ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Jean's sequel to the delightfully stereotype-busting Tokyo Ever After (2021) won't stand alone, but fans of the first title will find much to enjoy in Princess Izumi's continued struggles to fit into the highly conformist society of Japanese royalty. Raised by her single mother in a rural Northern California town, Izumi only recently learned her father was actually the Crown Prince of Japan. She has settled in Tokyo to explore her heritage and role as a member of the royal family, and Izumi's dream of seeing her parents happy together has convinced her to make many personal sacrifices: giving up her boyfriend, Akio; cramming for college-entrance exams; and taking on the pressures of royal life. 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, which, while it may not be wholly realistic, is certainly satisfying.

Kirkus Reviews

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)

School Library Journal (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)

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 oldershe 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