I enjoyed this book more as it went on. I am not a fan of plots where people blatantly lie about who they are, and you know it’s going to blow up in their face. Since that was a large part of the first half of the book, I didn’t really get into the book until afterwards, but the book was half over by then. That plot line feels uncomfortable and predictable. But then the books changes, which I felt to be more genuine.

There was a lot I liked about this book too. Mika feels so real as a character with so much love and deep scars as she works through her struggles. Penny was also a great character with so much life and a bright-eyed, optimistic view of life. She shows complexity with anger and grief, but these changes show how her relationship with Mika evolves.

Seeing Mika’s relationship grow with Penny was beautiful too. Some of my favorite quotes in this book were about motherhood/parenthood:

“Maybe that was the key to parenting: you couldn’t keep your children from being hurt, but you could give them a soft place to land.”

“Children are made to take a parent’s love and pass it along.”

Mika’s friendship with Hana was lovely as well. But I’m also a sucker for strong friendships. There is something so endearing about people that choose to be around each other through both good times and bad over decades.

The romance storylines were fine, but I was more drawn to the other relationships in the book.

I’d like to thank William Morrow and Custom House for providing an ARC through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this adult novel by the author of the YA “Tokyo” books I have so loved this last year. This had similar themes of finding family and discovering who you are, but also dealt with other things too: adoption, trauma, falling in love as an adult, learning to parent, learning to love your parents for who they are, finding a career path that fits, and more. This was a solid 4.5 stars for me, and I would read a sequel eagerly if produced. Emiko Jean is going on my must-read list for sure.

Down on her luck, Mika receives a surprise phone call from the daughter she gave up for adoption 16 years earlier when she was 19. Can Mika turn her life around in a hurry in order to be the person she hoped she would have become before meeting her birth daughter?

There was a lot I loved about this book. The exploration of mother/daughter relationships and all the expectations that come with these relationships was on point. There were some lines on parenting that were so perfect that I read them and reread them, such as "children aren't second chances" and "I think that's what being a parent is all about-loving something and letting it go." I also enjoyed that there was a love story mixed in to the narrative.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and mostly light summer read. While some of the topics had the potential to be heavy, the overall unrealistic, Lifetime movie like narrative kept it on the light side.

Thank you to HarperCollinsPublishers, Book Club Girl Early Read, and NetGalley for the early ebook edition

Mika Suzuki of Portland, Oregon is gobsmacked by a surprise call from a 16-year-old Penny, who declares herself Mika's daughter. Penny wants to meet and Mika prepares herself for the encounter.

A heart-wrenching story of 36-year-old Mika who was encouraged by her mother sixteen years ago to give up her baby for adoption, and the story of the adoptee who finds her.

Penny and her adoptive father Thomas are almost too perfect to be believable at first. He is a caring parent, who with his now deceased wife, gave Penny all the love and affection a child could ever want. Mika, the biological mother, is a 36-year-old unemployed woman now, who has a hard time making ends meet, and who decides she has to fake her life so as not to disappoint her daughter when they meet.

The angst of an adoptive child and a woman who gave her up at birth is well portrayed in this novel. It is moving and thought-provoking, and the characters and story line are excellently done. It is so well done, it moved me to tears in several instances.

An enthusiastic five stars for Mika in Real Life.

This book was absolutely stunning. Emiko Jean has quickly become a favorite author for me! I love the cultural perspective she provides, and the stories that tug at my heart strings! Read this if you enjoy strong character growth, family stories, and imperfect lives.

Mika is living a messy life. She’s 35 without a job, constantly needing money from her parents, never able to live up to the traditional Japanese expectations of her parents, and she her most recent relationship just crashed and burned.

And then she gets a phone call from Penny and everything changes. You see, Mika gave Penny up for adoption 16 years ago, but they have never spoken before. They begin to get to know each other over the phone, but Mika finds herself creating the perfect life for herself as she inflates and adjusts the truth.

When Penny announces that she’s coming to meet and spend time with Mika, she finds herself trying to make this fantasy life become a reality.

This is about so many things, and I loved them all.
👉 Mika finding a way to make her dreams a reality
Mika hasn’t really figured out what to do with her career and her life. She’s been coasting for a long time, and when Penny comes into her life, we get to see Mika evolve. She begins to find a fire to push herself forward.
👉 Mika and Penny forming a relationship
This was such an interesting dynamic. Penny has never spoken to Mika before this phone call, and she’s curious about her birth mother. Mika finds herself wanting to make a good impression, and there’s a real struggle for her to find her way in this new dynamic.
👉Mika and Penny’s dad navigating new parental bond
Penny wanting to get to know Mika after Penny’s adoptive mother’s death creates mixed feelings for her dad. As they get to know each other, they find common ground to bond over.

Overall, I enjoyed this entire story. I loved Mika’s growth as the story progressed. I appreciated the ups and downs that she experiences, and I felt like it was pretty “real life”. I highly recommend this one!!

⚠️⬇️ The below content warnings contain spoilers. ⬇️⚠️
Content Warnings:
Sexual assault, rape, teenage pregnancy, adoption.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I LOVED this book! I was so excited to read this because I loved her other book Tokyo Dreaming. It was a perfect balance of romance and family and was so heartwarming. This is my kind of book!

I am a huge fan of Tokyo Ever After and Tokyo Dreaming, so when I saw that Emiko Jean was writing an adult fiction novel I had to read it.

I am so thankful to the Thoughts From A Page podcast and William Morrow for a digital arc through NetGalley. Thank you to Harper Audio for a complimentary audiobook.

Mika is a real mess. Her home is messy. Her love life is messy. Her appearance is messy. She has trouble holding down a job. She was hard for me to understand in the beginning of the book because my personality and life experiences are so different. But then, as the story unfolds about her past, I completely understood why she was living in chaos. Not only did she give her daughter up for adoption but she has some serious trauma that she has not dealt with. I just wanted to give her a huge hug by the end of the book.

I will read anything Emiko Jean writes!

I received This ARC from Book Club Girl early reads. Thank you!
Suddenly Mika receives a call from the child she gave up for adoption 16 years ago and the novel begins….this was so much more than a tale about giving up a child. It’s about mother and daughter relationships, loss of a loved one, finding your confidence to follow your dream, learning about your culture and more. I was not expecting the in-depth and heartwarming novel that it is. I don’t want to give anything away but know it’s worth reading.

I had such a difficult time with this one. I loved other books I've read by Emiko Jean and was excited when I was approved for Mika in Real Life. However, once I started it, I knew this wasn't going to be my favorite. I had a difficult time finding anything likeable about Mika - her selfish, self-destructive behavior filled with bad decisions and all-around laziness was too much for me and made me so anxious. I did enjoy the interactions with Penny and her father but the rest of it was impossible to overlook.

With its breezy dialogue, diverse characters, and hip Portland location, at first you might think Mika In Real Life will be a fun rom/com with an adoption twist, but this thoughtful novel is so much more. Out of the blue Mika gets a call from Penny placed for adoption as an infant with the "Are You My Mother?" question. Mika, now 35, is floundering in life, no job, no partner, no prospects. Soon she finds herself lying to Penny. Of course, when Penny and her widowed dad visit, things unravel and get quite complicated. This book covers so much transracial adoption, losing a parent at a young age, how one's past experiences foreshadow who one becomes, and how our parents affect our lives. This gem of a book is such a great read. I couldn't put it down.

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean centers around Mika, a thirty-five year old woman who is at her lowest point when she receives a phone call from her daughter, Penny, who she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny has never been in contact with her and wants to forge a relationship, and Mika finds herself fabricating a life that she thinks Penny would be proud of. When Penny states her intention to visit Mika, she takes on the impossible task of making all her embellishments appear to be true.

This book is heart-wrenching and uplifting and really explores how complicated mother/daughter relationships are. All of the characters are flawed, but you root for them and love them all the same. The dynamics of all of the relationships are relatable and well-written.

I enjoyed reading an adult novel by Emiko Jean, and the chemistry and tension in the book was a nice surprise that I wasn't expecting.

I would absolutely check the trigger warnings before reading, but this book was written for you if
-You want to read a balanced, sweet story that explores complex mother/daughter relationships
-You like complicated, flawed characters
-You’ve been a fan of Emiko Jean after reading Tokyo Ever After and Tokyo Dreaming

At the start of this novel, main character Mika gets a call out of the blue from Penny, the now 16 year old daughter she gave up for adoption at birth when she was only 19 herself. Embarrassed by her life, Mika embroiders the truth a bit to make herself look better - but then Penny wants to come an visit.

The book is written with a light touch, but covers a lot of deep topics - the effect of adoption on both the biological mother and child, what it’s like being raised as a Japanese American by parents straight from Japan (Mika) and white parents (Penny), the effects of trauma, and more - along with lighter things like Mika’s attempt to fake her life for Penny, and even a little romance. Mika is definitely a flawed character in a way which makes her frustrating at times, yet I couldn’t help but feel for her, especially because I thought the book did a good job of explaining why she acts the way she does.

I love Emiko Jean’s light YA romance series Tokyo Ever After, which made me eager to read this book, and I was impressed at how different this book is. It’s also this month’s GMA book club pick.

Good story about a complicated mother-daughter relationship and much more. I had wanted to read the Tokyo series by Emiko Jean and hadn't yet gotten to. But I had heard such good things about it that I really wanted to give this one a try. There is quite a lot of emotional depth in this one. A good story about imperfect people figuring things out together.

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

Although the story started slow for me, it picked up steam and captured my attention.

Mika’s struggled through a breakup, lost yet another job, and lives with a friend in a messy, fraternity-like house. She is a disappointment to her Japanese mother, and they have a lousy relationship. In her thirties, it’s time to get her life together.

When Mika receives a phone call from the 16-year-old daughter she gave up for adoption at birth, Mika can’t wait to forge a relationship with Penny. She desperately wants her teenage daughter to admire and respect her. And so, Mika pretends her life is exactly how she wants it to be.

More romance in this novel than I typically enjoy, but the book contains loads of interesting family and mother-daughter dynamics.

A huge thank you to William Morrow and Net Galley for the early read.

Good storyline & characters. Mika went through soul searching & had to put her life back together. The story brings out tears, joy, laughter,love & more as Mika puts her life back together after she gets a phone call from her daughter that she put up for adoption. This review is also on Goodreads

Emiko Jean has done it again. I initially thought I would have a challenging time relating to this book about a mother and daughter relationship but was pleasantly surprised to find such a heart warming, page turner. Emiko is a truly brilliant writer and has a way of writing that draws you in and keeps you hooked. Loved this novel!

4.5 stars

What a delightful read! In her newest book, author Emiko Jean brings us a poignant yet ultimately uplifting story about a woman who, after experiencing trauma and setbacks in her life, goes on a path of self-discovery that helps her to overcome her insecurities as well as better understand who she is “in real life.”

Mika Suzuki’s life can only be described as “a mess” — she keeps getting fired from job after job, her love life is in shambles after a bad breakup with her latest boyfriend, she has a strained relationship with her traditional Japanese parents whom she can’t help but perpetually disappoint, and she lives in a messy house with a potentially cracked ceiling that belongs to her eccentric but lovable best friend Hana (who, by the way, may or may not be a hoarder). Oh and she’s also broke and, as much as she hates doing it, has to repeatedly borrow money from her parents for basic daily necessities. It is at this time, when she is at the lowest point of her life, that she receives a surprising phone call that catches her completely off guard — the call is from Penny, the daughter she had placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny wants to get to know her birth mother (which is something Mika secretly yearns for as well) and so the two of them start slow, with phone calls and video calls every couple days. In her curiosity about Mika’s life, Penny asks a lot of questions, but Mika isn’t keen on letting her daughter know about the sorry state of her own miserable existence, so she decides to embellish the facts about her life just a little. But one lie leads to another and soon, Mika has fabricated an entire life that is opposite of the one she is actually living. When Penny tells Mika that she wants to fly to Oregon (Penny and her adoptive father Thomas live in Ohio) to meet her, Mika panics — but luckily, her devoted friends come to the rescue and help her turn the fake life she created into a reality. Will Mika be able to sustain these lies throughout the entire visit or will things eventually blow up in her face? More importantly, what will become of the newfound but fragile relationship with her daughter?

I honestly didn’t expect this story to grab me as much as it did. I’m usually not tremendously keen on romances (which I erroneously thought that’s what this book would be), but the more I got into the story, the more I realized that’s not what the book is about at all. Sure, there is romance (and in case it matters for some, heads up that there are a few “spicy” scenes in here, though they are very brief), but the crux of the story is actually about the complexities of parent / child relationships, especially in mixed race families, which, for me, gave the story unexpected depth and meaning. In juxtaposing the various parent / child relationships within the narrative — between Mika and her parents Hiromi and Shige, between Mika and her biological daughter Penny, between Penny and her adopted parents Thomas and Caroline — Emiko Jean explores the complicated dynamics of parental love and how it not only can manifest itself in different ways, but also can be heavily impacted by culture and upbringing. This made the story relatable on so many levels, but for me specifically, what resonated most was Mika’s relationship with her mother Hiromi, the nuances of which, having myself grown up in an immigrant household with traditional Asian parents, I also struggled with at some point — for example: the emotional distance caused by lack of meaningful communication between family members, the cultural expectation to keep silent about matters deemed “shameful” to the family, the pressure to be successful in both life and career in order to “repay” the sacrifices that our parents made in choosing to immigrate here, the feelings of inadequacy and never being able to live up to their expectations, etc. There’s also the exploration of how that relationship impacts Mika’s relationship with Penny, and the struggle with understanding better where her mother was coming from but at the same time, wanting to forge a different path with her own daughter.

In addition to parent / child relationships and love in its different manifestations, the story also explores topics such as adoption, race and identity, interracial relationships, cultural expectations vs societal conventions, etc. Even with the heavy topics however, the overall tone of the book was lighthearted and hopeful, with humor playing a significant role in the narrative. In fact, that’s one of the things that stood out the most for me — how Jean was able to strike such a perfect balance throughout the story between the serious and humorous elements without verging into melodramatic (not an easy feat with these types of stories). I also loved the way the characters were rendered, especially Mika herself, who came across so realistically for me, with her insecurities and flaws and the various struggles in life that she has to deal with.

This book surprised me in a good way and I’m really glad I read it. Of course I definitely recommend this one, but with the caveat that each person’s experience reading it will be different. On that note, I also wanted to share this interview that Emiko Jean did, where she talks about her inspiration for this book — it’s a very insightful read:
https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a40799854/mika-in-real-life-captures-a-complicated-portrayal-of-a-mother-daughter-relationship/

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

4 memorable character stars

Mika is a character to remember! She’s complicated, flawed, a loyal friend, funny, and so very human. I found myself rooting for her even as she sabotaged her life.

This one explores themes of identity, adoption, Japanese culture, and maternal relationships.

We meet Mika at 35 when she’s just been fired from her latest job. She’s doing a little retail therapy when she gets a call out of the blue. A call from the daughter she gave up for adoption 16 years ago. They start to build a relationship over the phone and then Penny decides she wants to visit Mika in Portland.

Uh oh. Mika realizes she doesn’t want Penny to see her real life and circumstances. One little lie leads to a whole fake life that Mika builds. Her friends rally behind her, and Penny’s arrival day finally happens. I hoped things would work out, but I had doubts that this was the best way to build an authentic relationship.

Mika and Penny have ups and downs as they work to bond and figure out this new life. Mika is also drawn to Penny’s (adoptive and now widowed) father Thomas. Through it all, it feels like Mika has put important parts of her life on hold for years and it might be time to tackle who she really is now.

There are important maternal elements explored here. Mika has always felt like she disappointed her mother and they do not have a great relationship. Penny decides that she wants to meet her grandmother. How does Penny reconcile her relationship with Mika with the one she had with her adopted mother?

This book really resonated with me and I was very happy with how it all wrapped up. I would definitely read a sequel as these characters made for a great story.

Mika in Real Life surprised me, in the best possible way. It's been a while since I read a book about family that just felt so real, and human. Don't let this cute book cover deceive you, because while this book is totally heartwarming, it's also real and covers some heavy topics that made this book really stick.

Mika is a Japanese-American woman in her mid-30s who's life looks nothing like the one she had once imagined. Mike is a a low point when her daughter she had given up for adoption 16 years earlier, reaches out to her, hoping to connect.

In her quest to be a person her daughter Penny is proud of, Mika creates a few white lies which, of course, end up snowballing into something way bigger than she ever imagined. While this storyline seems predictable at first, it ends up being the foundation of a novel that capture the essence of what makes a parent and what makes a life.

Not only is Mika endearing but she's also beautifully flawed. Author Emiko Jean delves into how our own pasts have made us who we are, and how our families expectations have shaped us but also don't make us. The Japanese American immigrant experience was woven in throughout this story so seamlessly and added so much to the storyline. In addition, the side characters are multifaceted and add so much to this brilliant novel.

I can't say enough about this book and I know it will stick with me for a long time. I am so appreciative to publisher William Morrow Books for allowing me to read and review this book and I highly recommend adding to your end of summer reading list.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, @BookClubGirl, William Morrow, and Emiko Jean for an ARC of this book!**

"Suddenly I see
This is what I want to be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me" -KT Tunstall

Emotional, funny, honest, and hopeful!

Mika hasn't ever lived up to anyone's expectations...least of all, her own. After getting let go from (yet another) job, she heads to Target, pondering how much cheese and wine she can buy with the last bit of free-flowing cash from her bank account when she gets an unexpected phone call...a VERY unexpected call. No, it's not Randy from Chase Visa, but rather her daughter Penny...the same daughter that Mika gave up for adoption 16 years ago, during her college years.

After the call leaves her stunned, Mika decides this is her ONE chance to build a relationship with Penny, and she's not going to miss the opportunity. After all, her daughter is still dealing with the passing of her adopted mother, and Mika feels an even stronger desire to forge a bond and shower her with love. Through a series of phone chats and some video calls, Mika begins to describe a beautiful and fanciful life to Penny, full of accomplishments and excitement.

The only problem?

None of the events she describes have actually HAPPENED.

So when Penny reveals to Mika that she's headed to Portland (adopted father, protective-yet-hunky Thomas, in tow) to meet her...Mika panics. Enlisting the help of her best friend and roommate Hana, can she find a way to meld her fantasy life with her real one? Or is Mika truly doomed to disappoint the most precious person in her world...and lose ALL of her remaining dreams in one fell swoop?

Mika in Real Life manages to be so many things, all at the same time: a bildungsroman of sorts, a romance, AND most importantly, a tale about mothers and daughters and what that bond means. It's easy to like Mika and it was even easier for me to identify with her. Coming from strict parents, and a mother who never failed to remind her how much she'd sacrificed, Mika was forced to put so many of her dreams aside, but never got the returns on her investment.

Are there some aspects of the novel that felt predictable? Sure. But what I appreciated most about the read overall was the way Jean wasn't afraid to tackle the good, bad, and ugly of the mother-daughter relationship and how these seemingly insignificant moments from early life and childhood can MATTER...and how it matters IF your mother is truly there for you...or wants to be. As a mom now myself, I connected so deeply with Jean's descriptions of Mika's love for Penny, her yearning, and her deep desire to do anything and EVERYthing for her child.

My only quibble with any of the characters is that Penny's voice felt a bit younger than her 16 years, but since Emiko Jean comes from the YA world, that could be the reason. Every OTHER supporting character, however, from work colleagues to ex-boyfriend alike, not helped to support Mika, but to add depth and breadth to the narrative. These are truly the sort of characters you'll miss when the story ends! (and don't get me started on how badly I am now LONGING to go to Portland...words I never thought I'd say!)

Though Mika's background and passion lies in art, perhaps her biggest and most important work will ALWAYS be a work in progress, as she continues to add color and light to the most vital canvas of all: her messy, complex, and perfectly imperfect life!

4 stars