by Emiko Jean
First published 2022
Mika Suzuki's life is falling apart at thirty-five. She just lost another job. Her latest relationship crashed and burned. Her traditional mother never stops criticizing her choices. Then sixteen-year-old Penny Calvin calls. Penny is the baby Mika gave up for adoption as a teenager. Now Penny wants to meet her birth mother. Mika desperately wants to see her daughter, but she can barely manage her own chaotic existence. She struggles with whether she's ready to reveal her true self to Penny. The reunion forces Mika to confront who she really is and what kind of mother she might become. This story explores the complex emotions surrounding adoption, family expectations, and second chances at motherhood.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
384 pages · Hardcover · Michael Joseph Ltd