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royalwaves's review against another edition
4.0
This is exactly what I needed right now and made me want to work in a library so badly. The only reason I’m not giving this a higher rating is because the judging of the librarians weight was 100% not needed and I started to roll my eyes when a new character met her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Fatphobia, and Sexism
skeltzer's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Lovely little book, aside from the recurring fatphobia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, and Fatphobia
vaekay's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Amazing character work. I really connected with #1 and I additionally felt as if I would one day relate to the struggles of #5 in some way. I was able to connect to all of the characters and found their development to be beautiful.
The translator needed an editor though; there were over a dozen typos in the English copy. It was especially disappointing during #3, where you are connecting to a former magazine editor (lol!).
The translator needed an editor though; there were over a dozen typos in the English copy. It was especially disappointing during #3, where you are connecting to a former magazine editor (lol!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Body shaming and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol and Pedophilia
purplesaturday's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The eptitome of a cosy book. So heartwarming, comforting and inspiring.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wowowowow what a cute book!!!! i loved the cosy yet hopeful vibe this book had!!! ugh i understand why people love this so much. i want to just say the reason my rating is so “low” is simply because;
a) the book gets a bit formulaic at times - person’s life is doodoo, they go to the library, their life is a bit less doodoo solely by chance
b) these people’s lives are getting “better” often in abstract ways, or the changes literally happen at the drop of a dime. i would’ve preferred to see their progression be a bit more slow, even with chapters ending with less clear endings but still seem realistic (i get this is a magical realism book + it’s only like ~250 pages for so im asking a lot here but hey im being honest about my experience).
i will say i do like how there were individual chapters following 5 people in very different situations. i will also say i love how each story is connected, whether that be just simply because they all visit the library & were disillusioned with life prior to visiting, or in more significant ways such as characters reoccurring. i think its best for me to talk about my thoughts with each chapter, so here i go
chapter 1 (tomoka): i really liked this story! it was a nice chapter to ease me into this book. it’s also quite relatable seeing as i’m also a uni student, i get not liking part-time random retail jobs 💀 the ending was really cute though, and honestly i felt her chapter to be the most “believable”
chapter 2 (ryo): i’ll be candid, this was probably my second-least favourite chapter. i found ryo as a character to be a bit of a shithead because of how he is with his gf, but idk him visiting a cat cafe was very cute vibes. i wanted to visit a cat cafe whilst reading about a cat cafe. pretty mid imo
chapter 3 (natsumi): i liked this a lot! i enjoyed the theme of misogyny in the workplace + the commentary of being a working mother. the ending was really sweet as well! i would say this is probably my fav chapter!!!
chapter 4 (hiroya): easily least fav chapter, simply because sometimes i feel like him 💀💀 granted im at uni so im not a NEET but idk reading about him was a look in the mirror i did not like! i did think the ending was cute and honestly has kinda motivated me to look for a job at a bookstore? thanks for that hiroya ig
chapter 5 (masao): this chapter felt redundant to me. like we just had hiroya explaining life without a purpose because of not having a job….. and these chapters are back to back. i will say this story felt stronger simply because masao wasn’t a whiny baby (looking at u hiroya) but it felt repetitive with the themes!
overall this was a nice book! i sure had a fun time. sometimes i like my books to lack deeper meaning - if i don’t have to watch 3 youtube video essays to understand ur cozy book its a win for me. plus sometimes i just want to vibe not think whilst reading, and this book did that so well.
also shout out books within books i love this trope 🙏🙏
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
morgiechristine's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Misogyny
jolineliest's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Pregnancy
risemini's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Pregnancy
arturo_luzen's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Body shaming
Minor: Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Sexism, Fatphobia, Grief, and Bullying
anjalisb's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The fatphobia in the book really ruined the stories for me. Fatphobia is just unnecessary and unpleasant. The fatphobia also gets more graphic and nasty with each characters story. I also found this book to be really repetitive - it is the same storyline a number of times over with characters "finding" a positive spin on their lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism