Review by Booklist Review
After being humiliated by her crush, who compares her to "beige wallpaper," 17-year-old Japanese American Nozomi hopes to reinvent herself when she's given the opportunity to spend the summer in San Francisco with her cool gay uncles. She has her ideal vacation romance planned; all she needs is the perfect girl. Nozomi finds her working in Uncle Stephen's art gallery, but there's one flaw: Willow still loves her ex-girlfriend. Nozomi agrees to pose as Willow's new flame to make the ex jealous, while secretly plotting to make Willow fall for her. Faking dating isn't that rewarding, though, especially when Nozomi could use a real friend to help her cope with her complicated feelings about coming out to her beloved but homophobic grandmother. Sugiura's latest sapphic romantic comedy uses familiar tropes well to set up some hilariously awkward and some honestly poignant moments; while predictable, it's feel-good fare. Yet Sugiura uses her casually diverse characters to explore issues of race, queerness, family estrangement, and grief with a genuineness that will speak to teen readers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sugiura (This Time Will Be Different) once again delivers an emotional story, this time from the perspective of a Japanese American teen from Illinois. Nozomi Nagai, 17, and her brother Max, 21, are spending part of the summer in San Francisco, working at the private museum their uncle Stephen curates and catching up with their grandmother, Baba. Nozomi is happy to leave the drama of her parents' divorce behind, and a summer away is exactly what she needs to reinvent herself following the embarrassment of a pity kiss from the girl of her dreams. When Nozomi's crush, Willow, asks her to fake a relationship to make Willow's ex jealous, optimistic Nozomi thinks the arrangement might be an opportunity to win Willow's affection. Things grow more complicated when it becomes clear both that Baba is starting to lose her memory and that Willow may not be the girl for Nozomi. Alongside swoony first kisses, Sugiura steeps this romance in cultural and generational specificity, exploring traditional Baba's unwillingness to accept same-sex relationships and the heartbreak that poses for her family. Ages 13--up. Agent: Leigh Feldman, Leigh Feldman Literary. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--When the opportunity to kiss her crush at an end of the school year party doesn't go as planned, Japanese American teen Nozomi is convinced she is just beige wallpaper--plain and unmemorable. She is looking forward to a summer spent away in San Francisco, interning at her uncle's art gallery, as a chance to reinvent herself and, hopefully, have the perfect summer romance. Enter Willow, an incredibly gorgeous Asian girl who works in the gallery's gift shop and is heartbroken over a recent breakup with her girlfriend. Willow, feeling betrayed and spiteful, suggests that they fake date to make her ex jealous. Nozomi jumps at the chance, hoping that through the process Willow will fall in love with her. Sugiura brings readers an adorable rom-com where the conflict isn't focused on the character's sexuality. While Nozomi is a frustrating main character at times, putting herself before others and getting into cringe-worthy situations, many teens will find her relatable. On the surface, this appears to be a predictable romance novel with a fake dating trope, but it goes deeper than that. The story also digs into the intersection of race and queerness along with other topics like dementia, the fallout of divorce, and homophobia. VERDICT A fun romance that engages with deeper issues.--Alicia Kalan, The Northwest Sch., Seattle
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Can you fake your way into the heart of the person you want? Hopeless romantic Nozomi Nagai is a queer, Japanese American 17-year-old from Glenview, Illinois. Over the summer, she and her older brother, Max, are interning at their gay uncle Stephen's museum in San Francisco and spending quality time with Baba, their aging grandmother who has dementia. Riddled with insecurity from a humiliating rejection by her back-at-home crush, Nozomi is determined to have a transformational summer romance. She instantly crushes on gorgeous Willow--"like a teenage Gemma Chan"--who works in the museum's gift shop. Trouble is, Willow is heartbroken: She was just dumped by Arden, an equally gorgeous Black girl who has moved on to be with Dela, a teenage White/Japanese artist with an installation at the museum. When ambiguous comments between Nozomi and Willow leave their social media followers speculating, Nozomi instigates a fake romance in hopes that it will eventually become real. What ensues are hilarious and often cringeworthy situations that Sugiura imbues with depth. By giving voice to Nozomi's internal struggles with her parents' pending divorce, strained relationship with her mom, and fear of rejection by homophobic Baba, she layers a complex rom-com plot with deep insights about honest and patient love. That Nozomi's racial and sexual identities aren't treated as issues but simply parts of who she is is also refreshing. A laugh-out-loud, tender, and wholly satisfying read. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
