You Yeong-Gwang's "The Rainfall Market" is a delightful foray into the realm of magical realism that leaves readers with a warm glow and plenty to contemplate. This enchanting tale follows Serin, a young girl grappling with isolation and hardship, as she stumbles upon a mystical marketplace that promises to fulfill her deepest desires.

This novel is a poignant exploration of choice and self-discovery. Yeong-Gwang masterfully portrays Serin's indecisiveness when faced with the opportunity to transform her life, using it as a catalyst for a deeper journey. As Serin navigates the magical market, encountering an array of fantastical characters including a shape-shifting cat, readers are treated to a narrative that is both whimsical and profound.

The author's deft touch in blending the magical with the mundane creates a cozy fantasy atmosphere that is utterly captivating. Each encounter in the market serves as a mirror, reflecting different facets of Serin's hopes, fears, and potential, inviting readers to ponder their own choices and desires.

"The Rainfall Market" is more than just a flight of fancy; it's a thoughtful meditation on the complexities of want and need, the value of human connection, and the unexpected paths that lead to personal growth. Yeong-Gwang's storytelling is imbued with a gentle wisdom that resonates long after the final page is turned.

Thank you, Ace and NetGalley, for my free books for review.

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang is a spellbinding tale of self-discovery wrapped in a fantastical adventure. The story follows Serin, a lonely young woman granted the chance to reshape her life, as she explores the enchanting and mysterious Rainfall Market with her magical cat companion, Issha. The market's whimsical shops and shadowy undertones create a richly imaginative setting that balances wonder and suspense. Serin’s journey to define happiness feels both intimate and universal, resonating deeply with anyone who has questioned their place in the world. With its lush prose and poignant themes, this novel captivates from start to finish, leaving readers pondering their own dreams and choices.

I loved this! Imagine if you had the opportunity to change your life's direction, ensuring that you were going to be successful... happy... in a relationship... Now imagine that you had the ability to see how those wishes turned out. Yes, it's essentially the plot of every genii wish tale ever.

But! The world that You creates here, from the Wonka-esque Golden Ticket to the characters (that cat? I want an Issha!) to the collection of the wishes, even the walking trees - it's all both familiar and new at the same time. The outcome is fairly obvious by halfway through the book, but who cares? It's the charm of the Market and Serin's search that makes this book work.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

Serin is a lonely person who struggles with her own failures and all seems hopeless. But when she hears about a mysterious Rainfall Market that deals with people's misfortunes, Serin ventures to the market determined to create a better life for herself.

With enchanting magic and a pinch of meta fiction, Yeong-Gwang examines people's endless attempts to find the perfect life/happier future. The characters (specially Dokkaebi) are quirky and they provide an intriguing dynamic that makes this a quick and fun read. The story allows one to wander through people's curiosity, often capturing moments of greed that feel realistic. Some questions don't have easy answers and several scenes invite one to meditate on life - about starting on one's dreams and finding one's own happiness.

This book feels like a lingering taste of warmth, or even more, a beacon of hope into the darkness. While it succeeds at leaving one with a buoyant mood, I think this novel falls short of depth and emotional resonance, both in character development and plot's intention. The simplistic yet charming prose often feels YA and it might work for those seeking a light and adventurous read with Ghibli vibes. The ending, though, feels rewarding and moving.

If you could have a better life, how would you choose? THE RAINFALL MARKET (tr. Slin Jung) is a healing novel that can be the 'rainbow' for some readers, just the ray of sunshine that one needs.

okay first things first, we have to acknowledge how absolutely beautiful this cover is. Covers like that sell books, even books that will never bee read! but unfortunately the cover is hands down the best part about this book. It was not horrible by any means, it was still absolutely readable and kept me engaged for most of it, it was just the authorial voice and tone felt very young.

It's as if the author was going for cozy sweet vibes and instead wrote something juvenile and basic, when those things are not one and the same, it would have served the author to focus on certain aspects of "cozy" rather than just simplifying it's language in an attempt to cozify. I think this would be better suited to a slightly younger audience, but it was not all together awful. Two stars for the fun bits, but not much more than that.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Rainfall Market.

As a fan of translated fiction, I was immediately drawn to this book. The title, premise, and especially the beautiful cover are what compelled me to request the ARC.

The concept of the Rainfall Market—a mysterious place where you can rewrite your life—is fascinating, and Issha, the magical cat, quickly became my favorite character. However, while the premise was unique, the story as a whole fell flat for me. The writing felt plain, the emotional impact wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped, and the storyline leaned juvenile, with Serin’s choices often feeling shallow.

Toward the end, Issha’s death, rebirth, and ultimate reincarnation were bittersweet but didn’t land the way I’d hoped—largely because I’m not a fan of stories involving animal deaths, even if the animal comes back in another form. The ending itself, while technically a happy one, lacked the depth and resonance I wanted.

I believe the point of this story was for Serin to realize she already has what she needs in life, and while the moral is meaningful, its delivery was a bit dry.

This was a 2.5 to 2.75-star read for me, but I’m rounding up to 3 stars because I likes the premise, but loved the title/cover, and Issha, who carried the story for me.

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang
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Every year when the rainy season starts, some people are chosen to visit the Rainfall Market. If you are chosen to visit you will have the opportunity to change something you dislike about your life. Young Serin is hoping to be picked, but when she arrives she struggles with deciding what the best choice for her life would be.
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What I liked:
-Serin was such a sweetie pie. I loved seeing her interact with everyone at the market and all the friendships she made.
-The Cat. 😻
-The whole “what would you change about your life” question is a good one. I really enjoyed and appreciated the way the author approached it in this story.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I just wished there was more to the story about Serin’s sister? I had a couple questions. Otherwise this whimsical story with a magical market was deliciously entertaining.

An okay read.
I liked the whimsical concept of the book but has difficulty retaining interest in the chapters.
I didn’t get very much from this book.

3.25 on StoryGraph.

This was labeled as adult on NetGalley, however I feel it definitely reads more young adult and even somewhat middle grade. I'm not sure if some of that more juvenile feel to the writing was due to the translation or not, but it did not read like an adult novel at all.

The journey through the Rainfall Market started to feel a bit tedious after the second shop visit, for me personally. It was quite formulaic and it repeated like 6 or 7 times. We also didn't really get an answer for what happened to Serin's sister and that felt a bit odd, to have that so open-ended.

I think I'd be harsher with my rating if it weren't for it being a translated -- I just have a feeling that some of my issues with the writing probably can be chalked up to that.

This was a fantastical new story from a best-selling Japanese writer about Serin, a lonely young woman who sends a letter to the mysterious 'Rainfall market' where its rumored people can get tickets and a chance to improve their lives. Surprised when she is the lucky recipient of a rare 'golden ticket,' Serin travels to the market where she meets a magical cat companion and together they search for Serin's ideal future possible life. Great on audio and perfect for fans of books like the Before the coffee gets cold series. I really enjoyed this one a lot and LOVE the cover! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Serin is lonely with no prospect of life getting better. She’s obsessed with the Rainfall Market and the idea that she could pick a different life, but she can’t believe it when she actually gets a letter inviting her to come. Leaving behind her family she journeys to the market where she learns she has one week to decide, or disappear forever.

This sweet story has anime tones and is a thoughtful jaunt into the “what ifs.”

Thank you Berkley Publishing @berkleypub , Netgalley @netgalley , and You Yeong-Gwang for this free ebook!
“The Rainfall Market” by You Yeong-Gwang (translated by Slin Jung) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Korean Healing Fiction/Fantasy. Location: South Korea. Time: Springtime to Summer/ the Rainy Season.

WOULD YOU TRADE YOUR LIFE FOR ANOTHER ONE?
Main Characters:
Serin: A girl who wants to escape her dreary life.
Issha: A guide cat who follows the holder of the golden ticket.
Durof: The guide to the Rainfall Market.
Toriya: The Rainfall Market gatekeeper.
Teenager Serin lives in a small flat with her mother, dreaming of a better life. She can’t believe her luck when she receives a ticket inviting her to The Rainfall Market (in Rainbow Town somewhere outside the big city), where she can swap her life for a new, better one. The Rainfall Market is an old ramshackle building, populated by the Dokkaibi who look human but are not-they can read people’s hearts. It appears on the 1st day of the monsoon. Inside are magical bookstores, hairdressers, perfumeries, anything your heart desires. Accompanied by Issha the magical cat and followed by a mysterious shadow, Serin steps inside. She has 1 week to choose the perfect life and find true happiness. If she doesn’t find her dream life, she'll be trapped in the market forever.

Author Yeong-Gwang has written a sweet tale full of self-discovery lessons. He helpfully includes a Cast of Characters. Yeong-Gwang’s book is intended for an “international audience”, but his writing style reminds me of a book aimed at young children. The descriptions are childlike, the sentences quite simple. The book definitely meets the requirements for the popular Korean Healing Fiction genre (light, feel-good stories with inspirational messages. No heavy thinking required, cute, artistic covers, market appeal). If you told bedtime stories to your children that continued over days or weeks, you will recognize this as a kindred story- and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d recommend it for younger children as a bedtime story. It’s 3 stars from me.🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️🎀

I really liked this! I'm becoming such a fan of translated Japanese Fiction/Magical realism and specifically all of the stories where there is some sort of magically appearing/travelling cafe, market etc. They always carry such deep philosophical conversations and topics and this book very much fell in line with that archetype of fiction and I liked it.

"If you could swap your life for a better one, which would you choose?

On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market - where you can choose to completely change your life.

No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.

There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like.

The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever.

And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them..."

I mean, what if my perfect life is just wandering bookstores with a cat?

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and inviting! I really liked the premise of this book. The Rainfall Market sounds like such a charming place that I would love to visit, and spend more than just the rainy season!

The character depictions in the beginning of the book were so fun and I loved being able to reference them when we met that character. Serin learns a lot along the way, and it is a nice reminder to realize what we have and what is most important before letting hopelessness set in.

Although this is an adult title, it could easily be enjoyed by readers of all ages from middle grade and up! It would be a lovely read to enjoy with your family. The whimsical atmosphere with a clear progression in the plot towards a satisfying ending would make a cozy read for many.

Thank you Berkley/Ace for the ARC!

This world is completely magical! Sit down and write about all your troubles. Send it forward to the local mysterious house. Maybe, just maybe you'll be a lucky winner of a ticket to enter this home on the first day of the rainy season. IF you are so fortunate, you could potentially change the course of your whole life. What a fun and different book, I could not put this down!

This was an intriguing read. The main character gets to visit a secret magical realm where she goes on an adventure having glimpses of alternate paths her life could take. The characters in the other world were all quite unique. The author's afterword was insightful to the book's journey to publishing. Asian cozy fantasy is having a moment and this title will find eager readers.

Perhaps it’s only human to be discontent with what we have. I don’t know about other people, but I confess that I’ve sometimes pondered what-ifs, things that might be different now if I’d taken another path. And I’ll admit to sometimes envying other people for their lifestyle, their jobs, their abilities . . .

All of this is a roundabout way of saying that the premise of The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang will likely resonate with many readers. The Rainfall Market of the title is run by non-human entities called the Dokkaebi. Invitees who come to the Rainfall Market during the rainy season have the opportunity to trade in their misfortune for a better life. Some people scoff at the notion that such a place could exist. Others believe whole-heartedly.

Protagonist Kim Serin—referred to as Serin through the book—is one of those who believes. In order to be invited to the Rainfall Market, applicants must submit a letter outlining their misfortune. Serin knows, from reading a book written by someone who claims to have attended the Rainfall Market and received a better fortune, that it’s best to be honest in this letter, so she lists all of the things in her life that she is dissatisfied with.

Serin feels her busy mother is too busy to have time for her. She laments the fact that her father died when she was young, plunging the family into a state of poverty. Their family home was destroyed in a fire, and they had to move to a semi-basement apartment in a building that is slated for demolition. Serin has no friends, and her younger sister Yerin ran away from home and is still missing. Her joys in life are listening to the radio, and participating in taekwondo classes, though even in the classes she loves she struggles with feelings of inadequacy.

Though she was careful not to get her hopes up, Serin does receive a ticket for the Rainfall Market. Not only that, but when she arrives, she discovers that hers is a golden ticket, one which gives her access to greater privileges than the other ticket-holders.

Ranging in size and abilities, the Dokkaebi who run the Rainfall Market are non-human, though they look somewhat like us. Author Yeong-Gwang does a good job of individualizing the different Dokkaebi, giving them unique abilities and physical attributes. Yeong-Gwang includes a helpful guide at the start of the book that provides highlights about each of the main characters.

When Serin and the other invitees arrive at the Rainfall Market, they are given an explanation about how things work. In exchange for their misfortunes, they will be given coins to be spent at the Market. These coins can be used to make purchases from the various vendors. Making a purchase also provides the buyer with the opportunity to buy an Dokkaebi Orb. The Dokkaebi Orbs give the user the chance to live a different life.

The rules are simple. If you take a Dokkaebi Orb to the human world, it’s yours, along with the new circumstances it offers. If you leave without taking an Dokkaebi Orb, you simply return to your old life. But if you don’t depart the Rainbow Market before the end of the rainy season, you will vanish forever.

As Serin goes on her quest, she is assisted by a cat-shaped spirit creature named Issha. Serin begins the search for a better life with great excitement. But readers are privy to the fact that not everyone wishes Serin well in her efforts, though the details about the plot against her are not clear at the outset. This, along with the fact that time is ticking down as the rainy season progresses, adds suspense as events progress.

The Rainfall Market provides a blend of action and the opportunity for philosophical musings as readers follow Serin’s adventures. Serin is a likeable protagonist who is easy to root for. Issha, with his dog-like characteristics and his strange powers, is also both entertaining and endearing. The premise of the book combined with the strangeness of the events drew me forward, chapter by chapter. The Rainfall Market is an entertaining book that spirits the reader to a different realm, while also containing lessons that resonate in our own, less exotic world.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, Ace, an imprint of Penguin Random House, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*The Rainfall Market* by You Yeong-Gwang is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel that explores themes of loss, memory, and human connection. Set in a surreal world where people gather at a mysterious market during rainfall to trade memories and emotions, the story follows a protagonist who grapples with the complexities of their past. Yeong-Gwang’s prose is poetic and deeply emotional, immersing readers in a haunting, dreamlike atmosphere. The novel’s unique premise, combined with its rich character development, offers a poignant meditation on the value of memories and the impact of choices. *The Rainfall Market* is a captivating read for fans of literary fiction with an imaginative twist.

What a cute story with a great message! Tons of creativity and adventure in this book. You’ll meet some interesting creatures along the way and fall in love with the friendships made! Life is what you make it ♥️