Love Makes Mochi

Love in Translation #3

by Stefany Valentine

A teen goth fashion designer travels to Tokyo, Japan, where she meets a tattoo artist apprentice who may just be the one to change her mind about love—part of the international Love in Translation series of standalone YA romances.

Lilyn Jeong is living her best life—in Tokyo! She gets to learn from the legendary yet notoriously terrifying tailor Mrs. Matsumoto. Getting a glowing recommendation from her could be Lilyn’s ticket into her dream fashion school.

So when Lilyn is tasked with designing an entire collection, panic sets in. She has only weeks to figure out how to mix her goth aesthetic with traditional Japanese style. Thankfully, Mrs. Matsumoto’s rebellious, tattooed, rainbow-haired daughter Yua offers to help.

But going on cozy dates with this cute girl is way easier than sewing yukatas. Can Lilyn find a path forward in fashion and love? Or will she watch as everything falls apart at the seams?

The swoony Love in Translation romances can be read together or separately:

LOVE REQUIRES CHOCOLATE • LOVE CRAVES CARDAMOM • LOVE MAKES MOCHI

Genres: Romance, Queer, Young Adult, Lesbian, LGBT, Contemporary, Young Adult Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2026

About the author

Stefany is an emerging young adult author in the romance space. Her first publication is featured in When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology. Her debut novel, First Love Language, will release with Penguin Workshop in January, 2025. Her sophomore novel, Love Makes Mochi, is slated with Joy Revolution in February, 2026. When not reading or writing, Stefany can be found practicing Mandarin, walking her three pups on the beach, and trying not to kill her plants. Again.

Reviews

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 mochis out of 5. I can’t believe I have already had the pleasure of reading one of my most anticipated releases of 2026!
I found out about this book a few months back, and lets just say, it has been living in my head rent free since then.

This is just tooooo cute.
Everything from the title, to the beautiful Japanese setting to the super-sweet characters. Really adorable!

This is part of a series, but it acts as a standalone.
So, no worries if you haven't read the first two!

I really really really liked Yua.
She is quite unique compared to those around her, and she doesn’t fit into cultural expectations. But, she seems happy to be different, and doesn’t concern herself much with fitting in.
I have to say that I adored the way that she prioritized her dreams and becoming the person she wanted to be, even when others didn’t understand or like it.
She clearly wanted the support and approval of her mother- but she was never asking permission to be her own person. I can so get behind this. It gave me a lot of respect for her.

Lilyn is quite likable as well.
I don’t know if connected with her in the same way- but she was still a good character, and I think she fit in well with the story as a whole, and with Yua.
One thing I can certainly say that I appreciated about her, was how big it was for her to be “sure” about someone before being with them.
There was a point in this where another character sort of made her feel bad for stressing how important that was to her, which, I really don’t understand.

I think the only thing that I would change about this would be the amount of romantic buildup.
There isn’t a lot of tension involved, so the “I like you” admittance moment sort of felt like it came from nowhere.
This didn’t bother me enough to deduct anything from my rating, but I would have liked to see a bit more of those cutsey crush building moments!

Random note, but a rainbow x goth relationship?!
I’m kind of obsessed, and I absolutely need more. That pretty much has my heart.

Basically, I love this.
I think other people will also love this.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children’s Books | Joy Revolution and author Stefany Valentine, for providing me with the eARC of “Love Makes Mochi”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: January 27, 2026

[Trinity Nguyen]

Witty and heartwarming, Love Makes Mochi is an ode to self-expression through fashion, artistry rooted in heritage, and the flutters of first love.

[Unpopmary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐

[snazzy pen ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Current rating: 3.75 stats

Just a really cute + sweet story that made me crave dessert! I don't rlly have a review for this one, mostly random/general thoughts.
One thing that stood out to me was the communication in this book! Of course, the characters faced a few bumps in the road, but things got cleared pretty quickly, and no 'misunderstandings' were dragged out, and thank goodness for that. Lilyn and Yua were fun characters, and I enjoyed reading about their artistic journeys as well as their developing romance. I would love to see illustrations for the clothing Lilyn designed, because my imagination was definitely not doing it justice. Yua's tattoo designs, too, tbh, because I was trying to imagine what they would look like on skin.


I think I'll read the other books in this series, but I might just go in reverse order lol

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC copy!

[Laura (crofteereader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. I really liked the handful of times we zoomed out to see the bigger picture (like mentions of how wasteful the fashion industry is, how traditional cloth-making and other processes that focus on hand-made techniques are fading away in the era of fast fashion) but they’re such small parts of the story as a whole. I’m also not convinced that the author knows how long or rigorous tattoo apprenticeships are.

But as a manga/anime/light novel fan, I was really amused by the “summer flu” trope and the descriptions of major tourist destinations like Shibuya.

I think overall things felt pretty surface level but there were good bones beneath.

{Thank you Joy Revolution for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}

[Chelsea]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Love Makes Mochi by Stefany Valentine is a first person-POV YA Sapphic romantic contemporary. When Lilyn gets an internship in Japan with a kimono tailor, she thinks it's her dream come true. But the tailor’s daughter, Yua, provides a very compelling distraction and Lilyn has to get over her own concerns about long distance relationships before they can have their happily ever after.

I would put this more in the romantic category rather than romance. It's a very cozy read and the conflict is pretty low, so it's a good choice for readers who want less conflict in their romantic books. What stops me from thinking of this as a romance is the extremely strong character arc for Lilyn while Yua is not given the same room. I'm learning that I find the two (or more) love interests sharing roughly equal weight in the narrative matters a lot to me in what is considered a romance and what isn't and this felt too focused on Lilyn to hit that equal share I'm looking for.

The book delves a bit into Queerphobia in Japan, but it's really the negative image that tattoos have that is given more attention as Yua is a tattoo artist-in-training and has more tattoos. There are also hints of the history of Japan in Taiwan during WWII, but it's quite brief. The focus was largely more on showing positive aspects of Japan, such as the food and healthcare being cheap. It's a tough balance to strike when an author wants to represent their culture since no country is perfect, but only leaning into the negative isn't usually the right choice either.

I did not read the first two books in this series and I didn't have trouble understanding the plot or relationship between Lilyn and her friends, who are the leads in the other books. This truly does operate as a standalone and if this one is more appealing than the other two to a reader, I think they should give it a shot, especially if they are into fashion.

I would recommend this to fans of cozier romantic stories and readers of YA who love Sapphic books and are interested in Japan

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming YA sapphic romance set in Japan that has a Japanese American goth girl trying to pursue a career in fashion going to Tokeyo for the summer to be an apprentice and falling for her teacher's daughter. I loved the fashion world insights and all the fun sightseeing the girls do around Japan. It was good on audio and a strong follow up to the author's debut, First love language.

[Stan Yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stefany has a real gift for language, namely language that makes me hungry! I also loved the other aspects of this story, but the food! Did I mention the food?

[Lauren Bayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet-as-sugar sapphic romance between two budding artists!

Lilyn and Yua are wonderfully crafted characters, and their love is very believable. The way they both change their art over time because of each other is so cute, and it makes me hope that someone creates art based on Lilyn's dress designs and Yua's tattoos. The way they inspire each other, the way they have very teenage miscommunications but work through it, the way their opposites attract are all written perfectly. The lush setting of Tokyo elevates this romance, with their dates highlighting some of the most beautiful aspects of the city. You too will feel inspired.

There is very little homophobia in this, a huge plus. Other societal issues are touched upon, such as waste in the fashion industry and plus-sizing in Asian fashion, but these are not given much depth. Also not given much depth are the relationships between the main characters and the adults in their life; I wish we could see more of the mentor/mentee relationship and explore more of Lilyn's relationship with her single mom and absentee dad. Yet the relationship between Lilyn and Yua shines so bright, you almost forget about the absence of other developments. One thing I am glad wasn't developed much was Lilyn's viral social media; I can't stand books where the high school lead is an influencer, but it is almost a throwaway detail.

High schoolers, especially queer or questioning high schoolers, will eat this book up like the titular mochi. I also think that mature middle schoolers could read this and enjoy it, since Lilyn and Yua don't do more than make out and there isn't even any fade-t0-black.

Side note: I would 100% read a spin-off book starring Aiko. What a stand-out supporting character!

Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

💜💖 Love Makes Mochi ARC Review 💖💜

Thank you so much to Stefany Valentine and Joy Revolution for the opportunity to read and review this book

Love Makes Mochi is a standalone YA contemporary sapphic romance and book 3 in the Lovelace in Translation series. Seventeen year old Lilyn is living her dream life studying abroad and working for a renowned tailor in Tokyo in hopes of being accepted into fashion school. When Lilyn struggles for help with her current project, her boss’s daughter Yua offers to help. Can they work together and keep things professional? Or will they create something new together?

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed Lilyn and her growth in this story. Yua was a fun character and I liked the evolution of their relationship from friends to more. While i enjoyed the Tokyo setting, I felt like most of it was highlights of tourist destinations like Shibuya that felt really surface level. I also felt like the fashion aspect was present, but there were opportunities to delve more into goth culture and Japanese fashion that weren’t taken

Overall this was a good 3 star read. I enjoyed these characters and the story in general, even if I felt like some of it was lackluster. This book does have some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. This book has a romantic storyline and YA levels of on page smut, so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of sapphic YA with interesting characters, international travel and fashionable vibes, then absolutely pick this one up! Even though this book is part of a series, they are all standalones and can be read together or separately.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖 Title: Love Makes Mochi-Love in Translation #3-can be read as standalone

✍🏾 Author: Stefany Valentine-new to me author

📅Publication date: 1/27/26| Read: 1/17/26

📃 Format: e-Book 320 pgs.

Genre:
*YA
*LGBTQIA+
*Romance

Tropes:
*international travel
*summer internship
*fashion

👆🏾POV: 1st person single

⚠️TW: anxiety, parental abandonment

🌎 Setting: Washington, D.C. to Tokyo, Japan

Summary: Lilyn has a great internship this summer with Hana Matsumoto-a famed tailor in Japan. Lilyn accidentally misses her mentor's emails, but with Aiko and Yua's help she hopes to impress Mrs. Matsumoto. If Lilyn gets a gleaming recommendation she may to get into her dream college- The Contemporary Institute of Fashion (CIF) in NYC.

👩🏾 Heroine: Lilyn Jeong 17, Taiwanese goth fashion designer influencer

👩🏾Heroine: Yua Matsumoto- 18, tattoo artist apprentice, Hana's daughter

🎭 Other Characters:
*Ma-Lilyn's mother, her father is absent, was a one-night stand in mom's college days
*Amah-Lilyn's grandmother
*Whitney and Archi-Lilyn's BFFs
*Hana Matsumoto-a tailor, owns Matsumoto Alturations
*The Nakamuras- Lilyn's host family in Japan
*Aiko Nakamura-befriends Lilyn
*Peter-Lilyn's father

🤔 My Thoughts: Loved this cute, light-hearted YA with great food as Lilyn immersed herself in the Japanese culture while falling in love for the first time.

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level: 1/5🌶️kissing

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Book | Joy Revolution, and Stefany Valentine for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilyn Jeong is so excited to learn from the master tailor herself, Mrs. Matsumoto, in Tokyo. However, Lilyn arrives in Japan without any designs sketched or a plan, despite the recommendation she needs from Mrs. Matsumoto to get into the top design school. Yua, Mrs. Matsumoto's daughter, knows that she'll one day have to step into her mom's role in the family business but clothes aren't really her thing. When Yua offers to help Lilyn a plan is formed and more than just sketches are designed.

Love Makes Mochi by Stefany Valentine was a sweet and wholesome sapphic young adult romance novel set in Tokyo, Japan. I really loved how Valentine handled the culture differences between what's accepted in the US versus Japan. Lilyn made a compelling character that I found easy to root for. I loved how she helped inspire Yua to follow her dreams while also walking a tightrope for her own. Not only is Lilyn on a journey, but so was Yua and I liked reading the mother-daughter dynamic about who you're expected to be and who you want to be. From start to finish I really enjoyed the overall story, I found the pacing to be good and the ending was satisfying.


Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted copy.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Love in Translation series is THE ya romance series that is here to pick you up from your blues.

Love Makes Mochi follows Lilyn Jeong, who travels to Tokyo for a mentorship program from the esteemed yet terrifying tailor Mrs. Matsumoto. This mentorship is her chance to get into her dream school by getting a glowing recommendation from Mrs. Matsumoto. During her mentorship, she starts falling for Mrs. Matsumoto’s rebellious, tattooed, rainbow haired daughter Yua.

Lilyn and Yua were incredibly swoony, all the dates they went on were the coolest. I love how we focused on their fears but that never set back the story as the main characters were amazing at communicating. Lilyn and Yua’s love story was heartwarming to read and I know many queer kids will see themselves in both of them.

Also I loved Lilyn and Aiko’s friendship, they were the cutest. I like Aiko was also shipping Lilyn and Yua through out the book.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Stefany Valentine, and Random House Children's Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 stars

This was a cute sapphic romance. It was nice reading a queer romance set in Japan. The characters were the best part of the book. Stefany Valentine knows how to write relatable and kind-hearted characters. I honestly loved a lot of the side mom figures in this book. I'm not going to lie; Lilyn being a teenage gothic fashion designer was a selling point. It did not disappoint. I also appreciate that Yua has a creative expression with tattooing. I mean, they are couple goals. I wish their story were a bit longer. I would have loved to see glimpses of them pursuing their dreams. Overall, I loved this book. I will be re-reading this at some point. I highly recommend this book!

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of books about travel, as well as books about fashion, so I was really excited for this newest instalment in the Love in Translation series. This one follows a girl who travels to Japan as she works on designing a collection to apply to fashion school, and I loved exploring Tokyo alongside Lilyn. The way the story touches on waste in the fashion industry is also an interesting angle. While I enjoyed the book overall, I found that there was some clunky, unnatural dialogue, and for some reason, the story fell a bit flat for me. I felt like it was missing something, maybe in terms of the depth of the story. That said, this is still such a cute and fun read that is perfect for those who love books about travel.

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

I knew I was going to enjoy Love Makes Mochi when I heard queer romance and fashion designed. As someone who cannot sew, I love reading about fashion designers. This latest in the Love in Translation series explores finding our own path even when it's hard. Full of disasters and meet cute hiccups, Love Makes Mochi was a book I finished in a few days. It was such a precious and swoony contemporary about taking the hard road when it's the right road. About being surprised by love, by new experiences, and colors in our lives. Surprisingly, I really was drawn to Yua's storyline and how she wants to follow her dreams even if it doesn't align.

[Kaisbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This romance is teeth-rottingly cute. The main leads are such unique characters, and they suit each other so well. They were so ambitious, and I loved reading about their growth in acheiving their dreams. There were no major conflicts, but I still emotionally connected with them regardless. I loved the prominent side characters as well. They were so charming and supportive of our main characters.

The writing style is so scenic and descriptive of different parts of Japan. I loved how the author wrote about Japan with all five major senses in mind. It made the story feel lush and cinematic. The setting was the perfect backdrop to the romance, and made it so fun. A huge thank you to Random House Children's Books and Netgalley for this ARC!

[Kasey Connors-Beron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Love Makes Mochi by Stefany Valentine thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly cute sapphic romance. I loved the references to the previous two books in the series, although you definitely do not need to read those two before picking this one up. I love the way the characters have a slow build up but it isn't super drawn out. I also love the character development. I definitely recommend this for a great pick-me-up that'll warm your heart.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a such a sweet sapphic romance! The pairing of the a goth aspiring fashion designer and a colorful aspiring tattoo artist was perfect—not only did they balance each other out, they inspired each other to be the best versions of themselves. And the gorgeous backdrop of Tokyo, complete with amazing food, fantasic sightseeing, and swoony dates, made the book feel like a mini vacation to read.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Aiden Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stefany Valentine delivers a tender, funny, and sweet-as-mochi story about love, identity, and finding your own way. "Love Makes Mochi" is a heartfelt coming-of-age filled with flavor, family, and the thrill of first crushes. For anyone who's ever felt like the wrong ingredient in their own life — this one’s for you.

[vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

i will always love when a book makes commentary on issues in society (aka waste in the fashion industry & homophobia) i think i like the fashion/tattoo/family aspect a little more than the romance... don't get me wrong i thought they were really cute, but i wasn't completely sold?? idkk... but i'm happy they're happy!

thank you joy revolution and netgalley for the arc! (:

[Starr ❇✌❇]

"va queer love story set in Tokyo, between a goth fashion designer and an aspiring Japanese tattoo artist."

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastically impeccable romance with some awesome vibes and fantastic plotting. both of our main characters are great, too. would definitely recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review about the series: Cute YA romance with a little teenage angst, personal growth, and self discovery. Overall easy, light, and a nice way to start the year.

[Sarah Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the premise of the fashion internship and pushing against Japanese cultural expectations, but I felt this story fell flat in comparison to the others in the series.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

[Lauren | TransportedLFL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Get Underlined and Joy Revolution for the free book and to PRH Audio for the free audiobook. These opinions are my own. #GetUnderlinedPartner

This is the third and final book in the wonderful Love in Translation series. I have really enjoyed being introduced to new-to-me authors with each book. In this one, we get to visit Tokyo with Lilyn. She is an apprentice in tailoring and fashion design. And she gets to know and work with her mentor's daughter, Yua.

This book had a very funny beginning. It set a great tone and had me laughing out loud. Lilyn has a reputation for saying things she means to be funny where others miss the joke. But her sense of humor perfectly matched my own.

I think the audiobook added to this as Risa Mei's comedic timing was excellent. At times, her voice seemed a bit too young to me. But this is a YA novel, so a young voice makes sense.

I loved following Lilyn and Yua through different parts of Tokyo. I really appreciated the focus on textile art and tattos. And I was so pleased to see this book highlight a sapphic relationship for the first time this series.

I enjoyed the references to the previous books (all spoiler free). They can be read in any order, but I particualrly felt this provided a lovely conclusion to the series.

[Donna Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

E-ARC generously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you!

A solid 3.5 stars for me. ⭐ The tale of an older teen girl going to Japan for an internship at a fabric shop, but ends up falling for the owner's eccentric daughter, was super cute. I adored the fact that Lilyn was very opposite of Yua, her love interest, whose color palette is much brighter than her goth fashion sense, which made for a great aesthetic opposite choice. It was also nice to see that those two are quite open with one another and don't fight over miscommunication, but keep their dialogue open. I do wish that there were more interaction with the setting of Tokyo, besides the few occurrences that are brought up, since it would really draw out the characters and story. I also would have liked to have seen the few friends Lilyn made more often to help gain better character. Overall, I did enjoy this sweet YA sapphic romance between two different but similar girls.