by Emiko Jean
First published 2021
Izumi Tanaka has spent her life feeling out of place in her small northern California town, raised by her single mother and never knowing her father's identity. When she discovers that her missing parent is Japan's Crown Prince, everything changes. Izzy travels to Tokyo to meet the father she never knew and claim her royal heritage. Palace life proves far more challenging than fairy tales suggest. Conniving relatives scheme against her. The press hunts for scandals. A stern but attractive bodyguard watches her every move. Most difficult of all, she must master centuries of Japanese customs and traditions while proving she belongs in a world that questions her authenticity. Back home, people never saw her as truly American. Now in Japan, she must demonstrate she's Japanese enough to wear the crown. Caught between two cultures and two versions of herself, Izzy faces an impossible choice between the life she knew and the royal destiny she never imagined.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, young-adult, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: California, Japan, Tokyo
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books