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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Convenience Store by the Sea was a cozy little read, but I have to admit it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. The setting in Mojiko was charming, and Tenderness, the convenience store at the heart of the story, really gave off that warm, comforting vibe you’d expect. The characters were sweet and quirky in their own way, and I could see the appeal of their interactions. Still, I personally found myself wanting a bit more plot to stay engaged. It felt more like a series of gentle moments strung together than a story that kept me hooked. I think this is one of those books that really depends on your reading mood. If you’re looking for something heartwarming, low-stakes, and relaxing, it’s perfect. But for me, it ended up being more of a 3.5-star read: pleasant, cozy, but not especially memorable.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just way too much of nothing in a way that wasn’t meaningful. I need books with an edge.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Like many of the other Japanese popular fiction novels that I've been reading, the multiple small stories all focus around the same convenience store and the love and companionship the characters find because of it. Quite cute, easy to read.
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
relaxing
slow-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
The story starts with a great prologue: we're introduced to the life of a young woman who has a deeply strange experience in a mundane setting that makes both her and the reader intrigued to uncover and understand the mystery she has uncovered.
Bafflingly, she never appears in the book again.
This book has a lot of potential it never quite fulfills - there are lots of (perhaps too many) interesting characters who appear across most of these short stories, but once you have spent one or two stories with them they fall into the background and remain relatively unexplored.
The individual stories are nice enough, but the book as a whole never really goes anywhere plot wise nor emotionally. Not my favourite Japanese comfort novel - it's pleasent and inoffensive, it has interesting ideas, but it ends up being a bland nothing. A pity.
Bafflingly, she never appears in the book again.
This book has a lot of potential it never quite fulfills - there are lots of (perhaps too many) interesting characters who appear across most of these short stories, but once you have spent one or two stories with them they fall into the background and remain relatively unexplored.
The individual stories are nice enough, but the book as a whole never really goes anywhere plot wise nor emotionally. Not my favourite Japanese comfort novel - it's pleasent and inoffensive, it has interesting ideas, but it ends up being a bland nothing. A pity.