This is such a warm and cosy read! Was completely here for it. The writing was solid and the appreciation for books was magical. Really enjoyed!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop' by Hwang Bo-reum but translated by Shanna Tan into English.

'Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop' is such a beautiful story which is quite quick and easy to read. It's always tricky to review translated works because the writing style of the author is translated into that of English but I'd like to say Shanna Tan did well in translating because the translation of the story felt like it flowed well. I loved it.

This book is nothing short of a love letter to books, bookshops and all who love them
I empathise so much with ow protagonist, that I honestly Fred like she could have been based on me. I think all office-based, book loving nerds have dreamt of the bookstore they would run one day

This novel sympathetically portrays real, human characters with all their recognisably familiar flaws and worries. And a knowing, self aware nod that it is full of people just like you, dear reader.

This is not a novel full of twists and turns, reading this gives my soul the same gentle comforting feeling that a ware tea gives on a crisp autumn morning. We're immersing ourselves in the Hyunam-dong book shop not for an adrenaline rush, but to connect with a collection of characters and examine the mirror they hold up to ourselves.

Each of the characters comes to us a fully fledged, authentically flawed personality, struggling to reconnect with the world after burn-outs, breakdowns, divorces, and shocked awakenings from the monotony of the corporate world


It's not often I final a book I can wholesale recommend to all my reader friends,

This is one of them.

This was such a beautiful book, I adored the story and characters, The writing style was gorgeous. 100% recommend.

Love love love this book! It's a cosy, heart warming, wholesome book set in a part of the world I love to read about.

Will be recommending this to everyone. It makes me smile when I think about it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the arc.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
This is a cosy, feel-good story about a woman who quits corporate life in Seoul to open a book shop and regain some semblance of a good work-life balance. The book is definitely character-driven - there is very little ‘action’ in the 300+ pages of the novel, but it still manages to deal with issues such as corporate burn-out, friendship, and,of course, the importance of books and reading! :-) Perfect if you like stories such as ‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’ and ‘Convenience Store Woman’.

A heartwarming cosy read that makes you think about how important it is to be happy and that we can all find a place to call ‘home’.

3.5!

This is a translation of the book by Hwang Bo-reum and it was translated by Shanna Tan.

If you’re a book lover then you will LOVE this. (Think along the lines of The Reading List)

Nestled in a neighbourhood in Seoul sits a bookshop where all of its customers come to take refuge between its shelves and pages. It’s through this bookshop that many of the characters within this novel come alive!

This is such a heartwarming story oh my gosh. I think everyone will find a piece of themselves within these charterers.

At its core, this book is about work-centric lifestyles and things that have gone wrong in your life and wanting to find solitude. It also explores working so hard to fulfil your dreams as well as achieving them but not feeling as fulfilled as expected.

We’ve had a couple of rainy days lately in London and this has been the perfect material to match the weather!

A big thank you Net Galley & Bloomsbury for a digital ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the translations coming from Asia at the moment. The is a lovely heart warming story. Relatable characters and a lovely lovely story. I very much enjoyed this book.

Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury publishing for the arc of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum.

Loved it. Every book lover will adore this story!

A really lovely book that celebrates what is book lovers love. BOOKS. it is about acceptance and being true to yourself. Finding out who you really are and loving who you are.