This book has a very magical setup that seems straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie - the imagery was really beautiful and blended nicely with the Japanese mythology. The author did a great job with the world of this novel and her research really shines through. However, the characters were lacking in complexity and came off as bland. The chemistry between Hana and Kei was somewhat lacking. I did find Haruto's character intriguing and I would have loved to see more of him in the book.
The worldbuilding, while beautifully imagined, was also very surface-level. We would be introduced to some huge magical concept, only for it to be thrown away and never mentioned again.
I think the overall premise and plot of this book were great, and it was a perfect read for the fall season. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey/Ballantine for the eARC!

Hi, so this is actually one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. I’ve literally never read anything like it before and I can’t believe I’ll never be able to read it for the first time again.

A whimsical and cozy book about regrets and choice. This reminded me of, as others have mentioned, Studio Ghibli, with a touch of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. If you like those, I'd definitely recommend this book. It's slow and comforting and the prose can be quite lyrical. The characters felt real and you end up really feeling for them. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy for an honest review!

This book is honestly just so beautiful. The elements come together in a way that is poetic and entertaining. I'd love to talk to my district about incorporating this book into our curriculum.

Thank you netgalley and random house publishing for this arc. Wow, where do I even start, what should i say first about Water Moon? This book completely swept me away! Set against the backdrop of Tokyo, it tells the story of Hana Ishikawa, who inherits her family's magical pawnshop. But this isn't your simple everyday pawnshop; here, people sell their regrets, and Hana's journey to find her missing father while navigating her family's complicated past is both enchanting and deeply emotional.

Samantha Soto Yambao has such a beautiful way with words. Her descriptions of the magical elements blend seamlessly with real-life struggles, making the story feel both fantastical and relatable. You can practically feel the atmosphere of Tokyo coming alive through her writing. The exploration of family dynamics and personal growth really hit home for me. It's like a gentle reminder that our past shapes who we are, but we also have the power to choose our paths forward.

I also loved the friendship and romance that blossomed between Hana and Keishin. Their connection is sweet and authentic, highlighting how shared experiences can bring people closer, especially when they're both dealing with their own baggage. As they uncover secrets and confront their traumas, you can't help but root for them.

What really stood out to me was the book's message about healing and the importance of confronting our fears and regrets. It's a beautiful reminder that while we can't change the past, we can choose how it influences our future.

Overall, Water Moon is a must-read for anyone who loves magical realism intertwined with real emotional depth. It's got everything—adventure, love, and a bit of magic that’ll leave you reflecting long after you turn the last page. If you haven't already, make sure to grab a copy when it releases in January 2025. Trust me, you won't regret it!

ps. you might want to stay away from puddles after reading this book.....

Absolutely loved this book! I had the pleasure of reading it as an ARC, and it quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year. The writing was so beautiful, I wanted to highlight the entire thing. I’ve already preordered my copy to add to my shelf. If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli, you’ll devour this!

Watermoon is an enchanting, whimsical tale that took me on a nonstop adventure from start to finish. The world is so vividly described that it felt like I was watching a movie unfold in my mind. While insta-love isn’t usually something I enjoy, in this story, it worked surprisingly well. The imagery, fantastic settings, and fast-paced plot kept me fully immersed the entire time. If you’re looking for a book that feels like a journey through a dreamscape, I highly recommend Watermoon. Five stars!

Embark on a lovely journey of self-reflection and introspection in a dream-like world.

Hana Ishikawa inherits her father's pawnshop, but it's not your typical pawnshop where you exchange precious things, jewelry, or antiques; instead, you exchange your regrets or certain choices. Hana's father goes missing on the first day she is meant to open the pawnshop, and she embarks on an enchanting trip to find him with a very charming man who enters the shop at the opportune time.

This book is ideal for people who want to read an enchanting and thought-provoking adventure story. I had to underline so many quotes that made me stop reading and question myself. The imagery, atmosphere, and writing are incredibly immersive, creating a cozy yet profound experience.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an early ARC of this beautiful book.

This was a bot different than I expected but overall it was a good read. A bit slow at times but a nice easy read. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley

Thank you to Net Galley and Del Rey for the ARC. This book has a beautiful cover and a whimsical cozy vibe so I immediately requested it. Unfortunately, it was not for me. The plot started off way too slow and I was bored throughout.

In "Water Moon", author Samantha Sotto Yambao has crafted a story merging the world of today with a fantasy realm based on elements of Japanese folklore and mythology.

Keishin Minatozaki is a Japanese-American physicist who's recently accepted a job offer in Tokyo to study neutrinos, and shortly after moving to his new home, stumbles into a pawnshop despite thinking he's looking from a ramen-ya. There, he finds a store in disarray and damage, the lone proprietor being a young woman named Hana Ishikawa, who steadfastly refuses his help and tries to force him to leave. Hana hides a number of secrets, however, including the world that she and her father Toshio inhabit and the rules and regulations that govern their lives. The Ishikawa's pawnshop barters in regrets - visitors are able to offer up their life's regrets and missed choices for a cup of tea, and find solace in completely forgetting these aspects of their pasts. For Hana, who has never left the pawnshop, it is a duty she's always known she would take on, as well as the role of turning over these failed regrets, which are transformed into birds, to the frightening shiikuin who come to collect them every new moon.

However, Hana's world is turned over when she wakes that morning to find the pawnshop in complete disarray, her father gone, and one of the caged birds missing - appearing as though a thief has broken in and her father giving chase into the world on the other side of the door. Despite her protests, Hana grudgingly accepts Keishin's help and the two dive into the many corners of Hana's world, one that involves teleportations through water puddles, the inking of one's fate to one's skin, traveling through the journey of a rumor, and the currency of exchange in memories and music. As Keishin journeys farther into this magical land, he comes to learn the truth behind its existence - and his own connection to it.

From the first few pages, "Water Moon" built an enthralling and captivating world, one that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. I have to commend Yambao for piecing together such a fantastical place, as each chapter revealed yet another aspect of it; it reminded me at times of a Studio Ghibli film. I enjoyed the overall journey and the final reveals of Hana and Keishin's characters and stories felt well thought out, if a bit complex. I did find that the world-building and the continual introduction of new characters and rules detracted from the focus of the novel - the protagonists and their character development over the course of the novel. The writing style felt stiff and overly formal at times, perhaps to mimic traditional Japanese language and literature, but I felt as though I never really connected with Hana over the course of the novel. It made her and Keishin's relationship and feelings towards each other less believable, and the novel's resolution less satisfying.

Overall an enjoyable read, and one that I'd recommend to interested readers when "Water Moon" is published in January 2025!

· Name of the publication/blog/outlet where your review will be published/posted = Goodreads

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cue lukewarm applause. dnf @ 20%

if you are currently in a reading slump, this is not the best book to ease you out of it; this book's pace is slow, and not in a we are deliberately pausing to smell the flowers in these moments kind of way, but in the my editors and i don't know how to handle the pace of this story as in we can't efficiently inter-weave worldbuilding with the plot kind of way. the initial premise is interesting and the characters are endearing, but I feel like we started the story too early and got flung everywhichway thereafter. i believe the story would be easier to digest, had it been arranged differently.

overall a comforting read. i don't think i'd say any different if i got through it 100%. it's probably best to read when you know youre in tip-top shape for paying attention; otherwise your attention wouldn't want to be wasted.

hmmmm i retract that actually. i am in tip-top shape for paying attention rn and still decided it's not worth spending it anymore on the rest of this novel.

thank you NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Water Moon was very dreamy and definitely fits into the cozy fantasy genre. I don’t have much to say other than it was a good palate cleanser between dense, heavy reads and had a very unique storyline. Perfect for cozy fall reading. The cover is also incredibly stunning. Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

In Tokyo, some people think they are entering a restaurant only to find a pawn shop instead. Little do they know, they've crossed to another world where they can trade a regret--a choice--for peace as they move onward. This is the place where Hana has grown up, trained by her father to take over the shop someday, forever weighed down by the knowledge that her mother stole a client's choice and was killed because of it.

On the day after her father's retirement, she awakens to find the shop ransacked, her father gone. A strange man enters--a physicist from Earth, and someone who hasn't come to trade a choice. He insists on helping her--and continues to do so as they begin a fantastical quest to find her father and answers.

This is a mind-bending trippy book that put me in mind of the movie What Dreams May Come. Hana's parallel world to Earth doesn't operate as ours does. Something akin to magic imbues everything, and the plot unveils constant surprises. I'm a frequent fantasy reader and I struggled to track what was happening at times--I can imagine some people would be utterly lost. I found it to be a worthwhile journey, however, with a sweet romance and a satisfying finale.

It felt like my brain was cracked open so the author could use my dreamscapes as the ink to write this story. Such beautiful world building, creating these amazing and fantastic settings. Compelling characters that give you a reason to root for them and ways to relate them, flaws so valid and real even when flying through a fantastical setting on a cloud. I loved every moment, unable to put it down even into the latest of nights.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my days what a beautiful and magical read!
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto is a beautifully woven tale that captivates from the first page. The author masterfully blends rich imagery and poignant themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Sotto's lyrical prose immerses readers in a world where emotions run deep and characters resonate long after the final chapter. The narrative's unique structure keeps you engaged, while the exploration of cultural elements adds depth and authenticity. It's a poignant read that lingers in your heart and mind, making it a must-read for anyone who appreciates literary art. Can't wait for a special edition of this one!

Water Moon is an absolutely whimsical book with a cast of characters that would fit in a Studio Ghibli movie perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a better story when it comes to reading my first ARC.

“Scars don’t make you any less than what you are. They are simply stories”

“It was easier to chew on misery if you did not know what happiness tasted like”

Set in two distinct worlds, the story follows Hana, from the, for lack of a better word, magical world, and Keishin, from our current day world. Keishin stumbles into what he thought was a ramen shop only to discover he walked into a pawnshop that has been ransacked. He soon finds out that it isn’t a normal shop, and instead of trading jewelry and collectibles, this pawnshop trades choices and regrets. He soon discovers that this world he has stumbled into defies all the laws of science that governs his own world. This is a quest-based story that follows Hana and Keishin as they run around searching for Hana’s father who has mysteriously disappeared.

In this story, we follow our characters as they fly in a sky of paper cranes, jump through puddles and land in a different location, and are folded into paper to get from point A to B. But we also hear about grief and stories of loss. I cried hearing about Keishin’s father and what cancer did to him. I deeply relate to the language that was used in describing how terrible cancer is and what it does to one’s body. Seeing what it does to your dad: “The man in the coffin was going to look like a stranger either way. Cancer had made a feast of his father, gnawing at him until all that was left was skin and bones.” While this was a relatively small part of the story, it had such a big impact on me. I saw myself in Keishin and how he has coped not only with the death of his father but also with how he has faced other deaths like </spoiler>his mentor’s.</spoiler> Grief is crazy, and it can result in coping mechanisms that you wouldn’t expect. I think grief was a common theme throughout this story, whether it was about a parent dying or a relationship ending. We saw characters ask, “How can you be at peace if a part of you is missing? It will be a hole that you will try to fill all your life without ever knowing why that hole exists in the first place.” And the the story also touched on the flip side of things, when someone isn’t dead: “I wish I could grieve you. Grieving ends. But I can’t grieve. You’re not dead.”

While I’ve highlighted some heavier topics that this story covered, I also want to say that it was fun and fast-paced. I loved the short chapters! I didn’t spend all my time crying or being sad—quite the opposite actually. There were so many dumb lines that had me laughing, with this one being a top moment:
“‘We will not walk into any trap.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because we will be swimming into it.’”

There was romance and friendship mixed in with everything else in this story, and honestly my only critique is that I wish it had been more slow burn. I felt a connection between Hana and Keishin, but I would have loved a longer timeline. Granted, that isn’t super realistic considering most of this happens in what, a week maybe? I can’t take points off though because the story just made me feel so much in every other aspect. Definitely a book to remember, and I wm excited to see a physical copy once this releases!

I'm still processing this book weeks later. What a beautiful and emotional ode to the struggles and victories of life. This read like a Studio Ghibli film and I could see it all clearly in my mind. It added so much magic and whimsy to an already perfect story. Sotto Yambao writes with such mastery on the human condition. The world was so atmospheric and imaginative. Like I said, I'm still thinking about it because it makes me weepy. I would recommend this to anyone who deeply connects with or just loves the vibes of Studio Ghibli, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao follows the journey of Hana, daughter of a pawnshop owner in a mystical place, and Kei, a mundane physicist in Tokyo.

The world-building here is creative and dreamlike; I was fascinated by traveling on a song, listening to candles, and boating through clouds, and this was my favorite part of the story. I didn’t anticipate some of the twists in the plot and appreciated how things came back together by the end. There were some plot holes around the Shiikuin (otherworldly police?), soul formation, and the unusual children (trying not to give away too much here.)

Less successful were the characters and the relationships themselves. We don’t really know too much about Hana, and though she develops a little over the course of the story, this could have been deeper and more engaging. We get a little more from Kei. His meetings with his mentor were particularly effective. The biggest downfall is that he falls in love with Hana in a few hours. While this allows the narrative to move quickly into all the amazing, whimsical worlds, it doesn’t ring true. All the other characters are there in service to the plot rather than to make us care about any of them. Ultimately it reads very young adult, breathless first love, rather than development of a long-lasting, solid relationship.

All of that aside, I did really enjoy this fairytale. The themes of regret, power of small choices, and finding your place in the world all work well in the incredible setting. There are some magical moments and well-written prose. Those looking for something light and escapist should definitely take a look.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the digital ARC.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

Water Moon is a beautifully woven tale that transports its readers to a different world. I absolutely loved the world building and the way in which Sotto Yambao created Hana and Keishin's adventures. Both characters are flawed and working through their journey while learning more and more about each other.