In this second installment, we follow Takako through everyday happenings at the Morisaki Bookshop, and those who visit it. As Takako blossoms in her adulthood, she navigates her romantic life, and the importance of being transparent with your feelings, and supporting her uncle as her aunt’s cancer progresses. Perhaps the most touching part of the story is the advice her aunt bestows upon Takako, “Don’t ever try to hide from sadness. When it comes, cry it out. It’s better to keep moving forward with that sadness; that’s what it means to live.” With this advice, Takako hopes the Morisaki Bookshop will endure and that love for reading will prevail, with human connection at the heart of it all.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Satoshi Yagisawa for the advanced reader’s copy of “More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.”

I want to take a moment to think NetGalley as well as the publishing company for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was beyond excited to receive a copy of this book because after reading the first book in the series, I was left wanting so much more. I am so glad that I was able to revisit these characters as well as the setting. Everything about the way the story is told brings me nothing but joy and I truly think if you enjoyed the first book, you need to pick this one up because again just being able to go back to revisit these characters really brought a smile to my face.

I'm a huge fan of this type of gentle, 'slice of life' book, and I enjoyed returning to the Morisaki Bookshop. Sometimes you need to read a book to help calm your soul, and this fits the bill. It helps to have read the first installment, but it's not a requirement for enjoying this book. The characters have moved on to new daily problems and encounters, in an ideal small-town setting that sounds like a place I'd love to visit. The whole vibe of this book has a dreamy, idealized feel to it that makes you wish you could jump in and meet the characters and live a day (or more) in their world.

I can also see myself recommending this to some of my teen patrons, not just adults. I find that this type of book has great appeal to YA readers who are looking for a peaceful, escapist read.

This may be harsh and I'm sorry. I know this is a popular book and all, but....ugh.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a cozy and light read. However, this sequel has absolutely nothing memorable about it.

The writing is worse, the plot is....nonexistent. Wada may be cheating oooooh....oh wait nevermind. Mamako has cancer and is dying, please be sad! Tomo and Takano have weird tension, but it leads NOWHERE!

I just don't really understand the point of this book. I guess the author decided to write another book since the first one did well, and just had no idea what he was doing.

The Morisaki Bookshop has quickly become one of my favorite series. I love the characters and seeing glimpses into their life. This is such a thoughtful provoking story and really caused me to reflect on my own life and the relationships around me. It’s amazing to see the influence that we have on each other and the influence that books can have on our life. Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for allowing me to read this amazing story early!

Following in the footsteps of the first Morisaki Bookshop novel, this one continues Takako's story and continues to provide a comfortable read. I found the inclusion of Takako's long lost aunt to be a little confusing, but I think it helped to further the discussion around what it means to trust and love someone. It provided another point through which Takako was able to consider her own romantic relationship.

4.5/5! "More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" is such a great continuation of the series. After reading the first installment, I was really excited to learn more about the characters. This book offers an in-depth look at the characters, their relationships, and their lives both in and outside of the bookshop. One thing that appealed to me is that is a cozier read, even while tackling serious themes. Yagisawa skillfully depicts grief in a bittersweet manner, a theme I find many books struggle to capture. As the story progressed, I found myself more and more captivated in the characters' lives and their journeys. The book wraps everything together wonderfully, and I was left with such a warm fuzzy feeling. Overall, I thoroughly loved this book!

To begin, thank you so much Sabrina at Harper Collins Canada for sending me an e-galley of this book! I read "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" last Winter and enjoyed it, so I was very much looking forward to continuing Takako and her Uncle Satoru's story.

This definitely had the same cozy vibe that book 1 had - truly, the same cozy vibe that many Japanese Literature novels have, especially ones that feature books! Although, the writing at times could feel a bit lacking. This could very easily be because the depth of the writing was lost through translation, or that the purpose of this book was to remain as simple as possible. What I did notice, however, was that the writing would get more thorough towards the halfway point, something that book 1 and 2 share in common. It felt like, once death and grief came to be more at the center of the story, that Yagisawa (the author) would deepen the writing a bit. For this exact reason, I found myself enjoying the book far more once I had reached the 50% mark, this being for both books 1 and 2.

"More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" explores important themes, such as death, grief, and mental health, while still remaining somewhat brief about them. Given the very short length of the novel, I found that Yagisawa still did a good job of featuring those important topics, addressing them somewhat thoroughly, while also bringing in other elements and dialogue throughout.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read, and while it was quite a sad way to wrap up the duology, I still see the hope and comfort that the Morisaki Bookshop was able to bring to the characters, which I do believe is one of the main messages readers should take away from this story.

I found myself wanting for revisit Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, so what a nice surprise when I found out there was a second book! I’m so happy this was FINALLY translated to English. More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop had the closure I needed from the last book and it was a nice comfort read that explored love and grief. It was a fun and slow-paced read! One of my favorite parts of this story were the classic Japanese author recommendations, whether intentional or not. I would recommend this book to anyone needing a break from high stakes and fast paced literature. Thank you Harper Perennial for the ARC!

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, by Satoshi Yagisawa
Release date: July 2nd
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unfortunately, this sequel lost a lot of the charm that i loved about the first book.

I loved watching Takako's journey falling in love with reading and the atmosphere of the bookshop and the neighborhood in the first book, but we shift gears and focus a lot more on the characters and relationships in the second. But, these relationships weren't really compelling enough to be the central focus of the book for me. Takako's romantic relationship troubles and then the dynamic between her friends especially made me roll my eyes and consider DNFing for a while. Pretty much every issue in every single relationship in this book stemmed from a lack of communication, and I hate that trope. A little miscommunication here and there is fine, but literally every issue between every character could have been solved by just a little communication.

Thankfully, I did like the relationship between Takako, her uncle, and Momoko. That became the main focus for the final act of the book, and I had a much better time reading that part.

The way grief and loss were dealt with in the story was probably the highlight of this book for me. While a lot of this book had me annoyed, those sections in particular did still manage to tug at my heart strings.

This sequel is a gentle read with a soft tone that allows the reader to feel for the characters that revolve around the Morisaki Bookshop. What do their lives lack and what makes them so content to be around the books in the store. At times the book moved a bit slowly for me, but I enjoyed the characters and their love for books seeing them as treasures. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Loved it! I think it's more of a supplemental reading and to just tie any loose ends in the first Morisaki Book. I will say I was a bit lost at first because I assumed it was before Momoko told Takako about her health, but it's right after the ending of the first one. Regardless, very cute and heart warming, will def be buying the physical.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is cozy, heartwarming, heartbreaking, comforting all wrapped in one. Yet again i fell in love. There is no way you wouldn’t love this as a book lover. All the beautiful descriptions and so many relatable moments made this a 5 stars read!

I was good to catch up with Takako, Uncle Satoru, and Momoko again. Following the events of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Takako has moved out of the apartment above the bookshop and settled into a new job and new relationship,

I love how she describes the book shop: “ This is my beloved Morisaki Bookshop. It’s been an inseparable part of my life since the days I lived here. In its own modest way, it’s a place that holds so many little stories in its walls. Maybe that’s the reason I keep coming back..”

Pace is slow and the plot feels a bit disjointed in the first half of the book. However, the second half of the story takes Takako on an emotionally complex journey that is beautiful and moving.

Yagisawa makes the bookshop itself perhaps the most powerful character in the book. It becomes the thing that anchors Takako as she moves forward, and it allows others to do the same.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for approving me for this ARC.

With this sequel, readers get to delve back into the world of the Morisaki Bookshop. The story follows Takako, her uncle Satoru, and their friends, family, and customers, after Takako has moved from the second floor apartment above the bookshop. Of course, just like the first book, this one continues to be a love letter to books and those that love books.

The sequel is as every bit as great as the first. This book focuses more on an exploration of the people in Takako's life and how she comes to realize and accept realities about her own life and self through the experiences of those that surround her. Takako is happier at the onset of this story but she still is on a self-reflective journey.

We also get to delve a bit deeper into the relationship of Saturo and Momoko and how Momoko becomes increasingly more important to Takako.

I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there but I definitely would encourage everyone to read this when it releases (and to read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop if you haven't already). Also, fair warning, I read the second half while sitting with a small group of non-testing students and nearly cried in front of a bunch of teenagers.

I was thankful for the opportunity to read an early copy of this after really enjoying Days at the Morisaki Bookshop but unfortunately this felt disjointed to me and I couldn’t find the charm that I adored about the first within these pages.


Other readers may love this one, but, sadly, it wasn’t for me.



Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the DRC

"I tried to put him in a good mood but asking if he'd gotten any good books in lately. Whenever he gets talking about books, my uncle's bad mood vanishes right away."

It's not often that a sequel is as phenomenal as the first book, but "More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" is cut from the same cozy, comforting cloth as its predecessor. Reuniting with the lovable yet neurotic Takako and her quirky, wise uncle Satoru was simply wonderful. As much as I relate to Takako's insecurities and emotional difficulties, it was nice to see her finally commit to Wada. While this follow up novel did come with a sadder ending than I expected, the way that Satoshi Yagisawa illustrates grief and the passage of time was beautifully done. Even though this feels like the end of the Morisaki saga, knowing that the fictional bookshop lives on makes me so happy.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5

read the first book of this series for my podcast and it was a book we adored and really was a great way to explain one’s relationship with reading. Because I really enjoyed the first book, I had to request a copy of this and am so glad I was given a digital copy to read and review.

“More Days At the Morisaki Bookshop” takes place three years after the first book. We are provided this timeline, however, it left me with quite a few questions with various relationships in the book. Takako has been dating Wada for about 2.5 years but their relationship seems like one of a newly dating couple who don’t know how to communicate. Her two friends have a block in their relationship but that’s gone on for 3 years? I was just struggling to understand the evolution, or lack thereof, in the romantic relationships.

I think the most compelling part of the story is Takako’s relationship with her uncle and her aunt. Seeing Takako mature into a trusted and reliable adult for these two was beautiful to see and was the most emotional aspect of the book.

Overall, it was nice to see Takako deal with her anxious attachment but I would’ve loved to see the development between her and Wada.

This was a lovely and sad follow up to Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.

I enjoyed this cozy little read. I enjoyed seeing how Takako’s life progressed. Her relationship with her boyfriend; her relationship with her friends; and her relationship with her uncle.

There are moments when I felt like some of the story got a little lost in translation. But I reminded myself that everything is culturally appropriate and I just moved forward.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set in the charming Morisaki Bookshop and its neighboring coffee shop in the Jimbochi neighborhood of Tokyo, Yagisawa invites readers back into the lives of Takako, her uncle Satoru, and the eclectic cast of characters who frequent the shop. From the old man in the worn mouse-colored sweater to the book collector obsessed with author stamps, each character brings their own unique story and perspective to the narrative. Yagisawa's prose is gentle yet poignant, painting a vivid portrait of the everyday relationships forged and nurtured within the walls of the bookshop. As Takako and Satoru navigate the challenges of life and love, they are faced with the pivotal decision of whether to keep the bookshop open or close its doors forever—a decision that leads them on an emotional journey back to their family's roots. "More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" is not just a story about books; it's a celebration of the profound impact that bookstores can have on individuals, neighborhoods, and entire cultures. Through Yagisawa's eloquent storytelling, readers are reminded of the power of literature to unite us, heal us, and ultimately, help us find our way home.