Love, Yumi

The Romantic Life of a Japanese Idol

By: Hildred Billings

Narrated by: Maika Kawa

Length: 21 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

"If you don't know me, that's okay. There were many days I didn't know who I was either..."

My name is Chiharu Morita. Of course, that is the name on this blog, so that is who I am. The Chiharu you know is only a shadow. Yes, I was in a group called Butterfly Tops. Now, I am a composer. The person responsible for some of the pop songs you hear on the radio.

Those aren't the reasons you know me, though. You know me because of Yumi. The woman who comes into your living room every night on dramas, music shows, and radio request lines. The most famous woman in the country.

Yumi, as you may know, is my childhood friend. We graduated high school and went to audition for a new girl group they were creating. The rest is history.

For you, anyway.

For me, I still breathe this every day. Because, I love Yumi. I have, since I was a young girl too stupid to know the words for what I felt. This is my confession. This is the story of not only me, but Yumi, too. Of how we left our town and became household names. Of how I fell in love with her and did everything in my power to protect her from the evil in this world. I did not always succeed.

I will not rest until you know the truth. All the lies the agencies and labels tried to make us spew will be known. Maybe, this will mean the end of what career I have left. But if I don't tell this story, I won't know who I am anymore. I want to be more than "the girl who loved Yumi", yet it's the only identity I can ever remember having.

For better or worse, let us begin.

Set in contemporary Japan, Love, Yumi is the epic journey one woman embarks on to complete the impossible: to save her best friend and the woman she loves from a brutal, all-consuming pop culture world. Contains every situation that entails.

©2016 Barachou Press (P)2020 Barachou Press

I love this book

As a Japanese woman who did not fully realize she was lesbian until her 30s,
I wish we all could have had a book like this, growing up.
But better late than never.
A great love story with a great narration. Thank you so much.

Loved-Loved-Loved this book

This book is really long but every minute of it was outstanding! Hildred Billings out did herself on this one!

The narrator, Maika Kama was the perfect choice to contribute her vocal talents for this one!

Overall -Amazing book!

very slow burn

I've never listened to or read a book that kept me hanging on for so long, to finally know if the ladies were going to get together. And worth every page. The journey it took me on behind the scene for an Idol was interesting, educational and frightening. Strong women with spines of steel. What would have destroyed other women, made these stronger. Well worth the read/listen.

Captivating

Great story, fantastic narrator. Non-native English speaker so be prepared for mispronunciation, but overall a fantastic listen. A peak in to the life of an idol.