This was a dream (ha!) of a book, which feels like that warm, welcoming space of sleep right before you wake up. There's not much plot, and it's more like a slice-of-life story where the reader slowly learns more about this fascinating dream world that Miye Lee has created, which we see through the eyes of Penny, the newest employee of the Dallergut Dream Department Store. It's whimsical, sometimes sad, but always hopeful with the message that whatever we need, we will find in our dreams, eventually. I just wish that there was a little more connecting plot to string the different chapter/stories together, but still a delightful and calming read.

The chapter with the grandmom was my favorite part of this story! I've heard about this title before and am so lucky to read the translated copy this early. It did not disappoint and I can see why it sold so many copies in Korea.

We all dream (or at least I'd say it's safe to say we do), but imagine if you could pick what dream you have? This is like a step or two below lucid dreaming, but just imagine. The Dallergut Dream Department Store explores such a world and weaves stories of customers alongside stories of coworkers and out main character, Penny in a heartwarming tale. In such a short story, characters felt vivid and as the translator mentioned in her afterword, I think this story would lend really well to an animated adaptation. The story gave off such a unique and whimsical flow that reminded me of the movie "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl," which is based on the book by Tomihiko Morimi.

I really enjoyed this read and will definitely pick it up to reread and share with friends.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Puublishing for the DRC and please someone, make this into a movie or a short animated series.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store is a translated work of a Korean bestseller and it did not disappoint.  I LOVED this book. It was whimsical, cozy, fantastical, and unique. The premise of the book is that there is a separate dream world you go to when asleep, where dreams are for purchase. Penny, who resides in the dream world, begins working at the premiere dream emporium: the Dallergut Dream Department Store.

Penny is a wonderful character to follow as she learns about the world of selling dreams. She acts as a proxy for the reader, and we experience her confusion, wonder, and excitement. I loved all the different dreams and dreamers we got to learn about: from nightmares, to dreams of loved ones who have passed, to dreams of living another's life. All of the little vignettes evoked such strong emotions.

This book could be described as a fantastical slice-of-life story. World-building and character development take precedence, while the plot feels very ethereal. The story meanders like a stream and made for a perfect beach read for me. The comp to a Studio Ghibli film is spot-on.

I was pleasantly surprised by the use of folklore in the story to explain how the dream world came to be. I loved learning about the three brothers and seeing their descendants woven throughout the book.

One thing I noticed was the grammar tenses seemed a bit interesting. I appreciated the following note from the translator and think it would be helpful to include in the beginning of the book: "As for the rules, I found it satisfying to use the present tense for the dream world and the past tense for the real world. It distinguishes between the two, but I also think the present tense conveys a fantastical nature of the dream world that transcends time and memory."

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend!

Thank you @htp_hive @htpbooks #partner for the opportunity to read this one.

A whimsical little store that sells dreams?! Umm hello! Where to I sign up?! Extra bonus this one is translated from Korea and I am telling you the description alone being as unique as it is, is why I grabbed this one!

People gather to this department store in their pajamas ready for a restful slumber. Each floor reveals a new type of dream made possible tied into your past, wants, desires, nightmares, struggles or really any experience you’ve already encountered before. Penny is hired as a new employee to hand out dreams and when an important one is stolen she feels she must uncover clues to find out just who did this!

This was such a unique, playful and magical book. The author has created a one of a kind idea that really brought joy to my day! It honestly made me think about what sort of dream and experience I would want to order! The themes in this book were very simple but so impactful about every day life. The atmosphere and visual elements of this book were fantastic and I was so excited to see this one is actually a part of a duology. Thank you Miye Lee for writing such a heartwarming warm hug of a book!

4.5 stars

Set in a whimsical town hidden in the collective subconscious. The Dallergut Dream Department Store is open 24/7 to sleepy humans and animals alike to buy their desired dreams. Patrons can purchase custom dreams, paralysis dreams, nightmares, and precognitive dreams that give you a glimpse of your future.
Payments for these dreams are fulfilled once the customer feels an emotion after they’ve slept. I loved this book so much that I felt transported into this magical town with its sleepy patrons. I’ve always found dreams to be intriguing as we spend a third of our lives sleeping. Miye Lee took me on a journey through dreams that were filled with love, anguish, and heartache, and in the end, I cried. I found this book poignant and moving. I’ll never forget the employees and patrons of The Dallergut Dream Department Store. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by dreams.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC

This book was adorable. Super calm, cozy, relaxing, and meaningful. I loved the underlying messages and all the heart. It was very, very good. And the cover is adorable!

This book is exactly what my heart needed. Fantastical, whimsical, sweet, and sincere. A lovable cast of characters working at this dream store paved the way for an equally lovable book!

After just reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I was in the mood for more "simple" stories that held meaning and more heart. The more you read it, the more you realize what you missed before. The layers in this book were there, but I loved that you could enjoy the overall story without having to stress about thinking too much unless you wanted to.

This was such a lovely read! It gave me vibes of "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" and "A Psalm for the Wild-Built". I honestly fell asleep reading this several times because it was so calming. I know of several friends and patrons that would love this.

Thank you Harlequin trade publishing for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store is a cute, whimsical fun read following our protagonist Penny as she gets a job at the department store that sell dreams.

It is a cute little book that meshes the feeling of the animated film Spirited Away and the feeling of waking up from a nice dream, that you can’t quite remember but fills you with warmth.

Surprisingly touching, the book is highly quotable, I wish I could share some here but cannot since the book is not being released until July 9th, but if you love tabbing, this book is chock full with inspirational quotes and life lessons.

Definitely recommend! Preorders are available through all book chains, and currently on special right now on Amazon.

Premise: In this whimsical novel, we follow Penny, a new hire at a fantastical department store that sells dreams.

Review: I have mixed feelings about this book. It's whimsical and light-hearted, and feels a lot like a hug, and that's really wonderful. But it was also light on character development and plot, sort of like an old-school sitcom where nothing ever really changed from episode to episode. This was certainly far from being bad, but for this reader it needed more plot to be great.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital advance review copy in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 stars

A version of this review will be posted to my dedicated Instagram feed closer to the publication date.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is an eccentric take on the dream world as a store that allows you to purchase dreams that suit your fancy. Precognitive dreams will give your mind a spin on the idea of deja vu and nightmares can help to resolve trauma or stress in this magical realm. This book will leave you wondering what your mind is working through while you sleep.
I would recommend this book for people who love a book that leaves you pondering your last dream. You will wonder, did I buy this dream at the Dallergut Dream Department store? I really wanted to pick the flying one but they were all sold out!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

In a mysterious town that lies hidden in our collective subconscious, there's a quaint little store where all kinds of dreams are sold...
Wonderfully whimsical story about dreaming, from their conception to their influence on the waking world. I loved the overall atmosphere of this. It felt at times like the film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium in its use of the fantastical in an often mundane, logical way without any overarching explanations. There's stories within stories, interconnecting dreams and blends of emotions that come together in a satisfying, magical way.

Beautiful messages and prose. Cannot ask for me

I saw the cover of this book and was completely pulled in, it looks dream filled and whimsical and you just know what’s inside will capture your heart. It did not disappoint! I loved the world they built in these pages, the people and their unique attributes. I could see it all.

I’ve always been obsessed with dreams and where we go at night, thanks to this book there is another take on it. Do we go to a dream department store and buy the kind of dream we want? I need to stop asking for nightmares!

This book is so beautiful and amazing and I was sad it was done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Miye Lee for the eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Loved the concept of this story! So creative and like nothing I’ve ever read before! I highly suggest!

I've been having reader's block recently and this book was the perfect book to help get me through that slump. I was really intrigued by the premise of a dream department store and enjoyed how watching that play out in different scenarios - especially in overcoming trauma. I loved Dallergut's interactions with the various customers and Penny's observations of the different characters and departments. This book is simultaneously a quick, easy read and a thought-provoking story. I am grateful for the opportunity to be an ARC reader.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This whimsical novel is a perfect book for anyone looking for a light, heartwarming read. It felt like a combination of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the Midnight Library. I liked this less than the former but more than the latter.

I did ultimately enjoy this book, but I was left wanting a little more background and details about the dream world, dream making, dream selling, etc. I will check out the next book in the series, though.

This book is whimsical at its finest.

Following our protagonist as she applies for a job as the Dallergut Dream Department Store, we are introduced to the space in which our dreams are crafted. We see the people from the waking world who visit this space, and learn the lore behind why we might chose such dreams.

An imaginative tale, the ending had me crying tears of bittersweet grief, and it left me with a warm feeling in my heart.

“Why do we dream?”
This novel ponders that every human, through sleep, travels to a dream land. There are famous dream makers in this land, similar to movie directors or game developers, each with their own specialties. The dreams they make are then produced as physical items that are distributed to stores and sold to visitors and inhabitants of this dream land. Once the Human wakes they have no memory of the dream land or the fact that they specifically chose the dream they had.

The story begins with the protagonist Penny preparing for her interview at the Dallergut Dream Department store. She talks with her friend Assam, who is a human sized cat like creature called a Noctiluca. Assam as well as many other Noctilucas have the job of distributing robes to human visitors who arrive to dream land wearing only what they chose to sleep in that night. Penny is successful in her interview and hired on. As the story progresses she meets her fellow staff members, visits each level of the department store, learns all about different types of dreams, how one pays for a dream and much more.

I absolutely loved all of the world building in the first few chapters. There is a very lovely story-within-a-story that Assam gives Penny, which explains the existence of the dream land called The Time God and the Three Disciples. It accomplishes setting up a lot of exposition without it feeling too heavy handed.

Penny as a character really serves in place of the reader. She doesn’t know much about the Dallergut Dream Department store or much of how the economy in the dream land works despite having lived there her whole life. Penny learns that customers purchase a dream, then later they have the dream and some of the emotions it elicited are then collected as payment.

In a lot of ways the dream land is quite similar to the human world. There are restaurants, and banks. The inhabitants can find love and have children or pets like cats and dogs. They can even purchase dreams for themselves for when they sleep. Each emotion, just like earthly currencies, fluctuates in value. There are even crime syndicate rings.

After Penny is more settled in this new job there is less overall world building and each new chapter fits a formula. Penny is introduced to a type of dream, we as the readers meet human characters that have a problem in their lives, the human visits the Dallergut Dream Department store and purchases the dream that Penny learns about, the dream helps them solve their problem. We learn about several types of dreams, which includes:
“Precognitive Dreams” which help you see a glimpse of your future and can be the cause of deja vu.
“Nightmares” or trauma/stress related dreams that help you move past difficult times in your life.
“Paralysis Dreams” to make you feel free when you wake.
Napping specific dreams for short sleeps.
“Custom dreams” which are made to order and usually created to help a loved one with their death.

Overall I thought this is a very wholesome and imaginative story. The main focus is of course on the department store and about helping customers find the right dream for them, and it is successful in this approach. I do wish that the same level of world building that the first few chapters had continued throughout. On many occasions Penny must visit another location, but it will skip over her travel there almost completely. These would have been perfect opportunities to show more of what the everyday parts of the dream land are like. I had so many questions about the world that were never answered. I think if we got to see Penny's life outside of work I could have been even more immersed in the world.

I would recommend this to readers that enjoy light Sci-Fi or light fantasy and/or fans of “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” and “What You Are Looking For Is in the Library”.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

"The Dallergut Dream Department Store" by Lee Mi-ye is a masterful blend of whimsy and depth, presenting a unique exploration of dreams within a magical department store. This Korean bestseller, drawing comparisons to "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" and "Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore," invites readers into a comforting realm where dreams are meticulously crafted and sold, offering solace and wonder to a varied clientele. Through the eyes of Penny, a new hire, we delve into a narrative that is both light-hearted and profoundly touching, particularly for those with a complicated relationship to sleep and dreaming. The novel's strength lies in its ability to weave the fantastical with the mundane, creating a magical experience that is both heartwarming and thought-provoking. Lee's storytelling, enriched by a delicate translation that retains the essence of the original, delivers a narrative that speaks to the beauty of dreams and their power to heal and transform, making it a deeply meaningful read for anyone looking for a sprinkle of magic in their lives.