Riku Can't Be a Goddess

by Kumi Tamaru, Yukihiro Nakamura (illustrator)

What do I truly want?High school student Ichika has a secret. She allows Riku, her childhood friend and crush, to explore his interest in cross-dressing by acting as his personal dress-up a canvas upon which he can present his ideal of feminine beauty. One day, an unexpected kiss upends this arrangement, sending Ichika fleeing in a panic. What was she really hoping for in their private meetings–and what does Riku want, deep in his heart? And they're not the only students in their class who struggle with love and identity. In this collection of four coming-of-age tales, teenagers grapple with hidden fears and secret desires as they search for themselves in a complicated world.

Genres: Light Novel, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Matthew Scheidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im sobbing. What a gorgeous book examining the feelings of each character giving them a chance to shine. And how they all converge doesnt feel out of place. The ending made me cry happy tears. The only part I didnt understand was with Rinatro. Maybe i missed something.

Tw: sexual assault with pgs 157-158

Im trying to wrap my head around why rintaro the teacher said those words and the actions he did then left.

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story collection, or novella collection that collects four stories loosely connected. It's set in a Japanese high school. The same kids are in all the stories and the focus of the story switches perspectives with each story.

The Beautiful Bombshell
Sakura, Sakura
Moon light, moon bright
The Hidden Calico

I think kids in early high school would enjoy this more as it might feel more important to them. I wasn't exactly happy with how the short stories were turning out. It's just a snapshot into a character's life. Nothing is really resolved. We leave the story with as many questions as we started with.

I was disappointed in this. I did like that characters recurred in all the stories. There were even a few connecting scenes to each story that the characters get to see from the inside and then the outside view. It could have been more, but I didn't think it did enough exploring. I guess, it's pretty close to life and very Japanese.

[rvaneio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a wonderful collection of queer stories- both told by the people who ARE queer and the people who are associated and love someone who is. I think it is a great way of expressing both types, and I enjoyed reading every second. (Although the localization can definitely be a bit weird at times.)

There is a discussion of whether this book is problematic due to some scenes, and to that I say: take it as you will. I can say that the scenes are definitely uncomfortable, but I think it's more about why they happened rather than what happened. Especially since most scenes end up with the characters not holding any negative connotation towards them.

[Akansha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Eli · Rating 1 out of 5]

What...