Tokyo Ever After: A Novel

Izumi has grown up wondering who her father is. One day, she discovers an old book in her mother’s bedroom, with a romantic inscription from a man named Mak. A little internet sleuthing reveals an explosive secret: Mak looks exactly like Izumi–and he’s the Crown Prince of Japan. Izumi reaches out to Mak by email and goes to Japan, where she’s treated like royalty. Izumi isn’t traditional princess material–and she chafes against the sky-high expectations. Complicating matters, Izumi’s personal security guard, Akio, is gorgeous and brooding. But tightly controlled social boundaries promise to doom any shred of romance before it begins. Through it all, Izumi must figure out where she fits: back home in Mount Shasta, CA, where being Japanese makes her an outsider; or in Tokyo, where she’s far too modern and American. Which Izumi is real? And where is home?

Readers who can look past the too-convenient beginning of this novel–where Izumi’s lifelong questioning about her paternity is answered with a Google search–will enjoy an insider look at royal Japanese traditions, where birth is destiny and social stations aren’t easily transcended. Izumi’s feminism, confidence, and willingness to question authority make her an appealing YA heroine.