Review: Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms by Kim Hooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book. This is an honest review.

I did not know what to expect when I got the copy of the book. While I did not know anything about the author, somehow it seemed an interesting story. It was.

Jonathan has had a terrible loss. We know the love of his life, Sara is gone. Now he wants to end his life and makes plans for it, one year from now. This is his journey to that end. As he starts this journey, his chosen method of suicide is one that originated in Japan. For that reason, and because Sara always wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms in Japan, he plans a trip there before he dies.

To make that trip he starts a bucket list. One is to take a class in Japanese so when he visits he can try to not be a typical american tourist. In that class he meets Riko. She is Japanese but was sent here by her parents when she was three years old. Her quest is to find out why she was sent here, to find out the origins of her life. A sharp contrast to Jonathan seeking death.

The story jumps back and forth from present to his past life with Sara. While this could be jarring, the author does a very good job. The changes in time seem to flow into each other. Sometimes a chapter is about his past, other times his future. There are a few times where we see both in the same chapter.

In the chapters dedicated the current day we learn just how Sara dies. Just when you think that you understand just how it all happened , there is a jarring clue revealed. . In those revelations, many to Riko, we peel back the complicated life that was Jonathan and Sara.

In chasing her past, Riko needs to go to Japan so she invites herself to go along with Jonathan. We see Japan through their eyes.

I would recommend this book to anyone. While there is talk about suicide, I do not see it influencing anyone to do so. The rich depth of the main characters is so good, I really wanted the story to go on. Read it, you will enjoy it.

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