The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery
My Rating: 3.25
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: August 20, 2020
Author: Su Young Lee
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The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery Blurb
Fluttering cherry blossoms, gorgeous kimonos and sweet and sorrowful love.
For cake-loving college girl Hana, Japan was the romantic destination of her dreams. With boyfriend Jin she planned an exciting new life in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. But when she finally arrives after months of planning, Jin isn’t there.
Hana is left broken-hearted on a rainy Tokyo street. Jin left no note. One day he just walked out of classes and disappeared.
Hana begins her new life alone. Watching cherry blossoms fall into the Tokyo river. Working hard and delivering her lovely home-baked cakes by orange bicycle. Then she meets handsome young farmer Hikaru, and glimpses a new way forward – in an alien place where she doesn’t know a soul.
The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery is a sweet romance with a hint of magic realism. It’s a perfect book to carry with you and read on holiday or weekends.
The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
So, as I said above, The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery was a 3 star read, meaning that I liked the book, but I didn’t love it and thought there could have been some improvements. Let’s start with what I liked.
What I liked
The characters in The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery were astounding. I absolutely loved every person I met throughout the story especially the supporting characters. Not that the main characters were bad or anything, but I rarely get to to read a book with such interesting and well developed people outside of the main couple.
I also loved, loved, loved the main plot of the story. The little dashes of magical realism with the Japanese culture made for a beautifully balanced story that almost felt musical. The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery seemed to move and flow with such grace.
The scenes with baking were also some of my favorites because I am a baking enthusiast and to try nearly every recipe. There was a green tea cake that sounds to die for and I am looking for a similar recipe online.
What didn’t work for me…
I didn’t love the writing throughout the book. There were way too many mundane scenes that had nothing to do with advancing the plot. The dialogue often felt stilted and forced even when the feelings within the scene were not.
I honestly felt like with some editing The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery could be a homerun.
Conclusion
The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery is a cute romance that is enjoyable and beautifully atmospheric. With a few improvements, it could be wonderful.
~About the Author~
Su Young Lee is a Korean romance author who lived in Tokyo, Japan for 10 years and now lives in London, England with her husband and two lovely cats.
Su works in academic publishing and loves baking, playing piano and working on her calligraphy.
Check her blog here.
https://suyoungleesblog.wordpress.com
*Special thanks to Su Young Lee and Rachel’s Random Resources providing a copy of The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery in exchange for an honest review.
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