A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo by Kana Wu

I want to start off by saying the cover of this book is so cute. I absolutely loved it.

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo is told from two POVs - Bella and Ryo. Bella is from California and works for Little Bear Cafe. She is given an opportunity to travel to Japan for a couple of months to help open a Little Bear Cafe in Tokyo. On the plane ride to Tokyo, Bella ends up sitting next to Ryo. She is restless and Ryo automatically finds her annoying. They don’t necessarily hit it off. Then they end up as next door neighbors! And run into each other literally EVERYWHERE. Ryo has been living in California but moved back to Tokyo for good because his twin sisters health was rapidly declining.

Now for what I liked:
I love dual POV books! There were plenty of chapters from both Ryo and Bella’s POV. I do not know a whole lot about Japan so I can’t say whether everything about this book is accurate, but I love the way the author described Japan and included a lot of Japanese. I actually found myself googling a lot of stuff just to make sure I fully understood what was happening, and I enjoyed it.

What I didn’t like:
The relationship between Bella and Ryo was very juvenile, I had to double check to make sure I wasn’t reading a YA novel. Bella was 21 and Ryo I believe was around 25, but their interactions felt like that of teenagers. I also thought it was super unrealistic that they kept bumping into each other everywhere. The world is small but it’s not that small. There were too many time jumps throughout the book as well. It threw me off. The writing was just okay as well, it didn’t always flow well, was also a little juvenile, and just didn’t make me feel as deeply as I like to about the romantic relationship.

Overall, this book was good. It did have some cute moments that I enjoyed and it also made me want to go to Japan!

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo was absolutely charming and such a cozy read! Kana Wu wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo by Kana Wu
Release Date: 3/31/2022

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo is a love story set in Japan between Ryo and Bella. Ryo grew up in Japan and spent his life trying to live for his sister who was born with a congenital heart defect and only has a limited amount of time to live. Bella is from California and gets the chance of a lifetime when her job offers her an opportunity to train staff at the new cafe opening up in Tokyo. The two end up being neighbors and fall for each other.

I really wanted to like this book. The story is cute and I liked the concept but the writing really ruined it for me. The dialogue was way too clunky and unrealistic and when there wasn't an issue with the dialogue then the writing was being too descriptive to the point of being cringey. There were also characters that were brought in and then just kind of left on the side lines and dramatic plot twists that didn't really fit in the story well. I thought the idea of this book was really nice but the execution left a lot to be desired.

Thank you to @netgalley and Bellwind Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Bellwind Books and Netgalley for blessing me with this eARC debut in exchange for a honest review.

Review: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

Reading this book reminds me of spending the day watching sweet Hallmark movies with a cup of tea and sappy soundtracks. .

This book is such a sweet and light read. The ML and FL had such a disastrously meet-cute that it can border on funny. I enjoy the reading some of the wonderfully sweet scenes. It takes me back to first dates, butterflies, fireworks and cutesy moments I experience during first dates. I enjoy that I got both the ML and FL POVs which gives us an inside to both their minds. It makes both very relatable.

I didn't enjoy the writing style as nothing stood out. There were certain moments where it could have been memorable but the sentence structure was too abrupt. Eg: I find that the FL adjusted to her trip to Japan fast. there was some mention of homesickness and family but it was glossed over. I also found the relationship with the FL and her mum very immature in terms of their interaction.

All in all, this is such a cute, sweet and light-hearted novel worth reading.

This book was a very adorable love story. I knew I was going to like Bella and Ryo from their first interaction on the plane, and they didn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed the setting in Japan and all of the Japanese words mixed in, it was fun to get a glimpse of that. The characters were all likable and people you found yourself rooting for! Definitely an enjoyable read.

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo by Kana Wu was a beautiful read. I really liked how the book was told from 2 points of view. The plot and writing kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I highly recommend that people purchase this on March 31st, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Bellwind Books for this advanced copy

Thank you to Bellwind Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.
I finish like half of it in one night! What a nice novel for those of us who would love to travel to Japan!
This story is about Belle, a young woman who hasn't finished college but has the opportunity from her work to travel to Tokyo to train some people for a new cafe, and this will be a life changing.
Ryo is a young man, a Japanese, who is returning home to be with his family.
They meet in the airplane from San Francisco to Tokyo, not a pleasant trip, but what happens when they
I really enjoyed it, specially about the journey of the characters, Japanese food, their language and rich culture.
Can´t wait to get this one!
Arigatou Kana-sensei!

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me a free e-ARC of A Warm a rainy Day in Tokyo in exchange of an honest review,

Everyone has a favorite type of romance novel, but I believe we can all agree that a romance novel's undeveloped romance is one of the worst elements.

This was a fascinating book. Enemies to lovers is a great trope, as you can see. When done correctly, it serves its purpose. I despise it when they dislike each other for no apparent reason. It does not provide what is expected. Is it true that I despise the way it's done in this book? No, but do I think it could have been better? Definitely.

Furthermore, I was dissatisfied with the climax. The build-up was fantastic, as was the plot, chemistry, and character growth. However, I felt that with that one incident, Bella's character growth was unseen. It wasn't resolved well, either, though I did enjoy the groveling.

On the lighter side, this book is a fast-paced rom-com that you could like reading if you're interested in Japanese culture. It's ideal for warm weather, especially now that summer is approaching. The writing style was excellent, and the book as a whole was well-written. Unlike many novels, this one had very few plot holes, which astonished me because it's difficult to write a novel without noticeable plot problems.

I honestly thought this book was gonna be like “ me and my JAPANESE 🇯🇵 boyfriend “ YouTube video but I’m glad it wasn’t

At the start I was a bit confused why it jumped from Bella pov to 3rd person for Ryo but after a while I enjoyed seeing things from bellas perspective.

I like how there was japan culture and foods talked about in a respectful way.

I would love the opportunity to be sent to a different country to work training hahaha

Thank you netgalley and Bellwind books for letting my have the opportunity to read this book .

Both Bella and Ryo are at both at a crossroads in their lives. Ryo needs to return home to support his family and twin sister who is dying. Bella is traveling to do training for her company's Tokyo cafe franchise. She'll be in Tokyo for two months - and it will really be the first time she's ever been away from home that long or lived alone. Both of them have a lot to come to terms with and figure out for themselves.

I did love the Japanese food and culture descriptions - the book was very rich in that respect. But the personal interactions were only surface level. This book deals with so many tough issues - but doesn't really delve into them beyond the surface level. I wish that we had either had just one major issue per leading character - or maybe even just Ryo's sister's health to contend with. The author added in drama with side characters, love triangles, parental issues, and more. It distracted from the overall story.

The other thing about this book is that the characters all read really young to me. Like younger than their actual ages. This definitely qualifies as a new adult book - but so many of the actions of the characters felt more high school than adult. And maybe that is authentic to where Bella was with her life - but I felt a lot of her decisions really felt very much younger than 22.

I will also note - that Ryo and Bella don't share a lot of page time - other than passing meetings until the 40% mark. They then fall in love and break up (temporarily) very quickly. It leads to a very rushed happy for now.

There were a lot of things to like about this book - but I feel like it could have been so much better. I received this as an ARC through NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Thank you NetGalley & Bellwind Books for the E-Arc in exchange for a honest review!

First off, this cover is absolutely STUNNING ✨
Second off, I love the setting in this story! 🇯🇵

This story is told in a two person perspective, Bella and Ryo. Bella lives in California and works for a big coffee shop. Bella gets the opportunity to travel to Japan and train the employees at the new coffee shop that is opening up. Ryo currently lives in California, but was horned and raised in Tokyo. Ryo has a terminally ill twin sister, Akiko, and gets an unexpected phone call from their parents in regards to Akiko and her health. Ryo made the decision to permanently move back to Tokyo, and give up his life in America.

Bella and Ryo end up having numerous encounters with each other. At first, they both did not like one another, and then they slowly started liking and falling for each other. Bella knew that she had to stop her feelings for Ryo because she was not permanently staying in Japan, but Ryo was not aware of that.

This story is so cute! I love Bella & Ryo’s relationship. The friendship dynamic between Bella and all the friends she made in Japan was so pure and heartwarming. When reading this book, I felt like I was in Japan! The author took the time to explain the Japanese culture in this story, which is much appreciated from someone who is dying to visit Japan someday! 🖤

I felt like the ending was a little rushed, but other than that, I thought this story was very refreshing & absolutely adorable!

I was looking forward to reading a romance based in Tokyo. Unfortunately, the appeal of Japan in general and Tokyo in specific was completely overshadowed by the story. Frankly, I was relieved to be done with A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo by Kana Wu and that may be one of the kinder things I have to say. I hope Wu finds joy in her writing but I found no joy in the reading of it.

In brief, Bella, an American who is a trainer for a large coffee business (e.g., Starbucks), is sent to Japan, where the company is opening a new store. There’s a lot of unnecessary setup (a Japanese company is franchising the stores even though the company Bella works for doesn’t usually franchise, etc) that significantly overcomplicates the story without moving it forward.

Also, Bella’s whole family – including the friend of the family – is inexplicably upset that Bella is offered what anyone else would see as the opportunity of a lifetime to travel internationally on her employer’s dollar. Mom and Bella fight and then stop speaking to each other, except by passing messages through a family friend who lives with them. I’m not kidding.

Ryo is a twin whose sister is seriously ill. Their relationship is gentle and sweet, honestly, the only relatable part of the book. However, the author has written them as identical twins, which is, you know, not possible. Yes, it’s completely possible to have one or both twins be, for example, trans or gender fluid but the author gives no indication of that. In fact, Akito’s illness makes transitioning, at least, extremely unlikely. I’m pretty comfortable that this is simply a big and unnecessary error.

Throughout the story, Bella runs into Ryo so frequently that they must be alone on a deserted island like in Cast Away. Literally, if Bella goes somewhere Ryo is going to accidentally end up there too. In nearly every scene change, they meet up. This wouldn’t be believable in my hometown of 12,000. It’s not remotely possible in Tokyo, with its population of 37 million.

Of course, after a few interactions, these two people fall in love, even though the author has given them absolutely no emotional connection. Then, Bella fails to communicate like an adult and makes some terrible (thoughtless, emotionally stunted) choices that deeply hurt Ryo. Don’t worry, though. If you make it this far into the book, you’ll get your HEA.

One final comment: the book switches between Bella’s and Ryo’s points of view. However, for reasons that will never be known, Wu wrote Bella in first person and Ryo in third person. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you why that’s bad.

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo will be available March 31, 2022.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this easy enemies to lovers romance. Bella and Ryo start off with mutual misunderstandings that come to a head when, by pure coincidence, they end up as neighbors. Their romance was accelerated thanks to Bella’s limited timeline and felt somewhat rushed. I liked the moment it clicked for them both that the attraction was mutual.

It was fun experiencing Tokyo through Bella’s eyes. I think the cultural nuances could have been more smoothly incorporated into the story. The one first big social gaff at the apartment did not feel plausible after Bella declared herself a fan of anime and manga.

I wanted more from this story. The characters could have used more depth. The relationship timeline could have been stretched out a little more. I wanted more consistency with italicization of the romaji interpretation of Japanese words. Though I wanted all these things, it was still a good read.

This story was really sweet, and the writing was extremely detailed with Japanese culture shown throughout. I found myself being able to picture all of the scenes well, and I was able to picture each character. This was a really quick read for me.

I will say the writing was iffy at times, and sometimes things were a little TOO detailed. There were moments when the details were over the top. I felt like the romance was rushed, and it didn’t feel like the main aspect of this book until the last 1/3. I don’t think the two main characters had enough interaction to warrant an interested reader. I also felt like the ending was unnecessary, and could’ve been handled differently.

Regardless, I thought this was a sweet, quick read with wonderful imagery of Japan. 🌸

DNF around 35%

Right from the beginning I was not a fan of Bella. She just seemed childish to me and I could not get behind her character. The storyline and plot were cute and I really think I would have liked it more if she was more mature and a little bit older. I cannot leave a review without providing a star review, so I am giving it two stars for the plot of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bellwind Books for the e-ARC!

Thank you to Bellwind Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo by Kana Wu is a lovely Tokyo-based rom-com that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell or Tokyo Academy. The story revolves around Bella, a red-haired Californian who moves to Tokyo for the summer for a job opportunity. On the plane, she meets an infuriating man, Ryo, who ends up showing up wherever she goes. He shows up at her apartment; he shows up around Tokyo. Also, he finds her just annoying as she finds him. Are these fated meetings? And will the pair be able to turn from enemies into lovers?

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 2 that introduces us to Ryo's perspective:

"Taking a deep breath to release the tightness in his chest, Ryo gazed up at the bright yellow ribbon tied loosely on one of the AC grids waving like a flag. That ribbon reminded him of Akiko, his twin sister—older by eleven minutes—who loved ribbons and always wore them in her hair.
His oneechan had a congenital heart defect. Their pediatrician had predicted that his sister wouldn't live past three years old, but somehow she survived. When Ryo and Akiko turned seven, the doctor had said she wouldn't live past ten. But his sister was a fighter and was able to live longer than the doctor's predictions. At the age of fifteen, she got a heart transplant that improved her health."

Overall, A Warm Rainy Day in Tokyo is a decent rom-com that has all of the typical plot points. One highlight of this book is how much I learned about Japanese culture from reading the book. Tokyo is not just a setting but is integral to the plot. I took off 2 stars, because there wasn't a hint of romance until halfway through the book. It's like the author focused so much on Japanese culture that she forgot about the romance. There was also an attempt to introduce a tension-filled climax near the end of the book, but it felt more like boring subplot from a J-drama. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms, you can check out this book when it comes out in March!

Reading this book was fun and easy.
It was nice to read a bit about Tokyo and Japanese culture and it made me went to visit Japan to relive some of Bella and Ryo experiences.
The story itself is well written and i really liked it, although i felt confused at some points because of the timeline and there were also moments in which everything happened too fast.

3,5 stars

meet bella. she have a job and still lives with her parents. so when one day, her boss gives a chance to travel for few months to tokyo to train a new staff in cafe, bella is excited! even over parents' protests, she is decided. and then she went. since then, she bumps to this guy everywhere she goes. the mutual dislike soon grows to something else through the bella's stay. but is it strong enough to overcome all difficulties that is happening in bella and ryo lives?

i liked bella! the beginning of the book was very relatable and it describes the beginning of your 20's perfectly. like you have job and starting saving money but still living w your parents. you have somehow solid job, but your parents are not still satisfied w you. you wanna act like adult, but everyone treats you still like kid.

ngl, the way the characters jumped from disliking each other to suddenly liking other was weird? and rushed?? idkk. at least for me.

still enjoyable and i recommend it to everyone who like reading stories from japan culture.

received an eARC of ththe way the characteis book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
expected public publication is 31st march 2022

I cant say I loved this one :( it was unique but honestly I felt that I didn’t love the dual POV. Will maybe try again on the future, but I wish there was more to some of the characters

Ok, this book was SO adorable.

Even though I sometimes found the main character Bella a bit immature and annoying, the love story between her and Ryo was so cute and sweet.

I loved seeing Tokyo through the eyes of someone who had never been there and that was my favorite part besides the romance.
I would definitely recommend it for teens!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.