Clicking on the cover will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
Synopsis:
“A delightful novel by a skilled storyteller, Japan and the American Midwest blend seamlessly in this fast-paced modern-day fairy tale.” –Karen Hill Anton, author of A Thousand Graces
Stuck in a dead-end bar job in central Tokyo and barely making ends meet, Naomi Kihara’s life turns upside down when her American father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was a toddler, dies. Having been brought up to believe he abandoned her, it’s a shock to learn she is his heir. But there’s a catch: Naomi must go live in his hometown for one year. Felix, Nebraska couldn’t be any more different from Tokyo, Japan. And besides, not everyone in town is happy the Johnson property now belongs to the Japanese daughter everyone forgot Mike ever had in the first place. But with the help of her new friends and neighbors, Naomi discovers a strength in herself she never knew existed.
Finding Naomi is the tale of one woman’s search for family, acceptance, and love.
- Pages: 270
- Genre: Romance, Fiction
- Publication date: November 14, 2024 by Black Rose Writing
- Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audio
PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
This book was provided to me for free by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
THE REVIEW:
This book was a solid read for me. I am quite pleased to say that it exceeded my expectations.
We follow the story of Naomi; she is Japanese, but her father is American and not in the picture. We soon discover the hard life she is living and the traumatic childhood she’s had due to some unfortunate events that I wish were given more voice here, and we had more of a backstory. It is no surprise that the author was able to depict such a truthful characterisation as she is married to a Japanese man and has lived in Japan for many years now.
I absolutely adored Ashley, Marvilla, Jason and Naomi’s grandmother. Those people were portrayed amazingly. Naomi, I have been waiting for her to grow a backbone since the beginning of this book, I really was praying she would just explode at some point and stand up for herself. Again, I did like her character as well, but she felt a bit bland and quite generic.
There were some topics that were touched and left abruptly, and I hoped they would be explored more. The “mystery” bits kind of came out of nowhere I think it was just to spice things up, and that otherwise would have been quite the boring book. It was quite predictable in fact, I guessed pretty much everything, with a few exceptions. But again, I hoped there was more to it because the ending felt rushed and chopped. It definitely felt like a lot of drama was going on just like in Dallas which is even mentioned in the book at some point haha I can see where the author got some inspiration from.
Regardless, this was a book of self-discovery, newfound family, love, tradition, betrayal and forgiveness.
The writing style was approachable, easy to follow and engaging. I very much enjoyed the integration and representation of the Japanese culture, the food, and customs.
Overall this book received 4 stars, had it explored some topics more in-depth I think it would have been a 5-star read for me.
I definitely recommend it.
Lin's Perspective 
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