A review by the_bookish_owl
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

5.0

My first NetGalley review!

Beautifully written and poignant this is the story of half-Japanese Kiko and her emotionally abusive, manipulative white mother who constantly criticizes Kiko and her looks. Apparently she can do nothing right and this has given Kiko a severe case of anxiety and co-dependency, initially leaning on best friend Emery she switches to childhood friend Jamie after Emery leaves for college.

Two shy brothers, and a father I'd like to know about, plus a fascinating Japanese artist round out an interesting cast of characters. The character development was brilliant and I loved how Kiko matured and grew up and learned to handle her anxiety and become independent.

I absolutely loved the story and I thought it flowed very well. I was drawn in and I couldn't put it down, I loved Akemi's writing style and I can't wait to read more from her.

5/5 stars

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