Starfish

A gorgeous and emotionally resonant debut novel about a half-Japanese teen who grapples with social anxiety and her narcissistic mother in the wake of a crushing rejection from art school. From debut author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes a luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.

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"Dazzling" – Bustle


"This book is a gem" – Book Riot


"The best YA debut novel of the year" – Paste Magazine


26 of the best books to read this summer 2018 – Cosmopolitan


"Utterly uplifting" – Stylist Magazine


Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.


But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time as her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the West Coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns transformative truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.


A luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.