Candy Cane Cookie Crush: A Tokyo Meet-Cute Romance

Lauren Murata, a scholar of gender studies, meets Kazu Mori at the bake sale held at his daughter’s school. Kazu Mori has recently lost his wife, so he is new to the dating scene. However, while at the school, Lauren and Kazu meet and realize how close their children are to each other. Lauren and Kazu seem to hit it off over some candy cane cookies as they decide to schedule playdates, so their children can see more of each other. Everything seems to be going great for their kids and for them until a hashtag about the person who Kazu is managing goes viral putting Kazu and Lauren’s relationship in an awkward place.

“Candy Cane Cookie Crush” is a standalone, easy read for all ages. In this romance, Suzanne Kamata puts two people together from different cultures. Set in today’s era where social media comes into play with Kazu’s clients, the readers can see how one hashtag can not only affect one person’s life, but the career of a major star. Through this hashtag complication, Suzanne Kamata shows, with her descriptive writing, how Lauren and Kazu change, growing not only as individuals but also as a couple. Gender studies is the main topic throughout the book; however, the author portrays this topic in a fun and adventurous way showing how both male and female roles aren’t that different from one another. This is a must-read romance as two people are brought together, by chance, over a plate full of candy cane cookies.

Stephanie Bell