The Mimosa Confessions (Light Novel) Vol. 2

ミモザの告白 #2

by Mei Hachimoku, Kukka (illustrator)

TIME TO RAISE THE CURTAINAfter a dramatic first semester, Sakuma and Ushio dive headfirst into summer vacation. Despite their unspoken agreement to not mention the "incident" that occurred on the last day of school, things get real awkward real fast when they meet up with Natsuki on a trip to the aquarium. She asks them a pointed "You two are dating, aren't you?" The trio will be forced to set their unresolved feelings aside when fall semester arrives--and with it, the annual culture festival. Can Sakuma balance his feelings for both of them in addition to his work on the festival committee, not to mention a starring role in the class production of Romeo and Juliet?

Genres: Light Novel, Romance, Transgender, Japanese Literature, LGBT, Novels

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2024

Reviews

[aurei · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5..? A little unsure about what to rate this volume

[Zevitjoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much liked the first book but I was hesitant to continue the series because of the ending. To be clear, it was good and intriguing. It's just that I very much hate drama revolving around a simple misunderstanding they have with each other. It's probably one of my most hated tropes/plot structures in all of fiction and the ending of the first book seemed to be setting that up for the second volume.

I still hate the trope but this book did it well. It wasn't dragged out and resolved in natural but interesting way. There was no real antagonists this volume but the drama was still exciting. Each of the 3 main characters experiences some form of self-loathing and the way how each of them responded to their own self-loathing made for an interesting contrast and story.

The prose is great. The way the various vague discomforting feelings the main character experiences over the course of the story was so eloquently described that I was able to understand and in some cases relate to these vague feelings despite them being vague. I never noticed how good the prose was when I read the first book but I think that's just because I'm somewhat more literate then when I read the first volume.

[Riri · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5⭐ because it has so many misunderstandings and it's my least favorite plot device ever, but rounded up due to how well-written it is. For that reason, this volume can be pretty frustrating to go through. Sakuma, Ushio, and Natsuki are all going through various forms of self-loathing in their attempt to deal with conflicting emotions, which depicts the woes of teenagers very accurately.

The underlying issues aren't exactly solved yet, so it feels a bit like middle book syndrome since this volume focuses more on the culture festival instead of advancing the plot. The writing is slightly more introspective too compared to the first book, which might have added to that impression. The next volume sounds interesting though, so hopefully the story picks up there.

[Wintergreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think the jury is still out on whether this is going to develop in a direction complex enough to do justice to its subjects. in a lot of a ways it feels like we're no closer to recognizing the heart of the matter than we were at the end of vol. 1, but the characters themselves and those brief intense moments where they get pulled into the vortex of intimacy + the drama of forced proximity to the object of desire make up for the general lack of development. i feel like the author has a firm grasp on human emotions/connections despite the occasional two-dimensional antagonism. this is one of the only books i've ever read depicting a transfem character/queer attraction from the outside in a way that is sufficiently multifaceted, all the way down to addressing that feeling of having outside perspectives about her femininity foisted onto her by well-meaning peers. not a story about "being trans" in a universalizing way so much as it is about coming to terms with the social and emotional upheaval that the mere existence of gender/sexual transgression wreaks on someone who clearly doesn't understand where he belongs in the normative world. i really hope this series sticks the landing--the pieces are all there to take these relationships in a more chaotic direction, but i'm just not sure what the epilogue (interlude) is trying to imply about the future of the narrative.

[Hailey Yeung]

very cool

[Laura (crofteereader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This one was AGONIZING! Way too much of Sakuma overthinking conversations and being entirely too paralyzed by his need to over-analyze every situation. And we’re left with things not even feeling resolved on any front! I’ll still read volume 3, but I’m definitely hoping there’s more to it like the first book…

[Alice Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first novel but a decent continuation of the series.

[Korrin Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the whole series in a little over a month and It's really hard to put into words my feelings on the book. Its bitterly sad but also so happy that it just makes me cry. I'm always sad when a story finishes but this one is particularly painful maybe it's because I relate to Ushio so much. I really hate relating to a character and seeing her go through things I also did but never had the words or understanding for until I was older. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to better understand the trans experience and all the joys and hardships it entails. It is well over 1,000 pages all together but I finished each book in about 2-3 days each weekend.

[Marcy Best · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quizá 2.5 estrellas. Realmente lo que más me molestó fue tener todos los diálogos internos de Kamiki. La historia es interesante, pero cada 5 minutos Kamiki cuestionándose la vida me estresa, y odié que arruinara la obra de teatro solo por sus inseguridades. Lo más curioso es que al final la narradora se vuelve Natsuki por unas cuantas páginas, y el libro se siente muy diferente. Natsuki igual es insegura y funciona para analizar los eventos, pero no al nivel de Kamiki. A veces siento que Kamiki es un viejo interactuando con un montón de niños por la forma en la que piensa. Quizá lea la 3 algún día, pero ya no me emociona.

[Zebean Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but there were some things I didn’t like just like the first book. It starts great then towards the middle it gets a bit boring and slow and kind of annoying with how the characters act. Then at the end it picked back up for me and it ended on a high note.

I’m excited to read the next book but I hope there’s more progression because to be honest not much happened to progress the main relationships in this book. Still I’m really excited to continue the series.

[Hafida]

Like any other light novel: story about Bunkasai. nothing new🤷‍♀️. A lot of Sakuma's monologue.

[Amaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

rlly good but why cant bitches be honest with themselves ever that would solve all their issues

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

the way the author writes their character's inner monologue is very fun to read

[Jacob Sepkus · Rating 3 out of 5]

be nice if these characters could just sit down and talk to each other without spiralling into self deprecation

[Alyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare-esque, and uses the theme of the "mask" to align with Ushio's identity. I enjoyed it!

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of a drag compared to the first book... The characters' repeated misunderstandings are so hard for me to recall, I might get a headache trying to write a proper review.

Nevertheless, I ate this book up in three days, and I'm looking forward to the next volumes.