Marigold Mind Laundry was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Yun's prose is undeniably beautiful, painting vivid images and evoking a sense of melancholy that lingers long after the final page. The concept of a laundromat for memories is intriguing, and there were moments of genuine emotional depth. However, the story felt a bit fragmented, jumping between different characters and timelines without a clear sense of cohesion. I also found some of the symbolism a bit heavy-handed at times. It's a thought-provoking read, but it didn't quite fully capture my heart.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

This review has been long due. I thoroughly enjoyed read this book. The concept is quite interesting and it makes you yearn for something like this to happen in real life as well.

It is a about a laundry that launders your heartbreaks and scars. It was the ability of the protagonist to heal your heart from something that happened in your past and the whole idea is intriguing to say the least. There is also an element of time travel and being reborn at a desired time and place and to understand the real meaning behind this power given to her.

The slow process of her understanding and accepting it was quite well-written. The lessons and wisdom she showers on the people who come to the laundry were beautiful. It does get a little preachy at times but it is still not overly done.

Overall, it was a heartwarming read. I still haven’t bought its physical copy but it is on my wish-list.

This was a charming little book. The premise of a mind laundry is such a unique and intriguing idea it immediately drew me in, and our main character was tugging on my heartstrings from the very beginning. As you'll find with many books in the "healing-fiction" genre, Marigold Mind Laundry follows a variety of different characters as they experience emotional difficulties that lead them to meet our main character. I felt drawn to each of these characters and found myself invested in their healing as well as intrigued by the choices they made to deal with their pain. I do wish there was more exploration of the main character's powers, and a deeper look into the laundry itself, however, I found this to be very enjoyable and cosy. I think it's a great introduction to the genre.

The Marigold Mind Laundry is magical realism at its sweetest. Jieun, the owner of a laundromat that washes away painful memories, helps five customers heal while also confronting her own guilt and loss. The imagery of pain transforming into flower petals is both whimsical and deeply symbolic, while the themes of chosen family and healing add an emotional resonance that lingers.

That said, the story leans heavily into sentimentality, and some of the resolutions feel a touch too tidy to fully satisfy - afterall, we don't all have magic to solve our problems. Still, the book's magical charm, heartfelt characters, and uplifting message make it a thoroughly enjoyable and comforting read.

The Marigold Mind Laundry presents an intriguing concept: a service that promises to clean your mental slate and free you from past burdens. The idea is fascinating, and the book dives into questions about memory, identity, and the cost of forgetting with thought-provoking moments. The writing is stylish, with a melancholic edge that lingers after you finish reading.
Unfortunately, the narrative feels uneven. While the premise is strong, the story’s emotional impact is undercut by shallow character development, making it hard to empathize with their journeys. The pacing feels sluggish at times, and the ending lacks the punch the buildup seems to promise.

Despite its flaws, The Marigold Mind Laundry has moments of brilliance, and its central concept will resonate with readers interested in speculative fiction that leans philosophical. It’s a book I wanted to love but ultimately found more admirable than enjoyable.

This is very wholesome, featuring a magical launderette where you can wash away any stains on your heart. It's definitely a book that makes you think about what's really important in life, and to not hold onto things that don't serve you anymore or which are weighing you down. The plot, however, feels pretty thin - I was quite confused at times as to who was who, and it felt like this was more about the lesson of letting go than having any actual plotline. It was very sweet, just not anything particularly standout to me.

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Two Stars

I honestly found the Marigold Mind Laungry a bit disappointing. I made it 53% of the way through before deciding it just wasn't for me. The sprinklings of magical realism could've elevated the story beyond its domestic setting, and the cast of characters could have been structured to build towards a resolution for the burnout everyone was feeling, but it decided to keep its cards pretty isolated for each person.

It feels quite reminiscent of the sub-genre I've seen a lot in Japanese literature where bookstores/libraries solve everyone's Capitalist twenty-first-century fatigue with life, right down the cyclical short-story structure. These sorts of stories always feel repetitive to me, and vary a lot in how emotionally intertwined the cast of characters are. Such nuance is needed for these books to pay off for me, and it just didn't quite catch it anywhere.

The translation does feel quite awkward, so might be the source of the challenge. I speak some Korean and can tell this is a very faithful translation, but creative license is so important to transpose stories into another language, literally and in spirit.

Korean whimsical cosy fantasy in miniature

With a tiny cast and a landscape that doesn't stray far from the eponymous laundry, this is a gentle and cosy fantasy that does exactly what it offers: an unassuming novel that's unruffled by world-building or earth shattering stakes, instead offering an antidote to episodic television or blockbuster movies.

The problems that customers bring to the laundry aren't too challenging, the stains they want to wash away won't change their lives fundamentally, and the emotional journeys of everyone, from the customers to the otherworldly Jieun, are enough to satisfy any reader.

This book took a long time to read, mainly because I couldn't fully connect with the story in general.

Marigold Mind Laundry is a nice book, it has important messages and also characters with a variety of conflicts and we can see how they resolve it once they come into contact with this store that promises to 'wash' or 'clean' those stains from life. I found this premise very interesting and it really is, the vision with which certain problems are faced seems most curious and also comforting to me.

However, I felt that I couldn't connect with their characters... their stories seemed interesting to me! But I didn't have that curiosity to know how it was going to end or what was going to happen to each one.

It is a reading that I recommend, for everything I said above. It is a good book, it has good things to take and reflect on.

Thank you very much Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the ARC I read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is what initially drew me in and then I read the premise, and knew it would be my kind of book.

I love books like Dallergut Dream Department and the Rainfall Market. These kinds of books are perfect for those that enjoy magical realism and reading about characters that grow and learn how to live.

This book confused me in the beginning because it’s told like one of those old stories where the characters don’t have names and a good bit of information is thrown at you but after awhile, I was able to get into it.

The protagonist has mysterious powers that she finds out about when she’s older so she has no control over them. When she accidentally wishes away her parents, her regret and pain are so strong that she vows that she will keep being reborn until she can get them back. Over time, she loses her love of life and only lives in despair. She eventually comes to run a magical laundromat that erases bad memories for people. As she meets these people, she starts to learn about herself and how she can heal.

I will buy it because it’s a beautiful story with wholesome characters and a cozy setting. Tysm for this read.

Marigold Mind Laundry is both a sad and hopeful book with a great message about living life in the moment and not dwelling on the past. It encourages us to think about today and enjoy what you have even if it might not be what you wanted. I found that this book resonated with me a lot and I could even apply some of it to my own life.

I really loved the premise of a laundry that helps removes stains of the heart. We got to see a few different people at different stages of life and learn about a tragedy in their past. I liked that they all viewed the laundry in a different way and they didn't all just want to forget the bad. All the stories and characters are relatable. The real message here is to not let things hold you back from being happy and isn't that really what we all want?

There is also a hint of magical realism about this world, not really in depth but it is needed to make sense of the laundry. This is quite typical of this type of novel. I thought the writing was really good and there are a lot of great quotes!

A lovely little bittersweet story about washing away your deepest troubles. Think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but with different pains, not just past relationships. This was such a melancholic read, filled with people accepting their past and letting go of their trauma, although I thought it was also a little heavy handed at times. Some parts rrwlly read almost like a self help book, and took me out of the story itself.

A sad yet strangely uplifting read that will probably stay with me for some time.

This was a gentle and easy read, I really liked all the characters and the friendships that built up over time and all the stories of people’s struggles and how they overcame.

'No matter how many regrets you have, yesterday has passed and tomorrow is the future that has yet to come, so what we should do is to be in the moment, to live our life today.'

An interesting premise: Jieun discovers that she has magical powers, but failing to control them she makes her entire family vanish. Years later, she opens the Mind Laundry to help those who need to face painful truths. Is it better to erase bad memories? If you could, would you be the same person afterwards?

In a series of loosely connecting stories, various people come to visit the Laundry, a similar structure to the now very familiar 'healing fiction' genre. I found this similar in feel to the 'DallerGut Dream Department Store', and my response was very similar too. Whilst the premise is interesting, the whole magical/mystical vibe just made it a bit too preachy, and the message was more of a thing than any character development. Which is fine. It is, ultimately, an uplifting read and will leave the reader in a much more positive frame of mind.

Interesting and worthwhile. Probably 3.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

The concept of washing away memories must be something everyone has longed for once. This charming story explores the philosophical implications of doing this, following multiple characters who visit the laundry. A comforting, easy read!

Thank you Random House UK/Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the chance to read an e-ARC of Marigold Mind Laundry.

The book has the cosy comfort of books like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but with one big difference. Instead of a desire to relook at the past Marigold Mind Laundry is about forgetting or rather washing away particularly traumatic memories and emotions bringing into question philosophically how memory shapes us and whether things are innate or environmental. It's a book which gives a lot of to reflect upon in that regard, as well as giving the classic cosy comfort of reading about several characters move onwards with their lives having addressed past conflict through the process provided at the Marigold Mind Laundry.

What memories would you erase?
What a fascinating idea, really makes one think, especially as a bad memory may affect a good one. Those nagging doubts that linger, hurts and anger that we could forget, would we?
Jieun is a special person she has a gift, within her laundry she can wash away memories from the past. Her. Clients include Jaecha, who loves films but after an initial success sees himself as a failure, Yeonhee a famous influencer who unknowingly backs a harmful product, there are others she helps. Jieun's neighbour Ajumma owns the next door resturant and cooks for Jieun's clients, she is always ready with a tasty snack.
The job of taking people's memories takes its toll on Jieun, in the evening, she cries out red petals which are the memories that then disappear. When she meets Hae in a photographer they have an Instant connection, can be help her?
Very enjoyable and thought provoking.
Thank you Jungeun, NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC

A gentle, enjoyable read, that left me wanting a little more from the ending.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had expected to, but I definitely still enjoyed it. I love the concept of the Mind Laundry, and would do almost anything to be able to smooth out some of the wrinkles on my mind and heart.

That being said, and with such a great concept, this book wasn't as captivating as I had hoped. Each of the stories were nice, and whilst the people felt well-rounded, the whole process felt a little rushed. For the centre of the story to be the Mind Laundry, it didn't feel like it actually played that much of a part in the novel.

I found myself left quite confused by the ending, and it all felt like it ended a bit abruptly.

That said, this is still an enjoyable easy read, and one that I would recommend people try.

Overnight, in the village of Marigold on top of a hill, Jieun has conjured up a magical Mind Laundry, where she cleanses painful experiences from her customer's hearts, transferring them into stains on a T-shirt and transforming them into dazzling red petals.

A cross between Before The Coffee Gets Cold and Under The Whispering Door, this is a lovely and thoughtful read with some beautiful messages.

Some of the story was slightly lost in translation for me, but that may be because I don’t read a great deal of translated fiction and so would still recommend this heartwarming bestseller