Review of ‘Tokyo Love’ by Diana Jean

I ended up enjoying this lesbian coming out book more than I expected to. I originally picked this novel thinking it was going to be leaning more sci-fi-ish then quickly realized it was a ‘toaster oven’ romance with a slightly futuristic feel instead. Luckily, instead of being disappointed, I found myself quite captivated by this read.

This is a republished version of the 2016 book. I don’t know of any major differences from the first release so if you have read this before, it should be the same story. Since I am mentioning words like futuristic and sci-fi, I know that might put some people off. Don’t let it here. This is a story about a woman who is working on completing the first love companion robot. The life-like robot and a few other future tech items is it, there are no more elements that could be considered sci-fi. This is a very sweet romance seen through the eyes of a lonely American living in Japan. As long as you are a romance fan, this book should be for you, so don’t let the futuristic elements scare you off.

I actually expected the romance to go one way, and instead it took me entirely in another direction. I always like when books can surprise me. The premise of this book was really interesting and well done. Not only that but it felt fresh. It didn’t feel like the idea was recycled from a ton of other books which was another huge plus. The romance is a nice slow-burn, maybe a tiny bit too slow, but I loved seeing the characters change from strangers to friends, and then something more. Considering the main character did not realize she was bisexual, the slow build was realistic for the book.

I enjoyed the writing and I thought it was pretty strong. I would not hesitate to read this author again. I only had two small complaints. One was the number of words in Japanese. I get it the book takes place there, I just was not always able to translate everything. It could totally be my fault or what I was using to translate but it drives me nuts when I don’t always know what a word is. It’s my OCD popping up and waving hello. Lastly, I did think the book dragged a little towards the end. The actual ending was really nice and made my heart feel good. It was just getting there that took a few pages too long.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It was a sweet story that took me on a trip to Japan when I am stuck social distancing in my house. It was a nice slow burn romance and I think romance fans will definitely enjoy this one. I look forward to reading whatever Jean writes next. 4 stars.

A copy was given to me for an honest review.