Emiko by Chieri Uegaki is about a Japanese-Canadian girl named Emiko who has made it her mission to be a matchmaker to whoever she can.
The book isn’t necessarily bad as I loved most of the characters, the food descriptions, the incorporation of Japanese culture and the Canadian setting. I also felt that the book was very realistic without overdoing it with any references or slang.

Personally I didn’t really like the whole Emiko as a matchmaker concept. I felt no reason as to why matchmaking was so important to her. Emiko’s obsession with it also made her an annoying character to read about.

As well I felt like the book didn’t really have a point or purpose. Other than the matchmaking there wasn’t really a clear plot that I could see and the book just felt boring because of it.

3.25*
I have a very large soft spot for anything set in Canada ('tis my home after all). I also have a, shall we say, obsession with all JAFF and gobble all that I can find up.
But I have to admit, Emma is not my favourite JA novel and YA story's are hit or miss with me (since I am far from being a YA). This was not quite a hit or a miss in that respect. I found it a little difficult to stay engaged with. Except for the canadiana and some of the descriptions of Canadia-Japanese culture.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Emiko is light and summery, well suited for a young teenage audience. It would be helpful to include where the story is taking place in the beginning, just to help situate the reader (I found it a bit confusing). Love stories that center immigrant families and what it's like growing up in a multicultural setting.

This was a cute YA debut that sees a Japanese Canadian teen trying to set up her friends. While I wouldn't call it my favorite YA Emma retelling, I still enjoyed it and especially appreciated all the Canadian settings and references. Recommended for fans of books like Meet me on Love street or Recommended reading. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Quick Summary: A before and after YA romance

My Review: Emiko by Chieri Uegaki is a "sweet and savory YA romance." It is scheduled for release on 6/10/25.

About the Book: "...this modern-day Japanese-Canadian twist on Emma is just the recipe for fans of Jenny Han, Jane Austen and Gilmore Girls. A busybody foodie avoids questions of her own future as she meddles in the love lives of those around her. Has this matcha-maker met her match?"

In My Own Words: A young woman who is on the verge of adulthood considers herself to be a matchmaker extraordinaire. Sometimes she seemingly gets it right and other times, not so much. As she endeavors to work her special brand of magic on her family, friends, and peer group, she soon learns more than she ever bargained for about herself and about someone who has always been very present in her life.

My Final Say: Emiko was a lighthearted contemporary YA that did indeed have an Emma-esque vibe. I found it to be refreshingly easy to follow and uniquely written in such a way that highlighted the beautiful Japanese culture. The slow burn and impactful realization of feelings that Emiko and Kenzo had made me love their story. I adored that the leads got their chance to find happiness.

Other: Young readers or even young at heart readers who enjoy reading classic to contemporary retellings should like this book.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA
Status/Level: 💘

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Tundra Book Group | Tundra Books), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for providing access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. I truly enjoyed reading this work, and I look forward to reading more from this writer. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Sadly I am DNFing this at 5%
The writing style is sadly not a fit for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I'm a lover of any modern retelling of older literature, from Shakespeare to Austen I love it all. Emiko is no exception. The book was lighthearted and cute, a perfect YA story. I can see this in my library, recommending to students that would really enjoy it. There were some areas lacking, such as the plot which needed to be more fleshed out. There were multiple things throwing the main story off, multiple plot lines that could have been done without. Besides that, this was an enjoyable and fun light read, a good brain break, but I was just left wanting something more developed.

“Not every decision works; many definitely need tailoring; a few will make you look bad; while others might be worth saving for the future. And some, thankfully, are going to fit exactly right. But you’ll never really know until you try them on.” 🌸

❥•°❀°•༢ “Emiko” was such a delightful YA treat! The stunning cover was what caught my attention, but I really enjoyed this book and thought it was adorable. I loved learning about the Japanese traditions and customs that they undertake. I haven’t had the opportunity to read “Emma” by Jane Austen which this story was based off as a modern retelling so I can’t say for certain if it does the original justice. However, the 90s movie, “Clueless” which was also adapted from “Emma,” bears a very nostalgic resemblance to “Emiko” in terms of the characters and general plot retelling in a way that’s more in tune with teens of this generation now than the 90s 🪞

❥•°❀°•༢ Our heroine, Emiko Kimori, is blessed with a very privileged life living with her Ojichan and Mitsuko. Right away from the get-go, we learn that she has a knack for knowing when two things or people are destined for each other. While clueless and a bit self-centred at times, Emiko has her loved ones’ interests at heart and spends a majority of the book trying to set her friend, Harumi, up with a boy who she might be happy with. Emiko and Harumi’s friendship is similar to Cher and Tai’s, where both Emiko and Cher unknowingly toy with Harumi and Tai’s feelings out of good intentions which ultimately leads to them rethinking the purpose of their friendship. I think Emiko’s heart was in the right place for Harumi and while it did hurt Harumi, it was nice to see how their friendship grew through all their struggles and how Emiko felt that Harumi was one of her closest friends but the end of the book 👘

❥•°❀°•༢ Emiko’s perseverance in trying to connect with Chisato is a great lesson especially for younger readers. For a good portion of the book, Emiko struggles to understand Chisato who’s frequently brushing her off or simply ignoring her. While Emiko misunderstands her and doesn’t treat her with as much dignity and respect as she should have, our heroine learns from her mistakes that not everyone is blessed with the opportunities and families that she has. Chisato has her reasons and it’s okay for Emiko not to know everything about someone in order to make a difference in their life. It took a lot of growth and maturity on Emiko’s part to own up to what she did and shows that doing things that scare us are usually the right actions 🛍️

❥•°❀°•༢ Gareth and Jun are both boys who teach Emiko some very valuable lessons. Although they’re hard to swallow, she learns that not everyone wears their heart on their sleeves as she does and there’s nothing wrong with her doing that. She learns to understand that if someone has to make fun of her or humiliate her to have a good time, their presence in her life isn’t worth it. Emiko learns what it means to be mislead, taken advantage of, and betrayed and does a lot of growing up through her scenes with Jun and Gareth. Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, and sometimes we go through obstacles like this to re-evaluate what we want in our life and what we want for ourselves 💬

❥•°❀°•༢ Family is an integral part of Emiko’s life and shown numerous times throughout the story. For her aunt’s sake, she tries to befriend Jun and becomes upset for her aunt and her new uncle after Jun’s betrayal. Part of the reason why Emiko is hesitant to pick out her future is because she’s afraid of leaving her Ojichan without anyone and worries that he’ll be alone. She’s a girl with a big heart and even though her meddling does get her into trouble frequently, it makes her lovable and admirable that she would go out of her way to help others find happiness. Ojichan and Mitsuko are very strong and steady influences in her life and Emiko is able to use her life experiences with them to guide herself in her near future 🍡

❥•°❀°•༢ The one thing I wish we got to see more in this book was more scenes with Emiko and Kenzo Sanada, her childhood friend and her main love interest. It was a classic childhood friends-to-lovers romance subplot, and I enjoyed their scenes together. However, I do feel like the majority of their scenes in the beginning and middle of the book were just them butting heads over Emiko’s meddling and we didn’t get to see a deeper look into their connection. It would have been nice to see more scenes where they bond over their childhood or where we see how close their friendship really was. I liked the scenes in particular where they were very vulnerable with each other; I only wish there were more. I loved towards the end how Kenzo and Emiko found their way back to each other and felt so many butterflies with their chemistry 💝

❥•°❀°•༢ Emiko’s main dilemma is that although she enjoys meddling in other people’s lives, she avoids talking about and facing her own future head-on. She’s a twelfth-grader in school who knows she wants to pursue post-secondary school but is afraid of making the wrong choice as to what makes her happy and what she wants to do. It’s a common theme among high schoolers of being scared of the uncertain future and not wanting to have so much pressure on their shoulders. What Emiko goes through is a message to readers around her age to explore what makes you happy, find yourself, lean on support of friends and family, and to know that there isn’t one path that’s easy or set in stone and that’s okay 📚

❥•°❀°•༢ “Emiko” is brimming with a bright and witty voice, rich Japanese culture and traditions that immerse the audience into Emiko’s world, secondary characters that make you feel connected to them, and a coming-of-age story that reminds readers that not having the answers for what path you want to take doesn’t mean that you won’t find yourself on the journey you’re meant to take 🚢

Thank you to Chieri Uegaki, Tundra Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

What to expect:
- Matchmaker FMC x skeptic MMC
- Coming-of-age 💗
- Japanese-Canadian FMC and MMC 🇯🇵
- Childhood friends to lovers
- Japanese culture and traditions 🍱🎎
- Romance subplot

Emiko is a matchmaker. She takes 100% credit for her aunt's wedding. So when she takes the new girl under her wing, she will match her up with any/every new boy in town except the one her friend shows interest in!

As an Emma retelling, this one is very faithful to the original. I just re-read Emma, so I could see how this mirrored every major plot point. Readers unfamiliar with the original work may feel Emiko is going from one party/event to the next, but this didn't bother me since that's how it was in Emma! Sometimes retellings are billed as "reimaginings" that tend to try to "fix" the original, so I appreciated how respectful this is to its source material.

I also enjoyed the Japanese cultural aspect to this retelling. Near the start, the characters hold a Obon festival, which is part family reunion and part celebrating the ancestors. I'd never heard of this before and it was interesting to learn about. There is also a lot of food involved throughout that made me hungry; maybe don't read on an empty stomach!

Emiko, like her namesake, did come across as a little self-centered and immature but honestly, what 17-year-old isn't? The plot also takes place over the entire school year, which made the pacing drag a bit for my tastes. But overall, I enjoyed the read.

Recommended for fans of Jane Austen, coming of age tales, and Japanese culture.

Incredibly hygge, light, fluffy, and cozy young adult book. Felt like a giant warm hug from my Gran. The descriptions of food were delicious and had my stomach growling. Inclusive, creative, and gentle read about Emiko coming of age. Was nostalgic for me as whilst I’m from a different part of southern BC, Canadian stories aren’t as common as American ones, and it’s set only a few hours from where I grew up. I also loved that as a multicultural story you were reading a lot about Japanese culture and dishes. A beautiful story about friendship, heartbreak, first loves, loyalty, making amends, and creativity.

Emiko is a cute and lighthearted retelling of Emma that is infused with Japanese Canadian culture. I absolutely loved that it was set in Canada!!! We need more books set in our cozy beach towns. This book is great for young readers and a great modern retelling as an entry point for them into Jane Austen's books.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chieri Uegaki and Tundra Books for an ARC of this book!

Emiko by Chieri Uegaki, is a charming YA read that’s perfect for middle grade and teen readers. Set in a cozy little coastal town on British Columbia’s West Coast, the story follows sweet, spirited Emiko during the summer before her senior year of high school. She’s a bit of a busybody and lives with her Ojiichan and her aunt, surrounded by an eclectic and endearing group of friends.

Reading Emiko felt like stepping into a warm hug. It’s the kind of book i would have devoured over and over again as a teen. It is full of heart, the anguish of young love, and all the uncertainty that comes with trying to figure out your future. As an adult, I did find it skewed a bit younger for my taste, but that totally makes sense, this book is meant for readers who are right in the middle of those big, exciting life questions.

What really stood out for me was Emiko’s lovely sense of community. Her town gave me major Stars Hollow vibes, the kind of place where everyone knows each other, looks out for one another, and shows up when it really counts.

All in all, Emiko is sweet, heartfelt, and sprinkled with just the right amount of ya magic. I’d absolutely recommend it to younger readers looking for a cozy, relatable story about love, life, and finding your way.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this was such a fun and fresh take on "Emma"! I loved the setting choice (seriously, Canada's beauty is underrated); the overarching values of family, community, and friendship; the emphasis on Japanese culture and maintaining traditions; the use of the [romanized] language; and the messiness that is high school. I also loved the little twist at the end with Harumi.

overall it was a lighthearted and predictable read if you're familiar with the source material. some things I didn't enjoy included the plot structure (there were bits where it felt like one event/party to the next; which, admittedly, is pretty true to the original) and lack of discussion related to classism. this is a veryyy upper class focused, and loses out on the major point of Will's character in the original—being of a lower status (i.e., farmer), resulting in Emma's meddling in the first place. I don't think age was a good substitute for socioeconomic class, but that's my personal opinion.

would I recommend? definitely, to younger teens who cannot be bothered to read the original classic and those of Japanese heritage and/or second gen immigrants who can relate to upholding cultural traditions and expectations.

3.5 out of 5 ⭐️s

This story is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma but t set in the “Golden Coast” of British Columbia and centers around Japanese-Canadian teen, Emiko.

At first, the characters felt too similar to their Austen counterparts, but the story eventually hits its stride once it dives into the daily lives and cultural details—like food, festivals, and holidays—of the characters.

If you’ve already read Emma or watched one of its many adaptations (hello, Clueless), you might find Emiko’s plot and character arcs a bit too familiar. Emiko herself is just as unlikable as Emma can be—she meddles and doesn’t grow all that much.

Still, the setting and cultural layers make this worth a read for anyone who hasn’t yet experienced Austen’s classic or wants a fresh, culturally rich spin on it.

I’d recommend this one for teens 14 and up.

Emiko will be published June 10, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tundra Book Group | Tundra Books, and Chieri Uegaki for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you Tundra Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Emiko by Chieri Uegaki was, overall, a sweet retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I enjoyed the cooking and mouthwatering food descriptions in this book as well as the setting of the BC West Coast. The scenes of Emiko trying to matchmake people in her town were immensely funny. I have to say that the author got the relationship between Emiko and Kenzo spot on. They mirrored Emma and Mr. Knightly very well.

Dislikes: First, I disliked that Emiko's guidance counselor was referred to as Mx G. I had to look up what that meant because I never heard it before. Secondly, I hated the scene where two characters do underage drinking. What followed could have totally happened without underage drinking. Lastly, I was very angry that the author randomly decided to make a character lesbian at the end of the book, when there was no indication whatsoever throughout the book because she liked guys. I found this extremely unnecessary, frustrating, and forced.

Overall, I think Emiko is a good retelling of Emma, but for me, my dislikes outweigh my likes.

── .✦ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 🩰
𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝗍𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖠𝖱𝖢 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝖽𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄.

⋆. 𐙚 ̊ 𝓔𝓶𝓲𝓴𝓸 🤍˚˖⋆
་༘🌷. 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚: 13+, 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: (𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮. 𝙊𝙧 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚)
────୨ৎ────
🍃 now playing: 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 ౨ৎ
𝖢𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗇 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗒 °🍵⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
1:07 ——◦———— 2:39
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ
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⋆˚࿔ " 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣" 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

🍰ˎˊ˗ I will admit when I saw the cover of this I was like "OH MY GOD YES. JUST YES." And knew I had to read it right away!!! And by the time you are reading this review I did exactly just that and finished this cutesy fun little book! I do have a few things I want to touch bases on which aren't all exactly positive though!!!

⋆˚࿔ "𝘽𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄'𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜" 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

🍰ˎˊ˗ Starting off with the positives I just want to say how HAPPY I am with the culture representation in this book. I felt like the author had no shame in representing the Japanese culture because in this book we got a lot of it!! From the food the characters eat, to events that happen, to even some Japanese words that are occasionally said!! I felt like the author stayed very true to her origins and I could tell and feel how authentic this writing was!! I also loved the chill laid back home town vibe of this book!! It felt really cozy and fun to engage in and readdddd!!

⋆˚࿔ "𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣" 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

🍰ˎˊ˗ Though I do have quite a bit of things that bothered me while I was reading this book one being that the plot was almost EVERYWHERE!! I'm not joking when I say this but the amount of things going on and back in forth in each chapter made me extremely confused when reading. I felt like the author tried to jampack as much into the book as possible which made it kind of hard and maybe even a bit boring to read. Another thing was that the romance for the main character that was supposed to be the main aspect of this book felt more like a sideplot. Because when it did happen I wasn't that all excited for it, and honestly the reveal was kind of rushed and maybe even lame?? I think it felt this way because there was hardly any build up between the two because the plot was so everywhere. ANOTHER THING I want to touch bases on was that the main character kind of bothered and annoyed me just a bit. I felt like she was very worried about everyone else but herself and kind of just being in her mind the entire time. And while she did progress through the story, I just felt like we could have had a more self aware main character. I also don’t think there was even a “matcha-maker” event that occurred in this book either which was disappointing since it was something I was expecting ASWELL.

⋆˚࿔ "𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜" 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

🍰ˎˊ˗ Other than that, I do think this was a somewhat enjoyable read. While I wouldn't read it again, I wouldn't say it was the worst either and I def recommend giving it a try to see if you enjoy it :)

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🎀 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: WHAT IS THIS CUTIE OF A BOOK I GOT THE ARC TOO??? 💞 This looks so coquette and cutesy and she’s a MATCHA MAKER?? WHAT IS THISS?!

A fun modern take on Emma, with a varied cast of characters. A lot of landscape and food descriptions, but maybe lacking a bit in the growth of Emiko herself. I found her hard to root for at times. But overall, a decent read!

Emiko is a sweet, culturally rich YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, set in a Japanese-Canadian community. The novel follows Emiko, a self-proclaimed matchmaking genius, as she navigates her final year of high school, balancing family expectations, friendships, and her own identity.

Uegaki does a lovely job weaving Japanese cultural elements into the story—seasonal festivals, traditional foods, and family dynamics add depth and authenticity. Emiko's relationship with her grandfather is particularly touching, offering some of the most heartfelt moments in the book.

This is a modern YA retelling of Jane Austin’s Emma. Brilliantly emulates the vibes and pace of the inspiration while modernizing it. The Japanese-Canadian Emiko is our match maker, and after the marriage of her aunt she sets her sights on making a match for her new friend Harumi. Emiko is not always the most likeable but she is willing to own up to her mistakes. Overall this is such a cute story.

I should preface, I have never read Emma, or any other Emma retellings. Therefore, I have nothing to compare it too. Overall, the book as a whole, I thought was 100 pages too long. Emiko, felt hard to connect to, too many sides characters, so it was really hard to root for any of them. While I was rooting for who Emiko ended up with, we didn't really get to know him that well either.

3.5 stars