This one took me easy too long to get to!.

What worked for me: the setting and the prose. Atmospheric, dream-like and sweeps you away. A pawnshop you stumble upon if you're carrying the weight of a regret is a beautiful concept.

Where it fell flat for me: the characters and the relationships. I struggled to form an attachment to them and the romance was too underdeveloped to work for me.

If you're more of a plot/vibes person I think you will enjoy this but if you're more of a character reader I think you may find it tedious

I loved everything about this book. I loved the different and very creative ways of travel, all of the parallel worlds, and definitely the characters that make up this story. The twists in this book also took me by complete surprise — I had absolutely no idea in advance. This has definitely been one of my favorite reads in a long time.

If you love Studio Ghibli movies and books on the realm of cozy fantasy, I would highly recommend picking this up. I cannot wait to own a copy! The only thing I would ever even suggest to change would be to write the Romaji words in Kanji with the translations as footnotes (like RF Kuang does in Babel) since I think that the blend of languages and culture is a part of the charm of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for this review.

This wasn't the kind of book I normally read and I liked the general uniqueness of it. However, I didn't love it because it's not something I'd usually read.

3.5 Stars, but I round up.

SO much of this was absolutely beautiful. I highlighted portions of it because the writing is so gorgeous. The ending of this book is also really well done. The world building is also well done...

...but the first nearly 50% of the book was really, really boring. It read a bit like a choose your own adventure, where every chapter was a new part of their journey, some so oddly specific it was like reading a standalone short story.

I am glad I stuck with it because the ending has a solid pay off. But ultimately, coming from a LOVER of cozy fantasy, this one didn't hit as much as I badly wanted it to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy to read in exchange for a review.

This book was cozy dream of a story that could have been terrifying in some parts but I just couldn’t muster the motivation to be tense or stressed. I kind of felt that it would all just work out. I’m not sure if it is the way the story was set up, the description of the different locations, or the interactions between our 2 main characters I was never worried. I really just felt like I was floating through the world. I did see the ending coming and I think I would have preferred something else but it was okay. If you are wanting a story that lacks tension but introduces you to a new world with unique elements, similar to a Neil Gaiman story, this is the one. I wouldn’t go looking for a fast paced adventure.

I had to sit with this one a few days after finishing it because I wasn't sure I understood what was happening as I was reading. The vibes are very cozy and the realm of the pawn shop is fantastically well described. But there was so much darkness that I wasn't sure if I could classify it as a cozy sci fi since the stakes felt very high. I adored both main characters and was glad this was dual POV because it was great to get inside both their heads. I've never thought so much about neutrinos in my life. I'm still thinking about this one three weeks later and if that isn't the mark of a good book, I don't know what is.

Water Moon is an exploration through the dreams and nightmares that make us human, and how our regrets shape and define us, for better or worse. Every time I picked up this book, I fell into the world with ease, feeling as if I was going on this adventure alongside the characters. The meandering nature of the journey is part of it's charm, leaving you adrift in a strange world of your wildest imagination. This was a pleasant read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a whimsical, but sometimes dark, journey to get lost in.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Water Moon was a whimsical and fantastic journey that felt cozy while also asking important questions about life. I found the worldbuilding to be fascinating and the characters very easy to root for. The pacing of this story was comfortable but fun, and the plot was easy to follow. It very much felt like a Studio Ghibli film after all!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The major story of Water Moon was very interesting and almost cozy portal fantasy. People give up the pivotal choice their life balanced on at a mystical pawn shop. This caused them to never think of that choice and whoever was connected to it again. Then someone takes a choice. Hanna tries to track her father through different portal universes with the last person to show up at the pawn shop, K. The travels through the portal dimensions and the stories of the choices are very compelling, but the addition of the jealous lovers became tedious.

Nothing here is as it seems.

Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★★

I second what everyone else has already said: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao gives strong Studio Ghibli vibes, so if you enjoy Studio Ghibli, you would probably really like this book.

Similar to Studio Ghibli movies, Water Moon moves quickly through mind-bending worlds and scenarios, delving into aspects of Japanese culture. Every chapter is filled with such creativity that it's hard not to be impressed with Yambao's mind and ability to spin such impressive worlds and atmospheres. The plot twists were surprising, and I eventually became attached to both main characters.

That said, I had a hard time becoming attached to Water Moon until about 75% of the way in, which is pretty late for me to become invested. I attribute this to the fast-paced writing style, which is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, but it may not transfer as well to paper. I cannot even list the number of new places we discovered (which were cool to read about, but I would have liked to linger a bit more to form an attachment to the place and people there). Conflicts were discovered and resolved within chapters. This isn't necessarily bad, and it certainly lends to the style Yambao was going for. It just left me feeling a bit detached.

Overall, Water Moon was enjoyable but not life-changing. It didn't itch a scratch I never knew I had, but it's not a bad book and will undoubtedly appeal to a certain crowd. 3/5 stars.

Thank you, Samantha Sotto Yambao, Del Rey, and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the adventure! This is my second book by Samantha Sotto Yambao and it’s totally different from her first one, Before Ever After. Water Moon feels like watching an Anime. It has that warm, cozy vibe but will take you to an adventure you will remember for a long time! I like the premise of a pawnshop that sells regrets. Very magical!

I love Studio Ghibli. Those movies have carried me through childhood, teenage years, and are still my best friend at twenty-two. They hold so much whimsy and wonder.

Water Moon is the closest a book has ever gotten to replicating the feeling Ghibli gives me. It’s weird, curious, magical, and creative in such a vibrant and peaceful way. Every new place the MCs visited was so imaginative and vivid, that you could see it all like a movie.

Despite how amazing the world is, I was so uninvested in the characters, therefore the plot. Hana and Keishin are both pretty flat and dull separately, and it’s even worse when they are being romantic. It felt so forced, I would have preferred if there was no romance at all.

Usually, if I can’t love the characters, I don’t love the book, but the world was so gorgeous that I didn’t even mind the lackluster characters. Still, I can't give more than three stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Lyrical, gentle and easy to read, Water Moon is an original story. Hana is a beautiful character, with her own secrets and growing to do. Travelling through portals to beautiful destinations, while uncovering the mystery of her father and falling in love, she takes us along page after page.

Water Moon is a beautiful and atmospheric book that made me incredibly happy while reading. I truly enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! The vibes were immaculate, I felt completely transported into this magic realism world. I find that if I really love the characters and vibes of a book, there doesn't always need to be a strong, fast plot to keep me engaged. That was the case with this book for me because I found the writing to be so beautiful and something I resonated with. I would highly recommend checking this book out!

Enjoyed the world building and the magic. The story moved slower than I expected and started to pick up at 85%.

While Water Moon is very atmospheric, I was pretty disappointed in the overall plot. It's a book that feels pretty forgettable which is really disappointing as I was so excited to read it. The mystery didn't grip me and the ending was a let down. With that said, I really liked the world building.

The comparisons to the Studio Ghibli films are limited to the imagery that is present in Water Moon. But that is where the similarities end. One key feature of Studio Ghibli films are their moments of stillness in between dialogue and plot movements. Water Moon lacks these still moments and instead moves through each new setting like it’s a theme park ride. The fast pace takes away from the character development as well. Neither one of the main characters felt fully realized, especially Hana, who pales in comparison to many of the Ghibli leading ladies. I understand that Water Moon is its own story from the author’s mind, but when the marketing for this book is dependent on comparing it to one of the most beloved and artistic film studios operating today, it should be expected that the reader will make these comparisons. Many have made favorable comparisons, I am not one of them.

This book is absolutely stunning. A magical realism novel set in Japan and a parallel world, Water Moon follows Hana, the daughter of a pawnshop owner, who takes over the family business. But this is no ordinary pawnshop: instead of trinkets and valuables, this one trades regrets for blissful forgetting (and some tea). One day, when her father and a regret go missing, Hana teams up with Keishi, a customer who's just stumbled in, to find him. Along the way, there's mystery, budding romance, and so many fantastical elements.

The prose is absolutely beautiful, and I found myself highlighting so many sections. The magical realism is delightful; there's everything from flying paper cranes, a museum of pivotal decisions in history, memories inside pearls, hope kites, a mystical night market in the sky, and so much more.

A major part of the novel deals with opposing views or perspectives on the world, embodied by Hana and Kei. Kei is a scientist studying neutrinos; he values what he can see and measure. He's also from our world, where choices are myriad and cause a cascade of effects with each one. Hana is a native to this fantastical world where nothing seems to obey the laws of physics, but there's also a rigidity to the social rules, expectations, and view of one's choices (or lack thereof) in service of a predetermined future. It was surprisingly philosophical on top of being a fun adventure/mystery novel, and I enjoyed it very much.

“Water Moon”dropped me right in the middle of the most exquisitely vivid world. Behind the doors of a seemingly normal ramen shop there holds a pawn shop in another universe where you can travel through a puddle in the ground and fly on a paper crane.

I will admit that while thoroughly enjoying this book, I did also struggle to read it. I kept picking it up and putting it down, not to return to it until months later. However, once I picked it up during my last reading session I got captivated and finished!

The main selling point of “Water Moon” to me is the setting. There is such a fantastical world that is easy to visualize in a vibrant way. I found myself wanting to be in the main character’s world and doing the things they were able to, such as seeing the stars being created.

The plot was also very well crafted. There were twists and turns, but everything came together nicely. The book features two different points of view, and at no point did I find myself strongly preferring one point of view over the other.

If you’re looking for a truly whimsical story, something akin to a Studio Ghibli universe, “Water Moon” by Samantha Sotto Yam

Thank you so much to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!