**I received an ARC from Miss Print's ARC Adoption Program. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
Release Date: May 28, 2019
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Summary: 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 brave, fabulous, and like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother sees this as a distraction from working on her portfolio paintings for the prestigious fine art academy where she's been accepted for college. 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 loses herself in Kyoto's outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival--and meets Akira, a cute med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. 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.
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I Love You So Mochi was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2019! I adored Sarah Kuhn's Heroine Worship series (definitely recommend!), so I was so excited for her young-adult debut. This book was the cute, soft romance that I didn't know I needed.
I loved the main character, Kimi. She's such a go-getter; she knows what she wants and she does what she can to accomplish it. Her love of fashion and designing clothes is so unique, and the descriptions of her clothes really added a touch of creativity to the book.
Her friends are so supportive! They help her with every step of her journey, whether it's with coping with her mother's anger or giving advice about her crush on Akira. They're definitely highlights of the book, and I would totally read spin-offs with them!
Possibly my favorite part of I Love You So Mochi was the familial relationships. Kimi's estranged from her grandparents because they disagreed with her mother's decisions, but when she accepts their invitation to visit them in Japan, she really gets to form a closer bond with them. I also liked seeing her normally-great relationship with her mom that grows strained when Kimi doesn't want to pursue the path she wants her to. That's definitely such an Asian parent and child relationship, especially with diasporic, generational differences, tbh.
It was nice being in a non-Western setting! This book definitely captured the "Asian American in their heritage country"/diaspora feels; Kimi doesn't know a lot of the customs and differences in Japan, which would definitely be true for me if I went to Vietnam. I always relate so much to diaspora books, which is probably why I read so many.
The romance was super cute! I did think it was a little fast-paced, but the book was short, so. Also, I liked that Akira helped Kimi grow and realize what path she wants to take. Overall, their scenes were so heartwarming.
I Love You So Mochi is such a cute, sweet read. Full of clothing imagery that will make you jealous and food descriptions that will make you hungry, this is a book you didn't know you needed. Read this magical, heartwarming novel on May 28!
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About the Author: Sarah Kuhn is the author of Heroine Complex—the first in a series starring Asian American superheroines—for DAW Books. She also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance and the romantic comedy novella One Con Glory, which earned praise from io9 and USA Today and is in development as a feature film. Her articles and essays on such topics as geek girl culture, comic book continuity, and Sailor Moon cosplay have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, Back Stage, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, Creative Screenwriting, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics. In 2011, she was selected as a finalist for the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award.
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