Penny has been with the Dallergut Dream Department Store for a year, and now qualifies for a pass for the express commuter train that takes people into the Company District. This is where all aspects of dream production can be found, including how dreams are produced and tested. Dallergut takes Penny to a facility that is a part of the industry, but which she is surprised to find exists. The Civil Complaint Centre is where customers can submit complaints about the dreams they've purchased, and it's also where she learns of specific customers who have stopped coming to the Dallergut Department Store.

Dallergut challenges Penny to focus on a particular project, and she chooses to work on customer retention. She analyses each complaint, and interviews these people, and begins to expand her understanding of the industry, moving past her role at reception.

Each lapsed customer's life and situation is explored, and we learn of why these people needed the dreams in their lives and how these were supporting their mental health.

This continuation of Penny's and the Dream Department Store's lives was interesting. Penny's gained in confidence, and is able to move deeper into her understanding of the industry, from the creation of story types underpinning dreams, and the pressure on employees to create fulfilling dreams, and for her to take a much more active part in the process.

Like book one, this is a story filled with whimsy, but this time we also get the more mundane, corporate side of manufacturing and selling dreams.

It's a light story, and full of coziness.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

After loving the first book, I was really excited to return to the Dallergut Dream Department Store. I enjoyed the whimsy and coziness of this world and its cast of characters.

It was great to be reunited with Penny and her colleagues. This book takes us to places outside the department store, like the complaint centre and a fantastical laundromat. The team also decides to host a pyjama party for all their regulars and new people alike.

I liked this book, but wasn’t as captivated by it compared to the first one. I wanted more vignettes within the store and back stories on the dreamers. I also wanted to go deeper on Maxim and Penny as soon as their connection was mentioned! I liked seeing Penny’s responsibility grow in the store, and would have loved hearing more about the first floor aside from navigating some of the customer complaints.

Overall a cozy read. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The first book in this series grabbed my interest immediately, and I'm happy to say that the second one was just as good. I love the whole world/premise of these books. And, it is really fun to see how the events around our characters play out.

I love this series! Everything about it is so cozy and fun. It's such a great light-hearted palate cleanser. I adore the characters. It explores topics in such an easily digestible way. This was a fantastic follow up to the first book. This series feels like comfort food and warm blanket. So excited that these books are being translated. They definitely deserve the hype!

A lovely and gentle read and a nice break from some of the more intense fantasy I've been reading lately. I've somehow managed to read the second book in this duology and not the first but I still really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Dallergut Dream Department Store when I read it last year, so I was pretty excited to see there was a sequel coming out. I loved the idea of stepping back into that whimsical dream world and seeing where the story and characters would go next.

The writing here is still lovely and atmospheric, and the setting is just as imaginative as before. But overall, I ended up feeling a bit underwhelmed. The plot wanders around a lot without much urgency, and most of the conflicts feel pretty superficial—like they get resolved too neatly without any deeper impact. I also wish there had been more time spent on developing the characters further, especially after the growth we saw in the first book.

Even so, I’d definitely pick up more from Miye Lee in the future—I just think I’ll go in with slightly different expectations next time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is a fun book, light and happy, but with only a bit of substance - rather like the dreams sold at the Dallergut Dream Department Store. Penny has now been working at the store for a year, and the novel starts with her getting a positive review for her first year's work. The rest of the novel focuses on the desires of both Dallergut and Penny to resolve complaints about dreams, and to entice former customers to return to the store for more dreams.

The novel is a little overly sweet in its presentation; in general, everyone is happy and all issues resolve positively. In that sense, it's rather unrealistic (not that there's much realism in the idea that people could visit the store while asleep to pay for dreams with their emotions), but it's so positive it's almost saccharine, making it a bit hard to swallow the story. Still, it's a quick and easy read, and I did enjoy finding out what has happened since Penny was hired at the Dream Department Store.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a cozy and wonderful way to walk back into the world of Dallergut and the Dream making realm. I loved the first one and found this one to be even better with a richer storyline and even more nuance to the worldbuilding.

I do find the summary to be a bit interesting as it makes the story sound as though there is a dark underbelly that needs to be solved or rooted out. However, I didn't think much of this story was dark or secret. In the Dream-Making District, Penny learns there is a complaints department for those who's dreams do not live up to what they hope or if the world of dreaming becomes too much for them to bear. For some dream sellers, they are more focused on selling dreams and getting new customers, but for Penny and even Dallergut, himself, they are concerned with bringing back those who used to be regulars in their dream store but something changed either in their lives or in their dreams to make dreaming less pleasant.

I like that Penny takes the task to heart to try and help dreamers find their way back to the dream department store and to find dreams that they need. There is something so comforting about her level of care for those who seem to wander as though lost. We see a deeper level of emotion being processed through dreams and I love the way the author weaves them into the fabric of the dreams it tries to present. I hope we get to continue entering this dream world. And I do wonder where these dreamworkers go when they go to sleep each night? Do they get to bring dreams home and try them out?

I love this series! The dream-making district and the stories about it are so interesting! I loved getting back into this world and seeing how much Penny has grown in the last year in her role at the Dallergut Department Store. To be honest, I wished this was a little longer and we could have explored the characters a bit more. Looking forward to the next book!

Dallergut is like middle-grade fiction for adults. It’s kind of surface level but extremely cozy and cute. It’s a total comfort read, with characters you can’t help but love.

Sure, it’s a little heavy handed with its morals and study of human life, but it doesn’t require you to dig deep and self-reflect. It’s just an endearing story of a department store that sells dreams and helps people heal.

Anyway, I like this duology a lot and think it’s a great little read!

In the second book of the Dallergut Dream Department Store duology, Penny has been working there for a year now is and is an official employee of the dream industry! She can finally take the express commuter train to the Company District, where all the dream-production companies are located, and discover how all raw dream materials and testing equipment are produced. The Company District is not quite what she expected, however. There is a Civil Complaint Center, that is full of people filing complaints about their dreams. She is also attempting while she is there, to unlock new secrets about the customers they lost and hope to bring back. Why do some customers buy a dream and never return? Will Penny and her colleagues be able to bring their regulars back?

I have loved these books. They are whimsical, delightful, and magical. I love the premise of a store where you go to buy dreams that you want to dream. You pick out the dreams you want to dream, and you pay with the emotions it makes you feel. I adore Penny and how devoted she is to Mr Dallergut and the store. This job was all she ever wanted and she has loved almost every minute of it. If you love fantasy fiction then I highly recommend you check out this captivating duology. I think you will love it!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

I have been obsessed with The Dallergut Dream Department Store for years, and I was so lucky to receive an e-ARC for the next installment, The Dallergut Dream-Making District.

We get a deeper look into Penny’s magical world and the found family of colleagues and companions she’s made over the last year and she embarks on a mission to uncover more about herself while attempting to better her customers’ dreams. We get Penny’s POV, but we also get to experience the clients’ dreams and follow up the morning after.

This book isn’t a typical low-stakes plot - it is a warm hug. Another reviewer described this book as consoling and I have to agree.

Somehow, Miye Lee’s talent makes this series a comfort while touching on some heavy topics through character development, “I believe in the virtue of resilience, but wouldn’t it be better is there was no need for it?”

I could go on and on about this duology and I will be dreaming that there are future installments, but I’ll leave you with one more quote from the book, “sometimes love is worth a little extra effort.”

This book (and its stunning cover) comes out on June 24th! Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC.

Sweet dreams 🌙

The first installment of this series was wacky enough as is but this sequel elevates both the absurdity and the heart of the

In most ways I actually favor this book to it's predecessor, it feels more complete and also a little heart wrenching. I love the connections between all the dreamers and the dreamsellers and makers.

It was nice to return to this odd realm of dream logic, even if I had to be once again subjected to the idea of onion milk.

This is a return to the dream world where Penny has completed her first year of employment at the Dallergut Department Store. She is up for her review after which she can continue on her career path. Her next assignment will be the Civil Complaint Center. It is lovely to continue Penny's journey.

Miye Lee’s Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store is a charming and quietly profound sequel that reaffirms the series as a standout in the cozy fantasy genre. Set once again in the mysterious, whimsical dream department store, the novel expands the world with even more inventive insights into how dreams are made—this time with a touch of mystery involving some of the customers and their troubles. Penny’s continued growth as a new employee allows readers to explore deeper emotional layers of dream life, from nightmares that need tending to aspirations that quietly shape who we are. Lee’s gift lies in blending gentle magic with thoughtful reflections on rest, longing, and the blurry boundary between waking and dreaming. Inventive, soothing, and rich with detail, this book is a true comfort read for anyone who has ever wondered where their dreams come from.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I think I like the idea of this series more than I actually like the series. It seems right up my alley but something is lacking for me. I can't quite put my finger on it. I love the idea of a store full of dreams but I kind of want more of the dreams as opposed to the people working behind the scene.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just like I wish I could do in my sleep, I loved returning to the Dallergut Dream Department Store and its cozy world! Penny, Motail, Mogberry, Dallergut himself, and their crew of coworkers are back at it, finding the perfect dreams that will help their customers best!

This felt like a perfect growth for book two, enhancing the readers’ understanding of how the dreams are made (from ingredients to senses), how dreams can be accessible to all (including blind people!), and the power of lucid dreaming. I wish I could have lived in this cozy world…but maybe I’ll find it in my dreams tonight!

Thanks so much to Hanover Square and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t expect a sequel to the original story but this is great continuation of Pennys story. My favorite part of this book is the narrative choice in how we experiment Pennys actions to how we experience dreams. Getting to set foot in someone’s dreams leads to a fun whimsical story. It manages to explore why people dream and how dreams, or lack there of, can impact everyday life. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book.

i liked this one. the setting was well-developed, the story was calm and interesting, and the characters were cool. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.