This book was a surprise to me - it was fresh and different. We follow the main character Mizuki during a few month period in her life where she navigates frustration with her marriage, the joys and annoyances of her kids, and the opportunity to explore when a new person comes into her life. I really enjoy stories that demonstrate that life isn't a straight line between two points, and the experiences you collect along the way have importance in building the full picture of your life's story. I also enjoyed the writing style - told entirely from Misuki's point of view, it's almost stream of conscious (though a little more structured) and more about her inner thoughts than the action itself.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the eARC for my unbiased review.Life isn't a straight line bw a and b and the experiences you collect along the way have importance. Build your life's story

I enjoyed Fault Lines. I felt like you really get to know Mizuki. I dont read a lot of books set in Japan. It was interesting to learn a little more about their culture and what is expected of women there.

The question a lot of us ask about our lives is…. is this all there is? The main character lets us into her life as a wife and a mother and what is expected of her in Japanese culture. The lure of a forbidden friendship lets us see and experience what is missing in her marriage. There were times that I laughed but at other times could not help feeling sorry for her and wishing she would just take one more step and discover who she really is.

This is a debut book by the author. The book takes place in Japan, which I really enjoyed, and is about Mizuki who is a housewife. Mizuki is married with children, and her husband works more than he should. She begins to question life, and if there is more out there in the world for her.

Mizuki is unhappy in her marriage, she is not afraid to speak the truth, and her thoughts on her marriage. Soon Mizuki meets Kiyoshi, almost as though fate brought him into her life just at the right time.

Mizuki adores Kiyoshi-he is everything that she wants-handsome, a hard worker, yet he takes time for Mizuki and listens to her, appreciates her. Mizuki cannot ignore her feelings towards Kiyoshi, and she knows that he was brought into her life for a reason.

This is a beautifully written story, yet it is heartbreaking at the same time. Two people who are brought together by fate, only to realize that their love is doomed from the start.

I highly recommend this amazing debut book from the author and will recommend to others! Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this one!

This is a fascinating story about ennui and how it transcends cultures. It's a short read and the ending felt somewhat abrupt to me. After an entire book of feeling dissatisfied with her life, all of the sudden everything is groovy again! I did enjoy reading this and I don't have any suggestions for the ending but it felt kinda off for me.

I learned a great deal in this book about Japanese culture and customs but I also loved the story which is right in my wheelhouse - troubled marriage aka realistic marriage.

The story is told through the wife's perspective as she boils with rage over her husband being consumed with his phone. She is just asking for help with the laundry and he just can't.

He works sooo many hours and she is reconciling with feeling as if she's traded her life as a singer to that of a full time housewife.

Then she meets another man and they get to know each other and apparently her husband is very unconcerned with what she does in her time because she's able to easily slip out dressed up and ready to go.

It's an age old story but the way it's written is charming and funny and sad because broken marriages or those with fault lines are all too real.

It's a debut too! will definitely be reading more of her novels

Emily Itami, Emily Itami... Ok, I must remember that name. I absolutely would one-click her next book. That is how much I enjoyed Fault Lines. I really cannot believe this is her first novel. It was so well-written. The MC, Mizuki, was sarcastically funny and very relatable as a wife/mother. It was so interesting learning about Japanese culture!! I wish we knew more about her husband and their relationship over the 10+years they were together, that is my only complaint. It was a quick read and despite the heavy subject matter, Itami kept it light. Overall, a really good book that I will recommend to friends!

*Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my copy.

I loved this book. I was devouring it on my lunch breaks just so that I could finish it as soon as possible. I was drawn to this book because I wanted to read more about life in Tokyo and because I am a huge fan of Sally Rooney and this author was compared to her. I ended up like the character much better than any of
Sally Rooney's so I found a new favorite author! Highly recommend.

I finished this debut novel this morning before my family woke up! Mizuki is a housewife living in Tokyo with her husband and two young children. She knows that her culture tells her she should feel fortunate for what she has, and she does, but she lacks an identity outside of her role in the home. She meets Kiyoshi, a handsome man who finds her to be interesting and attractive…it’s a tale as old as time yet Emily Itami tells it in a fresh, modern and relatable way. The chapters are short and it reads quickly, but I found so much to unpack in this well-written novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishing for the free copy in exchange for my review!

This beautifully written novel provides insight into Japanese culture through the story of Mizuki, a Tokyo wife and mother of two. She is lonely and unfulfilled in her restricted life with an uncommunicative husband. By chance she meets a successful restaurant owner, Kiyoshi, who becomes her friend and reintroduces her to the freedom and excitement she enjoyed before marriage. As her relationship with Kiyoshi deepens, she must choose between two paths in life. Mizuki is a witty narrator of her journey to cope with the pressures of Japanese society to be a perfect wife and mother. Having visited Japan, I really enjoyed the references to Japanese food, locations and customs. This is a wonderful character study.

I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since the fall showcase the publisher put on.

Unfortunately I ended up not continuing on after reading 20% of the book. Nothing about the story roped me in. The main character seemed flat, the story wasn’t compelling and the story was dragging.

The cover is gorgeous and the story did have promise. .

Reading Fault Lines felt like I was sitting down with an old friend and catching up on the latest gossip of her life! This story is intriguing and takes a look at the many possibilities of "if only" and "what if" thoughts that cross each of our minds. This novel is beautifully written and engaging in the power of its storytelling genius. I was not as familiar with Japanese culture and way of life before reading, but now I feel like I have a stronger grasp on many aspects of day to day life experienced by people just like me. That was a surprising delight while reading this story! It is funny....it is sweet....it is romantic....it is not to be missed!

This author’s debut novel is well-written, giving intriguing insights into Japanese culture and how restrictive the main character finds it to be. The story meandered at first so I wasn’t quite sure where it was going. It was very fast-paced so I stuck with it and ended up finding it to be quite enjoyable. It was easy to become invested in the main character, Mizuki, who is really resenting the life she has chosen with her two children and an almost non-existent husband, Tatsuya, who appears to find Mizuki invisible when he is home. With humor, Mizuki gives her first-person account of how she is trying to cope with her life when she knows she really has nothing to complain about; her life is just not what she had envisioned as an exchange student, then a singer in NYC. Some of her time is spent as a consultant teaching American and English businessmen to understand Japan's cultural idiosyncrasies and the rest of her life revolves around meeting her family members’ needs; not her own. On an outing with her girlfriends, Mizuki meets Kiyoshi, an attractive restaurant entrepreneur. The two become involved over a period of time, both knowing from the start that Mizuki’s family would always come first. He brings joy into her life that helps her find more happiness in her life at home as well. Mizuki is torn by her conflicting desire to love Kiyoshi, who accepts her as she is, or to remain in her marriage with her husband and children and make it the beautiful life she always wanted. You will have to read it to find out what choice she makes. This book is well worth your time.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC. #Faultlines #NetGalley

This debut novel sparkles with crisp and perceptive writing. Mizuki is relatable, especially if you’ve gone through a major transition of identity like she did. Itami uses Mizuki to address these universal questions, but setting it in Tokyo brings a unique angle to this story. As a modern Japanese women who spent time in America, Mizuki had a dual lens to evaluate her choices and the particular constraints of Japanese society. I appreciated the dark humor and wry observations about modern motherhood. I look forward to reading more from Itami.

“I’ve got it all, a perfect life - beautiful children, beautiful husband, beautiful apartment. I know it, and I know how lucky I am. I know that any kind of whining is one major first-would sulk. From now on, I’m going to be happy, shut up all my demons and make everyone around me smile.”

Mizuki Is a typical Tokyo wife and mother, driven by duty and responsibility. She loves her family, but feels like she’s losing herself. One day she meets Kiyoshi. Kyoshi makes her feel seen and heard.

The story is told from Mizuki’s point of view. It is interesting, heartbreaking, and at the same time light and funny. I enjoyed my journey into Mizuki’s life,

Thank you to Emily Itami, Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this novel. #FaultLines #NetGalley.

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife with a successful husband, two beautiful children, and a lovely apartment in the beautiful Tokyo. Yet she feels unsatisfied, feeling the distance from her busy stressed husband and the impact of motherhood both taking their toll on their once loving and exciting relationship. That is until she serendipitously meets Kiyoshi, a stunningly handsome and alluring restaurateur. The sparks alight a flame in Mizuki that hadn't burned brightly on years. She realizes that she cannot exist in both realms. She cannot be the fault lines.

As a mother married for many years, I felt so much of Mizuki's struggles and turmoips. I found myself highlighting multiple passages in this book because I could relate so deeply! I fell in love with the breezy descriptions, the relatable characters and circumstances. I too have felt the crushing weight of nothing and the overwhelming longing for something. I connected with Mizuki and understood her. Although literally across the globe, I felt a kinship for a fictional woman who guesses her way through her adult life, knowing her choices are hard and sometimes reckless, yet yearns for them anyway. Who doesn't know if the left was better than the right. Who wipes butts and noses yet dreams of passions and filling their soul with music and carefree nights. Who isn't afraid to look in the rear view mirror and long for something else but love the view from where they are standing. Who is willing to pick up fallen petals to remark about their softness and then use them to create an annoying trombone-like horn bellow to make her preschooler laugh. I feel all these things. I know how easy it is to want what you can no longer have but still hold your face to the sun anyway.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me enjoy this endearing little book in exchange for my honest review. I adored it.

This book has some many relatable moments that were put into perfect definition for me. Mizuki really seems to have it all, a husband and lovely children that she adores but there are some fault lines….a story that is about the internal longing and maybe fear of change and making mistakes but not being able to deny that you can’t remain as is. I enjoyed the Japanese culture and how they viewed the western. I was happy for the ending and truly sad for Mizuki and have had her on my mind for a couple of days…#NETGALLEY

Debut book by Emily Itami and one that was achingly beautiful!

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.

We take a journey with Mizuki as she examines her life and it is intimate, sad, and beautiful. I held my breath in parts of the book the writing was so precise and clear that I could feel myself sitting next to her as she made choices and moved forward to the end of the book.

Thank you Net Galley and Custom House for a chance to read this book early - I can't wait to read her next book!

Fault LInes
by Emily Itami
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
Custom House

Combining the incisive intimacy of Sally Rooney with the sharp wit of Helen Fielding, a compulsively readable and astonishingly relatable debut novel about marriage, motherhood, love, self, and the vibrant, surprising city that is modern Tokyo.
Thanks to Custom House and Netgalley for the ARC. I usually pick up authors that are familiar to me and I took a chance on this one.
Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest, Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit. WEll done!!
5star

First off this cover is beautiful!
I love learning about new cultures and very much learning about the Japanese culture in this so that was already a win from the start. It is well written, and the author created well developed and relatable characters that I enjoyed reading about. All the great food mentioned definitely made me crave it! I thought the author did a great job with the fabulous descriptions for the setting too!