Tanabata Wish: A Coming of Age Rom-Com by Sara Fujimura

Description From Goodreads:

"A delightful debut! Tanabata Wish is the perfect summer read for anyone who longs for life-altering adventure and swoon-worthy romance. My bags are packed. Prepare to fall in love: with Sky, with David, and with all of Japan!"

~ Tera Lynn Childs, award-winning author of Oh. My. Gods., Forgive My Fins, and Darkly Fae.

Phoenix-native Skyler Doucet’s plans with her BFF are ruined when her mom and Japanese stepfather move the entire family to Nagoya, Japan for the summer before her senior year. But when David Takamatsu, a biracial Japanese-American boy, invades Skyler’s space (and her heart), this fish out of water in Japan starts to wonder if it’s the pond back home that might be too small.

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My Review:

I really loved this book despite not liking Skyler or David. I was not a fan of either of them. However, this book was so well written and despite me not being a fan of Sklyer, I enjoyed seeing her grow as a character. I loved the setting and the full immersion into Japanese culture.

First, I thought Skyler was annoying for the most part. However, it could be my bias. I have never been interested in going to parties and being popular. I have never really valued the things she did. So seeing her go to Japan and disrespect the culture at first really bothered me. While I did enjoy seeing her change and appreciate Japanese culture more I still think she just isn't my cup of tea.

David also bothered me a lot because he belittled and harrassed others for their interests. I completely understand that it's due to his insecurities about not being Japanese enough or American enough, however, I do not think it's an excuse that forgives him. While I can never understand the hardships that people of color face, I hated that he never at least apologized to Terrance. I also didn't like that Sklyer brushed it off. The only time it upset her was when it was in a public setting and she was embarrassed. Like I said, I could never understand his hardships and maybe I'm missing something, but I wasn't a fan that he was a bully at times.

I will say despite that, the relationship between him and Skyler was really cute. I liked that he didn't mind her younger siblings tagging along a lot and even went to help Sklyer with them a few times when she was overwhelmed. They did their best to support each other in their struggles. Overall, I really enjoyed their romance.

When I say this book immerses you in Japanese culture, I mean it. There is rarely a page without a Japanese word being used. Almost every conversation is partly in English and partly in Japanese. They also make sure to go over many Japanese culinary dishes, how Sailor Moon paved the way for other anime such as Pokemon in the U.S., how popular baseball is in Japan, the Tanabata Matsuri, and more. If you know nothing about Japanese culture, it will little be impossible for you to not know anything in the end. As a long-time anime fan who has a dream of going to Japan someday, I absolutely loved how detailed this book was. If you're not aware, this book won the Freeman Award which is a huge deal.

While characters are usually the most important aspect to me when reading, this book was just so well rounded that me not being the biggest fan of Skyler or David is not a big deal. I really hope that me not liking the characters influences you in a negative read. I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it. Definitely, one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

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