Emiko Jean

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Mika In Real Life

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

Definitely 'best books of 2022' material

A funny, touching celebration of second chances

Smart and offbeat funny: think Maria Semple

An endearing, joyful tale about finding (and accepting) yourself

A poignant and compelling exploration of identity, love and what it means to be a mother. Mika and Penny swept me along on their emotional and unforgettable journey, leaving me uplifted yet bereft when I turned the final page. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this is a total joy of a read

Holly Miller, author of The Sight of You

Touching and heartfelt ... captures the essence of mothers and daughters, the nuances that make a family, and where we've come from and where we're going. Sharp and brimming with heart, this tender read will have you alternating between laughter and tears (the very best kind) and missing the characters long after the last page. Mika In Real Life is a sheer delight to read

Rochelle Weinstein author of This Is Not How It Ends

With the offbeat humour and poignancy of Maria Semple and Kirsty Capes, this has the potential to be a big hit

Entertaining, funny and uplifting. Exploring identity, motherhood and second chances, it's one of the most life-affirming books to come out of 2022

I laughed, I cried and had the worst book hangover when I finished this gorgeous read

Mika's story is a beautiful exploration of the bond between mother and child - what we pass along, what we long for, and what we withhold. As Mika rescues herself from a downward spiral of heartbreak and loss, she weaves for us a primer on healing our broken relationships. A must read for anyone who's ever had a mother or been one

Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script

Tender and profound, Emiko Jean's writing had me laughing, crying, and cheering for Mika

Lauren Kate, author of By Any Other Name

Bighearted, sometimes bawdy, and always brave, Mika in Real Life explores the inescapable bonds between mothers and daughters, the enduring families by friendship that we make, and the weight of secrets that keep us from creating ourselves. This hilarious, tender, and very real novel is for every human trying to figure it out-basically, all of us

Nancy Jooyoun Kim, bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee

A wonderful, life-affirming story about second chances, parenthood and love. By turns tender, funny, and deeply romantic, I was rooting for Mika, Penny and Thomas

Lauren Ho, author of Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic and Last Tang Standing

Buckle up for an emotional rollercoaster ride . . . A genuinely moving read

The Uplifting Good Morning America Book Club Pick 2022

At 35, Mika Suzuki is struggling. She's been fired (again). Her last relationship went up in flames. Her fervently traditional mother is perpetually disappointed in her. And now, she's had a phone call from sixteen-year-old Penny Calvin, the baby she reluctantly placed for adoption when she was just a teenager herself. 
 
 Mika is desperate to meet her. But she barely feels like she can take care of herself. Is she ready to show Penny who her mother really is?

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK AUGUST 2022 
 
'Definitely 'best books of 2022' material!' GLAMOUR 
'A funny, touching celebration of second chances' MAIL ON SUNDAY 
'Warm, funny and a brilliant read' SUN 
'By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this is a total joy of a read' HOLLY MILLER, author of The Sight of You 
________ 
 
Penny Calvin has questions. 
 
Placed for adoption sixteen years ago, she's desperate to get to know the mother she's never met. 
 
Mika Suzuki just wants to hide. 
 
Jobless, single and living in a chaotic flat share, she can't bear her daughter knowing her life is a mess. So, when Penny gets in touch, Mika tells a few white lies, pretending to have it all - a career, partner and money. 
 
Keeping up the pretence over the phone is one thing. But when Penny and her widowed adoptive father Thomas spring a visit on Mika, things get complicated. 
 
By coming clean about the secrets in her past, will Mika finally get the life she dreamed of? 
 
Or will she lose it all? 
________ 
 
'An endearing, joyful tale about finding (and accepting) yourself' Good Housekeeping 
'Smart and offbeat funny: think Maria Semple' i 
'A sheer delight' Rochelle Weinstein 
'Had me laughing, crying and cheering' Lauren Kate 
'Hilarious, tender and very real . . . for every human trying to figure it out' Nancy Jooyoun Kim 
'With the offbeat humour and poignancy of Maria Semple and Kirsty Capes, this has the potential to be a big hit' Bookseller, Editor's Choice

Emiko Jean is the author of Tokyo Ever After, which was the Reese Witherspoon YA pick for July and a NYT bestseller. When she's not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain. Mika in Real Life is her first adult novel.

Mika In Real Life

The Uplifting Good Morning America Book Club Pick 2022

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Definitely 'best books of 2022' material

A funny, touching celebration of second chances

Smart and offbeat funny: think Maria Semple

Warm, funny and a brilliant read

An endearing, joyful tale about finding (and accepting) yourself

A poignant and compelling exploration of identity, love and what it means to be a mother. Mika and Penny swept me along on their emotional and unforgettable journey, leaving me uplifted yet bereft when I turned the final page. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this is a total joy of a read

With the offbeat humour and poignancy of Maria Semple and Kirsty Capes, this has the potential to be a big hit

Entertaining, funny and uplifting. Exploring identity, motherhood and second chances, it's one of the most life-affirming books to come out of 2022

I laughed, I cried and had the worst book hangover when I finished this gorgeous read

About Emiko Jean

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