. All to pursue their dreams. But when we begin to sacrifice pieces of ourselves, who will we be when we get there? This sequel is one that questions the conflicting pressures of our heart.

The world can try so hard to push us into being someone else. Into the model of who they want us to be, a rigid cage of acceptance. And it becomes our decision whether to acquiesce or to deny them. But is there a middle ground? In Tokyo Dreaming, Izumi will figure out who she is when she's battling what everyone wants from her.

This book wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Is it a family drama, a fluffy romance, or a fake date book? Each aspect of the book was cute and fun, but the different tropes made the book feel slightly disjointed. I would read another book in this series, but Tokyo Dreaming is not going to be added to my favorites list.

I’ve been looking forward to reading Tokyo Dreaming ever since I finished Tokyo Ever After. I was so glad to see that the first book would be getting a sequel as I wanted to know more about Izumi and her journey in Tokyo. I went into this one without any expectations just hopeful I would get more of Izumi’s story. A warning that this review will have spoilers for the first book throughout so make sure you avoid if you have not read that yet!

Tokyo Dreaming takes place shortly after the events of Tokyo Ever After. We follow Izumi as she navigates being a Princess, in the media constantly and figuring out what she wants. Not only does she have to figure out if she wants to go to college but also being a princess and how she is viewed by the media, her parents and her friends.

I loved that this book showed more of Izumi’s relationship with her mum. It was one of my favourite things from the previous book and I was hoping it would be shown again in this one. Not only do we see more of the mother / daughter relationship, we also see more of the father / daughter relationship and the growing relationship between Izumi’s parents. Their relationship is at the centre of the decisions that Izumi makes throughout the book and we get to see how much Izumi wants her parents to be happy.

I enjoyed watching Izumi take ownerships of her actions and grow from her past throughout this book. We get to see her mend the relationship she has with her cousins. It was nice to see a kind of redemption arc for the cousins and I enjoyed seeing more of them. All of this and more make it evident to the reader that Izumi has grown up a lot since the events of Tokyo Ever After.

A large amount of time in Tokyo Dreaming is given to showing how media plays a huge role in our daily lives and how harmful that media can be. We get to see how the media shows a relationship versus how that relationship actually is. It shows the readers that no matter how famous someone is, behind it all is a real person who has feeling and how words can affect those feelings.

I loved the new characters we get introduced to in this book. Eriku quickly became a favourite character of mine. He is charming, sweet and has excellent character progression throughout the book. He stands up for himself and it was lovely to see him encourage Izumi to always do what is best for her. Eriku definitely brings an interesting dynamic to the relationship between Izumi and Akio. I may not have been a fan of the love triangle but I did love the drama it caused.

I do wish we had seen more of Akio in this book. I get why it was important for Izumi and Akio to spend time apart during this book but I would have loved to see even more of the pair together and the cute moments like we had in the first book.

Overall, Tokyo Dreaming was a fun, coming-of-age story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was lovely to be back in the world of Izumi and learn more about her. If you are a fan of The Princess Diaries and stories following royalty, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing me with an e-ARC of Tokyo Dreaming in exchange for an honest review!

One of the best things about reading is that it transports you to different worlds, has you exploring other cultures & letting you live vicariously through characters. Tokyo Dreaming has readers returning to Tokyo, and OHMYGOSH, I loved my trip there. Izumi visits multiple touristy locations like Tokyo Disneyland and various restaurants and it was a whole vibe. Love a nice vacation in the comfort of my bed.

We have a lot of returning characters like the Crown Prince, the Shining twins (Noriko and Akiko), Izumi’s friend group also known as the Asian Girl Gang, and of course, broody ex-bodyguard Aiko. But we also get new characters, most notably Eriku Nakamura. Golden Retriever energy, dressed in ripped jeans & band t-shirts & an almost genius? SWOONS. I absolutely adored the introduction of this new character & hope to see him return in future sequels.

Tokyo Dreaming lays emphasis on the growing up aspect and, in Izumi’s case, continuing tradition for the Royal family. Izumi’s decisions are not her own & she feels pressure when it comes to her relationship and her future education. Will she do what others want? Or will she break out of tradition and be herself?

Another element Tokyo Dreaming focuses on are familial relationships. This sequel gives us more of Izumi’s mother and we’re able to see how close the two truly are. Their relationship also lends a hand in the conflict/plot of Tokyo Dreaming.

If you’re a lover of fake dating, love triangles, and/or second chances, Tokyo Dreaming is the perfect book to pick up! It contains all three & is done perfectly.

In general, if you enjoyed Tokyo Ever After and this Princess Diaries type scenario then Tokyo Dreaming is a book you should definitely pick up. I’m very pleased with the direction this sequel went and loved watching Izumi grow even more and relationships develop further. Definitely recommend.

This is a solid follow-up to the first book. I wish Izumi's romantic life had been explored with a bit more depth, and I was missing some of the text conversations she had with her friends in the first book. Otherwise, this isn't plagued by some of the more common problems of sequels--Jean provides fresh insight into Izumi's mom and her relationship with her dad, and I appreciated how Izumi's exploration of her wants, needs, and identity is fleshed out more here as well. I'm also relieved that Izumi's cousins are no longer the vindictive "Shining twins" and are more friendly toward her.

This was a great follow up to the first book. I enjoyed getting to see aLl the characters grow and find who they are in the midst of the pressures of being connected to royalty.

If you’ve been reading my reviews over the years, you know that one of my absolute favorite series in the whole wide world is The Princess Diaries, and that I am a sucker for the normal-girl-finds-out-she’s royalty trope. Naturally, Izumi’s story of finding out she’s the illegitimate daughter of Japan in the Tokyo Ever After series is right up my alley! I actually found that I enjoyed the second book in this series quite a bit more than the first, because as a reader I adored getting to see how Izumi has adjusted to royal life and what her life is like day-to-day after the initial shock of uprooting her civilian life to join the monarchy in book one. I really couldn’t get enough of this one!

Tokyo Dreaming follows Izumi after settling into living in Japan full-time. She’s navigating her identity as a princess, especially what that means in regards to her relationships and her post-high school plans. This installment honestly sees Izumi and co. mature a lot, which I found satisfying as one of my main complaints about Tokyo Ever After was that Izumi seemed to read as a younger YA protagonist and there were some stereotypes that other characters were cast in that I was personally a bit disappointed in. In fact, this whole novel is really about Izumi coming of age and maturing by putting others’ needs in front of her own, and understanding that while it’s important to have your own values there’s also merit in some of the traditions and practices of a more collectivist culture mindset too (which, as she points out, Japan is). I also like that Izumi started feeling more comfortable in her role as a royal, rather than rejecting it all for being too stuffy, opulent, etc. More exploration between Izumi’s relationship with her princess cousins, her empress grandmother, and her chamberlain help to flesh out her character and build a stronger narrative around her sense of duty developing alongside her individual personality.

Now, this may be a mild spoiler (so be warned!) but there is a love triangle in this book. Like many sophomore YA novels in a series, the love triangle situation actually pushes the character to grow (the qualities you admire/need in a partner may change as you yourself do, and that is OK!) While not the main focus of the plot (that’s more centered on her parents’ courtship) Izumi’s decision between two suitors does run parallel between the other growth she does in the novel with herself and her family, and I honestly was disappointed in her ultimate decision, which is what keeps this book in the 4 star territory for me. I think often in YA novels choosing the “rebellious/less perfect/more conflict ridden” love interest is often a sign of maturing/finding yourself, etc, however I disagree and think there can be maturity and independence in choosing a partner who fits better into your world (basically, I think choosing the contrary love interest in the name of “being your true self” is overdone).

Love triangle aside, there were so many things about this book I enjoyed! Some highlights include getting more insight into “The Shining Twins” personalities, learning how to navigate the Japanese college application process alongside Izumi, Izumi visiting Tokyo Disney (!!!), fabulous dresses at royal functions, and learning more about the fraught relationship between the royals and the tabloids. I would love to see this become a longer series in the vein of The Princess Diaries, however it did wrap up neatly and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a duology.

Overall: If you like the commoner to royalty trope, you’ll love this sweet series! With much more character development and an inside look at the Japanese monarchy, I enjoyed Tokyo Dreaming even more than its predecessor!

This was so, so lovely!! It was a great extension of Jean’s first book, Tokyo Ever After. I read the first book maybe a year ago, but was able to pick this back up without a problem. I loved some of the new characters and relationships, especially the twins and Eriku! I liked the direction the ending took, it was predictable but still really good :)

Tokyo Ever After was one of my favorite 2021 YA Contemporary Romances I read last year so when I got the chance to read and review Tokyo Dreaming I jumped on the chance! I love the characters, family dynamics, romance, and royalty in these books.

Izumi's life forever changed when she found out she was a princess. Not only did she have to adjust to the restrictions of her new life but she also fought for the unconventional love she had for her bodyguard. Now life is changing again as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with the next part of her life. With her parents wedding approaching she's made unlikely allies with her cousins, met a new boy who just gets her, and is working on strengthening her reputation among the royal family.

The path to finding yourself is never as straight-forward as you think. Tokyo Dreaming takes us deeper into Izumi's struggles to finding her place. She can feel the changes between her family, friends back home, and her relationship with her boyfriend. She just doesn't know if the weight of all that's changing will cause her to forget who she was before she became a princess.

I love Izumi's story and am so glad I had the opportunity to review these books. I can't wait to read more of Emiko Jean's books!

Apparently, I'm a fan of modern royalty stories?

I bought the first book, Tokyo Ever After, last year and once I learned it was going to be a duology I decided to wait to read it until closer to the sequel's release date. Both books were a breath of fresh air.

The first book introduced readers to Izumi, Japanese-American who learned that her absent father was actually the Prince of Japan and had no idea she existed. Next thing she knows, Izumi is whisked away to Japan to meet a family she doesn't know, but maybe finally find the missing piece to her personal history. Scandal, a hate-to-love romance with her grumpy personal security guard Akio, and too many rules to keep track of, Izumi finally starts to adapt to this new life.

Cut to sequel: Tokyo Dreaming. After a whirlwind summer, Izumi is back in Japan surrounded by love from her sweet and stoic boyfriend, and her parents who have rekindled their college love and plan to marry. Next thing she knows, she's been dumped by her boyfriend—"for her own good"—and people are questioning her parents engagement. Izumi decides to throw herself into her new princess duties, including procuring a tutor who happens to be funny and charismatic—basically the opposite of her ex.

This was really fun and a wonderful continuation in Izumi's story and character development. I enjoyed her journey with trying to find her passions in life. It's one thing to think you're disappointing your parents when you're unsure about your future, it's another thinking you're disappointing an entire country. Izumi takes on a lot for the happiness of her family. I missed the great contrast we get with Izumi and Akio, but I think the struggle their relationship went through was good in the end. I loved getting to know more of her family, especially the twins—they had more depth than what we were first shown in Tokyo Ever After.

This may have lagged a little in parts, but in all I think this is an excellent sequel to a wonderful duology that highlights Asian voices and culture.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hardly ever read YA anymore, but when something is described as Crazy Rich Asians x Princess Diaries it's an automatic for me. Princess diaries was my youth so this speaks to me on another level. My problem with this is the same as the first book in the series, I just want more of it. There are a few plot holes, it's a little short, I want the romance to be more fully fleshed out. It is so fun though and I really would recommend it to anyone who loves YA.

Tokyo Dreaming is a fun sequel to Tokyo Ever After. It continues right where Tokyo Ever After left off as Izumi adjusts to life in Japan. The story builds on the relationships and is enjoyable. I look forward to more in this world if Emiko Jean writes more. Highly recommended if you enjoyed Tokyo Ever After.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Tokyo Dreaming ever since I finished Tokyo Ever After! The Princess Diaries was a favorite series of mine growing up, and so I just knew that I’d love Tokyo Ever After. Still, I felt like it was a little short, and wanted to see more growth and character progression for Izumi, and so I was stoked to hear that there would be a sequel — Tokyo Dreaming.

Tokyo Dreaming takes place shortly after Tokyo Ever After, and primarily follows Izumi as she navigates her role as a princess, the media, and her conflicting desires between what she wants, and what everyone else wants. As if figuring out where she wants to go to college isn’t hard enough — if she even wants to go to college — she’s also got to adjust to being a princess, how the media views her, and her parents. It’s even more pertinent now, with the Imperial Household Council’s disapproval of her parents’ engagement.

Tokyo Dreaming is above all else, a coming of age story, and a love letter between Izumi and her family. Sure, there’s a strong romantic storyline with Akio — and also Eriku, but at the very core of Izumi’s relationships and story is always her love for her parents. It’s evident how much Izumi loves her mother, and would do anything to see her parents’ marriage be successful. She starts applying to college, studying more than she ever did, and even tries to get along with her cousins. Throughout Tokyo Dreaming, we also see Izumi lose bits of herself in order to please the crown. All of her decisions are, at its core, an action of love for her parents. When asked what she wants to pursue in university and why, Izumi immediately answers botany, just like her mother, despite not knowing what she wants to pursue, and not liking science. Still, she knows that that’s an answer that’ll present her mother in a more favorable light, and the choice she’ll pursue if it means winning over the Imperial Household Council. I really enjoyed watching Izumi grow from her past, and to take more ownership of her actions this time around. From mending her relationship with her cousins, to playing by the rules of the council, it’s evident that Izumi has grown up quite a bit since we left her in Tokyo Ever After.

A large component of Tokyo Dreaming is how media plays a role in our daily lives, as well as how harmful media can be. I appreciated how Jean showed the direct link between the media and the relationships between Izumi’s parents, as well as Izumi and Akio. It’s a reminder that no matter how famous or well-connected someone is, they’re a real person with feelings, and words do matter. I found the scene where Izumi’s mom talks about the pressure she’s faced to be particularly powerful.

Tokyo Dreaming also introduces new characters, with Eriku being my favorite. I was charmed by Eriku, and found him to be an interesting foil for both Akio and Izumi. Eriku was so sweet and charming, and I loved his character progression. I appreciated how he stood up for himself, and his passions, and how he always encouraged Izumi to do what was best for her as well.

Something else that really stood out to me was watching Izumi and her cousins mend their relationship, and how they came to reconcile their differences. I loved watching them all realize how similar they were underneath the hurt, and their family dynamics, and I found it really special when they came together to help Izumi achieve her goals.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romantic storyline; I understood why it was important for Akio and Izumi to spend some time apart, but I also wish that we’d had more of Akio in this book! A lot of Izumi and Akio’s dynamic felt more tell than show, and I wanted to see more of their cute moments.

I loved Tokyo Ever After. It gave me The Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians vibes. The sequel, Tokyo Dreaming was enjoyable but also left me feeling a little deflated. I felt there were a few plot holes, like when Izumi and the twins were sent away. I’m not a huge fan of the love triangle. I would still recommend reading it for anyone who enjoyed Tokyo Ever After.

✨ Can Izumi be the perfect princess?

💜 We continue to follow Izumi in this sequel to Tokyo Ever After. She feels pressured to be the perfect princess so the Imperial Household will approval of her parents pending wedding. But will she lose herself in the process?


💥Of the 2 books, this one was my favorite. Izumi loses love, but gains a fake boyfriend. She has to deal with her perfect cousins, even with their mean girl behavior. That relationship arc was probably my favorite part of the book. However I was really not happy about some of the relationship decisions toward the end, but that was just a personal preference.

My face at the end: 😊

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from @Netgalley and Flatiron Books.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or join us on Youtube (@zaineylaney) for our monthly wrapups and snap book decisions.

Thank you Flat Iron Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If you liked The Princess Diaries you NEED to read this series. It’s even better. I read book one, Tokyo Ever After, on audio and it was fantastic. I have a feeling book 2 would thrive on audio as well but I enjoyed reading it with my eyes this time! The second book in a royal series is always interesting, especially in the case of a “I didn’t know I was a princess but now I do” set up, which is the case for Izumi. In this book, we see her settle into royal life, but it’s not a comfortable settling. There are growing pains and heartache, intense pressure and change. I love Izumi.

What I Liked:

Expanding the World—I love a royal story and seeing Izumi step into her role as Princess of Japan. I wish we got to see more of Mariko but I also know it was important to feature Izumi’s inner struggles.

Getting to Know The Twins—A redemption arc but not quite! The twins were a little two dimensional in the first books so I liked seeing more of them.

Izumi’s Journey—Izumi’s struggles with her identity are so relatable, even those of us who aren’t royal. I thought her tender age was handled so well, especially when it came to the responsibility she feels for her mother’s (and father’s) happiness. Also, the Christmas scene was a DELIGHT.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—Very minor, but I just wish a few moments were featured more, like when Izumi and the twins were sent away. I also felt like we didn’t get enough time at the end to settle into the result of the plot, but since it’s the second book in a series, I know book three will take us there.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: None, YA Overall Rating: 4/5
TW: panic attacks

Tokyo Ever After was one of my favorite reads of 2021 and I have been so highly anticipating the follow up! Tokyo Dreaming is such a fun sequel that totally recaptured the magic of the first book. Izumi is settling in to her life as a princess in Japan with her dad. She's even happier now that her parents have reunited and it seems like they are totally in love again. Izumi also has her super cute bodyguard boyfriend and she's really starting to feel like she's fitting in. Tokyo Dreaming chronicles what happens when all of that comes crashing down. Izumi must figure out how to forge ahead when her plans get changed. Tokyo Dreaming is so full of heart, relatable characters, and is a perfect escape from reality!