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Hello, Limerence
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26For fans of Asako Yuzuki and Fleabag, an audacious, unhinged debut following the major humiliations and minor triumphs of an overworked, undersexed young woman in Tokyo who must save herself from the hazards of her own lust, obsession, and delusion.
limerence. [li-mer-uhns] noun
the state of being obsessively infatuated with someone, usually accompanied by delusions of or a desire for an intense romantic relationship with that person; e.g., her limerence lasted for around three months before she actually met him
Mika is about to turn 25, and all she has to show for it is a soul-sucking office job and a terminal case of virginity. Between unwanted advances from co-workers and subway commuters, and love-bombing from unappealing fuckboys, Mika’s ready to explode. Her only therapeutic outlet is her imagination, which manifests in a series of comically violent and horny fantasies.
Determined to change her fate, and with the encouragement of Nana, her certified “Hot Girl” best friend, Mika loses half of her virginity to Tyler, a Japanese-American boy with an allergy to commitment. The other half is taken by a man with a drawer full of red flags, all while Mika indulges in fantasies of women much to her titillation and confusion.
Caught in a love(less) triangle, Mika also must weather a mysterious outbreak spurred by the unhygienic bathroom practices of white male westerners. Will she emerge from quarantine a new woman? Or, spurred by a reunion with an estranged friend, can she shift her life in a new direction? Could this be yet again limerence, or might it be the beginning of something a bit less one-sided?
Scathingly funny, delightfully profane, and surprisingly heartfelt, Hello, Limerence is a story for the unloved and the unhinged—a madcap spin through the frenzy of one woman’s desire.
limerence. [li-mer-uhns] noun
the state of being obsessively infatuated with someone, usually accompanied by delusions of or a desire for an intense romantic relationship with that person; e.g., her limerence lasted for around three months before she actually met him
Mika is about to turn 25, and all she has to show for it is a soul-sucking office job and a terminal case of virginity. Between unwanted advances from co-workers and subway commuters, and love-bombing from unappealing fuckboys, Mika’s ready to explode. Her only therapeutic outlet is her imagination, which manifests in a series of comically violent and horny fantasies.
Determined to change her fate, and with the encouragement of Nana, her certified “Hot Girl” best friend, Mika loses half of her virginity to Tyler, a Japanese-American boy with an allergy to commitment. The other half is taken by a man with a drawer full of red flags, all while Mika indulges in fantasies of women much to her titillation and confusion.
Caught in a love(less) triangle, Mika also must weather a mysterious outbreak spurred by the unhygienic bathroom practices of white male westerners. Will she emerge from quarantine a new woman? Or, spurred by a reunion with an estranged friend, can she shift her life in a new direction? Could this be yet again limerence, or might it be the beginning of something a bit less one-sided?
Scathingly funny, delightfully profane, and surprisingly heartfelt, Hello, Limerence is a story for the unloved and the unhinged—a madcap spin through the frenzy of one woman’s desire.
224 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
About the author
Momo Yamaguchi
5 books14 followersMomo Yamaguchi was born in Tokyo, educated in the U.S., and lives and works in London. Hello, Limerence is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
2026
December 22, 2025Japanuary TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
2.5
Sadly this wasn't for me. I'm either the wrong age or the wrong generation or just the wrong reader.
The synopsis sounded interesting and I usually enjoy YA type books but this one bored me for most of the repetitive storyline.
Mika is a young woman doing a dull job who falls in love/lust with the wrong men. She overestimated her attractiveness to the opposite and same sex and to prospective employers. She then stays in love/lust with the men even though they are not interested and regularly declares herself over them even though she isn't.
If you repeat this plus add some graphic sex scenes, a few strange recipes and a lot of moaning about everything wrong with her life then you have the 212 pages of Hello, Limerence.
I still have to figure out what the difference between limerence and obsession/crush/unrequited love is. I honestly can't see it.
This book may be okay for late teen/twenties age group but I was bored and skim read a lot of the later pages.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the digital review copy.
Sadly this wasn't for me. I'm either the wrong age or the wrong generation or just the wrong reader.
The synopsis sounded interesting and I usually enjoy YA type books but this one bored me for most of the repetitive storyline.
Mika is a young woman doing a dull job who falls in love/lust with the wrong men. She overestimated her attractiveness to the opposite and same sex and to prospective employers. She then stays in love/lust with the men even though they are not interested and regularly declares herself over them even though she isn't.
If you repeat this plus add some graphic sex scenes, a few strange recipes and a lot of moaning about everything wrong with her life then you have the 212 pages of Hello, Limerence.
I still have to figure out what the difference between limerence and obsession/crush/unrequited love is. I honestly can't see it.
This book may be okay for late teen/twenties age group but I was bored and skim read a lot of the later pages.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the digital review copy.
February 15, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.
Man... this book is a whole vibe. Mika is 24 years old with a soul-sucking corporate job and a “love life” that consists of unwanted advances at work, being groped on the train and being strung along by Tai, a Japanese-American expat who keeps her at arm’s length (and doesn’t know how condom sizing works), and Jojo, a man-whore who hands out toothbrushes like he’s the oral care aisle at CVS (but can’t locate the human female clitoris). In the case of the latter two prospects, she’s desperately infatuated. Completely obsessed. Hence the title. Her inner monologues are horny and violent. Harrowing and vapid. At any given moment, I wasn’t sure if I loved her or hated her. It’s still unclear. Reply hazy. Ask again later.
Every relationship in this book is toxic and every character is living in a vacuum, dripping with venom or inadequacy or obliviousness... or hell, all three. Somewhere toward the middle of the book, it takes a weird turn. We’re treated to a parallel universe version of Covid… but it’s violent, explosive diarrhea. Then we logically segue into coronalingus, job applications, bisexuality and tasty, tasty pasta recipes. Well… one tasty pasta recipe.
This was kind of a blast. Mika is infuriating. She feels superior to everyone while somehow having an inferiority complex. She thinks being in one’s early thirties is equivalent to having one foot in the grave. She pushes everyone away… unless she actually should. Then she’s like a dog doing tricks for scraps. But honestly… I kinda loved this. 🤷🏻♂️
Man... this book is a whole vibe. Mika is 24 years old with a soul-sucking corporate job and a “love life” that consists of unwanted advances at work, being groped on the train and being strung along by Tai, a Japanese-American expat who keeps her at arm’s length (and doesn’t know how condom sizing works), and Jojo, a man-whore who hands out toothbrushes like he’s the oral care aisle at CVS (but can’t locate the human female clitoris). In the case of the latter two prospects, she’s desperately infatuated. Completely obsessed. Hence the title. Her inner monologues are horny and violent. Harrowing and vapid. At any given moment, I wasn’t sure if I loved her or hated her. It’s still unclear. Reply hazy. Ask again later.
Every relationship in this book is toxic and every character is living in a vacuum, dripping with venom or inadequacy or obliviousness... or hell, all three. Somewhere toward the middle of the book, it takes a weird turn. We’re treated to a parallel universe version of Covid… but it’s violent, explosive diarrhea. Then we logically segue into coronalingus, job applications, bisexuality and tasty, tasty pasta recipes. Well… one tasty pasta recipe.
This was kind of a blast. Mika is infuriating. She feels superior to everyone while somehow having an inferiority complex. She thinks being in one’s early thirties is equivalent to having one foot in the grave. She pushes everyone away… unless she actually should. Then she’s like a dog doing tricks for scraps. But honestly… I kinda loved this. 🤷🏻♂️
April 8, 2026
Honestly enjoyed this. Mika is a refreshing narrator and very realistic. The ending felt very sudden, and the plot jumped all over the place, but it was still a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a reader, I personally don't mind having an unhinged female main character. In this case, Mika. Especially since the blurb promised something more frontal or even vulgar. To be honest, the blurb itself was the reason I picked up this book. I was expecting obsession and delusion from her.
But unfortunately, the more I read, the more I felt like this book didn't really have a clear plot or direction, so it didn't match the blurb. I don't mind book that aren't very plot-driven, but here it felt like Mika spent most of the time just talking and yapping about herself and her own thoughts, ignoring what really happens around her. Everything was too focused on her opinions and her inner monologues. Until that became too much and felt unnecessary. The story didn't really go anywhere. I wan't even sure what actually happened in that chapters. This made the book feel boring to read.
I also felt like the time skips or shifts were'nt clear. Sometimes I got confused about when things were happening or how much time had passed. The same goes for the setting. At the beginning, I thought the story was set in Japan, Tokyo, but later I wasn't really sure anymore because of the unclear time jumps and transitions. And unfortunately, this leads to my next point;
The characters, especially Mika. Isn't she supposed to be Japanese? She works in Tokyo, but while reading, I never really felt like she was Japanese at all. I don't know if this is because of the writing style or her behavior, but she has absolutely no 'Japanese' characteristics at all (like how they speak or the culture etc. ykwim). I noticed this a lot because I'm quite familiar with Japan. And, well, then I realized that this book isn't a translation from a Japanese book, which is fine. But if the story is set in Japan, shouldn't it feel like Japan? Because this one really dosen't. And that bothered me a lot.
The frontal and unhinged elements I was hoping for ended up just making me feel bored and lost instead. It felt like too much yapping that never failed to make me sigh and roll my eyes. In the end, I couldn't really get into the story. I wouldn't recommend this book if you're hoping for more.
But unfortunately, the more I read, the more I felt like this book didn't really have a clear plot or direction, so it didn't match the blurb. I don't mind book that aren't very plot-driven, but here it felt like Mika spent most of the time just talking and yapping about herself and her own thoughts, ignoring what really happens around her. Everything was too focused on her opinions and her inner monologues. Until that became too much and felt unnecessary. The story didn't really go anywhere. I wan't even sure what actually happened in that chapters. This made the book feel boring to read.
I also felt like the time skips or shifts were'nt clear. Sometimes I got confused about when things were happening or how much time had passed. The same goes for the setting. At the beginning, I thought the story was set in Japan, Tokyo, but later I wasn't really sure anymore because of the unclear time jumps and transitions. And unfortunately, this leads to my next point;
The characters, especially Mika. Isn't she supposed to be Japanese? She works in Tokyo, but while reading, I never really felt like she was Japanese at all. I don't know if this is because of the writing style or her behavior, but she has absolutely no 'Japanese' characteristics at all (like how they speak or the culture etc. ykwim). I noticed this a lot because I'm quite familiar with Japan. And, well, then I realized that this book isn't a translation from a Japanese book, which is fine. But if the story is set in Japan, shouldn't it feel like Japan? Because this one really dosen't. And that bothered me a lot.
The frontal and unhinged elements I was hoping for ended up just making me feel bored and lost instead. It felt like too much yapping that never failed to make me sigh and roll my eyes. In the end, I couldn't really get into the story. I wouldn't recommend this book if you're hoping for more.
February 22, 2026
4.75⭐️ If you love a book with a somewhat unlikable, delusional main character, please do yourself a favor and pick this up.
Ever spiraled over a crush, already fantasized your entire life together before you ever even said ‘hi’ to each other? Yea… so does our main character Mika. She’s 24 years old and tired of her boring life and more importantly, tired of being a virgin. But not for much longer. She’s determined to change this.
Her inner monologue is downright crazy and ridiculous at times, but I can’t help but love her for it. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and boy does she have a lot to say. A Gen Z girl at heart.
She’s just so incredibly funny and relatable while simultaneously being completely delusional. I caught myself giggling, just having so much fun while reading this.
It feels similar in a way to My Year of Rest and Relaxation in the sense that it’s relatable, kind of depressing, humorous and not afraid to mock itself at times. In other words, my kind of book.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc. Truly couldn’t have wished for a better arc to start the year with.
Ever spiraled over a crush, already fantasized your entire life together before you ever even said ‘hi’ to each other? Yea… so does our main character Mika. She’s 24 years old and tired of her boring life and more importantly, tired of being a virgin. But not for much longer. She’s determined to change this.
Her inner monologue is downright crazy and ridiculous at times, but I can’t help but love her for it. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and boy does she have a lot to say. A Gen Z girl at heart.
She’s just so incredibly funny and relatable while simultaneously being completely delusional. I caught myself giggling, just having so much fun while reading this.
It feels similar in a way to My Year of Rest and Relaxation in the sense that it’s relatable, kind of depressing, humorous and not afraid to mock itself at times. In other words, my kind of book.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc. Truly couldn’t have wished for a better arc to start the year with.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Momo Yamaguchi is a first generation immigrant, a Japanese woman who currently lives in the UK and writes in English. Unlike many second gen migrant stories, her work does not concern itself with 'good immigrant' or identity crisis narratives. Hello, Limerence follows Mika, a 24-year old Japanese salarywoman who lives in Tokyo. Think all those social media accounts of 'real-life Japan' showing overwork, tiny apartments, unhealthy combini meals every day and workplace sexism. Mika's main woe, however, is her struggles to form a romantic relationship and her obsession with the first guy who sort of looked in her direction.
Hello, Limerence reads like one of those hot mess young woman narratives that have over-saturated the Anglophone book market. Its closest cousin is I am a Fan by Sheena Patel, so if you liked one, you will probably like the other. Hello, Limerence seemed more realistic and relatable to me because of how young Mika is - the sort of obsessions she has in her early 20s are less believable in Patel's 30-something narrator. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more about ten years ago, when the narrator's more explosive emotions would have been more relatable. I do think Yamaguchi captured something very raw and precise about emotional and sexual pressures on young women, and for that, the novel is worth reading. The ending was satisfyingly set up and telegraphed throughout the book.
The writing style is quite interesting. It is clearly inspired both by modern Anglophone and Japanese literature. Despite Japanese authors' willingness to explore sexuality frankly (see Sayaka Murata, in particular), there is something particularly in your face and vulgar about the endless sex scenes in Hello, Limerence, much more reminiscent of the tone taken by Western writers. That vulgarity doesn't quite translate into punk - Yamaguchi is no Ryu Murakami, hovering somewhere around the 'hot mess girl' level throughout. I have never read a book set in Japan written quite like this, and I have never read a book written like this set in Japan.
Despite references to a thinly veiled Covid pandemic, the tone, the narrative and the themes of the book seem quite outdated and out of place in 2026, as if this was written a decade ago (and for the world we had a decade ago). Everything from the macro-narrative to the smaller details (eg the chiselled 2015-style makeup Mika wears to a party) seems like something from another era. It is hard to focus on how obsessed this young woman is with a guy who would never consider actually dating her in the context of the news cycle we live in today.
Mika often comments on Amercian cultural imperialism, and the narrative details emphasise it, from the microaggressions she faces as a tourist in New York to the KFC Christmas dinner she gobbles by herself when the guy fails to respond to her for the millionth time. It is all well and good (albeit a bit repetitive), but Yamaguchi's utter failure to critically engage with what imperialism means in Japan grated me the wrong way. Mika and her friends go to Korean BBQs all the time - a bit rich to be talking about the incandescent American imperialism as a Japanese woman in a Korean eatery in Tokyo! Read The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin for a contrast. This is not whataboutism - this is a comment on how dull, from a literary perspective, Yamaguchi's take on imperialism is (R.F. Kuang's line about 'yet another sob story about how you were bullied because of your lunch box' from Yellowface comes to mind).
Overall, I underlined quite a few bits and enjoyed reading this, but the text would have been more meaningful with more thorough editing and pruning. I also wish that after all that it actually said something a bit more interesting.
Hello, Limerence reads like one of those hot mess young woman narratives that have over-saturated the Anglophone book market. Its closest cousin is I am a Fan by Sheena Patel, so if you liked one, you will probably like the other. Hello, Limerence seemed more realistic and relatable to me because of how young Mika is - the sort of obsessions she has in her early 20s are less believable in Patel's 30-something narrator. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more about ten years ago, when the narrator's more explosive emotions would have been more relatable. I do think Yamaguchi captured something very raw and precise about emotional and sexual pressures on young women, and for that, the novel is worth reading. The ending was satisfyingly set up and telegraphed throughout the book.
The writing style is quite interesting. It is clearly inspired both by modern Anglophone and Japanese literature. Despite Japanese authors' willingness to explore sexuality frankly (see Sayaka Murata, in particular), there is something particularly in your face and vulgar about the endless sex scenes in Hello, Limerence, much more reminiscent of the tone taken by Western writers. That vulgarity doesn't quite translate into punk - Yamaguchi is no Ryu Murakami, hovering somewhere around the 'hot mess girl' level throughout. I have never read a book set in Japan written quite like this, and I have never read a book written like this set in Japan.
Despite references to a thinly veiled Covid pandemic, the tone, the narrative and the themes of the book seem quite outdated and out of place in 2026, as if this was written a decade ago (and for the world we had a decade ago). Everything from the macro-narrative to the smaller details (eg the chiselled 2015-style makeup Mika wears to a party) seems like something from another era. It is hard to focus on how obsessed this young woman is with a guy who would never consider actually dating her in the context of the news cycle we live in today.
Mika often comments on Amercian cultural imperialism, and the narrative details emphasise it, from the microaggressions she faces as a tourist in New York to the KFC Christmas dinner she gobbles by herself when the guy fails to respond to her for the millionth time. It is all well and good (albeit a bit repetitive), but Yamaguchi's utter failure to critically engage with what imperialism means in Japan grated me the wrong way. Mika and her friends go to Korean BBQs all the time - a bit rich to be talking about the incandescent American imperialism as a Japanese woman in a Korean eatery in Tokyo! Read The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin for a contrast. This is not whataboutism - this is a comment on how dull, from a literary perspective, Yamaguchi's take on imperialism is (R.F. Kuang's line about 'yet another sob story about how you were bullied because of your lunch box' from Yellowface comes to mind).
Overall, I underlined quite a few bits and enjoyed reading this, but the text would have been more meaningful with more thorough editing and pruning. I also wish that after all that it actually said something a bit more interesting.
February 23, 2026
Thanks to Netgally and Faber and Faber for the advanced copy for an honest review.
One thing about me, I enjoy an unhinged female character, but Mika was not the one for me.
My biggest issue with this is that the blurb did not end up matching what this story is about, sadly. I had expected Mika to be an obsessed, deluded woman who stopped at nothing to find love and act out her fantasies. Ultimately though, this fell flat and went nowhere, a big shame as the first half had a decent path and plot to it that I was interested in.
The plot itself isn’t one I can recap well, beyond a woman named Mika who lives in Japan, is extremely male-centred and spends too much time speaking like a Gen Z influencer, who feels rage and imagines moments of acting out that rage, and who one day meets Tai and falls in lust with him after he half takes her virginity.
This felt very scattered as a story, with a very unlikeable main character but not in a good way, and which left me shrugging for the last 50 pages and not caring, and at times I had no real idea what was even happening, whether a chapter was her imagination, set in the future, or her inner monologue ranting.
A shame as I had high hopes for this!
One thing about me, I enjoy an unhinged female character, but Mika was not the one for me.
My biggest issue with this is that the blurb did not end up matching what this story is about, sadly. I had expected Mika to be an obsessed, deluded woman who stopped at nothing to find love and act out her fantasies. Ultimately though, this fell flat and went nowhere, a big shame as the first half had a decent path and plot to it that I was interested in.
The plot itself isn’t one I can recap well, beyond a woman named Mika who lives in Japan, is extremely male-centred and spends too much time speaking like a Gen Z influencer, who feels rage and imagines moments of acting out that rage, and who one day meets Tai and falls in lust with him after he half takes her virginity.
This felt very scattered as a story, with a very unlikeable main character but not in a good way, and which left me shrugging for the last 50 pages and not caring, and at times I had no real idea what was even happening, whether a chapter was her imagination, set in the future, or her inner monologue ranting.
A shame as I had high hopes for this!
January 6, 2026
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Momo Yamaguchi, and Mariner Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I have so many thoughts about this incredible and emotional journey!
First off, I relate to Mika in ways that I am both proud of and embarrassed by. I’m sure many other freshly 25 year olds will feel the same way :) She is so intense with her feelings, simultaneously sure of herself and unsure of so many of her actions. Her sense of self is so grounded in reality and dreams. What I mean by that is she self-deprecates and understands her place in the patriarchal world, while also hoping, planning, and wishing for difference.
I unfortunately just didn’t love the ending, which took a turn that many will enjoy, but I felt no longer reflected a journey that many of my friends and I have been on. It was a fun ending, but there wasn’t the growth or reflection I ultimately craved. Mika has faced many problems other 20-something women have. I would’ve loved to learn more from her resolution.
Still, I found this to be a fun romp of a book, check the TW for language and sexual content, and all that jazz. If you like Girls, you’ll likely enjoy this book too!
First off, I relate to Mika in ways that I am both proud of and embarrassed by. I’m sure many other freshly 25 year olds will feel the same way :) She is so intense with her feelings, simultaneously sure of herself and unsure of so many of her actions. Her sense of self is so grounded in reality and dreams. What I mean by that is she self-deprecates and understands her place in the patriarchal world, while also hoping, planning, and wishing for difference.
I unfortunately just didn’t love the ending, which took a turn that many will enjoy, but I felt no longer reflected a journey that many of my friends and I have been on. It was a fun ending, but there wasn’t the growth or reflection I ultimately craved. Mika has faced many problems other 20-something women have. I would’ve loved to learn more from her resolution.
Still, I found this to be a fun romp of a book, check the TW for language and sexual content, and all that jazz. If you like Girls, you’ll likely enjoy this book too!
February 22, 2026
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First things first, the cover design by @manonlouart is insaaanne! It’s eye catching and just downright gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in person.
Okay now on to the book itself. Reading the blurb this seemed right up my alley and I was in the mood for some juicy literary fiction but when I read the first 10 pages and I won’t lie I was not connecting with it. I was questioning if it was for me. I picked it up again the next day and oh my god I could not put it down!!! I got sucked into Mika’s (FMC) world.
I think what initially threw me off was the formatting but once I got use to it I really enjoyed the book. The entirety of the story is told from Mika’s point of view so we know her most inner thoughts and how she navigates her relationships. I found it hilariously honest. There are moments where you think the FMC is crazy or wild for what she has done or said but honestly that is what limerence is truly like. I really felt for Mika. Where was this book when I was 19? Because giiirlll I was going through it just like Mika.
I enjoyed the fast pace and bite sized chapters,it moved the story along well and at no point did I think the story dragged. Overall I really enjoyed this book once I got used to the formatting. I thought it was funny, relatable and a all-in-all good time
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First things first, the cover design by @manonlouart is insaaanne! It’s eye catching and just downright gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in person.
Okay now on to the book itself. Reading the blurb this seemed right up my alley and I was in the mood for some juicy literary fiction but when I read the first 10 pages and I won’t lie I was not connecting with it. I was questioning if it was for me. I picked it up again the next day and oh my god I could not put it down!!! I got sucked into Mika’s (FMC) world.
I think what initially threw me off was the formatting but once I got use to it I really enjoyed the book. The entirety of the story is told from Mika’s point of view so we know her most inner thoughts and how she navigates her relationships. I found it hilariously honest. There are moments where you think the FMC is crazy or wild for what she has done or said but honestly that is what limerence is truly like. I really felt for Mika. Where was this book when I was 19? Because giiirlll I was going through it just like Mika.
I enjoyed the fast pace and bite sized chapters,it moved the story along well and at no point did I think the story dragged. Overall I really enjoyed this book once I got used to the formatting. I thought it was funny, relatable and a all-in-all good time
Did Not Finish
March 12, 2026Thank you to Netgalley, Faber and Faber, and Momo Yamaguchi for the eARC. I love Faber & Faber as a publishing house, to the point where I am always scouring their website to see what new books they are putting out into the world. Unfortunately, Hello, Limerence was not quite the book for me. I do think it has an audience, though, and actually quite a large audience, but it was not necessarily the book for me. Do check it out, though! It was written very well.
April 23, 2026
This was a good time and I enjoyed Mika's obsessive behavior. Would love to read more from this author in the future.
Thank you to Mariner Books and the author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.
Thank you to Mariner Books and the author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.
January 29, 2026
Hello, Limerance is an unhinged story centering around obsession, and is a good show in what happens when someone lives entirely in their own head. Mika is…not well, in a way that is kind of fascinating, sort of sadly funny and often off-putting. Seeing her spiral outwardly by overanalyzing every situation, fixating and self-justifying her often inappropriate responses is uncomfortable but also kind of relatable.
Yamaguchi nails the feeling of Limerance. The repetitive thoughts and refusal to let go of the story you’ve curated in your mind are just spot on. She writes an acutely self-aware character who is frustrating but still somewhat redeemable.
My only criticisms are that some parts of the story were harshly written, and some transitions feel a little bit choppy. But I think the aggressiveness of the book adds to its charm and is purposefully done.
Overall, I really liked the book. I found myself reading passages to my husband because they were laugh out loud funny to me. I hadn’t read a book with a main character who is just so outwardly and openly flawed, so there was a bit of shock factor initially but my the end of the book I was just cheering her on and hoping she’d find the love and happiness she was looking for.
Yamaguchi nails the feeling of Limerance. The repetitive thoughts and refusal to let go of the story you’ve curated in your mind are just spot on. She writes an acutely self-aware character who is frustrating but still somewhat redeemable.
My only criticisms are that some parts of the story were harshly written, and some transitions feel a little bit choppy. But I think the aggressiveness of the book adds to its charm and is purposefully done.
Overall, I really liked the book. I found myself reading passages to my husband because they were laugh out loud funny to me. I hadn’t read a book with a main character who is just so outwardly and openly flawed, so there was a bit of shock factor initially but my the end of the book I was just cheering her on and hoping she’d find the love and happiness she was looking for.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Hello, limerance is not for the faint of heart. If you’re one of those people who are uncomfortable reading about the topic of sex, of the patriarchy, of the downsides of living in Japan, of fleeting youth, of grief, of rape and assault, of violent intrusive thoughts, and American imperialism, do not read.
The book follows Mika and her life as a 9-5 worker in Japan, with a heart that is longing to be loved. We follow her through a few years of her life, from 24-26, as she loses half of her virginity, gets caught in two situationships, a global pandemic surges, and she questions her sexuality. All this chaos in 212 pages. Not once did I feel the pacing was too slow or too fast.
Mika is a very fascinating narrator. I really enjoyed reading this book from her point of view, and go to know her so well. I find myself relating her to other narrators like Holden Caulfield and how they are unabashedly unafraid to say what they are thinking or what they believe. In the case of Mika, it’s the things she’d like to do to the people who have wronged her. Many violent things that both she and I would not dare to actually do. But honestly, most of them I can understand and are pretty justified in thinking. She is also not afraid to talk about her own sexuality, sex life, and body. This may be a bit jarring to some readers, as this is something that most literature does not include. Although it took a bit to get used to Mika’s unabashedness, I found myself being proud of how brave the author is to voice some of these thoughts in Mika, things that I’m certain most people would, but would never dare to say, due to so much stigma around keeping the topic of sex as private as possible.
What scares me the most about this book is how much I relate to Mika, and how I’m afraid of becoming her. Mika is far from a perfect person; in fact, we watch as she hopelessly falls in and out of love with no avail, never finding a way out of her monotonous life, utterly lonely. All my life, I have been the one who has wanted to be wanted. And like Mika says, “I wanted so much to be wanted the way I wanted him.” It’s something that I resonate with very deeply, and it made me feel seen. I’m not the only hopeless dreamer out there.
In this book, Yamaguchi does not shy away from exposing the dark side of Japanese culture. There has been a large increase in the glamorization of Japan online in recent years, showcasing this peaceful life that many long for. Yet for the working class in Japan, most would do anything to get out of their monotonous life, from unwanted attention on the subway, where it is common for women to get groped or objectified, to the workplace, where Mika cannot escape the same treatment from most of her coworkers. It gets so bad that she has to stab someone with a pushpin to stop them from touching her. Her boss essentially flashes her and another female worker during a party, yet due to the work culture in Japan, she decides not to report any of the harassment that she receives in her job because no one would believe her. It’s truly heartbreaking to see. Life for the average middle-class person is just a repeat of going to work, eating, sleeping, and repeating for the rest of their lives. It’s very rare to ever get promotions, and people have to be complacent with working overtime unpaid, and doing things that in the US would be crazy. It really shows that the grass is always greener on the other side and that life isn’t as perfect as you think it is.
The writing in the book is absolutely amazing. It’s flowery, but not flowery to the point of discomfort. There was absolutely no point where I couldn’t understand what Mika was trying to say, nor a place where I thought that the author just put a fancy word, making it seem all phony. There are points when Mika refers to random situations that relate to what’s happening. In one case, it’s when she’s making a friend, and she talks about the feeling of going to the bathroom in a pool. Though it always takes a second to comprehend after you read it, it hits so hard. Honestly, just getting through a chapter is so satisfying; I always have a sentence that I chuckle at, or I totally relate to. I’ve actually found so many cool quotes in Hello, Limerence that I thought I’d share with all of you, to convince you to read it!
“Very little matters when you are in love.”
“Sometimes, I feel so lonely I could die,”
“Every time I see him, I think of all the ways he is not you.”
“I like you so much, I can’t stand it. You will never know how much I like you. How happy and sad you make me, all at once.”
“When I drift in and out of sleep, those are the hours when he comes to me again. He looks at me silently with those dark eyes of his, he draws ever closer and kisses me softly, twining tongues, and he wraps himself around me and holds me in his arms; I am held (I am held).”
“I imagine a universe in which we sleep entangled in blankets and each other, where we walk the streets with his fingers laced with mine, where we shop for groceries together, where he caresses me in public when our friends aren’t looking, where we count each other’s wrinkles, where we pluck each other’s white hairs, where we laugh until we cry, so happy are we.”
“It’s a little past 7:00 p.m., and I ponder my fleeting youth as I edit the client report for the sixteenth time.”
“All I want is for the people that I love most dearly to be abundant in both health and happiness and outlive me forever, so that I may never know life without them-is that too much to ask?”
“I eat and I eat. I cling onto this life in spite of it all.”
My biggest issue with the book is that I wish the ending were a bit longer. It is very open-ended and up to the reader to interpret what happens. Though I liked the twist that happened, I think that I wanted more from it. Honestly, I would eat up a whole 500-page story with Mika as the main character, so maybe I’m biased. This review is actually really skewed towards liking Mika because of how much I relate to her and the story, but maybe that’s the point.
If you were to ask me whether or not I would recommend this to a fellow reader, it would depend on what type of reader they are. If they are open to new genres, experimental writing, and banger line after banger line, you should read it! If you like staying in your comfort zone and would not enjoy graphic descriptions of certain scenes that make you uncomfortable, maybe check out the trigger warnings that I gave earlier. But if you’re fine with that, then this is going to be one of the best books that you’ve read this year!
And to end the review, a little message:
“My darling boy, we could’ve had it all.”
The book follows Mika and her life as a 9-5 worker in Japan, with a heart that is longing to be loved. We follow her through a few years of her life, from 24-26, as she loses half of her virginity, gets caught in two situationships, a global pandemic surges, and she questions her sexuality. All this chaos in 212 pages. Not once did I feel the pacing was too slow or too fast.
Mika is a very fascinating narrator. I really enjoyed reading this book from her point of view, and go to know her so well. I find myself relating her to other narrators like Holden Caulfield and how they are unabashedly unafraid to say what they are thinking or what they believe. In the case of Mika, it’s the things she’d like to do to the people who have wronged her. Many violent things that both she and I would not dare to actually do. But honestly, most of them I can understand and are pretty justified in thinking. She is also not afraid to talk about her own sexuality, sex life, and body. This may be a bit jarring to some readers, as this is something that most literature does not include. Although it took a bit to get used to Mika’s unabashedness, I found myself being proud of how brave the author is to voice some of these thoughts in Mika, things that I’m certain most people would, but would never dare to say, due to so much stigma around keeping the topic of sex as private as possible.
What scares me the most about this book is how much I relate to Mika, and how I’m afraid of becoming her. Mika is far from a perfect person; in fact, we watch as she hopelessly falls in and out of love with no avail, never finding a way out of her monotonous life, utterly lonely. All my life, I have been the one who has wanted to be wanted. And like Mika says, “I wanted so much to be wanted the way I wanted him.” It’s something that I resonate with very deeply, and it made me feel seen. I’m not the only hopeless dreamer out there.
In this book, Yamaguchi does not shy away from exposing the dark side of Japanese culture. There has been a large increase in the glamorization of Japan online in recent years, showcasing this peaceful life that many long for. Yet for the working class in Japan, most would do anything to get out of their monotonous life, from unwanted attention on the subway, where it is common for women to get groped or objectified, to the workplace, where Mika cannot escape the same treatment from most of her coworkers. It gets so bad that she has to stab someone with a pushpin to stop them from touching her. Her boss essentially flashes her and another female worker during a party, yet due to the work culture in Japan, she decides not to report any of the harassment that she receives in her job because no one would believe her. It’s truly heartbreaking to see. Life for the average middle-class person is just a repeat of going to work, eating, sleeping, and repeating for the rest of their lives. It’s very rare to ever get promotions, and people have to be complacent with working overtime unpaid, and doing things that in the US would be crazy. It really shows that the grass is always greener on the other side and that life isn’t as perfect as you think it is.
The writing in the book is absolutely amazing. It’s flowery, but not flowery to the point of discomfort. There was absolutely no point where I couldn’t understand what Mika was trying to say, nor a place where I thought that the author just put a fancy word, making it seem all phony. There are points when Mika refers to random situations that relate to what’s happening. In one case, it’s when she’s making a friend, and she talks about the feeling of going to the bathroom in a pool. Though it always takes a second to comprehend after you read it, it hits so hard. Honestly, just getting through a chapter is so satisfying; I always have a sentence that I chuckle at, or I totally relate to. I’ve actually found so many cool quotes in Hello, Limerence that I thought I’d share with all of you, to convince you to read it!
“Very little matters when you are in love.”
“Sometimes, I feel so lonely I could die,”
“Every time I see him, I think of all the ways he is not you.”
“I like you so much, I can’t stand it. You will never know how much I like you. How happy and sad you make me, all at once.”
“When I drift in and out of sleep, those are the hours when he comes to me again. He looks at me silently with those dark eyes of his, he draws ever closer and kisses me softly, twining tongues, and he wraps himself around me and holds me in his arms; I am held (I am held).”
“I imagine a universe in which we sleep entangled in blankets and each other, where we walk the streets with his fingers laced with mine, where we shop for groceries together, where he caresses me in public when our friends aren’t looking, where we count each other’s wrinkles, where we pluck each other’s white hairs, where we laugh until we cry, so happy are we.”
“It’s a little past 7:00 p.m., and I ponder my fleeting youth as I edit the client report for the sixteenth time.”
“All I want is for the people that I love most dearly to be abundant in both health and happiness and outlive me forever, so that I may never know life without them-is that too much to ask?”
“I eat and I eat. I cling onto this life in spite of it all.”
My biggest issue with the book is that I wish the ending were a bit longer. It is very open-ended and up to the reader to interpret what happens. Though I liked the twist that happened, I think that I wanted more from it. Honestly, I would eat up a whole 500-page story with Mika as the main character, so maybe I’m biased. This review is actually really skewed towards liking Mika because of how much I relate to her and the story, but maybe that’s the point.
If you were to ask me whether or not I would recommend this to a fellow reader, it would depend on what type of reader they are. If they are open to new genres, experimental writing, and banger line after banger line, you should read it! If you like staying in your comfort zone and would not enjoy graphic descriptions of certain scenes that make you uncomfortable, maybe check out the trigger warnings that I gave earlier. But if you’re fine with that, then this is going to be one of the best books that you’ve read this year!
And to end the review, a little message:
“My darling boy, we could’ve had it all.”
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
TW: Violent fantasies (including murder, and shoving things up orifices) sexual assault, rape, death of a family member, isolation (pandemic related), homophobia (slight)
When the blurb compared this to Fleabag, they weren't kidding. A ridiculous and relatable romp, Hello Limerence isn't for everyone, but for the ones who click with it, they'll love it.
But first, the plot: Mika is a 25 year old salarywoman in Tokyo Japan.Stuck in a dead end job, she seeks escape in romance and sex, desperate to lose her virginity. When she meets Tyler, a Japanese American expat, and another man, she does proceed to lose her virginity, but that isn't enough. Obsessed, or experiencing limerence if you prefer, she spirals when Tyler doesn't reciprocate her feelings. Together with her best friend Mika, she tries to navigate her 20's in modern Tokyo, even through a pandemic and a really shitty boss, which she murders in elaborate fantasies. Can Mika find true love, or will she be in limerence for the rest of her life?
The best part of the book was main character, Mika. She is an incredibly relatable 20 something, self-obsessed and chronically online, trying to find herself in our world. This novel is written in first person POV, so readers are in her head the entire time, and are privy to her wild and vivid revenge fantasies, and every sordid detail of her lust driven insanity. As a former 25 something, she's painfully realistic, including the chronically online obsession with social media and her need to find her true self. I also appreciate her perspective as a Japanese woman and her critiques of Western imperialism and her own culture. She's a mess, but a mess with potential past the solipsism. (I also resonated hard with her jobless status later in the novel.) I love the messy queer representation as well; but to go into that would be spoilers, so I will not.
I also like the tone. Mika's perspective is a roller coaster ride, one minute she'll be calling herself a 'loyal ho,' and the next minute she'll be mourning the death of a family member. Her sardonic tone can be a bit much sometimes, but I enjoyed it. I especially loved the fantasies, which were patently hilarious and insane.
The setting is a bit less vivid; I never forgot that we were in Tokyo but a large chunk of the later parts of the book takes place in her apartment because of a (satirical) COVID-like pandemic. I wish that the setting was fleshed out more, but I understand why it wasn't.
Hello, Limerence is a graphic and raunchy read, which isn't for everyone. Be prepared to read about close examinations of the body, and also to read gory fantasies against misogynists. However, if you can move past these roadblocks you will get a raw character portrait of a complex and morally grey character.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 4)
Check out my blog for drink parings and other reviews: https://theredreaderreviews.blogspot....
When the blurb compared this to Fleabag, they weren't kidding. A ridiculous and relatable romp, Hello Limerence isn't for everyone, but for the ones who click with it, they'll love it.
But first, the plot: Mika is a 25 year old salarywoman in Tokyo Japan.Stuck in a dead end job, she seeks escape in romance and sex, desperate to lose her virginity. When she meets Tyler, a Japanese American expat, and another man, she does proceed to lose her virginity, but that isn't enough. Obsessed, or experiencing limerence if you prefer, she spirals when Tyler doesn't reciprocate her feelings. Together with her best friend Mika, she tries to navigate her 20's in modern Tokyo, even through a pandemic and a really shitty boss, which she murders in elaborate fantasies. Can Mika find true love, or will she be in limerence for the rest of her life?
The best part of the book was main character, Mika. She is an incredibly relatable 20 something, self-obsessed and chronically online, trying to find herself in our world. This novel is written in first person POV, so readers are in her head the entire time, and are privy to her wild and vivid revenge fantasies, and every sordid detail of her lust driven insanity. As a former 25 something, she's painfully realistic, including the chronically online obsession with social media and her need to find her true self. I also appreciate her perspective as a Japanese woman and her critiques of Western imperialism and her own culture. She's a mess, but a mess with potential past the solipsism. (I also resonated hard with her jobless status later in the novel.) I love the messy queer representation as well; but to go into that would be spoilers, so I will not.
I also like the tone. Mika's perspective is a roller coaster ride, one minute she'll be calling herself a 'loyal ho,' and the next minute she'll be mourning the death of a family member. Her sardonic tone can be a bit much sometimes, but I enjoyed it. I especially loved the fantasies, which were patently hilarious and insane.
The setting is a bit less vivid; I never forgot that we were in Tokyo but a large chunk of the later parts of the book takes place in her apartment because of a (satirical) COVID-like pandemic. I wish that the setting was fleshed out more, but I understand why it wasn't.
Hello, Limerence is a graphic and raunchy read, which isn't for everyone. Be prepared to read about close examinations of the body, and also to read gory fantasies against misogynists. However, if you can move past these roadblocks you will get a raw character portrait of a complex and morally grey character.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Final rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 4)
Check out my blog for drink parings and other reviews: https://theredreaderreviews.blogspot....
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Actual review: 4.75/5
Quote to come following publication!
Thank you to Faber for providing me with a proof of Hello, Limerence to review.
Hello, Limerence is a brutally honest, raw and real expression of Mika, a 20s-year-old from Tokyo that is obsessed with beauty and self-image. She is inexperienced in everything and desperate to get a taste.
I think that this one is going to hit with some and not with others. It has the similar marmite feel of Half His Age - the writing style is unique and blunt, and I have knocked a quarter off my rating for the occasional cringe that I had whilst reading, but for me it (mostly) worked. Although I personally don't fantasise about killing people, I can relate to Mika's desire to be loved and wanted, and her willingness to change for her desires. The way Yamaguchi writes Mika's thoughts on love and intimacy will be something that a lot of people can relate to and whilst perhaps some lines were more corny than others, I know what it's like to feel that desire to be wanted. I just don't also have daydreams of murdering people or pushing out hypothetical pussy pearls to make friends. Mika is relatable and frustrating, both unlikable and too real.
This is one that I found hard to put down or stop thinking about because I truly could not anticipate where the story was going - I found the story to be addictive despite being a bit wandering and aimless, but the mundane reality of it all made it feel more believable. It explores themes of sexuality, love, power and obsession, considering the female experience of sexism in the workplace and the societal pressures of youth, beauty and status. Mika experiences a myriad of horrible things during the story, such as sexual harassment, racism, objectification and rejection, all of which she is coping with whilst navigating a dead-end job where she is under-appreciated and overworked.
If you enjoy unlikeable characters, weird girl fiction and unique prose, I would recommend trying this one out. It won't be for everyone, but its originality made it stand out for me. An excellent debut novel from an author that I hope to see more of. 🩷
Quote to come following publication!
Thank you to Faber for providing me with a proof of Hello, Limerence to review.
Hello, Limerence is a brutally honest, raw and real expression of Mika, a 20s-year-old from Tokyo that is obsessed with beauty and self-image. She is inexperienced in everything and desperate to get a taste.
I think that this one is going to hit with some and not with others. It has the similar marmite feel of Half His Age - the writing style is unique and blunt, and I have knocked a quarter off my rating for the occasional cringe that I had whilst reading, but for me it (mostly) worked. Although I personally don't fantasise about killing people, I can relate to Mika's desire to be loved and wanted, and her willingness to change for her desires. The way Yamaguchi writes Mika's thoughts on love and intimacy will be something that a lot of people can relate to and whilst perhaps some lines were more corny than others, I know what it's like to feel that desire to be wanted. I just don't also have daydreams of murdering people or pushing out hypothetical pussy pearls to make friends. Mika is relatable and frustrating, both unlikable and too real.
This is one that I found hard to put down or stop thinking about because I truly could not anticipate where the story was going - I found the story to be addictive despite being a bit wandering and aimless, but the mundane reality of it all made it feel more believable. It explores themes of sexuality, love, power and obsession, considering the female experience of sexism in the workplace and the societal pressures of youth, beauty and status. Mika experiences a myriad of horrible things during the story, such as sexual harassment, racism, objectification and rejection, all of which she is coping with whilst navigating a dead-end job where she is under-appreciated and overworked.
If you enjoy unlikeable characters, weird girl fiction and unique prose, I would recommend trying this one out. It won't be for everyone, but its originality made it stand out for me. An excellent debut novel from an author that I hope to see more of. 🩷
March 18, 2026
Ad/gifted
Hello, Limerence follows Mika, who is on the brink of turning twenty-five and feeling like she has very little to show for it beyond a draining office job and what she sees as a deeply frustrating lack of romantic and sexual experience.
When her effortlessly confident best friend invites her to a summer beach party in Tokyo, Mika decides to step out of her routine. There, she meets someone who might finally blur the line between her intense, one-sided fantasies and something real, raising the question of whether what she feels is limerence or the start of a genuine connection.
I enjoyed the writing style as it feels sharp, current, and in tune with modern conversations around femininity, sexuality, and dating. The humour especially stood out, with a tone that reminded me a lot of Fleabag (which I love!), in the sense that sometimes it felt chaotic but also honest in its writing. The book doesn’t shy away from graphic descriptions of sex, which might not be for everyone, but it does feel aligned with its exploration of desire and identity.
At times, I found the pacing choppy, with frequent time skips that made the narrative feel disjointed. I also found the inclusion of a pandemic element somewhat jarring. The way it was described felt unexpectedly graphic and quite a jump from the rest of the story. The book overall has a very chaotic energy, which some may enjoy, but for me, it made it harder to fully settle into.
I wish the ending had been expanded on as it felt like an important turning point that deserved more space. Personally, I didn’t connect strongly with Mika as a character, which made it harder to stay emotionally invested.
In some ways, it reminded me of Convenience Store Woman in its focus on a woman who feels out of step with societal expectations, though this book leans much more into messy desire and internal chaos. Overall, it’s an interesting read, even if it didn’t fully land for me.
Hello, Limerence comes out on 4th June 2026. I read this via NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley and Faber Books for the proof.
For a more in-depth review, here’s the link to my blog: https://sophslibrary.com/2026/03/18/h...
Hello, Limerence follows Mika, who is on the brink of turning twenty-five and feeling like she has very little to show for it beyond a draining office job and what she sees as a deeply frustrating lack of romantic and sexual experience.
When her effortlessly confident best friend invites her to a summer beach party in Tokyo, Mika decides to step out of her routine. There, she meets someone who might finally blur the line between her intense, one-sided fantasies and something real, raising the question of whether what she feels is limerence or the start of a genuine connection.
I enjoyed the writing style as it feels sharp, current, and in tune with modern conversations around femininity, sexuality, and dating. The humour especially stood out, with a tone that reminded me a lot of Fleabag (which I love!), in the sense that sometimes it felt chaotic but also honest in its writing. The book doesn’t shy away from graphic descriptions of sex, which might not be for everyone, but it does feel aligned with its exploration of desire and identity.
At times, I found the pacing choppy, with frequent time skips that made the narrative feel disjointed. I also found the inclusion of a pandemic element somewhat jarring. The way it was described felt unexpectedly graphic and quite a jump from the rest of the story. The book overall has a very chaotic energy, which some may enjoy, but for me, it made it harder to fully settle into.
I wish the ending had been expanded on as it felt like an important turning point that deserved more space. Personally, I didn’t connect strongly with Mika as a character, which made it harder to stay emotionally invested.
In some ways, it reminded me of Convenience Store Woman in its focus on a woman who feels out of step with societal expectations, though this book leans much more into messy desire and internal chaos. Overall, it’s an interesting read, even if it didn’t fully land for me.
Hello, Limerence comes out on 4th June 2026. I read this via NetGalley - thank you to NetGalley and Faber Books for the proof.
For a more in-depth review, here’s the link to my blog: https://sophslibrary.com/2026/03/18/h...
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
If you have ever felt the kind of love that feels more like a fever: a crushing, all-consuming obsession that blurs the lines of reality, then Momo Yamaguchi’s Hello, Limerence is the mirror you’ve been both seeking and fearing.
The Anatomy of an Obsession
Yamaguchi doesn't just write about love; she dissects it with the precision of a surgeon and the soul of a poet. The story follows a protagonist spiraling into the state of "limerence," that involuntary, obsessive desire for another person. What makes this book so devastatingly effective is how Yamaguchi captures the biopsychosocial nature of this state. We feel the chemical rush of the dopamine hits (the "highs") and the gut-wrenching physical withdrawal of the "lows."
Prose that Bleeds
The writing is atmospheric and "flowy," yet sharp enough to cut. Yamaguchi’s ability to describe the internal monologue of someone who is "addicted" to another person is unparalleled. It echoes the very themes of addiction and recovery we often discuss in clinical settings, but framed through the lens of a tragic, beautiful romance. She captures the "psychological expectations and beliefs" that drive the character to see signs where there are none and to find profound meaning in the mundane.
Why It Resonates
The genius of Hello, Limerence lies in its relatability. It taps into the universal human craving for connection while warning us of the "pharmacological" power our own brain chemistry holds over us. It is a story about bereavement of the self, role disputes between who we are and who we want to be for another, and the interpersonal deficits that lead us into these obsessive traps.
Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars
This isn't just a book; it's an experience. It's a haunting, lyrical exploration of the human heart’s capacity for madness. If you enjoyed the deep dives into the psychology of the mind and the nature of human connection, Hello, Limerence is an absolute must-read.
Prepare to be breathless. Prepare to be obsessed. Hello, Limerence is the best thing I have read this year.
The Anatomy of an Obsession
Yamaguchi doesn't just write about love; she dissects it with the precision of a surgeon and the soul of a poet. The story follows a protagonist spiraling into the state of "limerence," that involuntary, obsessive desire for another person. What makes this book so devastatingly effective is how Yamaguchi captures the biopsychosocial nature of this state. We feel the chemical rush of the dopamine hits (the "highs") and the gut-wrenching physical withdrawal of the "lows."
Prose that Bleeds
The writing is atmospheric and "flowy," yet sharp enough to cut. Yamaguchi’s ability to describe the internal monologue of someone who is "addicted" to another person is unparalleled. It echoes the very themes of addiction and recovery we often discuss in clinical settings, but framed through the lens of a tragic, beautiful romance. She captures the "psychological expectations and beliefs" that drive the character to see signs where there are none and to find profound meaning in the mundane.
Why It Resonates
The genius of Hello, Limerence lies in its relatability. It taps into the universal human craving for connection while warning us of the "pharmacological" power our own brain chemistry holds over us. It is a story about bereavement of the self, role disputes between who we are and who we want to be for another, and the interpersonal deficits that lead us into these obsessive traps.
Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars
This isn't just a book; it's an experience. It's a haunting, lyrical exploration of the human heart’s capacity for madness. If you enjoyed the deep dives into the psychology of the mind and the nature of human connection, Hello, Limerence is an absolute must-read.
Prepare to be breathless. Prepare to be obsessed. Hello, Limerence is the best thing I have read this year.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 by 𝐌𝐢𝐦𝐨 𝐘𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢
𝗹𝗶𝗺·𝗲𝗿·𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
/ˈlimər(ə)n(t)s/
(𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯) 1. 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.
Mika is a mid-twenties half-virgin, who is thirsty for love & has been on the exhausting search for a tall glass of refreshing to satiate the overly parched landscape that she calls her love life. She obsesses over how to entrap her current crush, while attempting to maintain the carefree vibe of a cool girl (e.g., setting a timer to give an appreciatively appropriate time before responding w an overly-thought out but hopefully nonchalant-sounding response that will bring him to his knees begging for more).
I love-hated that this book…
- Made me feel the toxicity of Mika’s delusional, narcissistic, & self-deprecating thoughts.
- Described in gory detail the random, minute observations of everyday living, which made the book feel palpable & like I was inside Mika’s head.
- (Unimportant but) Contrary to my initial belief, this is not a translated book.
- Is technically highly sexualized, but I didn’t find it vulgar. It felt like an introspection/social commentary of the current generation’s sexual lives.
- Is not a plot driven book but was character focused.
- Ended the way it did. But, upon reflection, I couldn’t think of a different ending bc Mika strikes me as someone who’ll be stuck in a cyclical pattern where she’ll feel worthless/unlovable when single but be an unsatisfied complainer when she gets what she thinks she wants (as they say… the grass is greener on the side side).
- Kept me turning the pages bc I really enjoyed Yamaguchi’s writing style, dry wit, dark humor, & short chapters.
Overall, I liked the book for Yamaguchi’s writing style, voice & humor! TY @netgalley & @marinerbooks for this eARC. It comes out on 8/18/26!
𝗹𝗶𝗺·𝗲𝗿·𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
/ˈlimər(ə)n(t)s/
(𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯) 1. 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱.
Mika is a mid-twenties half-virgin, who is thirsty for love & has been on the exhausting search for a tall glass of refreshing to satiate the overly parched landscape that she calls her love life. She obsesses over how to entrap her current crush, while attempting to maintain the carefree vibe of a cool girl (e.g., setting a timer to give an appreciatively appropriate time before responding w an overly-thought out but hopefully nonchalant-sounding response that will bring him to his knees begging for more).
I love-hated that this book…
- Made me feel the toxicity of Mika’s delusional, narcissistic, & self-deprecating thoughts.
- Described in gory detail the random, minute observations of everyday living, which made the book feel palpable & like I was inside Mika’s head.
- (Unimportant but) Contrary to my initial belief, this is not a translated book.
- Is technically highly sexualized, but I didn’t find it vulgar. It felt like an introspection/social commentary of the current generation’s sexual lives.
- Is not a plot driven book but was character focused.
- Ended the way it did. But, upon reflection, I couldn’t think of a different ending bc Mika strikes me as someone who’ll be stuck in a cyclical pattern where she’ll feel worthless/unlovable when single but be an unsatisfied complainer when she gets what she thinks she wants (as they say… the grass is greener on the side side).
- Kept me turning the pages bc I really enjoyed Yamaguchi’s writing style, dry wit, dark humor, & short chapters.
Overall, I liked the book for Yamaguchi’s writing style, voice & humor! TY @netgalley & @marinerbooks for this eARC. It comes out on 8/18/26!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I’m very clearly in the minority here, but ‘Hello, Limerance’ was a total miss for me. This book was a trainwreck, dumpster fire, and every other metaphor you can think of for a complete mess. I hate rating books as 1 star, but this really was a book that I wish I’d never read. I honestly only finished reading it to see how much worse it could get and at least it didn’t disappoint me on that front- I’m not quite sure how the book descends in voodoo dolls and dysentery but rest assured that it does!
From the description and the majority of the reviews, I was totally expecting to vibe with this book- give me a messy female character navigating her way through the world and discovering her sexuality and I’d usually lap it up, but this just isn’t that book. The protagonist, Mika, is supposed to be an unlikable and flawed yet relatable character and I can sort of see what Yamaguchi was going for, but she turned the dial up to 11 and made Mika a pathetic, delusional femcel instead. Honestly, Yamaguchi has done an excellent job at portraying the mind of a femcel (the obsessive desire for connection that leads to social clues being totally misinterpreted, the internalized frustration at not being attractive enough and trying to ‘looksmax’ to overcome this, the derogatory way Mika thinks about herself and others due to her low self-esteem and poor social skills) and I think that’s actually what the book is about.
My advice for this book? Read it at your own peril. I truly hope you find this as enjoyable as the majority of reviewers did because it really did have so much potential, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it leaves a bit of an odd taste after reading, as (for me) it just doesn’t deliver on what it promises.
Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.
From the description and the majority of the reviews, I was totally expecting to vibe with this book- give me a messy female character navigating her way through the world and discovering her sexuality and I’d usually lap it up, but this just isn’t that book. The protagonist, Mika, is supposed to be an unlikable and flawed yet relatable character and I can sort of see what Yamaguchi was going for, but she turned the dial up to 11 and made Mika a pathetic, delusional femcel instead. Honestly, Yamaguchi has done an excellent job at portraying the mind of a femcel (the obsessive desire for connection that leads to social clues being totally misinterpreted, the internalized frustration at not being attractive enough and trying to ‘looksmax’ to overcome this, the derogatory way Mika thinks about herself and others due to her low self-esteem and poor social skills) and I think that’s actually what the book is about.
My advice for this book? Read it at your own peril. I truly hope you find this as enjoyable as the majority of reviewers did because it really did have so much potential, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it leaves a bit of an odd taste after reading, as (for me) it just doesn’t deliver on what it promises.
Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
***Digital Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.*****
This book feels like you're reading a diary of a somewhat stunted young adult who writes down EVERY intrusive thought that arises. You're not sure you belong there but you keep on peaking in anyway.
The one thing I cannot ignore is the sexism inherent in the work culture. The first contemporary Japanese book I remember reading was "Convenience Store Woman". The pressures for marriage, the double standards, the idea that women are "wasting away", having the younger women coworkers serve everyone - it stings and infuriates but the author highlights it and shows how ingrained it is in the culture.
I am confused about the UBS chapter (why was it called that?) and the random use of Spanish words in the book. Did I miss something?
Overall, this was an entertaining book. Quite literally did not know what the next page would bring.
I was reading Half Her Age by Jennette McCurdy at the same time and I think if you liked that, Hello Limerence might also be your vibe. Questionable decisions and faulty logic would have to be something you're okay with....or even supportive of.
Some quotes I enjoyed:
"The best influence of American soft power (or the corrupting impact of Western imperialism disguised as globalization, whichever you prefer) insured that the world grew up watching American movies and listening to American music eating an American chain restaurants wearing American brand clothing even speaking American slang" - it is so true!
"All I want is for the people that I love most dearly to be abundant in both health and happiness and not live me forever so that I may never know life without them" - this was beautiful and same
This book feels like you're reading a diary of a somewhat stunted young adult who writes down EVERY intrusive thought that arises. You're not sure you belong there but you keep on peaking in anyway.
The one thing I cannot ignore is the sexism inherent in the work culture. The first contemporary Japanese book I remember reading was "Convenience Store Woman". The pressures for marriage, the double standards, the idea that women are "wasting away", having the younger women coworkers serve everyone - it stings and infuriates but the author highlights it and shows how ingrained it is in the culture.
I am confused about the UBS chapter (why was it called that?) and the random use of Spanish words in the book. Did I miss something?
Overall, this was an entertaining book. Quite literally did not know what the next page would bring.
I was reading Half Her Age by Jennette McCurdy at the same time and I think if you liked that, Hello Limerence might also be your vibe. Questionable decisions and faulty logic would have to be something you're okay with....or even supportive of.
Some quotes I enjoyed:
"The best influence of American soft power (or the corrupting impact of Western imperialism disguised as globalization, whichever you prefer) insured that the world grew up watching American movies and listening to American music eating an American chain restaurants wearing American brand clothing even speaking American slang" - it is so true!
"All I want is for the people that I love most dearly to be abundant in both health and happiness and not live me forever so that I may never know life without them" - this was beautiful and same
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This book was witty, and despite not much actually happening, really, it was still engaging. It is a pretty short read, but I think that is a benefit, as I might have been bored if it had been significantly longer, as a witty writing style can only do so much for a book with little actual plot.
We follow Mika, a young Japanese woman, in navigating her everyday life in a company in which every single male coworker or superior is misogynistic as hell, in which the men she meets are also misogynistic as hell and have commitment issues, in which she grapples with her appearance and the existing beauty standards, and in which she is in constant conflict with her own feminist awareness of these issues while ultimately unable to escape the hold societal norms have on her, as she is only one individual and these structures are everywhere.
This novel is written in a very funny way, making you roll your eyes along with Mika, and making you think "so true" whenever she points out the ways in which wider systems of race, class, gender, etc. form the everyday realities of every single member of a given society. It's quite lighthearted, but does touch upon more serious issues, such as racial fetishisation, sexual harrassment, and similar, without being preachy about it. The way Mika just accepts these as what life is like as a Japanese woman honestly made me angrier at these issues than I might have been otherwise.
Definitely would recommend this.
This book was witty, and despite not much actually happening, really, it was still engaging. It is a pretty short read, but I think that is a benefit, as I might have been bored if it had been significantly longer, as a witty writing style can only do so much for a book with little actual plot.
We follow Mika, a young Japanese woman, in navigating her everyday life in a company in which every single male coworker or superior is misogynistic as hell, in which the men she meets are also misogynistic as hell and have commitment issues, in which she grapples with her appearance and the existing beauty standards, and in which she is in constant conflict with her own feminist awareness of these issues while ultimately unable to escape the hold societal norms have on her, as she is only one individual and these structures are everywhere.
This novel is written in a very funny way, making you roll your eyes along with Mika, and making you think "so true" whenever she points out the ways in which wider systems of race, class, gender, etc. form the everyday realities of every single member of a given society. It's quite lighthearted, but does touch upon more serious issues, such as racial fetishisation, sexual harrassment, and similar, without being preachy about it. The way Mika just accepts these as what life is like as a Japanese woman honestly made me angrier at these issues than I might have been otherwise.
Definitely would recommend this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I had pretty mixed feelings on this book, I kept volleying between 3 and 4 stars. Ultimately landed at 4 stars because of the ending which felt like a cheap cop out. If Mika is bisexual, I would have liked to see this explored more outside of mild sexual arousal around hot girls at parties.
That being said, I did enjoy this book more than I expected. Reading it made me feel a little weird and unsettled somehow. This is an indicator of a good book for me. Mika's fantasies with strangers and coworkers are vulgar and overly sexual but dare I say realistic? I found her relatable in this sense. Her entire story and arc felt a little too close to home. The social imposter syndrome, deep limerence with someone who never cares about actually committing to you, the slightly older hookup partner that you put up with because at least someone is touching you. Fallout with a best friend because she gets in too deep with a boyfriend that sucks and you can't care for it. Like SORRRYYY those are quite a few parallels to my life in the last year. This is definitely a book I would pick up, and I'm glad I requested it from the publisher.
Recommend to those who enjoyed Dolly Alderton's fictional novels (especially Ghosts - I'd consider this a more immature and creative version of that book (with love)).
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
That being said, I did enjoy this book more than I expected. Reading it made me feel a little weird and unsettled somehow. This is an indicator of a good book for me. Mika's fantasies with strangers and coworkers are vulgar and overly sexual but dare I say realistic? I found her relatable in this sense. Her entire story and arc felt a little too close to home. The social imposter syndrome, deep limerence with someone who never cares about actually committing to you, the slightly older hookup partner that you put up with because at least someone is touching you. Fallout with a best friend because she gets in too deep with a boyfriend that sucks and you can't care for it. Like SORRRYYY those are quite a few parallels to my life in the last year. This is definitely a book I would pick up, and I'm glad I requested it from the publisher.
Recommend to those who enjoyed Dolly Alderton's fictional novels (especially Ghosts - I'd consider this a more immature and creative version of that book (with love)).
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Look, I rarely DNF books. I'm stubborn about it—I'll push through a lot if there's even a crumb of payoff on the horizon. But this one lost me, and I had to call it.
Here's the thing: I *love* an unhinged female protagonist. Give me messy, give me delusional, give me a woman making choices that make me want to shake her through the pages. That's my sweet spot. But Mika just... wasn't the unhinged I signed up for.
The blurb promises an obsessed, fantasy-prone woman spiraling through lust and delusion in chaotic pursuit of love. And the first half? It was actually working for me—there was a plot forming, a trajectory I could follow. But somewhere along the way, we lost the plot. I questioned what was real versus imagined, what was present versus flashback or inner monologue. Chapters blurred together without clear grounding, and by the last fifty pages I was just shrugging my way through, completely checked out.
Mika herself landed in that frustrating zone of unlikeable-but-not-compellingly-so. She's extremely male-centered in a way that felt exhausting rather than satirical, and her voice leans so hard into Gen Z internet-speak that it started to grate. I wanted her rage and fantasies to *go* somewhere. Instead, it all just... deflated.
I support women's rights and ESPECIALLY their wrongs, however, this was my limit of that support.
Look, I rarely DNF books. I'm stubborn about it—I'll push through a lot if there's even a crumb of payoff on the horizon. But this one lost me, and I had to call it.
Here's the thing: I *love* an unhinged female protagonist. Give me messy, give me delusional, give me a woman making choices that make me want to shake her through the pages. That's my sweet spot. But Mika just... wasn't the unhinged I signed up for.
The blurb promises an obsessed, fantasy-prone woman spiraling through lust and delusion in chaotic pursuit of love. And the first half? It was actually working for me—there was a plot forming, a trajectory I could follow. But somewhere along the way, we lost the plot. I questioned what was real versus imagined, what was present versus flashback or inner monologue. Chapters blurred together without clear grounding, and by the last fifty pages I was just shrugging my way through, completely checked out.
Mika herself landed in that frustrating zone of unlikeable-but-not-compellingly-so. She's extremely male-centered in a way that felt exhausting rather than satirical, and her voice leans so hard into Gen Z internet-speak that it started to grate. I wanted her rage and fantasies to *go* somewhere. Instead, it all just... deflated.
I support women's rights and ESPECIALLY their wrongs, however, this was my limit of that support.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all--thank you NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.
An incredibly raw and poignant book covering a young woman's early to mid twenties. A woman longing for love and connection in a world that continues to chew and spit her back up again. She is just another cog in the giant wheel of capitalism. Overworked, underpaid, and underfucked. Chasing after men who don't really want her beyond her body and what she can do for them.
It's funny at times (especially with her snarky inner monologue), but also incredibly thoughtful. The story starts with her relatively bright eyed and bushy tailed regarding romance and lovers, and ends with her a hardened woman. (How can one touch another without any feeling behind it?) She's grown a backbone (standing up for herself at work, saying what she really feels), but that wide-eyed, naive girl is long gone. Though... perhaps not completely, given her gentling remark towards the end of the book, to her latest lover, who looks rather hurt by the first comment. (We're not friends. -> We're best friends.).
There are some heavy themes to be mindful of, including, but not limited to: mentions of suicide, thoughts of suicide, violent (but IMO, justified) fantasies, blurred lines regarding consent, nonconsenual touching.
An incredibly raw and poignant book covering a young woman's early to mid twenties. A woman longing for love and connection in a world that continues to chew and spit her back up again. She is just another cog in the giant wheel of capitalism. Overworked, underpaid, and underfucked. Chasing after men who don't really want her beyond her body and what she can do for them.
It's funny at times (especially with her snarky inner monologue), but also incredibly thoughtful. The story starts with her relatively bright eyed and bushy tailed regarding romance and lovers, and ends with her a hardened woman. (How can one touch another without any feeling behind it?) She's grown a backbone (standing up for herself at work, saying what she really feels), but that wide-eyed, naive girl is long gone. Though... perhaps not completely, given her gentling remark towards the end of the book, to her latest lover, who looks rather hurt by the first comment. (We're not friends. -> We're best friends.).
There are some heavy themes to be mindful of, including, but not limited to: mentions of suicide, thoughts of suicide, violent (but IMO, justified) fantasies, blurred lines regarding consent, nonconsenual touching.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This book is a fight: a fight of self- of society- of sexuality. A young 25 year old woman, born in Japan, raised in OHIO of all places, and back to Japan to live and grow with a raging dichotomy of internal chaos and societal standards.
Like the tv show "Flea Bag", a sexually active woman in modern society tries to navigate life, family, and her raging desires.
"Today is one of those days; a single tear escapes me as I sink into a slouch on my sofa and masticate my flaccid-dick noodles. Bitch can't even cook pasta right." pg 48
Are women not allowed to be frustrated by sex and hormones? Why are men only allowed to have sexual struggles?
"If Nana is a buffalo wing drenched in blue-cheese sauce, I am a slab of raw, unseasoned chicken breast thawing on the kitchen counter: a health code violation." pg 79
Self-sabotaging co-dependent behavior and internal self-esteem issues. I remember being in my 20s, I remember thinking my feelings were love... but they were not... hormones just mess with you.
"Hungry for love, hungry for skin, for just a little bit more of his time." pg 101.
Needs desires. Such an interesting book putting female needs desires and sexuality on full nude display.
I commemorate the author for being so bold.
Thank you to GoodReads for this ARC. It's an interesting book, and the pleasure has been all mine to read it.
Like the tv show "Flea Bag", a sexually active woman in modern society tries to navigate life, family, and her raging desires.
"Today is one of those days; a single tear escapes me as I sink into a slouch on my sofa and masticate my flaccid-dick noodles. Bitch can't even cook pasta right." pg 48
Are women not allowed to be frustrated by sex and hormones? Why are men only allowed to have sexual struggles?
"If Nana is a buffalo wing drenched in blue-cheese sauce, I am a slab of raw, unseasoned chicken breast thawing on the kitchen counter: a health code violation." pg 79
Self-sabotaging co-dependent behavior and internal self-esteem issues. I remember being in my 20s, I remember thinking my feelings were love... but they were not... hormones just mess with you.
"Hungry for love, hungry for skin, for just a little bit more of his time." pg 101.
Needs desires. Such an interesting book putting female needs desires and sexuality on full nude display.
I commemorate the author for being so bold.
Thank you to GoodReads for this ARC. It's an interesting book, and the pleasure has been all mine to read it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is for a very specific type of person, and that person is not me. With the most male-centred narrator I’ve ever experienced, this book reads like your least favourite coworker holding you hostage at work to explain the details of her miserable love life.
Mika was unhinged and at times funny, but she exhibits one of my least favourite personality types: the TikTok-obsessed Gen Z mid-20s female. Although there was no direct mention of TikTok in the book, Mika uses several buzzwords that have been popular on TikTok in the last year: limerence (as seen in the title), cortisol levels, medium-ugly, old money, female gaze, and many more.
She occasionally has intrusive thoughts, and I skimmed through all of them. They were kind of insufferable to read.
This book isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read. It does depict modern dating, and I do like the themes of friendship breakups, learning the hard way about situationships, doing meaningless and unfulfilling work, and family dynamics.
The ending is ridiculous and just sounds like a joke to be honest. Spoiler alert:
Mika was unhinged and at times funny, but she exhibits one of my least favourite personality types: the TikTok-obsessed Gen Z mid-20s female. Although there was no direct mention of TikTok in the book, Mika uses several buzzwords that have been popular on TikTok in the last year: limerence (as seen in the title), cortisol levels, medium-ugly, old money, female gaze, and many more.
She occasionally has intrusive thoughts, and I skimmed through all of them. They were kind of insufferable to read.
This book isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read. It does depict modern dating, and I do like the themes of friendship breakups, learning the hard way about situationships, doing meaningless and unfulfilling work, and family dynamics.
The ending is ridiculous and just sounds like a joke to be honest. Spoiler alert:
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hello limerence is a first person narrative following Mika, a 24 year old girl living in Tokyo and navigating your typical coming of age dilemmas- friendship, dating, family, and the work place. In terms of plot, there’s not a lot, but once you know this and accept it, then the enjoyment begins. It’s raunchy, funny and often painfully relatable. Sometimes the prose veers into the realm of stream of consciousness and series of one liners, but as I said, once we accept that we’re here for the vibes I found it hard to put down. Mika is not always perfect but she perfectly encapsulates the insecurities of our mid twenties and how that manifests in our relationships be it romantic, familial or with work colleagues. She does grow and mature by the end, maybe not profoundly, but in a way that feels tangible and realistic. This book is perfect for people who are here for the vibes, want something that is light and funny with a touch of heart, and who want to feel those very specific feels of being a woman in your twenties figuring everything out. It may not be for everyone but this ended up being a solid four star read for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Mariner books for the ARC!
February 9, 2026
HELLO, LIMERENCE
RATING: 3.5
GENRE: Fiction
Oh, Mika. To be 25 and young again. Our protagonist is a young woman living in Tokyo and navigating through a tumultuous love life. Let me begin by saying this book is not for everyone - it’s crude at times but refreshingly honest. I find sometimes that females are portrayed as delicate and innocent beings that have no sexual desires. Momo Yamaguchi breaks that stereotype and makes Mika a real girl who has desires, pain, and goes through the ups and downs of the dating world.
I found myself laughing at some of Mika’s antics and admit that I’ve have similar intrusive thoughts as well regarding men I’ve dated. Mika is blunt and does not seem to care about the public’s opinion of her. This strays from the meek image of a Japanese woman - however, do not forget, Mika has spent time into America and has Western influences. She’s Japanese but has experienced America. I think that is why she seems to gravitate towards ex-pats or foreigners.
Overall, a fun and light read. It was refreshing and enjoyable. Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the ARC. I look forward to more of Momo’s work.
RATING: 3.5
GENRE: Fiction
Oh, Mika. To be 25 and young again. Our protagonist is a young woman living in Tokyo and navigating through a tumultuous love life. Let me begin by saying this book is not for everyone - it’s crude at times but refreshingly honest. I find sometimes that females are portrayed as delicate and innocent beings that have no sexual desires. Momo Yamaguchi breaks that stereotype and makes Mika a real girl who has desires, pain, and goes through the ups and downs of the dating world.
I found myself laughing at some of Mika’s antics and admit that I’ve have similar intrusive thoughts as well regarding men I’ve dated. Mika is blunt and does not seem to care about the public’s opinion of her. This strays from the meek image of a Japanese woman - however, do not forget, Mika has spent time into America and has Western influences. She’s Japanese but has experienced America. I think that is why she seems to gravitate towards ex-pats or foreigners.
Overall, a fun and light read. It was refreshing and enjoyable. Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the ARC. I look forward to more of Momo’s work.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hello, Limerence by Momo Yamaguchi initially drew me in with the cover -- the art for both versions is beautiful and unique.
Yamaguchi's debut novel stars 25 year old Mika, a young woman in Tokyo who is trying to find her footing in the world of modern dating, of which limerence is a common theme. Mika is someone who you will instantly laugh at and with. Packed with desire, comforting monotony, dark humor, and a puzzling but equally interesting book structure, I enjoyed navigating Tokyo and the qualms of modern daring with Mika with for a little while.
This is one of those books where context helps a lot. I enjoyed the comparison to Fleabag, as it helped me understand what the author was trying to do at some points in the book. The structure did take some getting used to, but overall I think it suited the book well. I found myself wanting to understand and connect with Mika more so that I could care more about her fate, but I understand this is probably part of a light-hearted stylistic choice.
Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
Yamaguchi's debut novel stars 25 year old Mika, a young woman in Tokyo who is trying to find her footing in the world of modern dating, of which limerence is a common theme. Mika is someone who you will instantly laugh at and with. Packed with desire, comforting monotony, dark humor, and a puzzling but equally interesting book structure, I enjoyed navigating Tokyo and the qualms of modern daring with Mika with for a little while.
This is one of those books where context helps a lot. I enjoyed the comparison to Fleabag, as it helped me understand what the author was trying to do at some points in the book. The structure did take some getting used to, but overall I think it suited the book well. I found myself wanting to understand and connect with Mika more so that I could care more about her fate, but I understand this is probably part of a light-hearted stylistic choice.
Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
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