this was cute!!! i had a good time reading this.

takako was a good protagonist, she was relatable enough to be likeable, yet had her own ambitions. she did feel like she lacked depth and often at times felt flat, but she was nice enough that i didn’t mind too much

satoru was…. fine? he kind of felt like he lacked any depth. and that can almost go for all the other side characters. i mean this isn’t even 200 pages so im not surprised the side characters felt boring.

the setting was honestly the highlight of this book. i mean cmon what reader wouldn’t love to live in a bookshop. part 2’s setting was also quite pleasant, and added to the dream-like feeling of this book.

the plot itself was……. Meh! i mean i liked part 1, as it felt like it had a point, delivered it well, and was structured nicely. but part 2…… i didn’t like as much. like i said the setting was enjoyable, but the actual story felt like i was reading a completely different book. the tone felt like it did a random 180 and suddenly became incredibly depressing????? it wasn’t what was advertised at all. i was promised wholesome book loving not Depression.

i don’t really have much more to say. i mean this book is barely 150 pages. obviously a short book is going to have issues to do with pacing and fleshing out its cast, but everything felt like it was missing something. plus the ending felt like it was purposefully unresolved to set up a sequel, which just left me annoyed. the ending was not satisfying. i  mean i know you can only do so much when your setting is just a bookshop and the plot only surrounds that, but i would’ve preferred that! or keep part 2 but actually…. include that in the blurb!!!!!!!

i defo think ill read the sequel, if only to satiate my need to be a completionist. this was a perfectly average book. i am neither in love nor do i hate this. it was Fine