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.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store is about a department store in which all sorts of dreams are sold, and customers can choose their latest adventure. Dreams can grant users the ability to fly, relive a childhood memory, converse with a loved one, and just about anything you can imagine (one dream was about becoming an orca and traversing the ocean!). Penny, the main character, is a girl who works in the department store and learns more about the nature of dreams and time as she interacts with various customers and employees throughout the story.

I thought the premise was very interesting, but wish that there was a bit more of an overarching plot or higher stakes. That said, this was still a quick, fun, and whimsical read that transports you to a different world and encourages the imagination.

"Could you at least give it a name? Shall I call it a miracle? Or an illusion?” The Third Disciple asked desperately.
“Call it a dream.”

3.5 stars rounded up

This book is comparable to “Before the Coffee gets Cold” in both style and substance. It’s not one story, but a collection of several little stories all connected through The Dallergut Dream Department Store — a store that sells dreams to you while you’re sleeping. But, just like “Before the coffee gets cold” it’s more than just a collection of little stories. It’s an exploration of how we deal with trauma and disappointment and loss. And how the little everyday moments make up something much bigger.

PLOT
Penny dreams of working at the famed Dallergut Dream Department Store, and when she unexpectedly gets a job there, she soon learns that there is a lot more to selling dreams than she thought. We join Penny in her first days as an employee of Dallergut’s, learning the intricacies of dream payment collections (spent more time here than I cared for) to the various types of dreams offered.

There was an interesting sub plot at the beginning about a god and his disciples and the need for dreams to connect the past with the present, but it wasn’t really explored, which I was bummed about. There was a lot of potential there.

PROSE
The author used the writing tense to help the reader distinguish between the real world and the dream world: The real world is told in past tense, and the dream world is told in present tense. It’s a unique approach I haven’t seen before, and it definitely helped keep the two worlds separated.

PEOPLE
First off we have Penny. I’m not going to spend much time here, there was nothing particularly exciting about her.

then there is the infamous Dallergut, the…owner?… of the dream department store. He was interesting and I would’ve liked to get more info on him. By the end he was still a mystery.

And Vigo Myers! Why did he have to come out of nowhere at the end like that and leave me crushed??

Also can we talk about some of the names for a second? Speedo? Weather? BABYNAP ROCKABYE???

FINAL THOUGHTS
This is perfect for fans of “Before the coffee gets cold”. Similar concept. Similar vibes. A little more *magical*. I actually liked this one more, I thought there was a little more substance here.

Some of the stories are a little harder to read than others, the topics get progressively more difficult the further along you get, but the author handled even the difficult topics beautifully.

I recommend this book if you like:
Before the coffee gets cold
Saccharine sweetness
Sleeping

TW: death, child death

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC

Anticipated publication date 7/9/2024

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is a beautifully written story about a woman named Penny who is a new employee at the store. This story is set in a universe where there is a plane of existence for those that live in the dream realm and humans who go there in that in between state of just falling asleep and dreaming. They can buy dreams from any dream maker and or store. What follows is a series of small tales about the lives of those in this realm and the customers who come to the story.

I really loved how well thought out this story is. It is smart and heart warming. There were times when the story was describing the way dreams influence our feelings throughout the day and I was like, "oh man that is clever!" All of the characters have their own personality and I cared the most for Penny, Weather, and Dallergut. The atmosphere is cozy, and for a lot of the book I kept this as my bed time book.

There was only one chapter I had a hard time reading. It dealt with death and a few times I decided to just skip it. The story was great though and I wanted to know how the characters would handle it, so I went back and read it. I wasn't disappointed.

The translator's note is so sweet. You can tell they loved their work on this book and I hope they (and the reader's) get their wish for a sequel.

Thanks to the author Miye Lee, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are mine.

This book was exactly what I needed to get out of a slump. I loved the cover and title which made me want to read it at first and I have no regrets

This was such a delightful novel!

I read DDDS as a treat for making it to my university's reading week, and I made the perfect choice. This book is uniquely comforting in the way it shows such care and tenderness to each of the characters and their personal stories. Similarly, I appreciated the care that went into the translation of the book into English- the flow felt seamless, with none of the linguistic quirks that can pop up when a work is translated without a proper understanding of the feeling behind the words.

This book is less plot driven, and focuses more on delivering small vignettes that give us just a brief idea of the many happenings of a town that exists solely in the sleeping mind. This was perfect for a break from some of my denser reads, and I can't recommend it enough if you're looking for a short, sweet story where you know that everything will turn out all right no matter what. If you are a fan of books like Tress of the Emerald Sea I think this would be a great fit.

I feel that DDDS is the perfect foundation for an extended series of books, with each of the vignettes creating a thread that could easily be pulled into a full story of its own.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and can't wait to see what Miye Lee puts out next!

I wanted this to hit so bad, but it was a huge letdown. I’m not sure if it was just the translation, but the writing style was not enjoyable to read at all, it felt very clunky and juvenile. The premise lends so well to having a story and characters with immense depth, but unfortunately both were lacking. It read more like general ideas for a book rather than a full story. Super disappointing.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. It’s cosy and whimsical. It’s about a dream store, dreams for sale and how the payment is done and a whole staff running the store. There are even awards for best dreams at the end of the year. While I found the premise to be an amazing hook and the world to be intriguing, there wasn’t much more to it than what I knew from the blurb

I loved the idea behind The Dallergut Dream Department Store, and since I enjoyed Before The Coffee Gets Cold, I gave this novel a shot. That customers could browse for the dreams they wanted delighted me. I found the characters interesting, but the author didn't dig deeply into the motivations of many, including Penny. You don't really get to know two of the characters until the epilogues.

Unfortunately, The Dallergut Dream Department Store left me unsatisfied. It reads like a series of character sketches or scenes, instead of a complete narrative fiction. The story relegates Penny, the protagonist, to little more than an observer once she achieves her story goal very early in the book. Personally, I love low stakes books, but even when the book has low stakes, I still expect to read a complete story with a beginning, middle, and satisfying ending. I kept reading this novel hoping to find a unified message to tie the whole thing together. Alas, it was not to be.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

gorgeous fantasy with very cozy vibes. not super complex but definitely has a great feel, so would recommend. thanks for the arc.