Robyn Book Reviews

Title: Hot Tokyo Girl
Author: Jerry Olasakinju
Publication Date: February 4th

Synopsis (from Amazon): Having narrowly survived a family suicide pact, Chihiro Asada goes through a series of harrowing experiences that have shaped both her young life and future ambitions.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, Hot Tokyo Girl is a fascinating story of youthful challenges and adventures: it is a story that reveals the possibility of hope and success in the face of insurmountable adversities.

My Take: First a quick disclaimer… Jerry Olasakinju is a former classmate of mine. When he announced his book was available on Amazon, I had to read it.

What I liked: I found the story Hot Tokyo Girl to be a refreshing story of how a young woman overcomes a difficult time in her life through a combination of determination, good friends, and a bit of luck. I found Chihiro’s journey to be unpredictable and was nicely surprised by a few turns that the story took. Chihiro often chose not to take the most obvious or easiest path in an attempt to improve her circumstances. The characters in this book were nicely done.

What I thought could be improved: In my opinion, the writing was a bit rough. The repeated use of past perfect tense instead of simple past was awkward and unnecessary. To me, it was a bit distracting, but not so much so as to keep me from finishing. There were also a few spots where the slang didn’t read right. Personally, I would have edited the book differently.

Overall, I enjoyed Hot Tokyo Girl very much and I look forward to reading future works by Jerry Olasakinju.

My Rating: 3/5