The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is a beautifully written story about a woman named Penny who is a new employee at the store. This story is set in a universe where there is a plane of existence for those that live in the dream realm and humans who go there in that in between state of just falling asleep and dreaming. They can buy dreams from any dream maker and or store. What follows is a series of small tales about the lives of those in this realm and the customers who come to the story.

I really loved how well thought out this story is. It is smart and heart warming. There were times when the story was describing the way dreams influence our feelings throughout the day and I was like, "oh man that is clever!" All of the characters have their own personality and I cared the most for Penny, Weather, and Dallergut. The atmosphere is cozy, and for a lot of the book I kept this as my bed time book.

There was only one chapter I had a hard time reading. It dealt with death and a few times I decided to just skip it. The story was great though and I wanted to know how the characters would handle it, so I went back and read it. I wasn't disappointed.

The translator's note is so sweet. You can tell they loved their work on this book and I hope they (and the reader's) get their wish for a sequel.

Thanks to the author Miye Lee, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are mine.

This book was exactly what I needed to get out of a slump. I loved the cover and title which made me want to read it at first and I have no regrets

This was such a delightful novel!

I read DDDS as a treat for making it to my university's reading week, and I made the perfect choice. This book is uniquely comforting in the way it shows such care and tenderness to each of the characters and their personal stories. Similarly, I appreciated the care that went into the translation of the book into English- the flow felt seamless, with none of the linguistic quirks that can pop up when a work is translated without a proper understanding of the feeling behind the words.

This book is less plot driven, and focuses more on delivering small vignettes that give us just a brief idea of the many happenings of a town that exists solely in the sleeping mind. This was perfect for a break from some of my denser reads, and I can't recommend it enough if you're looking for a short, sweet story where you know that everything will turn out all right no matter what. If you are a fan of books like Tress of the Emerald Sea I think this would be a great fit.

I feel that DDDS is the perfect foundation for an extended series of books, with each of the vignettes creating a thread that could easily be pulled into a full story of its own.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and can't wait to see what Miye Lee puts out next!

I wanted this to hit so bad, but it was a huge letdown. I’m not sure if it was just the translation, but the writing style was not enjoyable to read at all, it felt very clunky and juvenile. The premise lends so well to having a story and characters with immense depth, but unfortunately both were lacking. It read more like general ideas for a book rather than a full story. Super disappointing.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. It’s cosy and whimsical. It’s about a dream store, dreams for sale and how the payment is done and a whole staff running the store. There are even awards for best dreams at the end of the year. While I found the premise to be an amazing hook and the world to be intriguing, there wasn’t much more to it than what I knew from the blurb

I loved the idea behind The Dallergut Dream Department Store, and since I enjoyed Before The Coffee Gets Cold, I gave this novel a shot. That customers could browse for the dreams they wanted delighted me. I found the characters interesting, but the author didn't dig deeply into the motivations of many, including Penny. You don't really get to know two of the characters until the epilogues.

Unfortunately, The Dallergut Dream Department Store left me unsatisfied. It reads like a series of character sketches or scenes, instead of a complete narrative fiction. The story relegates Penny, the protagonist, to little more than an observer once she achieves her story goal very early in the book. Personally, I love low stakes books, but even when the book has low stakes, I still expect to read a complete story with a beginning, middle, and satisfying ending. I kept reading this novel hoping to find a unified message to tie the whole thing together. Alas, it was not to be.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

gorgeous fantasy with very cozy vibes. not super complex but definitely has a great feel, so would recommend. thanks for the arc.

Cozy, charming, and a beautiful break from the inundations of the digital world — The Dallergut Dream Department Store will whisk you away to where dreams are made... and sold! Told through the eyes of our charming narrator Penny, along with several dreamers along the way — I really enjoyed this novel, and I hope there's more of Dallergut to come! I'm interested to see how it's formatted for final review, as I think that will be key in readers enjoyment! I can see this becoming a land unto itself!

A whimsical idea connecting isolated stories at the Dallergut Dream Department Store. It's a low stakes plot filled with many different and interesting characters. I think the translation is fine, but the story was missing depth overall.

This is a well written book, with some fine lines and a few well-conceived set pieces. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative engaging enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

This is such a vibrant and imaginative story. With so many fun dreams to explore I was able to fly through this fast paced book. There is relatively little plot but the vibes of the story are able to keep you hooked. It makes you contemplate dreams and how they are created and even left me wondering maybe I’ve visited the Dallergut Dream Department Store in my sleep.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee was so delightful.

What a fantastical look at how we dream the dreams we do. The world building was wonderful and a fun peek behind the curtains. The cast of characters are great and each one so unique.
My husband has super vivid dreams and so detailed so I pictured him visiting Dallergut’s and going to the different floors to pick out what dream he wanted that night.
I am certain he has an Eyelid Scale there.

I can definitely see myself rereading this when just want a cozy read and jump back into this magical space.
Thank you Net Galley, Miye Lee and Hanover Square Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a lovely book! The narrative voice is so whimsical and joyous and the worldbuilding and character development is spectacular. A sweet, wonderful read that warms you up from the inside out.

This was such a lovely, cozy read with the message that sleep matters and makes our lives better. This, of course, works on the purely physical level, but in this book there is also a team of dream sellers who, if you're lucky enough to visit Dallergut's, works to make sure your dreams have meaning and will direct our lives down more fulfilling paths. While this certainly isn't an action packed novel, it is definitely a comforting read.

A whimsical fantasy about dreams. What if there's a place where one can purchase dreams, but only while you sleep. This is a story about that. Penny is looking for a job and has an interview at DallerGut Dream Department store, which she gets. It's a 4 floor store with different style managers on each floor who each sell different types of dreams, including a floor of discount dreams. The story follows Penny during her first year at the store as she meets different customers and even a few of the dreammakers (those that create the different dreams available for sale). A fun, light, quick read.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The author describes this as a love letter to dreaming and I can’t think of a better way to describe it.

Each chapter reads like a short story with multiple POVs, but it all laces together so intricately into a perfectly executed dream web.

As a lucid dreamer myself, this concept was hard to grasp at first. I couldn’t understand that this was happening in a dream world. But if that’s the case then do the employees and the store of Dallerguts only exist in a dream state? Do the employees ever sleep. I feel like the holes I feel in understanding the plot come from the translation of the original written in Korean. But also there are so many different customer POVs they all seem to run into another, and for me it’s hard to discern if it’s a new person/ idea/ story or a continuation of a different dream.

Nonetheless, a whimsical, completely original concept, that I hope will continue to unravel in sequels to come.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for sending this book! I really loved the cover, blurb, and beginning half of the book. Around the 52% mark it felt like either the translation or the story tone changed and it became harder for me to keep up with all that was happening.

The world of dreams is so fun, but there were so many characters in dreamland and stories to keep up with in the real world that started to confuse me a bit halfway through.

Such a fun, fantastical book!

3.5 🌟

I love the idea of this story! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard or read. I founded the writing choppy, but I assume that’s due to the translation. Funnily enough, it wasn’t until the epilogues that I thought this was pretty good! Now I’m hoping there will be sequels!

Summary:
This is a national bestseller from South Korea that was published in 2020, making its debut here in the USA.

Characters:
The story follows one point of view (Penny) as she navigates working at the Dallergut Dream Department Store.

Positives:
+ I loved the surprise cameo of a dream maker that western audiences will be very familiar with. I thought the author's way of combining that character into their (not exactly) magic system was fantastic. Lovely melding.
+ Chapter 9 had me in tears. So perfectly bittersweet.
+ I loved the two epilogues included at the end. You get to learn a little more about some of the other characters in the book and it's such a great addition.

Final Thoughts:
This was a fun little slice of life fantasy; very cozy and heartwarming. You follow the main character as she navigates working at the dream store. Each chapter is a small snippet of a “day in the life” of her work, occasionally interspersed with a bit about a particular regular overcoming or experiencing a thing because of ‘just the right’ dream. I enjoyed the concept and the dip into Korean culture.

This was a very interesting book. The concept was unusual and hooked from the start. A store selling dreams that you could only visit whilst asleep? Wow.
This book doesn't really focus on any main scenario/problem/incident that needs solving - rather you are given a shallow overview of the characters, the stores, the society and the general workings behind everything. The main character, Penny, is intelligent, and catches onto things pretty quickly. There was a tiny hint of romance in the middle of the book, but nothing really developed from it.
I didn't really like the use of the present tense throughout the book as the form of narration - it made things seem less immediate and more trivial. Another thing too is that the entire book was more focused on the store and Penny's co-workers, and not much is mentioned about her family or her surroundings in the city itself. It was like reading about a tiny bubble that exists in a big bustling city. I would have loved to have seen more depth to the story, but possibly the book was written this way on purpose.
This book was more like the prequel to a series rather than a standalone, and I do hope the author has plans for more.
All in all, it was pretty good, and I'd definitely read any other coming books.

I received this book as an Arc on NetGalley.