Whimsical story about dreams and how they are made .We follow Penny on her new job at the Dallergut dream department store. we meet the actual makers of these dreams and they are quite the cast of characters .Magical and captivating

This is a book where you have to go in with the right expectations. It is not a plot driven book. For the typical "American" reader this will not be interesting enough to read. However, one of my own personal goals is to explore more translated work, more cozy type, low stakes and atmospheric reads (ie: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Komogawa Food Detectives). I've noticed more Asian works being translated. They have a very unique vibe...that we don't have here (I'm in the US). Much of the time, I can put down these books/series...and pick them back up on. my time. They are a little more relaxed and calming to me emotionally. I never feel urgently pressed to "finish it". I'm not generally THAT invested. And yet, I enjoy the story and the atmosphere.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store fills that vibe. It's a little bit of cozy fantasy and we follow the lives of multiple employees and "dreamers" at the department store by following Penny, a new hire at the store. While the summary describes Penny as "enthusiastic" - she is better described as engaged with her job. This might be were the translation falls short. Because when you translate a text, it cannot be word for word. You may have to find a different word to convey the correct behavior. In Korea, Penny may be enthusiastic, but by US definition Penny is doing her job, wants to do it well and wants to do it better. But she is not overzealous, excited, sponkey, innovative, driven, a go-getter....etc that I would associate with that term in the US.

There are lots of areas where the translation falls short. At times the spacing between people/scenarios was very jolting. Maybe additional chapters would have better prepared the typical English reader, cuing visually a change. In English writing a space between sections is usually a continuation of a character - new scene with the same character....not necessarily a jump to a new character. Which would have been a new "chapter" cuing the reader to be open to the new situation.

Another example is that they use the word disciple in reference to a God and a type of "creation myth" related to how dreams develop. And I felt disciple was used...and it was very jolting. Not from a religious perspective....but reading it I struggled because I don't think that was the right word for Western culture. A disciple in Western culture is someone who follows a preaching/religion and spreads this philosophy. And I felt, the disciples were more accurately dieties. - because they had powers that were granted to them to utilize. Where as a disciple does not have any "god-like" powers and would not be given such. I know this is a small thing overall, but it does throw a reader because it takes additional time to understand what is really "meant"

I think translators overall do a wonderful job, and this translator did exceptionally well. But I feel that translators should be allowed some ability to re-word and rephrase context to ensure a good read. It might a good idea after a translation to have a couple of readers pre-read and identify these types of areas so that translators and authors can ensure smooth flow.

Overall the story is lovely, slow building and creates a unique dream atmosphere. I really wish I could order certain dreams...maybe my soul is ordering dreams....if so the payout must be big to the Dallergut Dream Store, because I am always dreaming....every night...something different.

I hope to see more translated works from this author!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was obsessed with this concept, visiting a store to buy your dreams, but I just wish the story had a little bit *more*. I was hoping for more detail and imagery, or more depth into the stories and dreams people chose. This would kill as a movie or series. I did enjoy it overall and finished it in less than a day.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee.

I love the influx of translation literature and these feel good magical stories that are coming out of it. This book was very original and fun with a great message. I'm sure there could be a lot of installments of different happenings at The Dallergut Dream Department Store.

What happens to your subconscious once you’ve fallen asleep? We know we dream, but how?

First stop when falling asleep: visiting Dallergut Dream Department Store to purchase your dream of choice for the night.

With each chapter in The Dallergut Dream Department Store, we follow Penny and other coworkers as they sell dreams to customers throughout the world, but we also get to follow certain customers who purchase dreams as well as the dreammakers who create them.

Reality can be manipulated by the dreams sold to individuals, causing them to wake up with certain emotions to carry them throughout the day. The payment for dreams is the emotions one feels when they wake up. These emotions are bottled up and exchanged for cash or used directly as is (spray Cozy on a couch to make it super comfy; consume Flutter to feel excitement).

It's quirky, whimsical, cozy, and fascinating but also so incredibly sad to see the various reasons humans (or animals!) select certain dreams. The writing is not flowery, the text pretty much gets straight to the point (likely a product of being translated from Korean) but kind of adds to its quirky charm.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hanover Square Press for the advance copy!!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is a multi third person-POV Korean cozy fantasy. Penny has always wanted to work for the Dallergut Dream Department Store because their pay is one of the best. But when she lands the job, she finds that it’s a lot more than what she was expecting.

I really loved this from the moment I started reading. The translator, Sandy Joosun Lee, really helped capture a cozy voice that paired so beautifully with the story and ideas from Miye Lee. Penny feels like a realistic representation of a new member of the workforce who is most excited about the benefits of their job but slowly learns to love the work for the work. Her dynamic with Weather and Dallergut himself, who work the front desk, was also very sweet. I really liked how Dallergut was mentoring Penny by encouraging her to think things through and listening to her ideas and questions.

The worldbuilding is so fun. The payment in emotions and much of that payment being delayed was genius while the different kinds of dreams and how those emotions played into it worked so well together. I really enjoyed the story of the Three Disciples and the God of Time in the beginning as it really helped set the cozy atmosphere and breathed life into the world.

My favorite part was the dreams regarding dealing with trauma. I understood where all of the customers were coming from in not wanting to confront traumatic events in dreams, where it feels like that is the one place where we can be free of those thoughts and feelings, but Dallergut saying that it’s meant to help people move past those feelings was so spot-on. Trauma dreams are not fun, but they exist for a reason and sometimes that reason is to tell us when it’s time to finally start processing difficult situations we have been through so we can lead healthier lives.

I never comment on covers, but I love this cover. I love it so much. The purple and orange, the whale, the moon and the clouds. And those little unique details in all of the windows. It’s just so perfect for the cozy vibes and the ideas presented in the novel and all of my friends who have seen the cover have fallen in love with it as well.

I would recommend this to fans of cozy fantasy, readers looking for Korean fantasy that is more contemporary, and those looking for a fantasy focusing on dreams.

This book was such a fun cozy read! The idea of a department store for dreams was a great draw to this book, and the way the characters are described brought the world to life in a very enjoyable way!

This book centres on Penny, a new employee at the Dallergut Dream Department Store, which exists on the dream-side of existence. As she learns how the store works, she gets to know Dallergut, the owner and manager of the store. She gets to meet the 'Legendary Five', a group of dreammakers who make some of the most popular, most vivid dreams. She also interacts with the dreamers, as they move through the store and purchase different dreams, and the employees on the other floors of the store. She starts to learn how the store is run, and how the payments of emotions are received from the dreamers.

This was such an enjoyable story! It's a very cozy fantasy story, and the parts of the book that followed the dreamers made it that much more enjoyable. Reading how Penny maneuvers through the store, meeting the celebrities of her world, was a lot of fun and made her a well-rounded character. There were moments of her interactions with the dreammakers that left me wanting more, so I'm hoping there will be a follow-up book soon. I found the currency of the world to be a lovely creative choice, and gave an interesting twist to the dream world. This book is easily one of my favourite reads of this year!

The Dallergut Dream Department Store is a book about exactly that, dreams being sold from a many storied department store.
We join Penny as she interviews and starts her new job at the store. The characters are all so visual, I almost wish this was a graphic novel, but of course our imagination does just as well as we weave through the store and the people who work there, shop there and provide the many dreams to choose from.
I wish there was a little bit of a plot to the story but the imaginative concept is a lovely read.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store is a cozy, introspective novella about dreams and desires. I loved the quirky cast of characters here, including one enigmatic interpretation of Santa Claus and nightgown dealing lion creatures. While each vignette connected to form a singular plot, it did feel a bit as if we were getting slices of life from the main character rather than a continuous tale. But I appreciated the dream-like quality of the storytelling to go along with this story about dreams. Some of the moments with individual dreams went much deeper than I expected, a couple leaving me in tears. But rather than sad, this book provided incredible hope for hard times through it's dreams, and even its nightmares. Perhaps a highlight for me was the nightmare maker himself, Maxim. I thought his character and function was handled with such gentleness and novelty. I would absolutely read a further collection about the employees at Dallergut's.

A side not for the work in translation: I thought the prose and dialogue flowed very smoothly and naturally. My only question would be if the unusual names perhaps carried more weight in the original language - more insightful cues into character. But that aside, I found this an easy-reading translation.

I LOVED this book! I had been looking forward to reading it since I first saw the cover months ago and I was not disappointed. If you love interpreting dreams, talking about dreams, sleeping or all of the above, you will love this book! I was a wholesome collection of many stories about dreams, what they tell us and how they help us cope. I loved how supportive and loving the characters were toward each other and how there wasn't really any conflict. This book 100% deserves the title of cozy!

“The Dallergut Dream Department,” by Miye Lee

This book has such an interesting concept with the commercialization of selling dreams. The inner workings of the department about selling the dreams were fascinating and the different departments involved with different dreams and why people searching one rather than the other. The book was a little boring at times because of the slow pace. It is a lighthearted, sweet, whimsical book mixed with consumerism. The world building had me confused about whether any of the characters were real, in the real world or if they are in the afterlife or whatever. 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This is a fun little story about a department store for dreams that you visit when you fall asleep to select your dream for the night, run by the quirky yet wise Mr. Dallergut (who honestly reminded me of Dumbledore a bit). The story follows Penny, a new hire at the dream department store, as she gets to know her coworkers, the regular customers, and the famous dreammakers, and learns about the dream industry and the power of dreams. It's creative and heart-warming, and perfect if you're looking for something light and easy.

If you liked Before The Coffee Gets Cold, you'll definitely enjoy this too!

This review is posted on my Goodreads account, and I will also discuss the book in a podcast episode which will be live on Spotify as of July 4th.

There is so much to love about The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee. Quirky characters with delightful names, rich and magical food descriptions, and lush worldbuilding are just the beginning. We follow Penny as she begins her career at the premier Dream Department Store under the tutelage of none other than Mr. Dallergut himself. She soon learns that there is so much more to the glamorous work of selling dreams, including meeting with the top 5 dreammakers and encouraging struggling artists, and that sometimes, the perfect dream takes time.
While the world and department store feel like a warm hug, with a side of a calm cookie, the commodification of dreams and emotions gave me pause. I would think that the one place we can escape all of the entanglements of the waking world would be our dreams; and although the customers do not remember the department store experience, I think it somehow lessens the magic for me.
That said, this is a dreamy read that charms the reader. I would recommend this for an easy book club discussion or for folks who need a bit of whimsy and inspiration.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I read reviews that some didn't like it as it was a slice-of-life book and they didn't enjoy that type of book. After looking up what that meant and being unsure myself, I'm so glad I decided to give it a chance and read it anyway! It is definitely a type of book I now enjoy. Everything about this book drew me in from the cover to the idea of dreams being created for people and a department store one visits in their dreams. I really enjoyed learning more about the employees as the book went on and snippets of the customers lives before and after the dreams. I would love to read more about the Dallergut Dream Department Store! Definitely give this book a try if you enjoy magical realism and want a little escape from reality.

When we go to sleep, our 'shadows' visit a parallel universe where they can shop for dreams that they will experience that night. The Dallergut Department Store is a popular location, selling dreams crafted by famous designers, napping dreams for infants and animals, and even having a floor dedicated to dreams on clearance. While those who go to bed in the nude are dressed by furry creatures called Noctilucas (curiously named after a genus of bioluminescent plankton), other experiencing trouble with falling asleep can visit street vendors for warm onion milk or grab calm cookies at the department store. Penny has just started a job at the front desk of the titular store, and serves as the reader's eyes to learn more about this strange world, the art of dream-building, and the sort of people who live in this world and help it operate.

I have... complicated feelings about this book. There's a lot to love: the art of making dreams is similar to writing or even programming, with the most famous dream makers being respected like famous fashion designers or writers. Dreams are paid for after the customer experiences them, and the payment is the emotional payoff they get when waking up. There's a lot of discussion in the book about emotional payoff from things such as nightmares or deja vu, and the stories that happen in 'our' world become linked in certain ways. In spite of all of the charming world building and interesting questions brought up, the story itself is pretty dull slice of life with characters who are more symbols than people. There's a lot of whimsy, especially in the character names, that I found more annoying than charming, and ultimately I only got a little more than halfway through this book.

A big part of this is likely due to it being translated. I'm going to guess that some character names were translated literally, and constantly reading over names like 'Babynap Rockabye' and 'Speedo' over and over gets a little annoying. The present-tense prose is repetitive and uninteresting, and with so little actually happening in the book I found it all too easy to put it down. If 'The Dallergut Dream Department Store' is ever adapted into a tv show I'd love to watch it, since it reminded me of Korean dramas that I enjoyed such as 'Mystic Pop-Up Bar' and 'Hotel De Luna', but as a novel I can't say it appealed to me as much as I wanted.

Dreamstore Department is a cozy fantasy novel that gives me Christmas shopping vibes.

Penny starts working at the department where people can shop for dreams only when they are sleeping and pay with emotions after dreaming.

I love the types of dreams the author decided to focus on and the cast (adding more characters) with fun personalities (some we already know). My favorite dream chapters were the ones related to trauma because the author gave them a wonderful purpose and a positive spin. The Crush and Creative Inspiration Dreams are also very fun chapters. Makes me want to visit this department store in my dreams, meet Penny and all the hilarious floor managers, the wise and kind Dallergut owner, and celebrate Christmas and the Dreams awards with them. The author is Korean, so we get a lot of Korean references to their way of living, which makes sense because daily life will influence which dreams the customers want to buy next.

This one is wonderful to gift, and I look forward to having a physical copy. Love the dreamy covers of all editions. 

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this e-arc.

3 stars

This is a fun and light read. Nothing too ground breaking.
I enjoyed the characters, but wish there was more depth to the plot/storyline.

I think too much is lost in translation for me. The character wants a thing, then the thing happens, then this other thing, the plot feels more like a checklist of actions than a story. Reads like poetry, great writing, but not for hundreds of pages.

The thing that gave me the most pause in this book was actually the genre. I was expecting a full-on fantasy but it's really a slice of life or cozy. This is not a bad thing - just not what I expected! Read on!

The story follows the main character through her new job at the Dallergut department store and learning about the department store as she works in it, but there’s very little character development for the main character. We are there for what happens through her interactions in the store and the people she meets—and this is not a bad thing at all. The story is compelling enough to turn pages because the most amazing thing about this book is the world building.

The premise of a 24hr department store that sells dreams is highly creative—and intriguing. There are so many little creative details that I won’t share and ruin for readers - but this is the core attraction of the book.

The characters are also vibrant and well-crafted with very, very distinct almost cartoon-like or anime-like colorful details. They would easily be able to be cast for a Hollywood production of the book. The whole idea is very cinematic.

There are teachable moments in the book, and normally that might irk me, but here it seems like it’s integrated into the form of slice of life and very artfully done. There are also some awesome little food moments sprinkled throughout. After finishing it, it’s staying with me, and I’m mulling over the little things that intrigued me. It’s a book to talk about and to share. I’ll be recommending it to friends.

Penny has landed her dream job, at the DallerGut Dream Department Store, a fantastical place you visit in your sleep to purchase your dream for the night. We follow her as she learns the ins and outs of selling and making dreams, and how dreams help people navigate their waking hours. This is a delightful book, with heart-warming and bittersweet moments that keep it from becoming too saccharine-sweet. I loved that we explored all the different types of dreams, including nightmares, and how we can learn from all dreams. Penny is a wonderful main character, eager to learn and to help her customers, and the eponymous DallerGut feels like a more comforting Wonka figure, as he takes Penny under his wing to teach her all about the business of selling dreams. I would highly recommend this book!