This Time Will Be Different

Product Description
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.
Review
★ “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)

★ “A gripping, emotionally charged story that presents a window into a uniquely Japanese American experience.” — School Library Journal
(starred review)

★“With intelligent dialogue surrounding diversity, representation and responsible social action,
This Time Will Be Different is a timely, smart novel that readers of contemporary teen fiction will likely devour.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)

★ “Sugiura deftly weaves historical fact into this coming-of-age narrative, providing an entertaining and informative backdrop that allows CJ to explore her own sense of identity while giving readers a front seat to her process.” —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Fresh, vibrant, affecting and powerful.” —
New York Times Book Review

“One of the most authentic, steadfastly real teen characters I’ve read in recent memory. CJ deals with racism, familial strife, and finding herself with a charm and grace I couldn’t get enough of. Her pitch-perfect voice leaped off the page and stayed with me. Highly, highly recommend.” — Sandhya Menon,
New York Times bestselling author of
When Dimple Met Rishi

“At turns delightfully humorous and wonderfully insightful. The cultural nuances were perfect, and I found myself utterly transported. I can’t wait to read what Sugiura writes next.” — Renée Ahdieh,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Wrath & the Dawn

“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

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

“Refreshingly complex. An astute look at privilege, power, and history in sometimes unexpected forms.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

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

“Hilarious and fiercely loyal, CJ is one of my favorite characters to hit the page in a long time. This smart and thought-provoking tale of the bonds that connect family, and second chances, will have