The store owner of a small city-based shop offers second chances to those whose stories intrigue her. She doesn't have a very profitable shop and her son wants her to sell. But, she is doing good work with the opportunities that she gives to her staff. The newest employee is a homeless man that she encountered at the train station when he saved her purse after she was mugged. He seems like someone who needs to get back on track and she is the conduit.
The book focuses on the stories of three employees and a little on the owner herself. This is a feel-good story with some things to think about for the readers.

This novel has all the makings of a comfort read: an unhoused man taken in by a store owner, a community transformed by kindness, and a second chance at life. Dok-go is a memorable figure, and Mrs. Yeom’s generosity sets the stage for a story about belonging and quiet redemption.

The book is warm and easy to read, but it leans heavily on sentiment and familiar tropes. The pacing moves quickly, yet some conflicts resolve a little too neatly, smoothing over what could have been more complicated emotional ground. That said, the setting and ensemble cast add charm, and the heart of the story—connection through minor acts of care—still carries weight.

For readers looking for something uplifting and straightforward, it works. For me, it was pleasant but not memorable.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a heartwarming story that is so well done. Mrs. Yeom runs a convenience store in Seoul that will never turn a huge profit but is dear to her heart, especially since she wants to make sure her employees keep getting paid. One day at Seoul Station, an unhoused man named Dok-go recovers her purse after she gets mugged, and she offers him a job at the convenience store. At first, the employees and customers are wary of him and are quite judgmental of Dok-go, but over time his kindness and humanity melt down their resistance and fears. It's a tumultuous year for the convenience store and its employees, but they weather the many storms together.

This book's message could probably be best as described as: don't judge a book by its cover. It's obviously more nuanced than that, but Ho-yeon takes care to show us each character as the world sees them but also each character as they see themselves. Our main characters are technically Mrs. Yeom and Dok-go, but we get a chapter from most of the minor characters' perspectives, and each one is a really beautiful study of a multi-faceted human. The writing is perhaps a bit overwrought and cheesy at times, but it has enough sincerity and earnestness that on the whole it doesn't matter much. Reading this book felt like sitting on the couch with my coziest blanket - I loved this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

A best-seller in Korea, this is the first in the author’s Convenience store series that follows the lives of the store’s employees. This was a light-hearted, feel-good fiction story full of emotional depth that explores a gamut of human experiences. Good on audio and recommended for fans of books like Welcome to the Hyuang-dong bookshop. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

⚠️CW: alcoholism, medical malpractice, guilt, homelessness

DNF at 10%

Unfortunately, something about this writing style just didn't do it for me. I had really high hopes for this story based on the tropes and the title, but the delivery ended up falling flat. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

food for the soul 🍱💛

I loved this book!! It’s tender, layered, and deeply moving 🥹. Every character carries their own lesson, and every page reminds you of the beauty in second chances. The little convenience store became so much more than a shop; it was a safe place, a meeting point, a spot where people could grow without even realizing it. 🌿✨

Mrs. Yeom was truly a saint!! Steady, warm, and endlessly giving. 🙏💛

And Dokgo, my heart. 💔 He was judged, laughed at, and written off, but he was the wisest of them all!! Even at his lowest, with nothing to his name, he gave more than those with every comfort in the world. He became the thread that stitched people back together. The epitome of “The first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Matthew 20:16) ✨📖

The Second Chance Convenience Store made me think of two other books that gave me a similar feeling:

📚 The Marigold Mind Laundry
📚 Before the Coffee Gets Cold

I don’t know if there is a genre or name for books like this: translated fiction centering Japanese and Korean culture, but it’s one of my favorite kinds of book; it’s heartwarming, magical, and healing. Books that remain in your heart well beyond the last word 😌.

Thank you @harperperennial for the ARC! (Out 6/17/25 💛)

A great read. Written very well and easy to get lost in. The characters were real but easy to feel for while reading. I love these types of books where many personal stories are intertwined and this author excels at the genre.

Translated fiction?
I'm down for it this year when I am deliberately reading more diversely. I was stoked when Harper Perennial granted me access to an E-Galley of this popular Korean book, The Second Chance Convenience Store, for review via #NetGalley. The views are all mine.

If you're looking for a drama free story, one that speaks about the beauty and importance of human relationships, read this but don't be fooled. These simple interconnected stories which start and end with Mrs. Yeom, a retired history teacher and the owner of the Always Convenience store and Dok-go, whom we meet as a dirty, homeless man in the subway station, deliver a profound lesson on the empowering nature and importance of community, the adage -don't judge a book by its cover, and the redemptive power of second chances.

Set in Seoul, Korea just before the COVID-19 pandemic was starting, the writing was so good I felt as though I was there in every story. I was eating the food, feeling the chill in the air, and rooting for everyone to grasp their second chances.

Mrs. Yeom's kind offer of a job to Dok-go, and his acceptance of it, sets in motion a series of different events all centred around the corner store that could do better in a market where other stores provide what customers want.

Suffering from memory loss and preferring the comfort of familiar surroundings at the station, the unkempt, clumsy and not talkative Dok-go, reluctantly agrees to work the night shift.
Mrs. Yeom saw past his rough exterior and helped him. Like most teachers, she wouldn't accept his reluctance to work, to do and be better.

He learns quickly how the store functions and slowly, his sincere interactions with staff and customers effect changes that redound to the benefit of the people and the store. He is an encourager, a helper, he is kind, and he has this way of helping people to see themselves in a different, more positive light, that in turn helps them to be a better person.

The more he helps others, the more he remembers, or they help him recollect memories. He wants to remember who he was and if he had a family. I was sad when he did remember because you could see his was a heavy burden to bear.

What I like about this story is how it depicts the mundane, the every day, ho hum of life and shows that it is something more. It shows you that sometimes, if you slow down, there could be some steady and long lasting connections. You can also see past the exteriors and realise that some people are lonely, hurting and carrying around pain that threatens to consume them but they can lighten that load through sharing, if you are willing to listen. If you dare to care.

Honestly, this story reminded me of those days during the pandemic when supermarket employees noted they were seeing some of the same people each day despite the assigned shopping days. People longed for simple interactions with others then, and now.

When people looked at Dok-go, they saw a "bear" like man. Initially, like individuals are apt to do, they only saw his exterior and quickly formed opinions. He was to them, a homeless person but when he cleaned up, ate regularly, and slept, he changed in their eyes.

As he said, "In the end, life boiled down to relationships, and relationships to communication. Happiness, I realise, wasn't far off. It was in our sharing our hearts and minds with those around us. It was something I'd learn over these past months at Always Convenience. No, I'd been learning it slowly over the years at Seoul Station, little by little, as I watched families saying goodbye to their loved ones, lovers reuniting, children accompanying their parents, and friends setting out together. ... I'd watch them, while sitting in my spot on the ground, while talking to myself, while pacing, while wrestling with my thoughts, until finally, I understood."

Yes, the end may have wrapped up neatly for some readers, but for me it was good because Dok-go remembered his past, the good and the ugly bits but he didn't wallow there. He decided to use his skills for good and help others during the pandemic.

This book may cause you to rethink how much, or the things you take things for granted. It may also make you pause, re-examine what you do and how, if you truly saw someone you interact with regularly, if that could make a difference to them and you.

Thre is a reason this book is a best-seller in Korea. It is terrific--it is a compelling story of transformation, mystery, and redemption. The main character, Dokgo, is a mysterious unhoused man who lives in Seoul Station. He has a problem with alcohol, which in turn induces memory problems. One day, he interrupts a purse sntaching and reunites the purse owner, Mrs. Yeom, with her stolen pink purse. She takes him back to her struggling (in-)convenience store, where he is ultimately given a job on the night shift on the condition that he stop drinking. From there, the story unfolds, encompassing the backstories of the other workers at the convenience store as well as some of the shoppers. In unexpected ways, Dokgo quietly transforms the lives of those around him, even as he struggles with his own unremembered demons. I loved reading this work, which slowly grabbed me and ultimately made me look forward to reading it each night before bed. I'll confess, I often stayed up later than planned as I was ensnared in the various stories of the characters connected to the convenience store. The writing is good, with a occasional shining sentences, a tribute to the translater. I will be looking for other works by Kim Ho-Yeon in the future, and in the meantime, I will be recommendoing this book!

Kim Ho-yeon’s The Second Chance Convenience Store is an easy, wholesome read about two people trying to start over. Mrs. Yeom’s little 24-hour shop is barely hanging on, and Dok-go, the homeless man she hires for night shifts, isn’t in much better shape. Watching them find small ways to help each other—and the random customers who drift through at 3 a.m.—gives the story a steady pulse of hopeful melancholy: you feel the weight of their past mistakes, but you also sense things might finally turn in their favor.

Nothing here is flashy—just scraped knees, instant coffee, and tiny acts of kindness that add up. If you like novels that leave you quietly optimistic without ignoring how hard life can be, this one does the job.

When an elderly woman has her walled returned to her by a homeless man, she decides to give him a job at her convenience store. Mrs. Yeom is a retired teacher who purchased the store at her son's urging. She is a kind woman who is able to see the kind nature and positive traits of Dok-go, a destitute man with no memory now living in Seoul Station. As Dok-go thrives in his new position and positively impacts the lives of people around him, Yeom's son is plotting against him.

The Second Chance Convenience Store is one of those books that I thoroughly enjoyed while reading, but didn't linger in my mind or cause me to think deep thoughts afterward. A great story that is very well-told.

We begin the story with Yoon who owns The Second Chance convenience store, she loses her purse. It's found by a homeless man. It doesn't take too long to realize that it's more than coincidence that brings the two together. Yoon helps Dogko, the homeless man, and in doing so helps him to rebuild his life and remember who he is. Throughout the story there are tales of others getting their lives together through the comfort and guidance of the ones who work at the convenience store.
Sweet, ordinary days make this book a very comforting and easy read.

Thank you to Netgally, KimHo-Yeon and Harper Perennial publishing for allowing me this e-version arc in exchange for my opinion.

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d have much to say about this one, but I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The way all the characters were connected through one place and one person was done so well. I loved seeing how they all viewed each other and how their lives overlapped in small but meaningful ways. It just felt really thoughtful and well put together. Such a quiet, feel-good read that stuck with me more than I expected.

Filled with lessons of kindness [and how it cam completely change someone's life, even if that was not the original intention], how to be less judgemental [and we ALL, myself very much included, could have reminders in], and just how inserting some good into one who is struggling can not only change their life, but quite possibly yours as well, this quiet, lush, thoght-provoking book will reach deep down inside you and touch your heart in so many unexpected ways and you will find that you are a different person than you were when you first started reading it.

This has been one of the best of the Korean Literature books I have read as of late and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kim Ho-yeon, Janet Hong - Translator, and Harper Perennial & Paperback/Harper Perennial for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC copy of the book.
I enjoyed this slower paced book and the themes that were talked about throughout the book. Definitely a cozy read with a lot of good messaging about being present and seeing the good in the little things in life that people often overlook.

An original and interesting premise, full of depth and moving moments for the characters. I really enjoyed this more than I imagined I would.

Wow. I really enjoyed this book more than I expected. It's such a profound story about empathy and kindness. It's also a reminder that you never truly know what someone might be going through. Behind closed doors, everyone is facing a battle of some sort, and it costs nothing to be kind.
This story shows the powerful impact of compassion and what it means to make someone feel heard and understood. This book was a heartwarming read about human connection, healing, and simply being considerate to others.

🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶 : 4.5

🄵🄾🅁 🅁🄴🄰🄳🄴🅁🅂 🅆🄷🄾 🄻🄸🄺🄴

☆ Fiction
☆ Multiple POV
☆ Empathy and Kindness
☆ Slice of Life
☆ Unlikely Friendships

🄵🄰🅅🄾🅁🄸🅃🄴 🅂🄲🄴🄽🄴

Seonsuk has been cold and dismissive toward Dokgo since he started working at the convenience store. One day, as she arrives for her shift to relieve him, she is visibly distraught after a terrible fight with her son. Instead of heading home after his overnight shift, Dokgo stays and listens. He offers her some corn silk tea and simply lets her talk. Before leaving, he buys three triangle gimbap for Seonsuk’s son and encourages her to write him a letter. He tells her to say that she is ready to listen now. She was not ready before, but she can assure him that she is ready to reallt hear him this time.

🄵🄰🅅🄾🅁🄸🅃🄴 🅀🅄🄾🅃🄴

-The quotes referenced are from an advanced reader's copy and may not reflect the final version. Please refer to the finished copy for accuracy.-

"You need to feel that hurt so you can leave without second thoughts. Once you're somewhere else, you'll miss this place, and it'll miss you too. Missing something makes you appreciate it more, doesn't it?"

"Life's not meant to be comfortable and convenient all the time."

✨️ Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, for the advanced copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.

"Happiness, I realised wasn't far off. It was in sharing our hearts and minds with those around us"

Title: The Second CHance Convenience Store
Author: Kim Ho Yeon
Translator: Janet Hong
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Harper Collins

⚠️Spoilers⚠️

Mrs Yeom, a retired history teacher was en-route to a funeral when she realised her purse was missing.Frantic with thoughts on how she could possibly get her purse back, she receives a call from a stranger,he had found her purse. They arranged to meet, but when she offiers him a reward, he declines. Mrs Yeom then takes this homeless man to her convenience store and his reward for the safe keeping of her purse is a free meal everyday. As fate would have it Mrs Yeom needs someone to work the night shift hours and Dokgo starts working there on one condition, he stops drinking.

This is where the trajectory of this story truly begins, where we meet the different characters in this story from different walks of life and how Dokgo's simple ats of kindness changes each of their paths. THe most important character we learn about is Dokgo, the homeless man, his life before he suffered from alcohol induced amnesia, and what lead to it.

"Life's not meant to be comfortable and convenient all the time."

This was truly such a beautiful and meaningful story, The Second Chance Cnvenience store was just that, everyone deserves that second chance with a little bit of kindness added. Each person is walking their own journey differently. I definitly liked Dokgo character as he had so much insight on daily life, struggles and what its like to be frowned upon. He was observant and gave advice and help where it was needed but i think all these people he met helped him too. I liked MRs Yeom's character too as she was the one erson who gave Dokgo a second chance, a chance to live.

What to expect/ triggers:
🔺Chance Encounter
🔺Asian Literature
🔺Alcohol abuse
🔺Suicidal thoughts
🔺Abandonement
🔺Death
🔺Medical trauma
🔺Pandemic (Covid)

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much @harperperennial for the review copy on @netgalley.

This was such a great, short read. We experienced so many second chances/new beginnings for different characters of different ages and family backgrounds and it all takes place at the core of the convenience store. The mystery of the homeless man, Dokgo, our MMC, is so intriguing. When his past is finally uncovered, it is so heartfelt.

This does bring up the time of the pandemic, so if that triggers some bad memories, just beware. It does not take over the story though.

Thank you Netgally and Harper Perennial for the ARC.

4.5 stars

A wholesome slice of life story that illustrates how compassion and kindness can have a ripple effect and change lives. The multiple POVs for each chapter was endearing to read, I really enjoyed slowly getting glimpses of the lives of each character and seeing how they interacted and intertwined in the stories of the others. Some characters aren't very fleshed out, and we don't spend much time with them. But that reflects the setting of people passing through a convenience store. The last chapter was really unexpected, but gave Dok-go a deeper complexity after spending much of the book being a rather simple, yet mysterious character. Kim Ho-Yeon's story was touching and Janet Hong's was amazing, I really adored this book.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Netgalley for the eArc!