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A review by kaitlinlovesbooks
Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
The main character gives her daughter up for closed adoption when she is 18, and is reunited with her child when her daughter turns 16. This book very briefly touches on the complexity of transracial adoption and the associated trauma, but it is not the focus of the story. Also, the adoptive mother dies before the start of the novel, so there is both a warning for death of a parent and death of a spouse. The novel focuses more deeply on the estranged relationship between the main character and her mother, who is emotionally distant and controlling.