7 Tastes of Love by Toko Koyanaga | Book Review

In 7 Tastes of Love by Toko Koyanaga, we meet Kiriko, a woman who constantly hides behind masks and glasses because society can’t handle her beauty without being weird about it. Some obsess, some hate, but nobody really sees her. Stuck in a gilded cage of a toxic marriage with a rich husband who won’t even let her near the kitchen, she’s basically living in emotional lockdown. Wanting to do something for herself, she secretly gets a job in the kitchen of a nursing home. There, she meets Sajita-san, an elderly man who drags her to Izakaya Yabu Hebi, a small restaurant where she finally finds people who appreciate her for more than just a pretty face. 

(Di buku 7 Tastes of Love oleh Toko Koyanaga, kita berkenalan dengan Kiriko, perempuan yang selalu bersembunyi di balik masker dan kacamata gara-gara society nggak bisa melihat kecantikannya tanpa jadi weirdo. Ada yang obsessed, ada yang benci, tapi nggak ada yang beneran memahami dia. Terjebak di pernikahan toxic layaknya gilded cage sama suami kaya yang nggak mengizinkan dia masuk dapur, hidup Kiriko terasa kayak emotional lockdown. Tapi akhirnya dia mutusin buat memberontak diam-diam dengan bekerja di dapur panti jompo. Di sanalah ketemu Sajita-san, si kakek bijak yang menyeretnya ke Izakaya Yabu Hebi, tempat Kiriko akhirnya menemukan orang-orang yang menghargai dia bukan cuma karena kecantikannya.)

TL;DR: Beauty is exhausting, especially when caged (being gorgeous comes with baggage no one sees), good food > toxic husband (croquette never gaslights you), the right place changes everything (find your tribe, heal your vibe)

Perfect for fans of: emotional glow-ups, found family tropes, and stories where cooking (and eating) = therapy.

⚠️ SIDE EFFECT: 

🔺Intense Japanese bento cravings and sudden life evaluations.

🔺Instant noodle cravings (The food descriptions are illegally delicious)

🔺Sudden urge to quit toxic situations (Bye, trash relationships!)

🔺Desire to adopt a wise grandpa (Sajita-san supremacy)

BOOK REVIEW 

7 Tastes of Love by Toko Koyanaga is a whole experience in a book. It’s about self-discovery, healing, and how your environment can literally make or break you. And guess what? Food is the main character here. For Kiriko, cooking isn’t just about eating, it’s therapy, memory, and love all rolled into one. It’s how she honors her grandma, finds peace in chaos, and bonds with others. But in her toxic marriage? She wasn’t even allowed to cook. Red flag! 🚩

This book also makes a strong point that your vibe attracts your tribe. Kiriko’s beauty doesn’t change, but the way people treat her does, depending on where she is. In one place, she’s harassed, in another, she’s respected. It’s like that quote about flowers growing in the wrong place, if you’re not thriving, maybe it’s not you, it just means you need to find a better place to bloom. This isn’t just about looks, either. Your talents, your personality, even your dreams can go from being "too much" to your biggest flex, if you’re in the right space.

And here’s the real tea: People’s opinions say more about them than about you. Kiriko stays the same, but how others treat her depends on their biases, insecurities, and baggage. Makes you think, huh? How much of what we go through is just projection? At the same time, the book is a big, flashing neon sign reminding us: Leave what doesn’t serve you. Toxic relationship? Bye. Miserable job? Peace out. Life’s too short to stay where you’re not valued. You deserve a space where you can bloom unapologetically.

Besides being a story about healing and food, it’s also a book that recognizes emotional abuse. Kiriko’s husband never laid a hand on her, but the way he controlled her? Major ick. He micromanaged her life, trash-talked her dreams, and even banned her from cooking, which is her literal love language. That’s the thing about emotional abuse, it doesn’t leave bruises, but it wrecks your soul. Kiriko’s story is telling you that: If a relationship dims your light, it’s not love, it’s lockdown. And healing? Yeah, you can’t just bury that trauma. You gotta face it to glow up.

Now, let’s talk about the real villain: THE Social Media Delusion. Kiriko’s husband is that guy posting #CoupleGoals photos while their marriage is a frozen wasteland. His entire self-worth? Powered by likes and comments. Sound familiar? This book shows how social media turns life into a performance, prioritizes filters over feelings that clout over relationships. It’s 2025, and we’re all drowning in curated perfection while real relationships crumble. This book? A reality check. If your feed looks happier than your life, maybe it's time to log off and touch some grass.

Here’s the bitter truth: Too many people stay stuck in toxic relationships, soul-sucking jobs, or fake friendships, because change and how other people judge you for it are scary. But this book? It’s your sign to GTFO and level up. Kiriko’s journey is about taking charge of your life again, knowing your worth, and finding your real tribe. Life’s too short to settle for less than you deserve. 

(7 Tastes of Love oleh Toko Koyanaga bukan sekadar bacaan, ini sepaket healing dalam bentuk buku! Ceritanya tentang self-discovery, proses penyembuhan, dan gimana lingkungan bisa membuat kita flourish atau malah hancur. Dan yang bikin seru? Makanan jadi pemeran utamanya! Buat Kiriko, masak itu bukan cuma urusan perut, tapi terapi, kenangan, dan cinta yang digabung jadi satu. Lewat masakan, dia menghormati neneknya, menemukan ketenangan di tengah chaos, dan berhubungan sama orang lain. Tapi di pernikahan toxic-nya? Dia dilarang masak. Lah, ini mah red flag banget! 🚩

Buku ini juga mengingatkan kita kalau vibe kita nentuin tribe kita! Kecantikan Kiriko gak berubah, tapi perlakuan yang dia terima berbeda-beda tergantung tempat. Di satu tempat dia dihina, di tempat lain dihargai. Persis kayak bunga yang salah tanem, kalau lkamu ngerasa gak berkembang, mungkin bukan kamu yang salah, tapi tempatnya yang gak cocok. Dan ini gak cuma soal fisik aja. Bakat, kepribadian, bahkan impian bisa berubah dari yang dianggap "terlalu berlebihan" jadi keunggulan kita, asal kita ada di lingkungan yang tepat.

Nih, real talk-nya: Pendapat orang lebih menggambarkan diri mereka daripada diri kita. Kiriko tetep sama, tapi perlakuan yang diterimanya berbeda karena bias, insekuriti, dan masalah pribadi orang lain. Makes you think, kan? Berapa banyak hal yang kita alami sebenernya cuma projection orang lain doang? Di sisi lain, buku ini kayak neon sign raksasa yang bilang: "Leave what doesn’t serve you!" Pacar toxic? Bye-bye! Kerjaan bikin stres? Peace out! Hidup terlalu singkat buat stuck di tempat yang gak menghargai kita. Kita berhak berkembang tanpa perlu minta maaf! 

Selain kisah healing dan makanan, buku ini juga mengungkap soal kekerasan emosional. Suami Kiriko memang gak sampai memukul dia, tapi caranya mengontrol Kiriko? Icky banget sih! Dia mengatur hidup Kiriko seenaknya, menjatuhkan mimpinya, bahkan nggak bolehin dia masak, padahal masak tuh love language-nya. Ini nih bahaya emotional abuse, gak meninggalkan memar fisik, tapi bikin mental hancur. Cerita Kiriko ini kayak teriak: "Kalau sebuah hubungan bikin kita redup, itu bukan cinta, itu penjara!" Dan soal healing? Trauma gak bisa cuma dikubur. Kita harus hadapi biar bisa glow up.

Nah, sekarang kita bahas villain utamanya: DELUSI MEDIA SOSIAL! Suami Kiriko tuh tipe yang suka upload #CoupleGoals padahal rumah tangganya beku kayak Antartika. Harga diri? Ditentukan oleh likes dan komen. Sounds familiar? Buku ini menunjukkan gimana media sosial bikin hidup jadi panggung sandiwara, filter lebih penting dari perasaan, bahkan di atas hubungan yang real. Tahun 2025 ini kita masih aja tenggelam di ilusi kesempurnaan sementara hubungan asli berantakan. Buku ini kayak tamparan realita: Kalau feed kita keliatan lebih bahagia dari hidup kita, mungkin saatnya log off dan main di dunia nyata. 

Kenyataan pahitnya: Banyak banget orang stuck di hubungan toxic, kerjaan yang bikin stres, atau pertemanan palsu, cuma karena takut perubahan dan omongan orang. Tapi buku ini? Ini semacam pertanda buat kita semua: Waktunya cabut dan upgrade hidup! Perjalanan Kiriko itu tentang mengambil alih kendali lagi, menyadari nilai diri kita, dan cari tribe yang beneran mendukung. Hidup terlalu singkat buat menerima yang less than you deserve.)

THINGS I LOVE

■ FOOD = THE ULTIMATE LOVE LANGUAGE

This book gets it, food isn't just fuel, it's therapy on a plate. Every bite in Kiriko's story is packed with meaning: cooking = healing trauma, izakaya meals = friendship bracelets but make it edible, nursing home kitchen = love letters to lonely hearts.

■ FOUND FAMILY >>> TOXIC EXES

I love how Kiriko builds her glow-up squad at the nursing home and izakaya. Sajita-san? Wise grandpa energy. Shotaro? Old professor vibes. Yabu Hebi crew? Ride-or-die foodies. This is your sign to ditch people who dim your sparkle, find your chosen family, and let them hype you up like Kiriko's new friends do.

■ SOCIAL COMMENTARY THAT ACTUALLY SLAPS

This book casually drops truth bombs about society standards for women being whack (Why's society obsessed with my face but not my feelings? Being pretty and ugly are both wrong for us), social media addiction (500 likes but zero real connections), and age-gap romance struggles (Love shouldn't come with a side of judgment). All served up without the boring lecture vibe, just juicy storytelling that makes you go 🤔 then 😤 then 🥲

(■ MAKANAN = THE ULTIMATE LOVE LANGUAGE

Buku ini ngerti banget kalau makanan bukan cuma pengganjal perut, tapi terapi dalam piring. Setiap gigitan di cerita Kiriko punya arti: memasak = obat luka masa lalu, makan di izakaya = pertemanan versi edible, dapur panti jompo = surat cinta buat yang kesepian

■ FOUND FAMILY >>> MANTAN TOXIC

Aku suka banget lihar Kiriko menciptakan squad glow-up-nya di panti jompo dan izakaya: Sajita-san = kakek-kakek bijak, Shotaro = old professor vibes, kru Yabu Hebi = temen makan sehidup semati. Ini tanda buat kita untuk cut orang yang bikin cahaya hidup kita redup, fari framily (family + friends), and let them support us kayak squad-nya Kiriko

■ KRITIK SOSIAL YANG MENABOK SEKALI

Buku ini melempar truth bombs tentang standar kecantikan yang gak masuk akal (Kenapa sih orang peduli muka gue tapi nggak peduli perasaan gue? Jadi cantik salah, jadi jelek salah), kecanduan media sosial (500 like tapi nol real connection), dan kesulitan dalam age gap relationship (cinta nggak harus datang dengan side dish judgment). Semuanya disajikan dengan santai tapi ngena banget, bikin kita 🤔, terus 😤, terus 🥲. The perfect emotional rollercoaster!)

THINGS I DON'T LIKE 

■ THAT POST-CLIMAX SLUMP 

Okay, Kiriko’s big moment? Chef’s kiss. But after she makes her life-changing decision, the energy just fizzles out. We’re left with loose threads like her confession just hanging there, and no real emotional payoff for all the deep themes we’d been hyped for. It’s like waiting for the mic drop and getting a mic whisper instead.

■ SAJITA-SAN DESERVED BETTER 

Kiriko’s glow-up? Obsessed. But Sajita-san (her literal key person) got underdeveloped. We get crumbs of his backstory (but where’s the whole cake?), and zero clarity on why he is the way he is. If you’re gonna tease a deep connection, give us the depth. This man had potential, but ended up feeling like that classic mysterious knowing everything character that keeps everything to himself. 

■ PACING? MORE LIKE SNAIL MODE 

Between the tiny font (dear publisher, why you punish our eyes?) and scenes that draaaag, some parts felt like running through molasses. A book about food, healing, and drama shouldn’t have stretches that make you check how many pages are left. Where’s the momentum?

(■ PASCA CLIMAX MALAH ZZZZ

Momen besar Kiriko? Chef's kiss banget sih. Tapi habis dia bikin keputusan hidup, eh energinya langsung melempem. Masih ada aja pertanyaan gantung kayak pernyataan cintanya yang nggak jelas gimana, dan nggak ada emotional payoff buat tema-tema dalem yang sudah dibangun sebelumnya. Rasanya kayak nunggu mic drop, eh malah dapet mic cough.

■ SAJITA-SAN DESERVED BETTER

Glow-up-nya Kiriko? Slay banget. Tapi Sajita-san (orang penting dalam hidupnya) malah dikasih development ala kadarnya. Backstory-nya cuma dikasih dikit-dikit (yang utuh mana, min?), motivasinya juga nggak jelas. Kalau mau nunjukin hubungan yang dalem, mana buktinya? Karakter ini bisa jadi keren banget, tapi malah jadi kayak that classic mysterious character yang tahu segalanya tapi disimpen semuanya sendiri. 

■ PACING KAYAK SIPUT

Dari font yang kecil banget (penerbit, ngapain nyiksa mata kita?) sampai adegan-adegan yang molor kayak karet, beberapa bagian bikin ngantuk. Padahal kan ini buku tentang makanan, healing, dan drama, masa iya malah bikin kita terus ngecek sisa halamannya berapa? Where's the momentum?)

CONCLUSION 

This book is interesting. It's not just about Kiriko's journey from being a caged beautiful bird into a free wild one, it's a whole manifesto for anyone who's ever felt trapped by society's stupid standards, or been in a situationship that dimmed their light, and discovered healing through ~vibes~ and good food. Yeah, the pacing drags like your toxic ex's texts sometimes, and we needed more Sajita-san backstory (justice for grandpa!). But when this book slaps, it SLAPS, serving truth bombs about ditching approval addiction (500 likes ≠ real love), cooking as rebellion (your kitchen, your rules), and found family being the ultimate glow-up hack. Bottom line? This is your sign to block society's noise, nurture your soul (preferably with carbs), and surround yourself with people who get you.

(Buku ini menarik banget. Bukan cuma soal perjalanan Kiriko dari burung cantik yang terperangkap dalam sangkar jadi queen yang bebas di alam liar, tapi juga jadi panduan buat kita yang pernah: dikungkung standar masyarakat yang gak masuk akal, terjebak dalam hubungan yang bikin mental down, dan healing lewat ~good vibes~ dan makanan enak. Iya, emang ada bagian yang molor kayak chat mantan toxic, dan backstory Sajita-san kurang banget (justice for kakek!). Tapi pas udah nampol, NAMPOL BANGET, dia menyajikan hal kayak menolak ketergantungan akan validasi orang lain (500 likes ≠ cinta beneran), memasak = bentuk pemberontakan (dapur lo, aturan lo), dan found family = kunci glow-up terbaik. Intinya? Ini tanda buat ignore omongan toxic society, merawat kesejahteraan jiwa dan raga (lebih baik pake karbohidrat), dan mencari circle yang bener-bener memahami kita.)