This Time Will Be Different / Sugiura, Misa

Seventeen-year-old CJ Katsuyama's family sold their flower shop to a white man for next to nothing while they were interned during World War II. Thirty years later, the family bought the store back from that family, the McAllisters, who had prospered in the interim. Now the shop is in financial trouble and CJ's mother works for McAllister Venture Capital. CJ's mother pushes CJ to make something of her life, but CJ only seems to excel at arranging flowers, and she feels aimless. When secrets about the McAllister patriarch come to light, CJ and a group of student activists find something to rally behind, though it causes friction in the community and between CJ and her mother.

Years ago, seventeen-year-old CJ Katsuyama's family sold their flower shop to a white man for next to nothing while they were interned during WWII. Thirty years later, the family bought the store back from that family, the McAllisters, who have since prospered. Now the shop is in financial trouble and CJ's mother works for McAllister Venture Capital. Ever the type A personality, CJ's mother pushes CJ to make something of her life, but CJ only seems to excel at arranging flowers and feels aimless. Then, when secrets about the McAllister patriarch come to light, CJ and a group of student activists find something to rally behind, though it causes great friction in the community and between CJ and her mother.

Katsuyamas never quit, but seventeen-year-old CJ doesn't even know where to start. She's never lived up to her mom's ambition, and she's perfectly happy just helping her aunt at their family's flower shop. Then her mom decides to sell the shop-to the family who swindled CJ's grandparents out of their property when thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during WWII. Soon a rift threatens to splinter CJ's family, friends, and entire Northern California community. And for the first time, CJ has found something she wants to fight for.