Tokyo Dreaming: A Novel

by Emiko Jean

Overview

Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean's New York Times bestseller Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to beloved rom-com Tokyo Ever After!

When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true. Only. . .

Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.

But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250766632
Publisher:	Flatiron Books
Publication date:	05/31/2022
Series:	Tokyo Ever After , #2
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	11,308
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

When Emiko Jean isn’t writing, she is reading. Before she became a writer, she was an entomologist, a candlemaker, a florist, and most recently, a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She is also the author of Tokyo Ever After, Empress of all Seasons, and We'll Never Be Apart.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2022

Gr 8 Up—In the second installment of Jean's lovable coming-of-age romp, Izumi Tanaka has a lot on her mind. Will she take a gap year? Go directly to college? How will she and her friends stay in touch? Is the boy she fell head over heels for still the one? However, there is an enormous, more foreboding element to things. Izumi is not just a girl trying to navigate the mundane changes of getting older—she is the daughter of the crown prince of Japan and forever under the watchful eye of the press. People inside and outside the court are ready to record her even slightest mistake. Quickly she realizes it is not just her reputation on the line; after finally reuniting, her father and her mother want to marry. A princess does not simply get to choose her life and the adventure throughout it. Or does she? This book excels in the best of both the cheesy and the substance of a YA novel's plot. The setting, however, sets it apart. The Japanese imagery and historical context explained in the book never feel forced. Jean accurately captures the difficulty for truly empathic individuals to focus on what is best for themselves while caring for others. Readers will find themselves laughing and screaming out loud at the characters' choices. Warning for one tastefully vague sexually explicit scene in the book that readers can easily skip without derailing the overall awesome writing of the book as a whole. VERDICT Buy this fun book for any collection, especially where the previous book is popular.—DeHanza Kwong

School Library Journal

2022-03-02
A newly minted royal navigates her way between royal protocols and her own heart.

Soon after Japanese American Izumi and her mom reconnect with her father, the crown prince of Japan in Tokyo Ever After (2021), Izumi feels as uncertain as before. While her best friends at home in California prepare for college, Izumi debates taking a gap year, questioning whether she even wants to attend college. Her recently acquired title of princess brings even more pressure to attend the prestigious University of Tokyo like her father. When Izumi’s reunited parents announce their engagement, the family is informed that the marriage must be approved by the Imperial Household Council, and their prospects don’t look good; the tabloids have long been critical of Izumi’s and her mother’s manners and commoner status. On the cusp of having her family finally come together, Izumi decides to become the perfect princess to support their cause. This is not without its challenges, however, as her boyfriend and former bodyguard, Akio, breaks up with her to help her family avoid more scandal. Heartbroken Izumi finds unexpected allies while navigating her lingering feelings for Akio and embroiling her cute, officially approved tutor—a young man from a noble lineage—in a fake dating scheme. Themes of family relationships and incremental growth take precedence over romance in the evenly paced plot. The true appeal here is watching Izumi rise to royal expectations while reaffirming her personal values.

A solid sequel about a princess finding her voice. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

New York Times bestseller!

"A heartwarming and thrilling story about royal love." —Time

"Fans of [Tokyo Ever After] will find much to enjoy in Princess Izumi's continued struggles to fit into the highly conformist society of Japanese royalty. . . . Readers will cheer as Izumi faces new challenges, supports her mother, and stays true to herself. Izumi's wry wit and clear-eyed view of both the charms and drawbacks of life in Japan balance the fairy-tale romance." —Booklist

"Readers will find themselves laughing and screaming out loud at the characters’ choices. . . . Buy this book for any collection.” —School Library Journal

"A newly minted royal navigates her way between royal protocols and her own heart. . . . A solid sequel about a princess finding her voice.” —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for TOKYO EVER AFTER

New York Times bestseller
Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
#1 Indie Next Pick
A Must-Read Book of the Year (Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, Goodreads.com, Bustle, Boston Public Library, EpicReads.com, San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, BuzzFeed.com, Parade and more)!
Junior Library Guild selection

“If The Princess Diaries met Crazy Rich Asians, you would get close to the wonderfully chaotic splendor of Tokyo Ever After.” —Entertainment Weekly (Best Book of Summer)

“Izumi’s determined spirit and character arc will endear readers to her. A fun experience that readers will want to read again and again.” —School Library Journal, starred review (Best Book of the Year)

“A refreshing and spot-on depiction of Japanese Americans exploring their heritage, with appeal far beyond female Asian readers.” —Booklist, starred review

“Despite the swoon-worthy love interest and glittering palaces, Tokyo Ever After is not your typical princess story. Izumi is a spunky, irreverent, lovable narrator who struggles to reconcile her American upbringing with her Japanese heritage. A fresh and distinctly modern fairy tale.” —Katharine McGee, author of American Royals

“A gorgeously detailed rom-com that made me want to move to Japan and never come back.” —Nicola Yoon, author of The Sun Is Also a Star

From the Publisher