Hmm…this was a bit of a let down.

The premise was promising, three sisters reunited over a summer in the home they grew up in on coastal Japan. They have been living wildly different lives but are tied together through sisterhood and memory, can a summer reconnecting really bring them closer?

I think the first issue I encountered is that this is told from each sisters point of view but the audio was done by one narrator, which is a disservice because it was very hard to follow and connect. They are very different from one another but the lack of depth and dimension left it feeling flat even when I picked up the book I still never got a fully formed picture of them. Sometimes sparse writing works but when we’re juggling a triad of characters with the same past I need distinction.

As I read on and we got to the meat of the story I grew to love the setting, the Japanese landscapes and quiet contemplativeness that follows a summer away from it all, but I still found myself detached from the sisters but I could sink into the setting a bit and temper my expectations. Comparing books to darlings like Hello Beautiful and Blue Sisters is bound to leave many readers feeling confused, marketing has this incredible ability to make or break a story and for this it left me a bit befuddled.

4 stars! Reading Kakigori Summer felt like listening to my favorite sad girl music—it was perfectly cozy and poignant. The writing was subtly beautiful and quite the change of pace from my usual upbeat/busy reads. Psychological breakthroughs happened in whispered conversations and fleeting thoughts, the characters were realistic, and I am a SUCKER for a good sisterly love story. The narration was also well done.

Kakigori Summer follows three sisters reuniting when the youngest has a public scandal and subsequent nervous breakdown. You see firsthand how the grief of losing their mother shaped them individually over time, how it bleeds into every aspect of their lives, and how it all culminates into a breaking point during their time together in their childhood home. Would definitely read more of Emily Itami's work.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ARC!

My favorite thing about Kakigori Summer is the little secret language the sisters have, like any siblings do. It really feels like you're sitting in their kitchen like a fly on the wall.

The book is pretty slow-paced, and in the audiobook, it's hard to tell which perspective you're reading sometimes, but it's worth pushing through. Each character has their own perspective and their own memories of the same people and the same events and the same situations. There's tension in those differences, each sister trying to get the others to see her point of view, but always with so much love. A lot of books with very little plot like this would put a lot of emphasis on communication issues, misunderstandings, that sort of thing, but that's not the problem. They're trying to communicate, and they're trying to listen, and they're trying to just be present for each other.

Even when things are at their worst, I love that the story keeps reminding us that in the grand scheme of things, this is just one moment. Maybe a really important moment, one that will stick with us forever, but still just one moment.

I went in with no expectations as this genre isn’t my usual. I was intrigued by the relationship between the sisters. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the entire book!

The cover is very cute and portrays the book well. The narrator, Ami Okumura Jones, has a lovely voice to listen to.

The story feels real with how a family acts together. It’s not always smiles and laughter. There can be days of sadness and struggles. Sometimes with books, they try so hard to show history and it comes off really cheesy. I felt like the sisters had an authentic relationship.

The book revolves around grief involving lost loved ones, youth, jobs, success in life and more. It’s about finding your place in life and the people you want to surround yourself with.


Thank you to Emily Itami, Ami Okumura Jones, NetGalley, and Harper Audio. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly.

I love sister stories, and Kakigori Summer centers on Rei, Kiki, and Ai, who are all living vastly different lives, until Ai, a Japanese Pop Star, is caught in a scandal. The sisters rally together and come back to their childhood seaside home for the summer.

Being home turns into a summer of memories, including their mother’s death. It allows for all the messy feelings and emotions to surface.
I loved the sisters’ unique personalities and their grandmother’s sharp wit and wisdom. Although it has some complex dynamics, with the vibrant Japanese summer atmosphere and the simple day-to-day events, this book gave me beach read vibes.

3.5 🌟


Thank you @harperaudio for the gifted audiobook Narrated by Ami Okumura Jones

Lovely story of sisters, half Japanese and half British, who come together in a crisis by retreating to their childhood home with their undiscussed, unresolved issues.
The chapters are narrated by different sisters. Unfortunately their voices on the page, and as narrated, are quite similar. I often wondered who was “speaking” while listening.
Nevertheless, the stories of each sister and their shared trauma are engaging and interesting. The author sprinkles in some information about Kanji - for example, the symbol for sky is also used on taxis when they are open or available, causing one character to wonder (as a child) if the “sky taxis” could take to the air. These delightful asides added character depth, as did their thoughts about being “mixed race.”
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HarperAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #KakigoriSummer for review purposes. Publication date: 10 June 2025.

This book follows three sisters as they navigate and reminisce on some of life's hardships.

Rei is the oldest of the sisters and is majorly parentified. Even before their mother's mysterious passing, Rei stepped in to care for her two younger sisters when their mom's mental health pulled her into a dark place. Now she's a people pleaser, driven to achieve all manner of success even at her own detriment.

Kiki is the second sister. She's a single mother and works as a nursing caregiver for the elderly. She's grateful for the gift of her son, but still wants more from life.

Ai is the youngest. She's an incredibly musically talent idol who has suddenly fallen into disgrace since photos of her kissing a married man surfaced.

Ai's plunge into societal shame has sent her into a depression spiral, but if she's honest, it started beforehand. This spiral brings Rei and Kiki running to protect and care for their baby sister. Faced with continued scrutiny in Tokyo the three head to their childhood home.

But this retreat brings with it a crotchety old grandma, memories of their mother's struggles and death, and who they were as girls.

I enjoyed the sibling dynamics and the imperfections of each character. No one ends this story totally healed, but there's peeks of hope for the future.

Objectively, this book is good, it just didn’t hold my interest. I think I would have preferred it to be in one POV or 3rd person. It was a bit difficult to distinguish the voices. I enjoyed the audiobook narration, but felt it could have benefited from each POV having a different narrator.