Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Mis días en la librería Morisaki

First of all: Why has every version of the cover art a cat on it when there are a grand total of 0 cats in the book?

I read this book in Dutch and I am sure most of my opinions on it are because the translation felt very bad. The sentences just did not flow well at all, which made it jarring to read. Besides that, I wonder if there is just too much of a culture gap here for me to understand this book and its characters.

I disliked the main character, Takako. Sure, she got out of a bad relationship and was feeling depressed, but she was behaving like such a whiny child that I often forgot she was supposed to be 25.

The whole storyline with the aunt that came back after rudely disappearing for 5 years, was so weird. Were we supposed to feel for her? Because I kinda didn’t. Sure, she was still processing the loss of their child, but it still felt flat.

I’m also going to say it, there are some… questionable things in the story and language used. First, the bath scene felt weird. Second, why was Takako asked if she was into girls when she was (in a strange way I agree) trying to hug her aunt? She was asked the same when she looked at a waitress for 3 seconds earlier in the book. To me that is just not something to joke about

So yeah. Me and this book did not vibe, but if I ever get the chance to read it in English, I am willing to try it.

Content Warnings

fyre_flies's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

Content Warnings

aseel_reads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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

3.75

This was a very sweet and quick read. I think it ended at a pretty good point of the story, just a short slice of life - because it was short, i can't rate it higher, since the several heavy plot points were not deeply discussed (like a good thing and a bad thing at the same time)

Content Warnings

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad 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

4.5

Content Warnings

jacquinotjackie's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

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nicoledean's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

📖 Takako is going through a difficult time. When her uncle reaches out with an offer to stay at his bookshop and help out when needed, she reluctantly agrees to a temporary stay. She’s not a reader and not really interested in reconnecting with long lost family. Takako is surprised by how much she falls in love with the little book shop and she discovers a passion for reading. She learns a lot during her stay at the bookshop and meets many friends along the way.

💭 I loved the setting and I had to look up to see if Jimbocho, Japan was a real place. It is and they really do have a huge, yearly used book sale festival. It would be a dream to be able to go there and see it in person. I bet it’s amazing! I liked seeing Takako’s growth throughout the book and seeing her develop relationships with her family and friends was heartwarming. I just felt like something was missing from the story for me. I just wanted more from it I guess. I think my favorite part of the book was seeing Takako develop a love of reading. It made my book loving heart so happy! I’m looking forward to reading book two when it comes out.

📚Read this if you like…
Bookish settings
Books about books
Cozy/comfort reads
Self-growth
Family drama

❤️Shoutout to @pattygonzica for recommending this one!

Content Warnings

roxyc's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

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