I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn - ESSENTIAL

I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn, 320 pages. Scholastic, 2019.  $18.

Language: PG-13 (30 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Kimi’s mother is set on Kimi following her footsteps to a prestigious art school, but Kimi has been hiding that she has lost her love for painting and drawing.  When her Japanese grandparents contact her with an invitation to visit them in their village near Kyoto, she jumps on it. In Kyoto she finds an enthusiastic grandfather and an aloof grandmother.  She also finds a boy – Akira an aspiring med student who also helps out at his uncle’s mochi stand. Together the two explore Kyoto and get to know each other, while Kimi also connects with her grandparents and starts to understand herself.

If you love the feel of To All the Boys I Loved Before, you will also love this romantic and adorable novel.  Kuhn paints an appealing picture of Kyoto – I want to visit it now! Much more than a romance – it spans generational relationships and self-awareness.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS