Review of Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

*Mika in Real Life* by Emiko Jean (2022). Published by William Morrow.

I will admit, I typically don’t go for books like Mika in Real Life. As someone who reads a ton of books every year (it’s usually around the 200 mark), went to graduate school to study literature, and works in publishing, I’ve honed in on the kind of books I want to read on a daily basis.

It’s really curated my sense of self. I try to be as open minded as possible with I read, so I try to diversify my reading lists whenever possible.

That said, I know I typically don’t like Young Adult books or things that might come across that way with its cover or synopsis. TikTok books usually aren’t up my alley, either.

But something compelled me to pick this book up and then read it over the weekend I got it. There were some times I wanted to stop, but I pushed through to get through the entire book.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book, but let’s get into the review before I start rambling too much!

Mika is 35, her life is a mess and falling apart, and the daughter she left behind all those years ago is back.

Sixteen years before the start of the novel, Mika gave up her daughter for adoption. She was young back then, and didn’t have the capacity to take care of a daughter. Her parents were also disappointed in her and the fact she got pregnant, putting her in an even worse situation mentally.

In the present day, where most of this novel takes place, Mika has hit a new low point. Her newest relationship did not end well at all, and if you’ve had something go as terrible as that, you know that it is a sucky feeling.

She also has other problems: her parents think she’s a failure, as they’re super traditional Japanese parents, her roommate and best friend is a chronic hoarder, and she’s just been fired from her job.

Things are about to change when Mika gets a random phone call. She’s already kind of depressed and hitting a low, but it turns out it’s from her birth daughter Penny. Penny wants to be in her mother’s life, but is Mika prepared?

This brings out her insecurity when it comes to Mika’s problems, as Mika now feels like she has to feel good or prove herself to Penny. Penny is determined to try and have a relationship with her mother, but Mika tells a very specific lie.

That one lie leads to Penny believing that Mika is super put together and her life is perfect, but it’s not. Throughout the course of the novel Mika has to deal with the consequences of this, but Mika wants a relationship with her daughter.

And, as she meets Penny’s adoptive father, she might want something more with him, too. She’s going to try to figure out who she is and fix everything while she slowly dives deeper into all of this, but, in the end, it might be worth it.

Overall Thoughts

I think this was a good novel to show that sometimes life is messy. I’m not 35, but I could have a lot of empathy for Mika as someone with a traditional Western Asian/Middle Eastern parent. It’s hard out there, especially when you’ve given a kid up for adoption.

That said, I still don’t think these kinds of novels are for me. I can appreciate the elements like above, but the plot and the relationships just didn’t vibe with me. I think it was because I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters and their struggles, although I had sympathy.

Someone else out there might love this novel, though, and I can see why! It just wasn’t my cup of tea, and that’s alright. Taste is subjective.

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