Dear I Love You So Mochi,
Now I want some mochi! Especially some of the unique flavors and the cute scene at the end with the mochi, yumm…
With Love,
Hannah
P.S. Book Details
Author: Sarah Kuhn
Book Length: 308 pages
Book Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Publication Date: May 2019
Awards: N/A
Synopsis: Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement.
She’s obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi’s entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi’s estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.
When she arrives in Japan, she’s met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city’s outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival — and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.
………………………………………………………….
I Love You So Mochi is a cute-y type book. It is lighthearted, predictable plot line, and you know what to expect going in. Her writing and characters are similar to Kasie West books. While some may find this boring, I found it quite endearing. Simply said, if you are looking for a book to enjoy without thinking a lot, this is a good one.
While saying it doesn’t require a lot of thinking, I do not want to give off the impression I Love You So Mochi has no plot. It does! Kimi is a senior in high school who goes off to Kyoto to find herself and decide what to do post-high school. She is struggling to find out who she is and who she wants to be… and she has given herself two weeks to figure it out.
Que the meet-cute.
Akira is a boy who has got it all figured out. What he wants to do, his value to support his family, and he seemingly has all the confidence in the world as he dances in a big mochi costume.
Kimi and Akira are cute. We, as readers, get to watch them go on an exterior and interior journey. The are going around sight-seeing (Akira is a good tour guide to me – take me to a pug café any day!), yet they also talk about deep desires and driving forces. All the while, falling in love with one another.
I enjoyed watching Kimi come into her own and discover herself, yet part of me felt disappointed. Her parents barely spoke to her while she was away, then while she was living with her grandparents (she had just found out about and flew to see) she barely seemed to talk and connect with them. I enjoyed her time with Akira, but I felt like she did not acknowledge what her grandparents were doing for her.
Communication is difficult for me in a lot of YA books. I get frustrated at how many things could have been resolved if people had just spoken up. Yet, the adult-child relationships in YA books also sadden me. The adults seem to not care about their children or help their development. On the other side, the children seem to ignore the wisdom in people older than themselves. I noticed my frustration more after I read the book, because it was so sugary I went along for the ride.
This was a sweet, quick, and simple read. If you enjoy contemporary YA, cute first-love stories, or light reading this may be a book for you. However, there are a couple I would recommend before this book. There are so many good YA contemporary fiction books, I would rather direct you to A Very Large Expanse of Sea (first love, female protagonist finding herself, and break dancing) or Anna and the French Kiss (first love, friendship, and travel to France). Don’t get me wrong, I Love You so Mochi, was a good book. But the plot, character development, and supporting characters feel more in depth and believable.
To Books, With Love 