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Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part I
  6. 3
  7. The History of My Beef with Brynn Foer-Preston
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part I
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part I
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part II
  20. 13
  21. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part II
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. The Complicated History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Imaginary Relationship with Her Nonexistent Dad
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part III
  33. 23
  34. 24
  35. 25
  36. A Brief, Backward History of the McAllister Family, as Paraphrased from the San Jose Mercury News
  37. 26
  38. 27
  39. 28
  40. A Quick and Eerily Relevant History of Asians in America
  41. 29
  42. 30
  43. 31
  44. 32
  45. 33
  46. 34
  47. 35
  48. 36
  49. A Brief History of Chisaki Joan Katsuyama’s Romantic Learning Opportunities, Part IV
  50. 37
  51. 38
  52. 39
  53. 40
  54. 41
  55. 42
  56. 43
  57. 44
  58. A Series of Screw-ups: The Chisaki Joan Katsuyama Story, Part II (Or Maybe It’s a Prequel)
  59. 45
  60. 46
  61. 47
  62. 48
  63. 49
  64. 50
  65. 51
  66. 52
  67. 53
  68. The History of the Katsuyama Family, Part III
  69. 54
  70. A Note from the Author
  71. Index of Flowers and their Meanings
  72. Acknowledgments
  73. About the Author
  74. Praise for This Time Will Be Different
  75. Books by Misa Sugiura
  76. Back Ad
  77. About the Publisher

At this, I forget my new leaf feeling altogether and roll my eyes. I love what we sell, and I love making people happy with it. But let’s not kid ourselves—it’s all an illusion.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at the magic of romance, CJ, or you’ll end up like your mom.”

“Hannah.”

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

I do. It’s not like Mom is some lonely, bitter old hag who’s dead inside. She’s beautiful and smart and funny, and she could probably date whoever she wants. But, to use her words, she has better things to do with her time than root through the trash heap that is online dating—a sentiment that Hannah finds highly offensive, since she, herself, has had a lot of romantic relationships that started online. Mom would say that proves her point.

Because the thing is, Hannah isn’t exactly a reliable authority on romance. However much positive influence her so-called magic may have on the happiness of other couples, it doesn’t seem to apply to her own relationships. Like, at all. Ever since I can remember, she’s gone through at least one, sometimes two boyfriends a year, each time convinced that this is the One, each time soaring on an updraft of romantic optimism—and each time, plunging to a bruising, painful breakup. Her life is a rom-com on an endless loop, cutting back to the beginning before it reaches the happy ending. I don’t know how or why she keeps at it. You’d think she’d know better by now.

Bottom line: Katsuyamas may never quit, but we also never succeed, at least when it comes to romance and true love. And if my own history is any indication, I may never succeed at anything else, either.

2

IT’S SIX THIRTY IN THE MORNING ON A SCHOOL-STAFF-DEVELOPMENT day, but instead of being warm and asleep in my bed like a normal human being, I’m awake and shivering in my vintage Cap’n Crunch T-shirt and my McAllister High School sweat pants. I would say it’s cold enough to see my breath, but starlight doesn’t make for great visibility.

Mom has dragged me out to her favorite trail at the open-space preserve for a predawn power walk, and I am deeply regretting my decision to let her. I huff and puff to keep up as she charges ahead of me toward a one-mile climb. I wonder if mountain lions get up this early.