The DallerGut Dream Department Store sells dreams for humans and animals where they line up to purchase their latest adventure, with floors filled with all sorts of different dreams. We follow Penny who is a new hire at the store, who gives us a glimpse at this whimsical world.

I don’t even know where to start with this book than to say that I absolutely loved it so much. I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this but I came out really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! It is such a whimsical, filled to the brim with joy with interconnected stories that all come together in the most amazing way. Although, there are a lot of characters in this book, it didn’t feel overwhelming and I didn’t forget who was who. It is such a short read that I absolutely flew through every time I picked it up! This book really made me sit and think about dreams and how important they can be to people, as well as what they can communicate. I particularly loved how there was a perspective of a dog and there’s an insight into his life, thoughts and feelings, which I found really interesting. I really liked how the two epilogues gave more insight into particular things that are mentioned within the story, both that definitely made me curious to know more so I’m glad my questions were answered and I loved how this was incorporated into the story!

The only issue I had with this book is that a character describes themselves as having a “physical defect”, which can have negative connotations and may consider this to be offensive language.

⚠️ CWs: alcohol use, mentions death and child loss ⚠️

Thank you Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for this eARC!

In Dallergut Dream Department Store we join Penny as she starts her job in this department store that sells dreams.
I enjoyed reading about the different dreams available - e.g. visiting loved ones, living someone else's life etc. Every now and then we met some really unusual characters and found out the origins behind some of the dreams for sale which were interesting. I liked the idea of both animals and humans being able to buy dreams - particularly as I often wonder what my little dog dreams about.

Thoroughly enjoyed it but I would have just liked to spend as much time learning about the different dreams as I did the department store. Liked the characters and the plot itself - would recommend if you'd like an unusual cosy read.

A very original and brilliant story, cute and well plotted. It made mes smile and wonder what I could buy and what my adventure would be.
A cosy and poignant story that i enjoyed, strongly recommended
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I desperately wanted to like this book. Just look at that beautiful cover! I also really liked the whimsical and fun concept of a dream store. But the writing (or the translation) was just dreadfully boring. Maybe this could work for some people, but I just couldn't keep going after about 25%.

In a hidden town resides a department store that is visited nightly by both humans and animals. Visitors come to purchase an adventure or and each floor of the department store offers these different dreams.

This was s short but very sweet novel about the different customers that visit the Dallergut Dreamstore. I am a huge fan of Before the Coffee gets cold and this was very much in the same genre. A very heart warming book that I read in one sitting. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

"In a mysterious town that lies hidden in our collective subconscious, there's a quaint little store where all kinds of dreams are sold..."

This is a no.1 Korean bestseller, and I can 100% see why. Sometimes I read a book and think... why didn't I think of that? This is one of those times. We follow Penny, who lands her dream job at a dream department store. And as you may have already guessed, this is a town people visit while asleep, where they browse the dreams on offer and choose what they believe is going to enrich their life, whether that's helping them get over trauma or providing inspiration. It genuinely felt like some weird version of Blockbuster. We meet the people who create the dreams and the other quirky employees of the store. We also see the 'real world' through some of the dreamers whilst awake, as we get to see how their dreams affect their waking moments.

This book is quite a light read, but that doesn't take away from the imagination and craft that's clearly gone into writing it. I will admit I did read the part towards the end with the lady crafting dreams with my mouth open in sadness, but I don't want to give away why.

I hope they translate the second book too, as I'm impatiently waiting to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Move over, books about bookstores! Here is the next big thing! DallerGut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is an amazing slice-of-life, episodic novel that will appeal to fans of The Kamogawa Food Detectives and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. The story revolves around Penny, who has been newly hired by the titular dream store. In this world, dream stores like the Dallergut sell dreams to the general public, and these dreams run the gamut from tiny daydreams to life-changing big dreams.

Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Kick Slumber debuted in 1999, and it was historic because he won the Grand Prix in his first year. I saved up money for six months straight to buy his dream. It was the most vivid dream I'd had in my entire life! The feeling of my fins crossing the ocean and the view under the waves. It was so real that when I woke up, I was mortified that I hadn't been born a killer whale! He is a genius. You know how old he was then? Just thirteen!"

Overall, DallerGut Dream Department Store is an amazing novel in translation that is like Mister Magorium's Wonder Emporium meets the anime classic Paprika. One highlight of this book is the amazing premise. After I read the synopsis, I knew that I needed to read the rest of this book right away.

Another highlight of this book is the author's imagination. The book's innovative world-building hooked me from beginning to end. I can't wait to read the second book in the duology. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would have to say that I wish that the plot had built up to something a bit more sinister or action-packed. I'm sure that the book's slow-paced and comfortable nature will appeal to many readers though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of Korean literature in translation in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Wow, what an absolute dream of a novel. A beautifully captivating escape from the real world. The characters are endearing and the story is lovely. Magical realism at its most heartwarming.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. it was so warm and whimsical and made me live in an imaginary world of dreams for a short while. It was really fun and I can't wait to visit the Department Store next time I go to sleep!

It's honestly super hard to give feedback on this one and the best way I can describe is

- Its magical realism
- Its a great escape from the real world
- Short read that I really enjoyed

I really enjoyed the magical sides of this book, it was a true escape and I have already recommended it to my friends!

In the fantasy universe of sleep, populated with furry creatures, leprechauns, and people with out-of-this-world names there is a special town famous for its dreams. People can be found roaming in pyjamas and slippers towards the notorious Dallergut Dream Department Store. In this huge 4-floor shop, a team of talented (if excentric) dream sellers assist sleepers in purchasing a dream for the night.

The story is composed of two interlinked storylines. One follows young naive Penny, as she starts her dream job at the reception desk of the Dallergut dream store. She is trained and learns everything there is to know about dreams and dreamers. Interspersed are the stories of various characters from our world who are seeking dreams to deal with real-life issues. From creative block to breakups and grief, we see why they decide to look for a dream, how they experience it, and even though dreamers generally mostly forget the next day, we see the lingering Impact and power of dreams.

Overall, I enjoyed this cute fantastical take on the wellness industry. The idea of exploring the mystery of the unconscious when we sleep is quite unique and executed in a very cute way. It isn't too repetitive like other books in this genre can be, due to Penny’s narrative continuously helping us learn about this world. The descriptions are great and there are some very endearing and quirky characters I would love to learn more about in the second installment. It is a great read if you feel (need!) something low stakes and light but interesting, well-written, and whimsical. This book reminds me of “The Kamogawa food detectives” or “What you are looking for is in the Library”, but I think the fantasy worldbuilding makes this one really stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5 - 4 ⭐

First in a duology, this novel follows the story of Penny, a new worker in the DallerGut Dream Department Store. The dream store is located in a mysterious town in our subconscious mind, visited by humans and animals worldwide in their dreams. The stores sell various kinds of dreams to their customers, from nostalgia to mysteries and nightmares.

I would say that this novel is a slice-of-life fantasy novel, where it follows Penny’s life as a new worker in the DallerGut Dream Department Store. At the same time, there are also some mini stories in which characters (their dreaming or subconscious self) do transactions with the store. These transactions have their own effects on their real world's lives (along with their loved ones’). I really like the cover because for me, it really shows the fantasy element of the mysterious town that exists in our subconscious mind. However, because the novel is a slice-of-life genre, the pace is quite slow, so it may not really be a cup of tea for readers who prefer a fast-paced story. For the characters, I don’t really have any favourite characters (but I do adore some of them) because I’m focusing more on the events and mini stories happening in the book. Plus, I have a hard time to remember the characters’ names but that’s on me.

I am interested to read the sequel but I have to wait for the English version. Lastly, for anyone who likes a slow-paced reading or slice-of-life genre, this story may be for you. Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for this ARC! This review is voluntarily written by me.

This has been my most disappointing read of the year, and I had to dnf to keep my sanity. I was told this was a whimsical blend of Studio Ghibli and Superstore, but instead of whimsical, it is sickeningly twee and fails to cover up how nothing in this world makes any sense.

First, I think a lot of issues come down to the translation, and I worry this might have been a very direct translation that took all the context and nuance of out of the text. The writing is just so odd and filled with useless dialogue with constant boring introductions. It also has a big pet peeve of mine where there's a job interview scene, and it's played straight. Job interviews are inherently boring events and quite frankly, who wants to read a scene with a normal job interview?

Beyond the writing issue, the world building doesn't make any sense. Starting off with the concept of selling dreams. Sounds cute as an idea but when you think about it further, which this book makes you do, then it feels deeply uncomfortable for someone to sell something that has always been free and such a subconscious part of our mind. Later, the book does try to explain the payment system, but it didn't do enough to overcome that sense of discomfort. We are then given some very clunky lore on how the dream department store was founded. Turns out there was a time god with three disciple, and they had some trouble breaking up time between them, but it ended with the third disciple getting dreams, and so he goes on to found the store. That's like saying St Paul is the founder of Harrods! Why is the disciple of a god founding a shop?? A very modern style of shop a that. When did this time god exist and is he still around? We know that the third disciple isn't around as the shop owner is a descendent of the disciple, which is wild and ridiculous.

Beyond the clunky world building, the way the shop is run is stupid and these people have no business running a shop. On Penny's first day, she's given a tour of all the shops and told she can pick on to work on. But she doesn't like any of them but the first floor which is the busiest, yet only two people work on it, the first floor manager and the shop owner. Penny overhears the first floor manager complaining on how she's over worked and needs help on the first floor, as the shop owner is often too busy to help out. He says that he just doesn't trust any of the other managers to be experienced enough to help. Quite the predicament. So what does Penny do? She offers her self for the first floor, and she's gladly welcomed to it. I'm sorry, you can't take any of the other managers, but you will take someone who's only been there for a day?? To top it off, when the first floor manager is too busy she asks Penny to bank some very expensive jars of fluff. Penny has no idea what she's doing given she's only been there for a week, and so someone steals one of the fluff jars from her, and she doesn't even get the other jar banked. Well done first floor manager, this is exactly what you get for dumping such an important job on the newbie.

I was ranting about this book so much that everyone around me begged me to stop reading it. Amazing cover though so it can have a star for that.

A wonderful whimsical book. A sort of dream comfort blanket, I really enjoyed the book but really would like to visit the DallerGut Dream Department Store.

So yeah, what drew me to this book. Well, obviously the wonderful cover and the intriguing title of course. Swiftly followed by the rather bonkers blurb. I really HAD to read this book!
And was it all things and more? Heck yeah! Absolutely brilliant from start to finish.
So, DallerGut Dream Department Store is a store welcoming customers - both human and animal - from all over the world in pursuit of purchasing dreams. As with all good department stores, there are many floors, each catering for a different type of customer with their own needs. For instance, there are many types of dream to be purchased. Adventures of all types, nightmares, reminiscences, revisiting some event from the past, or some person. And so many more. Every one is catered for. Sometimes at a hefty price. The dreams being created by some of the best known producers.
But I get ahead... we start with Penny who, when we first meet her, is being interviewed for a job in the store. Interviewed by Dallergut himself. Obviously she gets the job, it's not a spoiler, it happens too early on for that. And the rest of the book follow her as she learns about the store, the dreams, and the people involved. But that's not all, as she also learns about the darker side of the process... But that would spoil things if I said any more about that...
Oh My Days. I loved everything about this book. It's part of a duology and I am now completely hanging for the follow up to be translated and released. I am assuming that it will be cos otherwise, what's the point in just publishing the one!
I took to Penny right from the start. She was an excellent character and she did her job of explaining everything about the world very well as she learned it herself. Asking exactly the questions I was thinking about myself. Genius! And also the world of dreams was fascinating. Especially those of the animals. I look at my cat differently these days when he starts to twitch when he's proper asleep!
The other characters we just as well drawn and all played their parts well. Some larger than life, flamboyant even, but all perfect in every way.
And the story they played out, the explanations, the meetings, the mystery, the duplicity. All came together nicely at the end, just leaving me hankering for the next book to complete the whole story.
For now, I can only dream...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

As someone who usually has lucid dreams, this concept of being able to choose the dream you want to have is very interesting to me. Besides the fact that it not only talks about impossible dreams or those that are fantastic (like being able to fly, being a whale and swimming in the ocean, etc), but it also gives the animals the opportunity to choose their own dreams and deals with topics like being reunited with a loved one after they are gone.

DallerGut Dream Department Store was a light read that kept me quite entertained in every chapter.

An interesting take on the concept of industry of dreams, but the execution wasn't too much to my liking. Part of it was the chosen tone -- overly earnest and fond of explanations, a bit like a Christmas parable, whereas I prefer books where the reader is allowed some space to connect the dots and arrive at explanations -- partly because I felt the concept would have worked better in a genre that favoured tighter writer. In other words, a shorter form, delivered with fewer straight-up explanations.

If you like whimsy, quirky and fantastical world-building, then this could be the book for you!

The story begins by introducing us to Penny, who is applying for her “dream” job at the DallerGut Dream Department Store.
The fantasy realm starts to reveal itself when Penny meets her friend Assam, a Noctilucas—a mystical animal. Noctiluas' wonder the streets handing out free dressing gowns and bed wear to those who have come to visit the DallerGut Dream Department Store unsuitably attired.
When they're sleeping, both people and animals visit the store to buy dreams.
Across five floors every dream need is met by DallerGut's, with a dedicated manager and staff available on each floor to assist customers in finding what they're looking for— limited editions, dreams of simplicity, ground-breaking and fun activity dreams, nap exclusive dreams and a fifth floor devoted to dreams left over from the lower floors.

To help Penny prepare for her interview, Assam gives her a copy of The Tale of the Time God and the Three Disciples (I love a book world within a book world!).
After finishing the book, reading it from cover to cover several times, and impressing Mr. DallerGut with her understanding of dreams and historical context, Penny is hired.

Over the course of the book, we meet the outlandish Dream Makers and some of the customers, who combined with the eccentric staff at the store, make for a fun read.

It is quite saccharine sweet throughout, so may not appeal to everyone’s taste. You may be able to tell by looking at that incredible front cover whether or not you'd like it. In my case, I finished it in just two days and really enjoyed it.

#𝗔𝗗/#𝗣𝗥: Thank you to @netgalley and @headlinebooks for a #gifted eARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing me with an eARC to review!

Definitely in the vein of popular hits like The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I could see this reaching a very large audience in English translation. It imparts similar life lessons about going for what you want and living in the present through its exploration of how dreams can influence you (whether you realise it or not).

Unfortunately, I found this almost sickly sweet and trite. Penny comes across very naive and things are over explained - but at the same time anything that Penny doesn't know feels very confusing. It seemed like the story would continue in the way of short vignetted anecdotes that would offer more or less the same outcome, which just isn't a style I particularly enjoy.

I just don't think this is quite the book for me, but could see it appealing more to people who enjoyed the above titles. This definitely leans more whimsy/quirky though, so it is definitely a unique read.

This was completely bizarre and absolutely wonderful. I loved the concept, the characters and the world building was amazing.
It was wholesome, gentle and made me smile the whole time.
One of the best translated works I’ve read and an absolute must for fans of the genre.