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.