I enjoyed learning about the Japanese culture from this story. It is a story that will keep you reading late into the night
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a surprisingly great read! I loved reading about the Japanese culture and traditions. It was a really easy read, which I always appreciate. I don't enjoy books that take a lot of focus to read because they have confusing details. This book kept my attention and kept me engaged with the story. The character development was on point as well.

“The Butterfly Café” is the debut novel of author Diane Hawley Nagatomo and is set in a charming neighborhood in contemporary Tokyo. We’re immersed immediately in a terrible tragedy that promises to ripple through the lives of the protagonist, an American woman named Jessie, and her daughter Miya. With this tragedy comes the revelation of many secrets that her Japanese husband has kept from her over the years, and in uncovering them one by one, often unintentionally, Jessie and Miya encounter people who will change their lives in important and unforgettable ways.

One such way, which soon becomes the heart of the new lives they’re forced to make for themselves, is Jessie’s inheritance of a building whose ground floor contains an old café – The Butterfly Café – which ends up connecting them to a variety of somewhat eccentric people, foreign and Japanese. The novel surprised me not only with its many twists and turns, but also Nagatomo’s equally skillful and satisfying resolutions of them.

“The Butterfly Café” is many things: An exploration of how one moves on from great personal loss; a heartwarming tale of the importance of friends and family in times of heartbreak and uncertainty; and a highly accomplished, entertaining, and readable novel. In turns serious, moving, and hilarious, Nagatomo’s debut novel deserves a wide readership, and I think that a great many readers of it will be eager to get their hands on her next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for an ARC of this novel.

I am always happy with a debut novel that I love!! This is Diane Hawley Nagatomo's first foray into fiction. This book is set in modern Tokyo, while also teaching the reader about Japanese customs and culture. A story of family, loss, struggles and happiness. Jessie is an American living in Japan with her abusive Japanese husband and young daughter. He suddenly dies and Jessie learns so much about her husband and his family as she settles his estate. Luckily, her chosen family is there for her! The book is full of fun, loving characters, as well as some challenging ones too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I'm looking forward to more from Ms Nagatomo and hopefully more about Jessie and her family!
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC. This is my opinion.

This book provides a really interesting insight into what it's like being in Japan. As someone who's super interested in Japan, it hit the right notes.

unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I stuck with it for a while and got 25% through however I wasn’t hooked on the story as it felt somewhat confusing. The sheer amount of main characters introduced in such quick succession made for uncertainty in who was narrating/who the plot post was about. I found it hard to get into however I think some part of the confusion was the japanese based names which isn’t a writer issue, just wasn’t suited to me.

The Butterfly Café, a novel by first-time author Diane Hawley Nagatomo, is not to be missed by those who like reading touching stories of love, loss, and family. Set in Japan, I initially thought the book would be difficult to follow, but the author’s skillful descriptions of the culture of Japan soon had me feeling like part of the story in a way that was both enlightening and satisfying. Readers could be forgiven for believing the drama of the first chapter would set a tone of loss and grief, but instead they are quickly drawn into the real life challenges facing Jessie and her daughter Miya. The Butterfly Café takes readers along as Jessie and her friends become a less traditional form of family where members are brought together by the simple act of friendship and caring for each other even as the world continues to test them all. This book warmed my heart and I can’t wait to read more from Diane Hawley Nagatomo! Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for letting me read this enchanting book!

The Butterfly Café by Diane Hawley Nagatomo. The author reeled in when she used whoop-de-do as a descriptive phrase. The story got better and better. Enjoyed how the blended families and how people from different backgrounds and lifestyles got together and formed bonds. Interesting to read about the Japanese culture and traditions. The second chance romance played out perfectly for Jessie and her children. First book that I have read by Ms Nagatomo and am hoping that she will write more. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Ms Nagatomo, Black Rose Writing and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This novel, a romantic one if I’d place it in some genre, is set in Japan and was written by an expatriate author with a lifetime of experience there. Instead of the typical Japan clichés, the Zen gardens and Ginza lights etc, Diane Nagatomo describes the somewhat gritty everyday suburban existence with financial woes, bureaucracy, taxes, the oppressing closeness of the rainy season, the social issues, nosy neighbors and other undesirables. But it’s also a story about the importance of taking care of your good friends, kinship, prejudice, old family secrets, and being true to one’s values. While it takes the concept of a stepfamily to a whole new level, expect no major drama: sure, there is death, but there is also new life and there are plenty of chocolate chip cookies and coffee, and they’re all part of the eternal cycle of life.

American Jessie Yamada is planning on leaving her emotionally abusive Japanese husband when he is killed in a car accident. After his death she finds out that her marriage was all lies and deceit. Now she sets about to build a new life for herself and her daughter in Japan. Good life affirming story.

This is an engrossing novel with complex characters and relationships — The story grabbed me from the beginning and I became invested in the characters and their outcome. This book encompasses so many aspects of living in Japan for a foreign woman as well as covering many topics of life in Japan — so I would classify this book as a slice of life book —with a contemporary view of Japan . I could relate to the characters very easily and many of the relationship interactions reminded me of my own childhood and reminded me of people in my own life story . The book was difficult to put down — and I devoured this book in just a couple of sittings . This is a book about overcoming adversity, coming together as a community ( it takes a village ) and second chances . I loved this book and highly recommend it .

Loved it. No desire to visit Japan, but this was a wonderful way to experience it. A sweet romance, heartwarming and heartbreaking issues all combine to make a terrific story. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review it. My review is voluntary.