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A review by whitne_ey
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Sexism
This book is VERY similar in tone and structure to the “Before The Coffee Gets Cold” series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and could be good for someone looking for more of that. The 5 short stories are meant to be inspiring, but I found the endings to be predictable and flat. It was also quite repetitious, over describing the details that repeat in the stories, such as the appearance of the librarians, the characters’ love for a certain brand of cookies, the characters’ confusion over felting, etc. The concept is good, and I definitely enjoyed some moments and found them relatable, but overall it was an underwhelming experience for me. This could be because I read “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” first, and this wasn’t as whimsical as that (not saying it needs to be! It just might have impacted my experience of this book!) I do wish those cookies were real though, I’d like to try them.