This is such a sweet story. The characters are well developed and so realistic. The ending was so good. This is such a heartwarming story.

A light hearted read that would be good for around the pool. A bit slushy for me but a good read nonetheless.

Mika in Real Life is a quick and easy read that I couldn't put down! Filled with humour and a touch of heartache, this is a relatable and authentic story that I would recommend, I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this book it combines humour and emotion, it gives a good insight into parenting, cultural identity and growing up. I definitely recommend this book.

Mika In Real Life is a funny and heartwarming read about discovering who you are. It's a satisfying read that makes you laugh and be glad you picked it up to read.

A really different book for me, but one which I got right into. A story about a young Japanese American girl who gave up her baby for adoption but struggled to live with that decision and get on with her live thereafter. Some 16 years later, she is contacted by her daughter, Penny. A journey of discovery between the two of them follows, which starts with Mika concocting a life which she thinks Penny would want to see in her biological mother (and also which Mika would like to be living!). However, the situation soon unravels when Mika's mother turns up and asks questions. Recovering from the devastation, Penny eventually contacts Mika again and they start to rebuild. Plenty of teenage problems along the way, especially when you add in her adopted father, Thomas to the picture.
A great read, which certainly gave me a small insight into a completely different culture and a life changing event I have very little knowledge of.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review which is what I have given.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a treat! It gave me all the feels - laughs and emotion. I liked the characters and found them relatable. Mika and Hanas friendship was brilliant.
A great read

More romance-focused than expected - I would have appreciated something more independent and character-driven!

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I loved loved loved this book.I hope this author writes many more books.Really interesting storyline would make a lovely movie.

4.5 stars

Mika in Real Life was a beautiful and emotional story that tugged at my heartstrings.

This is such a raw and real story that looks at how complex relationships can be and honestly I loved it. This book touches on so many important topics and themes but never once does it seem to overwhelming or too much. Emiko Jean has done an amazing job at writing this book with sensitivity and care.

The only reason I knocked off half a star is because I hate when main characters engage in massive lies about their life because it gives me such anxiety haha! However this book was amazing and everyone should read it!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for such a long time now. Emiko Jean is an author whose YA books I love. So, when I heard she was releasing a general fiction novel I added it to my TBR immediately. This is very different from Emiko Jean’s YA books but in such an amazing way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this for so many reasons.

Mika Suzuki’s life is a mess. She has just lost her job, her last relationship ended in flames and she is a disappointment to her parents. She is at her lowest point when she receives a call from Penny, the daughter she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother and Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. So, when what starts out as one little white life about her life slowly snowballs into a whole fake life, what could possibly go wrong?

Mika in Real Life is a beautifully written story that perfectly manages to balance tragedy and disaster with hope and optimism. The prologue had me hooked into the story right away and when weaved with secrets of Mika’s past I could not put it down.

Mika is an excellent main character. I’ve certainly not been through what she has, but her feelings of uncertainty and not being good enough are incredibly relatable. We see her grow and learn more about herself throughout the book and this left me feeling hopeful about my own life.

This book explore a number of different kinds of relationships. We see Mika and her new connection with Penny, her budding relationship with Penny’s adoptive father Tom and her deliberate distance with her mother Hiromi. We also see her constant bond with her best friend Hana and how Mika feels about Penny’s late adoptive mother Caroline. Each of these relationships helps Mika to learn about herself and break free from the control her past trauma has on her. In turn this allows Mika to strive for a future she can look forward to.

Right at the centre of this book is motherhood. I loved how it depicts all the different mothers in this story, Mika, Caroline and Hiromi as unique people. They have all made their mistakes and don’t always understand their children but their love is always there. It also beautifully shows mother-daugther relationships and how those vary too. It is stunning.

Overall, I would highly recommend this beautiful book with its heart-wrenching storyline and underlying humour. I’m sure anyone who reads this will get invested in the lives of the loveable characters in this book. Mika’s journey towards self-acceptance is truly uplifting to read. I would highly recommend this book.

Great contemporary read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

This was such a beautifully written story that somehow managed to balance tragedy and disaster with optimism and hope. The foreboding prologue loomed over the story, and the premise itself was set up for failure, so I was hooked from the first page. Mika’s secrets from her past were also threaded through the narrative and I was really interested in what had led her down her dead-end.

The book examined so many different kinds of relationships through Mika but made sure to give each its due: her new connection with her birth daughter Penny, her budding romance with Penny’s adoptive father Tom, her unwavering bond to her longtime friend Hana, her intentional distance with her mother Hiromi and even how she felt about Penny’s late adoptive mother Caroline. In their own ways, each relationship was able to help Mika free herself from the control her past trauma had over her so she could strive for a future she could look forward to.

At its heart, this novel was about motherhood in all its iterations. I really appreciated how it depicted each mother – Mika, Hiromi and Caroline – as multi-faceted people. They made mistakes, were sometimes selfish and didn’t always properly understand their children but they still could be constant in their love.

Mika was an amazing heroine. I may not have gone through what she had but her feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy were painfully relatable. She felt like she had been treading water for over a decade so I was so happy to watch her take her life back. Yes, it was sparked by Penny reaching out and trying to live up to her daughter’s expectations, but Mika ultimately did things for herself that brought her joy and propelled her forward. This ensured that the end of the novel left me feeling a little bit braver and a little more hopeful.

Overall: With its understated humour and tender storytelling, this novel made it impossible not to become invested in the lives of its lovably imperfect characters. Mika’s journey to self-acceptance was both heartbreaking and uplifting to watch unfold.

Would I recommend?… Yes, if you want to feel all the emotions… but ultimately hope

The book opens with Mika giving up her newborn daughter for adoption. She’s in the hospital with her best friend Hana – not her mum, not the baby’s father. It’s all quite perfunctory, a whirl, and the baby is gone. Only a few pages later, we get the tantalising information that Mika will be back in that hospital with that same person, sixteen years later, but how and why is held back from us very cleverly for most of the book (I kept thinking I’d guessed, and I was wrong every time).

Mika is Japanese American, born in Japan but moving to Portland as a young child with her job-seeking father and unwilling, frightened and resentful mother. That fear and resentment has translated into perfectionism, shaming and recoiling from Mika’s desire to be an artist, and Mika has a really hard time with her mother, right into the time when Penny reappears, because of course Penny reappears, and threatens to undo all of Mika’s hard work.

Mika and Hana are pleasingly still best friends and in fact, even though there is the family “romance” of mother and daughter reuniting and romance for Mika herself, the primary relationship in the book is between these two loving friends, and they are surrounded by a great friendship group of diverse and interesting people. For example, when Mika’s mum introduces her to a prospective boyfriend – at church, again – he comes out to her and quickly but believably gets absorbed into the friendship group, providing support and care. I loved this aspect of the book so much, as well as the diversity – as well as being of mixed heritage, Hana is an ASL interpreter for rock bands (how cool?) and their other friends have a wide range of heritages naturally, too. There’s a lot about the way Penny’s adoptive parents have clumsily tried to introduce her to Japanese culture, and touching moments when especially Mika’s mum instructs her as grandmothers all over the world do.

The line about living a lie on the front cover is a bit of a misnomer. Without giving the plot away, Mika initially tries to present a perfect life to Penny, ashamed she’s 35, unemployed again, with no partner or home of her own. Her friends help her in this but also then help her to develop her ability to “do Mika”, to be her authentic self, and especially to reconnect with the art practice she lost at college. I love how independent she is in this: she won’t even let the assistant in the art supplies shop get a bottle off a high shelf for her. I also liked that when Penny moves near for the summer, it’s because of her own athletic ability, hard work and talent, rather than just drifting around without purpose. Mika never believes her relationship with Penny and then her dad will last long, and we hope against hope that she’ll prove herself wrong.

There are some very funny set pieces, while the book has a bittersweet feel in general. People’s pomposity is pricked and there’s a hilarious scene with a sculpture exhibition. The story is ultimately inspiring without being sappy, and there is definite difficulty along the way: relationships are drawn beautifully and again, it’s those friendships that really stand out

My full review on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/10/13/book-review-emiko-jean-mika-in-real-life/

Mika in Real Life was a delight! The book equivalent for a rom com with so much heart.

I was completely drawn into Mika's story from the opening chapters when we meet her first as a 19 year old and empathized with her from the beginning. I loved how this story unfolded and found myself looking forward to getting back to the book. A comforting, entertaining read that distracted me during a grim week. Mika is a wonderful character and this was a lovely read.

As someone in her 30s, I found this heartwarming tale of second chances and family connection to be really lovely. The writing is so fantastic! It's so inviting and comfortable - I felt myself drawn in right away. Recommended for sure.

Mika in Real Life explores themes of loss, trauma and self-discovery.

Mika feels like a failure. Another job loss. Another break up.

And then, out of the blue, a call. From Penny. The daughter she gave up for adoption. The daughter she longed to keep. The daughter she entrusted to Thomas and Caroline who would give her a life Mika wasn't capable of.

Having Penny in her life is a wonderful gift. But it also makes Mika realise how closed off she's been to protect herself from hurt. Penny helps heal old scars, and Mika begins to feel worthy of the life she has always dreamt of. Knowing she must feel worthy by herself before she can embrace love from others.

Beautiful writing and characterisation makes this book a joy to read and there is so much to love about this wonderful book. While there are difficult subjects and sadness, there is also a wonderfully optimistic and happy conclusion which is truly heart warming.

An emotionally charged book about the re-igniting of a mother/daughter relationship where the daughter was adopted from birth. The daughter is now 16 and has made contact with her birth mother after her adoptive mother has passed away. As well as beginning a relationship with the teenager, Mika is also dealing with her own mother's disapproval as she hasnt fitted into a regular lifestyle, losing jobs, living with friends, etc.

Thanks for the chance to read it 3/5 stars from me

Well that was unexpectedly emotional. A touching story about the relationships between parents and their children and how parents don’t always get it right but are often just trying to do the best they can. In particular, girls and their mothers often have challenging relationships and relationships are the focus of this story.

Now don’t get me wrong this wasn’t all serious and heartbreaking, it was both those things, but also fun and positive at the same time. Initially, I wasn’t sure about Mika. She seemed a bit feckless but as the story unraveled, it became clear why she was like she was and ultimately her history was heartbreaking, I really did feel for her after everything she had been through.

I loved seeing her and Penny get to know each other!

Although this started off a little slow, I really enjoyed it in the end.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers (Penguin Randomhouse) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.