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    Mika in Real Life: A Novel
    Mika in Real Life: A Novel
    Mika in Real Life: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Mika in Real Life: A Novel

    Written by Emiko Jean

    Narrated by Sura Siu and Andi Arndt

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A GOOD MORNING AMERICA and READ WITH MARIE CLAIRE BOOK CLUB PICK!

    Named a best book by Glamour, Marie Claire, TIME, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and more!

    From New York Times bestselling Emiko Jean, a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and utterly heartwarming novel about motherhood, daughterhood, and love—how we find it, keep it, and how it always returns.

    One phone call changes everything. 

    At thirty-five, Mika Suzuki’s life is a mess. Her last relationship ended in flames. Her roommate-slash-best friend might be a hoarder. She’s a perpetual disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents. And, most recently, she’s been fired from her latest dead-end job.  

    Mika is at her lowest point when she receives a phone call from Penny—the daughter she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother, and in turn, Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. Faced with her own inadequacies, Mika embellishes a fact about her life. What starts as a tiny white lie slowly snowballs into a fully-fledged fake life, one where Mika is mature, put-together, and successful in love and her career. 

    The details of Mika’s life might be an illusion, but everything she shares with curious, headstrong Penny is real: her hopes, dreams, flaws, and Japanese heritage. The harder-won heart belongs to Thomas Calvin, Penny’s adoptive widower father. What starts as a rocky, contentious relationship slowly blossoms into a friendship and, over time, something more. But can Mika really have it all—love, her daughter, the life she’s always wanted? Or will Mika’s deceptions ultimately catch up to her? In the end, Mika must face the truth—about herself, her family, and her past—and answer the question, just who is Mika in real life? 

    Perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Jojo Moyes, Mika in Real Life is at once a heart-wrenching and uplifting novel that explores the weight of silence, the secrets we keep, and what it means to be a mother.

    Editor's Note

    Heart and humor…

    Mika Suzuki’s life is falling to pieces, but when Penny, her birth daughter, reaches out after 16 years apart, Mika pretends to have it all together. The closer Mika and Penny become, the harder it is to maintain her imaginary life. Jean’s (“Tokyo Ever After”) novel is a wonderful blend of heart and humor while touching on heavier topics like interracial adoption and the weight of family expectations.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 2, 2022
    ISBN9780063215719
    Mika in Real Life: A Novel
    Author

    Emiko Jean

    Emiko Jean is the author of Tokyo Ever After, Empress of all Seasons, and We'll Never be Apart. When Emiko is not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain. You may find her at emikojean.com or on Instagram at emikojeanbooks.

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    Reviews for Mika in Real Life

    4/5

    101 ratings4 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be an excellent and beautiful story that explores motherhood, trauma, and self-love. The characters are realistic and the story is raw and interesting. However, some readers felt that the second half of the book dragged on and didn't enjoy the romance storyline.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Absolutely beautiful!! I enjoyed this story so much!! Very raw and interesting but also tells you just how deep someone’s heart runs.
    • 5/5
      I read this in one day. I laughed, I cried and I couldn't stop reading.
    • 5/5
      Excellent!! Great look at motherhood, trauma and self love through and charming story with realistic characters.
    • 3/5
      Sixteen years after giving her up for adoption, Mika’s daughter seeks her out for a relationship. Mika has to re-examine her life, her relationships, her past and her dreams. The second half dragged on a bit and I didn’t like the romance story line.