This Time Will Be Different

Name: This Time Will Be Different
ISBN: 9780062473448

by Misa Sugiura

Subject: Asian American & Pacific Islander
Age: Teen
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Publisher: Harperteen
Size: 14.2 cm × 21.1 cm
ISBN: 9780062473448

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book * A 2020 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection

For fans of Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and Sandhya Menon, critically acclaimed author Misa Sugiura delivers a richly crafted contemporary YA novel about family, community, and the importance of writing your own history.

The author of the Asian Pacific American Award-winning It’s Not Like It’s a Secret is back with another smartly drawn coming-of-age novel that weaves riveting family drama, surprising humor, and delightful romance into a story that will draw you in from the very first page.

Katsuyamas never quit—but seventeen-year-old CJ doesn’t even know where to start. She’s never lived up to her mom’s type A ambition, and she’s perfectly happy just helping her aunt, Hannah, at their family’s flower shop.

She doesn’t buy into Hannah’s romantic ideas about flowers and their hidden meanings, but when it comes to arranging the perfect bouquet, CJ discovers a knack she never knew she had. A skill she might even be proud of.

Then her mom decides to sell the shop—to the family who swindled CJ’s grandparents when thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII. Soon a rift threatens to splinter CJ’s family, friends, and their entire Northern California community; and for the first time, CJ has found something she wants to fight for.

Writing Your Own History: CJ must confront her family’s painful past—and her mother’s ambition—to save the flower shop that represents their legacy.High School Activism: When history threatens to repeat itself, CJ discovers that fighting for what’s right means taking a stand in her community and finding allies in unexpected places.A Sweet Flower Shop Romance: Amidst family turmoil and late-night bouquet arranging, a charming new apprentice might be exactly what CJ needs... if she can get over her crush on the most popular guy in school.The Language of Flowers: Discover a world where every bouquet tells a story, and the right combination of flowers has the power to change hearts and minds.

About the author

Misa SugiuraAuthor

Misa Sugiura’s ancestors include a poet, a priestess, a samurai, and a stowaway. Her first novel, It’s Not Like It’s a Secret, was the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for YA Literature. Her second novel, This Time Will Be Different, was the HarperCollins Children's Books Lead Read. Misa lives under a giant oak tree in Silicon Valley with her husband, two sons, and three cats. Visit her online at www.misasugiura.com.

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What reviewers said

“Fresh, vibrant, affecting and powerful.”

New York Times Book Review

“A gripping, emotionally charged story that presents a window into a uniquely Japanese American experience.”

School Library Journal (starred review)

“Sugiura’s deep dive into mother-daughter relationships, the fragility of self-worth, and the gathering of courage resonates deeply.”

ALA Booklist

“An engaging picture of a girl facing the past—both her family’s and her own—in service of her future.”

Horn Book Magazine

“Insightful. Intricate. Honest. With richly drawn characters that feel utterly real, Misa Sugiura reminds us that the past is always present, but that we hold the power to shape our future, if we’re brave enough to face it.” - Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters and Internment

“Sugiura tackles an abundance of topics with finesse, including social and economic injustice, allyship, and feminism, simultaneously breaking down the Asian-American immigration narrative and the myth of the model minority. Essential.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This Time Will Be Different

About the author

What reviewers said