Yet another fantastic Julie Caplin book! It's warm, cheerful and full of romance and attitude. When Fiona (a blogger) wins a trip to Japan to take photographs for an exhibition, she meets a not so welcome memory from her past in Gabe, her mentor. The characters were well thought out and the description of the cherry blossom and tea ceremonies made me feel like I was sat watching what was happening. I loved this book and would highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Loved loved this beautifully written novel.The setting the characters the romance.Julie Caplin has the most captivating style of writing .This book is in my heart will be recommending.#netgalley#harpercollinsuk

Love, love, love this series of books - love that they are all set in different places, and it makes me want to book a trip immediately.

With thanks to Hapercollins and Netgalley

The little teashop in Tokyo is the perfect book for those in Lockdown. Julie Caplin's book allows you to travel to Tokyo without leaving the house and experience the amazing country.

I totally loved this book for several reasons.

First, I am a sucker for a good rom-com story. This one delivered and did not need the inclusion of super-steamy scenes to put the reader under a trance. You can empathize with Fiona's stumbling through a sticky situation. And you can completely appreciate her appreciation of Gabe.

Second, as someone in the blogging/influencer space, I thoroughly loved seeing a positive portrayal of someone in the space. It had me longing to get more into travel blogging.

Third, there is such attention to detail about the Japanese culture as it is experienced by Fiona. It makes me want to book a trip there soon.

This is the first book I've read by Julie Caplin. However, I doubt it will be the last.

Many thanks for the ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a fun romp through Tokyo, along with a plot with a slow romantic build (with a thoroughly satisfying payoff), look no further. THE LITTLE TEASHOP IN TOKYO by Julie Caplin fits the bill. I enjoyed touring Tokyo, a new-to-me country while having fun watching a typical enemies-to-lovers romantic trope unfold. The main characters were earnest about their work, and themselves, but the real story shone through in the supporting characters who housed them in Japan. They were sweet, insightful, and good with a nudge when the main characters needed it. Overall, a fun read! Be sure to pick this one up if you enjoy the genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read this complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What a beautiful book! Despite being an avid reader I’ve not read many books set in modern day Japan. This book made me really want to visit. The author describes things so clearly, I almost felt like I’d experienced some of the locations myself. Fiona, the main character is strong and likeable and I enjoyed her journey. I also really loved the relationships she builds with Haruka, Setsuko and Gabe. I’ll definitely be looking to read more books by this author.
Thank you so much to netgalley, the author and the publishers for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book--so full of heart, whimsy, and an overwhelming sense of joy. The perfect escapist read for those who feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world right now.

Sadly I was not a fan. I hate love triangles and this one was no exception. I was attracted by the japanese setting but not enough to overcome the lacking (imo) romance.

The Little tea shop in Tokyo is a romantic comedy about Fiona who wins a competition to visit Japan on a mentoring trip.
It is a story about letting go of the past and embracing life now.
The story takes you to Japan and through the descriptions makes you feel that you are actually there.
I would recommend this book. I have already purchased othertitkes from this author after reading this.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

<strong>The Little Teashop in Tokyo</strong> is a cute story about a girl, <em>Fiona</em>, who wins a trip to Japan with the opportunity to have her pictures from Japan in an exhibition in London after the trip. When she arrives in Tokyo, she's supposed to be mentored by a famous Japanese photographer, but instead meets <em>Gabe</em>, an equally famous artist, who, however, broke her heart ten years earlier.

The book is quite adorable and the part about getting familiar with Japan and Japanese culture called out to my travel-loving soul. I felt truly inspired by the descriptions of the culture, beautiful sights and tasty food. While I'm not dying to see the urban parts of Japan, such as Tokyo and the famous Shibuya crossing, I'd absolutely love to go to their mountains and the more historical cities, like Kyoto.

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On the other hand, I had some problems with Fiona and her attitude towards Gabe and their relationship. For starters, I was pretty annoyed with Fiona's incredible insecurity and her going on and on and on about how unattractive she is. <em>You've got him, hon, enjoy it!</em> Not to mention the overload of drama about the alleged incident ten years earlier, which was so innocent I just couldn't believe it could ignite so much tragedy in Fiona's life. Gabe, I preferred. He was pretty torn up by a previous relationship, but things like that do happen.

The two of them had some nice moments (when Fiona wasn't bemoaning herself), and I quite enjoyed those, so I believe if Fiona was less of Fiona, I'd have really liked the book. Therefore, I'll definitely be checking out Julie Caplin's other books from the series. I'm particularly excited about <strong>The Little Cafe in Copenhagen</strong>, because Copenhagen has a very special place in my heart.

This book was pretty good. I didn’t particularly bond with any of the characters, but by the halfway point I was at least a little bit attached to them. The narrative was very peaceful. I think this is the kind of book someone reads when they go on holiday or to the beach. The descriptions of Japan and Japanese culture were beautiful. I loved reading all the moments with the Kobashi family. The romance is very slow burn and the ending was very sweet.

The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin is a wonderful escape when we, quite literally, have to stay where we are. I have read several of Ms Caplin's novels, and love the variety of international settings that serve as a backdrop to the clever and well-developed romantic trysts of her adventurous protagonists.

This time around, we are whisked away to Japan, and immersed in a culture that mystifies, intimidates, and delights in equal measure. When blogger Fiona wins an all expense paid trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, her local host turns out to be, against all odds, her one-time professor, Gabe. Although they shared only a brief flirtation many years before, Fiona is shocked and offended that Gabe appears to have no recollection of her, let alone the moment in time they once shared.

I must say that I was less enamoured with the inevitable romance between Fiona and Gabe than I was seduced by the luscious and vivid descriptions of Japanese culture. If Ms Caplin has not spent an extended period of time in the country, she has certainly done her research. The novel itself reads almost as a travelogue and is, essentially, a love letter to a country that has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Loved visiting Tokyo in this book, as it was well written by the author. I liked how most things were beautifully described on the story. Look forward to reading another book by this author

Utterly delightful. Perfect for fans of Roselle Lim and Jenny Colgan. A recommended purchase for collection where light women's fiction is popular.

The Little Teashop in Tokyo is a sweet romp through Japan! Focusing largely on photography and Japanese culture, I was reminded a lot of my time there but also learned plenty as well.
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I'd recommend this book to someone who is interested in reading a light romance and has an interest in not only Japanese travel, but in the culture as well. Other themes are mother-daughter relationships, photography and body positivity. Surprisingly, I pretty much look exactly like the MC - extremely tall with red-blonde-brown sort of wild hair. As happens in the book, I've absolutely had people say weird things to me about my size or had people fixate on my hair. I've felt at times unconscious or proud of both, depending on who I'm with. Actually, my very first post on my personal IG was a joke I made about traveling to Japan and being a foot taller than everyone else, which did end up being true and did make me feel amazonian and ungainly. I really identified with that part of the book a lot, and I think it was really well done.
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I also enjoyed the development of the romance. Caplin wrote memorable scenes with beautiful settings, heartfelt dialogue and good build. I think overall I'd rate it 3.5! If the sentences would have been shorter, I'd give it a 4.25. Unfortunately the sentences were consistently overwritten, making large portions of the book very tedious to get through. I would pocket this author for times when I have been bitten by the travel bug and I'm in need of a light read.

How wonderful it was to be transported to Japan, at a time where there isn't really any international travel.

I literally felt as though I was there alongside Fiona, as she takes in the sights, traditions, culture and way of life of Tokyo for the first time. Although I've never been from what I do vaguely know of the country, this all seemed incredibly authentic, and very well researched.

There were spatterings of Japanese words and their meanings, various practices, the Japanese tea ceremony and so much variation in the food that I was practically salivating at the descriptions. I could totally identify with Fiona's issues with chopsticks to eat with!

Yet between the clear love of Japan in this book, at its heart there is what could be a romance between Fiona, and her reluctant photography mentor Gabe.

Gabe who appears to be tired of life, and only doing a half hearted job at anything, is supposed to be helping Fiona, but rather needs an initial attitude adjustment.

I could completely sympathise with Fiona, about her mother, mine isn't quite as bad, but can be similarly frustrating, so I very much empathised with her there.

And the host family Fiona stays with, three generations are fabulous, and teach us all so many wonderful things about life in Japan, and the blending of the traditional with the modern. I would have loved to have gone to the digital art museum that the grand daughter takes Fiona too - it sounded amazing.

Such a fabulous story, I was loving every single second of it, and it was a shame to then realise I was in my garden and not actually in such a different country. Another top notch book in this romantic escapes series from one of my favourite authors, Julie Caplin.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,.

Travel blogger Fiona has always dreamt of going to Japan, so she jumps at the chance to enter a contest for an all-expense paid photography mentorship there. To her surprise she wins and she believes she's headed for the trip of a lifetime, that is until she arrives and finds her mentor for the two weeks is none other than Gabe, the man who broke her heart and made her life miserable ten years prior. And the worst part? He doesn't even remember her. As the pair makes amends, they find that the cherry blossoms aren't the only things blooming. I wanted to like this, but it just really wasn't for me. The plot felt clunky and the dialogue unbelievable. I didn't like Caplin's writing style and didn't connect with any of the characters. Fiona was so insecure and not in a charming modest way, more in an eye-rollingly annoying way. I really felt her grudge against Gabe was so blown out of proportion and childish as well. The only thing I will say I liked was all the Japanese culture woven throughout. Other than that, I'd pass on this.

I've loved every Julie Caplin book I've read and this is up there with the best of them. I spent 3 weeks in Tokyo many years ago and reading The Little Teashop in Tokyo was like returning to see how things have changed. The sense of place was extraordinarily real.

Just as real is Julie's treatment of the romantic relationship of gnarly problems and real people who are flawed and just a tiny bit battered but strong and decent too. The photography angle (see what I did there?) feels well-researched and added to the fascination of the book.

A big, fat five stars from me.

Thannks Netgalley and the Publisher. I loved this book. I had the pleasure of going to Tokyo a year ago and bought back good memories. Good story and great characters.