This one grabbed my attention right away with the plot and the title and the cover!!
When it's rainy season in Korea, a secret marketplace opens up and you can go and exchange your misfortunes for a life you really want.

It was really cute and had the best rainy season vibes. The pacing of it made it feel more like a YA book or perhaps even an anime. But overall, good times for a sweet and short read.
Midnight Library meets The Cat Who Saved Books. Comes out 28th November!!

This is a lovely, easy to read, YA/teen novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is well written and I really enjoyed following Seren on her journey to discover the best life. The characters were fun and the story swept me away on a magical adventure. I would definitely recommend it for young teen readers.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TLDR: The Rainfall Market is a cosy, simplistic story that gives strong Studio Ghibli vibes and could be enjoyed by all ages. Well worth the read and has an absolutely gorgeous cover!

I loved The Rainfall Market way more than I expected to and think it will definitely be a story I come back to again - this is made easy by the simplistic writing and the quickness in which you can read it. I believe I took around or just under 2 hours to finish but it never felt like it went too fast and I was satisfied with the ending and didn’t feel like I needed more than what I was given.

This book was translated from Korean and I felt like it was a good job, everything made sense and there were no strange phrases or stutters that you can sometimes get when books are translated to different languages. The language is very simple and childlike, but I’m unsure if that is the way the original was written or if it’s a byproduct of being translated as my previous Korean translated book was similar. I didn’t find any issue with this but I know many have, so if you’re wanting complex storytelling or writing, The Rainfall Market won't be for you.

Also note that while this has been marketed as an Adult book, it could easily fit into childrens and young YA, so again, temper your expectations around that. I think it could resonate and be enjoyed by all ages, similarly to how Studio Ghibli movies are. I know many have not been happy at the genre choice but I am personally happy as I wouldn’t have read or even looked at The Rainfall Market otherwise.

Overall, an amazing book and well worth the read by people of all ages and reading ability. Just be aware that he writing is very simplistic and the story leans childlike.

This is such a lovely heartwarming story. It’s an easy read and I finished it very quickly.

It’s a story about love, friendship and discovering what is really important in life.

Beautiful.

My thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was adorable. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons with Studio Ghibli, and I can definitely see that. The story structure, the whimsical writing, the many fantastical characters, and the plot, which somehow seemed both high and low stakes at the w same time.

We follow a young g girl, who gets invited to a magical market to essentially “pick a new life”. She sells her old life, and travels the market searching for her perfect new life.

It’s a simple premise, it doesn’t do anything shocking or special, but it’s a great little novella if you want to curl up with a drink on the sofa and read something Ghibli-esque.

4⭐️

serin, earns a ticket to the rainfall market where she can exchange her bad luck for good luck.

this book is a simple and fast read, yet at times i found the writing and plot quite juvenile.

the book itself is enjoyable but it felt more suited to children/ young teens rather than adult fiction.

In this book, the author intended to create, ‘something that left readers with a lingering sense of warmth even after they turned the last page. A light, fun read that was still packed with meaning. A book that could heal wounded hearts and cast a ray of hope into the darkness’ - this book is all these things and more. I adored it. Please do read it, it is such an inspiring and wonderful story.
The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang. #TheRainfallMarket #NetGalley

A quick and enjoyable read, with an enchanting storyline. I came to care for Serin very much. I'm loving that so much Korean fiction is being translated into English!

This book was enchanting! I’ll be honest and say this was definitely read because of the absolutely stunning cover, when I saw it I fell in love.

When I actually got to start reading it, I ended up really liking the story as well. I think Serin is a very relatable character and her adventure to seek a new life is something that people can relate too. Not only that, but I loved the fantastical elements of the story which really made the story more intriguing.

Overall I had a great time reading this book. Only thing that caught me off guard was that the writing was a little young. However, if people knew that reading it for the first time I think they would have an amazing experience with this.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc of this book.

The Rainfall Market
You Yeong-Gwang
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5

Firstly, I would like to thank Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an early review copy! The Rainfall Market will be available on Nov 28th this year!

The Rainfall Market is a magical tale of a girl named Serin, who is made an offer from the mysterious Rainfall Market- she can trade her unhappy life for any another if she can find her perfect life within one week. Accompanied by Issha the cat, Serin embarks on a magical journey through the rainfall market in search of true happiness.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I got major Studio Ghibli vibes- the mythical world, magical animal companions and the fun plot made it an absolutely enchanting book! The plot was very fun and whimsical and there are lots of cute little sub plots as Serin goes on with her journey. The conclusion of the book wrapped all the sub plots and clues up nicely and it was overall quite touching. There are also plenty of glimpses into Korean culture, which build the world and add to the whimsical atmosphere of the story. I like the message behind the story- it reminds us that everyone is fighting hidden battles and there is no such thing as a perfect life, so we should be grateful for the joy that we do have instead of perusing perfection.

Now, I do feel like this book could have been quite deep given it is in the ‘adult’ section but I found the writing to be overly simplistic. I am aware that this book is a translation, so this could have impacted the writing style but to me it read like a childrens book- which is fine, but not what I expected. The message of the book was still conveyed, just in a more obvious way. I still very much enjoyed the light-hearted, magical story and I recommend it if you are looking for a fun, Studio Ghibli-like story.

When lonely and unhappy Serin hears of the Rainfall Market, where one can exchange their life for a new one of their choice if invited, she takes her chance and writes to them, pouring out her struggles and hoping for a response. To her surprise, she gets invited; and with special honors, as it seems.
This story was very whimsical and made a nice cozy read, but the plot and the language in general felt very simplistic, almost as if this was told in the style of a fairytale. The way the plot was moving felt a bit predictable, as did the conclusion of the book. However, if you do like books of this nature, I'd encourage you to give this a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy read. it was fairly enjoyable although I felt it was little basic which was a bit disappointing

i read this on my commute and it was perfect for that - very easy and quick to read, and not too hard to take in.

i do think it was a little overly simplistic at times, but this may be a result of it being translated.

if you’re looking for a fast-paced, light-hearted read this would be perfect for you

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

I really wanted to enjoy this because I thought the synopsis was so interesting and held so much potential. Unfortunately I was unable to connect with the characters and I found that the story was a little too immature for a general fiction book. Perhaps this should be aimed more at YA? I found the language a little too simplistic, and each of the chapters seemed to offer a repetitive theme.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc!

This book was a very quick and easy read, and had an intriguing plot- however, the language felt overly simplistic (perhaps due to it being a translated piece) and read as a book for younger readers, which personally put me off. I was just unable to connect with the story and quickly lost interest due to this lack of complexity in the phrasing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

The book is very quick and sweet, easy for a light-hearted read. However, I don't know if some of the nuance is lost in translation as the language used comes across as very simplistic.
I would expect to see this in a teen/young adult section of a bookstore rather than general fiction as I don't believe it would fully grasp the attention of certain older readers due to the simplicity of the language and story.

The Rainfall Market is the story of Serin, a girl unhappy with her life as her family is down on their luck, and she's lacking confidence.
She hears of a legendary way to trade her life for a better one by sending a letter to an abandoned house in Rainbow Town, decides to write honestly about all the reasons she doesn't like her life, and to her surprise she gets a reply.
The novel is the story of her journey through a fantastical market on the quest for a better life.
I am surprised that the book is being pitched for adults, and as a "sensation", as while it's a heartwarming, quick read (I went through it in a couple of hours) that entertained me for as long as it lasted, I think both the prose and the plot are those of a middle grade children's book. Accordingly I rated it only 3/5 stars based on my expectations, but it would probably be a 4 if it was found in the children's section of bookstores.

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC from #NetGalley but the opinions above are mine and unbiased.

3-3.5 stars.
I was simply not the right audience for this book.

The concept intrigued me, and overall, I liked this book for its life-affirming, tender, and peaceful qualities.

Serin is generally likeable and so are all the characters in the market.

I am sure that the translator had done an amazing job - I do not think this is related to the translation but rather the writing style - it took me about 40 minutes to delve into the story. Things started to get more interesting after around 40 pages, too. Though, considering the lovely themes in this book, I expected a deeper story with a unique writing style. Again, this boils down to personal preferences in the prose and other books I have read before. I think this is a great book for YA readers. I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a sweet, calming story too.

A charming, whimsical story which provides a glimpse into a very different culture, this book taps into universal questions about the meaning of life and how best to live it.

Told through the journey of Serin, who is given the unexpected opportunity to "shop" for an alternative life - the life of her dreams - in a very special market, the story reminds us that whatever the opportunities on offer, ''time and tide wait for no-one" and it is best to think carefully about what we really want out of our precious lives. It gets 3.5 stars.