Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 7/10
Steam: 🔥/4
Narrator: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio / Flatiron Books

This was a magical modern story with a mix of The Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians. Izumi “Izzy” Tanaka is a Japenese American high schooler who never really feels like she “fits in.” Izzy lives with her mother but doesn’t know her father and wants to know. Izzy soon discovers her father is the Crown Prince of Japan and travels there to meet him. Quickly she finds herself in a whirlwind of learning about her new family, responsibilities expected of her as a Princess, and forbidden love with her bodyguard.

This was a creative story, and I kept rooting for Izzy. I was happy to learn the authors have a sequel in the works because I want to know what happens next in the story for Izzy and her family. If you are a sucker for royalty stories this one is delightful. I was suppose to travel to Japan in March 2019 but the pandemic prevents that trip from happening. This book makes me want to travel there even more now!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy in exchage for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Izumi is a Japanese American who was raised by a single mom. She never met her father, but that doesn't mean she isn't curious about him. Upon finding out that her father is Japanese royalty, Izumi is swept far away from home into a lavish life with an extreme schedule, a ton of traditions, and sneering family members. Can Izumi get the hang of being a princess, or will she give that all up for a shot at a normal life?

While this story follows alot of cliches with a predictable storyline it was a fun quick read that never pretended to be anything but what it is. In today's world where there is so much unknown, it was quite a comfort to have a light and fun read that still addresses some social issues in today's society. Being a White American, I don't fell the uncomfort that Izumi does being a minority. I don't have to feel like my race or gender is not represented in mass media. It was a different view into that world for minority Americans as she didn't feel like she fit in when she was in Japan either. There was some light fluffy romance as well as family scandal and self discovery. Izumi's blossoming relationship with her father was great as well as her friendships back home.

Overall, I would recommend this read to anyone 10+ looking for a fun quick read. It has a little bit for everyone, just be prepared to get massive Princess Diaries/Parent Trap vibes. Izumi gets 4 bright and shining stars from this reviewer. I will wait on baited breath to see if the author will grace us with a sequel, even though this was wrapped up quite nicely.

This was so much fun! The romance had me swooning from the start. I also really loved Izumi's journey to figure out where home really is. I related deeply to her feeling divided between two worlds and trying to figure out which one version was her real self. I also loved the beautiful depictions of Japan. As the blurb said if you loved The Princess Diaries this one is perfect for you.

Well, wasn't this just a bucket of sunshine and lovely warm feelings in the middle of December. From start to finish this Japanese twist on The Princess Diaries and Crazy, Rich Asians had me absolutely captivated!

Living in small-town California, Izumi has never believed herself to be anything more than a completely normal Japanese-American girl. Dog who won't accept her love? Check. Single mom? Check. Great gang of girl friends? Check. A weird sense of not quite belonging? Check check. So imagine how she feels when her world is flipped completely on its head when she learns her mysterious father is none other than the crown prince of Japan. Suddenly she is trading in her quiet life of sneakers and sweats for the over-the-top, opulent one of a princess, and it's not as easy as anyone might hope.

Izumi was a great character! She is very light-hearted and snarky on the surface, but deep down she is grappling with some serious issues. Emiko Jean has written a very interesting thread throughout this book of Izumi trying to figure out where she belongs. Growing up in a town where confederate flags equal rainbow flags, she's already at a disadvantage with her Japanese heritage. When she arrives in Japan and sees people who look like her, it means the world to her, but even that can't last. Not when she doesn't feel Japanese. Sadly, her grandparents felt the need to Americanize themselves as much as possible when they immigrated, and Izumi understands that cultural loss immensely when she is with her Imperial family and cannot even speak the language.

Of course, part of her being so out of touch is what makes some of this book such a delight! As is expected with a story of a young woman suddenly trying to blend in with royalty, hijinks ensue. Clothing faux-pas, language slip-ups, protocol ignoring—Izumi's handlers and the media aren't fans, but all I see is an overwhelmed girl doing her damn best. After all, no one can learn an entire lifetime of Imperial etiquette in two weeks. Another fabulous facet of this book was Izumi's AGG. Asian Girl Gang. In her small town, her and three other Asian girls banded together to form a friendship that I wish I had growing up. All four of them are sister-tight, and the conversations between them are hilarious!

And of course, this wouldn't be a proper contemporary novel without the spark of romance. In this case, we're leaning into the bodyguard trope! Akio really was great. A very stoic but dedicated young man with the biggest heart under all that seriousness. Their romance tried to start as an enemies-to-lovers adventure, but I didn't think that was done too well. It never really struck me as dislike between them, especially while being in Izumi's head.

I would like to echo some comments made in other reviews that kept this from being a five star. The Japanese Imperial family is made out as a very image-aware, tradition-firm and above reproach type of monarchy. Knowing that, it was a little difficult for me to believe they would just accept Izumi as a princess and jump her to the top of the food chain. Not only because she knows nothing about being a princess, but that she was born out of wedlock and hidden away. Which leads me to Izumi herself. As I said, no one can learn an entire lifetime of etiquette in two weeks, let alone the few months this book covers. But Izumi didn't even try in the beginning. I was a little appalled that she would be so nervous to make a good impression when meeting her father, yet make no effort to take the opportunities that would help do just that. As someone who needed to be fully prepared for every unknown situation as a teen, it didn't sit right with me.

This was a really fun contemporary novel that feels very different from what I tend to pick up. It is terribly heart-warming and speaks so much to the importance of family and knowing where you belong.

The audio quality is so poor on Netgalley, I couldn’t listen to this without a weird, echo-y sound. Will wait for the real thing.