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!

This is a well thought out and interesting story of how we get dreams. I only wish it could be this easy! I look forward to seeing more developments within this "store", and learning more about human nature and perhaps myself ;) The only thing I wish I'd seen more of was the workeers relationship to the "real " world. I had a disconnect where they came back and forth? I assume they come back and forth?

There is something so beautiful about translated literature, the only downside is that I now have to wait until the other books are translated so I can devour them like I did this one. I don't even know how to begin to describe what this book meant to me. It hit me right in the heart, the subtlety of storytelling where not a ton happens but what does happen is absolutely everything. A "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" meets "Rise of the Guardians" without the violence and high stakes, but keeping the live and wonder and enjoyment of the little moments.

This is a cute and fast read but don’t expect extraordinary. There’s not much of a plot or character development; just a story of a department store that sells dreams. The characters are likable and it’s interesting to see different emotions that people experience after dreaming the dreams they “bought”. Fun read but just ok.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing (Hanover Square Press), and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I was excited to read this ARC of the Dallergut Dream Department Store, since one of the members of one of my favorite k-pop groups (Seventeen’s Wonwoo) recommended it.

The book follows Penny, a recent graduate who got a job at a front desk of a department store that sells dreams. This store sells all sorts of dreams, from ones where the buyer reunites with a lost loved one to nightmares of reliving exam days in university (even though the buyer graduated years ago) to mysterious dreams about the future. They even sell dreams for pets too! There is a bit of mystery - one of the most coveted and expensive dreams gets stolen on Penny’s watch - but it wasn’t the main focal point of the story. Instead, I got to experience the whimsical world of dreams, how they are made, and the kinds of dreams one has after “buying” one.

There isn’t much plot to the story, but the book is quite comforting, fun, and heartwarming. I loved the characters - Penny, Dallergut (the owner of the store), the different managers of each floor, and the Dream creators - were interesting and each had their own quirks. And about that small mystery: don’t worry, it gets solved…eventually. Overall, this book was a great way to escape - both from your own reality as well as other’s realities - to explore wild and wonderful dreams.

This book follows Penny , a new employee at the Dream department store and her journey working there. This was a fun , light read — and fast -paced — I finished this book in a day. The concept is fun and unique — giving good logical reasoning for the dreams we experience and/ or choose to have . The world and characters are well built and likeable — it is magical, and whimsical — it is full of life and yet reminiscent of Before the Coffee gets Cold series but in a lighter tone.

Thank-you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade publishing/ Hanover Square Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This reminded me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and books similar to that. I loved the sci-fi element of "dreams" and how it plays out in this novel. It was cozy, tender, and easy to breeze through. I highly recommend it.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Lee Mi-ye was just what I needed in my life right now, and though I think this is going to be for a very niche market of readers, it was the perfect book for me. The storyline focuses mainly on Penny who gets a job at the Dallergut Dream Department Store and starts learning the world of selling dreams. You get to know an array of funky and unique characters throughout, and I loved every single one of them. The storyline doesn't necessarily lead anywhere, but I could have easily taken 200+ more pages in this world and loved every minute of it.

While the main POV is Penny, we also hop into the lives of some of the people who come into the store, and a couple of them near the end of the book left me in a puddle of tears. Overall, this is a very light and uplifting read, but it was also thought-provoking and heartfelt. I loved that there was a note from the translator (Sandy Joosun Lee) at the end, and I thought she did a truly beautiful job with the translation. If you enjoy getting lost in magical worlds and just need something to take your mind off the daily grind, The Dallergut Dream Department Store is the perfect place to do it.

Beautiful, dreamy little book about a store where anyone can browse for dreams. I found it delightful and cozy, reminded me a little bit of books like What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. It's a pretty quick read and not massively detailed, but I understand that this is the first book in a potential series and I have faith in the series' ability to flesh out the world and characters a bit more. As it stands, the book made for a perfect before-bed read.

Penny is the newest employee of the Dallergut Dream Department Store, where humans and animals alike can purchase many different kinds of dreams. With the help of a quirky cast of coworkers, Penny meets dream makers and learns the inner workings of this magical world.

This book is a whimsical and thought-provoking tale about life and the power of dreams.

Through episodic writing detailing transactions at the dream department store, readers meet several characters in different relatable circumstances and dive into reflections on what matters most in life, and how pleasant dreams and nightmares can both impact a person’s reality and well-being in different ways.

The writing is not very descriptive or immersive but this is also a translation, so it met my expectations.

This book isn’t a great fit for high-stakes fantasy readers because there isn’t really a firm plot or character arc to connect with, but this story would appeal to those who like magical realism and philosophical fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the ARC.