This very Studio Ghibli-esque book ended up being more action filled than I expected. In this Willy Wonka world, nothing is at is seems and you will be on an emotional roller coaster as you uncover all the dark secrets. This book got me teary eyed and hit me in the feels in the best ways.

This book gave me major Studio Ghibli vibes . It was beautifully written and took me on an adventure.
My only reasoning for the 4 star rating is that it got stagnant around the 35% mark and I had to switch to an audio book to finish.
I’d love to see this adapted one day into an animated film.

I think this book is not for me. It's a little too whimsical, the MMC is insufferable, and writing style is too flowery.

This story set the scene for a whimsical and dreamy world that explores themes of friendship, grief, purpose, and fate. The authors writing felt immersive in a way that paints a cozy atmosphere. Hana, the FMC, inherits her father’s hidden pawnshop in Tokyo where you can sell your secrets. But, only people who are lost can find their shop. The premise is very unique, and has you anticipating Hana’s journey after her father goes missing.

I actually really loved and connected with the story in the beginning because of the way the author set up the storyline. However as the story progressed and Keishin was introduced, I felt the story took a slower turn. Their adventure together in Hana’s world dragged on as they continued the search for her father. The romance also surprised me because initially I did not know that Hana would have a love interest. It felt a little unnecessary, but I see where their relationship connected to the overall plot in the end.

So overall, I enjoyed the idea that this book was based on and the immersive writing style. The main character, Hana, did frustrate me at times and I did not feel very connected to her. I liked Keishin’s personality better, and found him to be more interesting. The story was still interesting to me though! I just felt myself losing interest when their adventure together really began and wanted the story to tie together quicker.

I would recommend this book to studio ghibli lovers, anyone who likes cozy fantasy, and someone looking for a unique adventure. 💕

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC! ✨

Full disclosure: I DNF’d at 37%

I really wanted to love this. Ultimately though, the story was more adventure based than I expected and the characters (and their instantaneous bond/attraction) fell flat. While the writing was fine, it left me empty when I could tell that it really wanted me to feel something.

I am sure that the correct reader is out there for this as I truly don’t think it’s a bad book. But that reader is not me.

This review is WAY overdue.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!

I absolutely LOVED Watermoon. It is unlike anything else I’ve read. The writing, the main characters, the visuals, all of it was great.

Hana was so resilient despite everything she went through and I loved getting to see her story unravel and getting to know her and the world she lives in.

This is one of those books that is fun to read, but also makes you reflect on your life and the choices you make.

I will absolutely be picking h up more books from this author and should this ever be turned into a movie, I will be first in line.

Watermoon
is one of those stories that’s told to you in a whisper but echoes loudly in your mind whenever you have a quiet moment. The prose is beautiful from jump, absolutely alluring. It feels like getting swept up by a very calm river, where you think you can emerge whenever you want, but the current runs deep and won’t let you go until it says so. For me, that happened to be the end of the novel; I read it in one sitting.

I appreciated that the story was quick to act on it’s premise. Our protagonist Hana only gets a few pages of explaining the status quo of her world before her father’s disappearance turns it all on its head. She’s an insider to the world of her pawnshop; she knows how things work, and coupling her with the eternal outsider Kei allows her to show off the whimsicality and darkness of it in turn. As a reader, I was given an immediate example of how the pawned regrets look mundane to untrained eyes, but when seen by someone in the know are breathtaking and magical and precious. The reveals of Hana and Kei’s identities were made more poignant by this fact; Hana knew what Kei was from the moment she saw him, but couldn’t recognize the truth of herself until it was pointed out to her.

I enjoyed both Hana and Kei’s perspectives as the story shifted between them both, and not only for the way their respective insider/outsider dynamics shaped the framing of, for example, traveling though puddles or floating on clouds of paper cranes. Each of them offered a very pragmatic yet hopeful perspective on the world and their central goals were always clear and the primary drivers of the plot. Though the search for Hana’s father (and for her mother’s fate) was what made the protagonists move through the story, what I found most appealing was the growth they did individually. While messy, it was satisfying to watch their mirrored emotional arcs of 1. Mommy issues and 2. Feeling at the whim of or abandoned by fate resolve into a complicated equilibrium of “I don’t know if making choices is easy but I still want to try”. Though I didn’t buy their romance at first, by the end of the story I was very much rooting for Hana and Kei’s ability to be happy together. I am a little miffed we didn’t get more clarity on what Hana did in the five years that separated her and Kei, i understand why it was left out. Rebuilding a society after its core tenets are shaken up is fodder for a whole different book, one the author wasn’t telling in this story.

The parts of Watermoon that will stay with me most strongly are the feelings it left me with. I felt sad for the clients of the pawnshop who never get to come back for what they pawned, not only that they can’t see the true value of their regret but that they forget they could come back even for something they consider worthless. I spent quite some time (before learning that a regret was a piece of a soul) thinking about what if anything I would pawn, what burdens I have that are too heavy, and I’ve decided I don’t have any. Heavy as they are they’re mine. Having that instinct rewarded by the narrative was satisfying, as was seeing those choices become something magical and special on their own.

I recommend Watermoon to fans of shows like Midnight Diner, where character internalize takes center stage, lovers of stories they have to work for, that appear quiet until you look at them more closely. It’s a novel made for people who like to feel as though they’ve discovered something special and hold it close to their hearts.

This book was such a whimsical delight. I enjoyed escaping into the pages of this unique story full of magic, coming of age, adventure, and mystery! You must check out— especially if you are a fan of studio ghibli/ Suzume!

Water Moon was a perfect hug after coming inside on a rainy day. We follow Hana, who is taking ownership of her family’s pawn shop, as she searches for her missing father.

The catch: her pawnshop doesn’t deal in used physical goods; they take in regrets, and the pawnshop can only be found by people who have a reason to find it. Her father hasn’t just randomly disappeared; Hana is confident it has to do with the magic of the world her pawnshop plays with.

To add things to the mix, a man named Kei finds his way to Hana’s shop right as she begins her search. He is a scientist, and his world is dictated by the real and rational. When he joins Hana’s adventure, he is pulled into a world that contradicts everything he knows.

I loved the contrast between Hana and Kei’s understanding and interpretations of the world. I keep seeing this story compared to Ghibli, and it’s a very accurate comparison - there is a very melancholy feel and look to the world we start in, and the rules of Hana’s world are unclear and undefined. Even though the story starts out reminding us of pain and remorse, the characters’ journey together is charming.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review!

A whimsical fantasy set in a pawnshop where you can barter your choices, and the story of two individuals traversing the ocean of identity and regret.

As a lover of little magical stories reminiscent of studio ghibli, I absolutely ate this up. This book takes such a simple concept and weaves an insightful and sentimental tale of hope in predeterminism. We all have our “what ifs”, our forks in the road; the branching of our threads of fate. What would you trade for a different life? What did you sacrifice for your current one?

For those who adored <The Starless Sea> and <The Invisible Life of Addie Larue>, and readers of lightly peculiar Japanese literature. <Water Moon> is a soft, melancholic reflection of life, in all its flawed beauty

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the eARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

This book was like a dream in all the best ways. It was cozy and soft - like the book version of a cloud. The world building was incredible and I loved loved loved the Japanese culture representation. Add this to your TBR now!

I am very torn about how to review this book. There were many positives, not the least of which is Yambao's writing. The themes in the book deal with everything from regrets to questions of what makes a life worth living. As I read, there were so many times where I had to stop an ponder the sentences that beautifully capture a profound idea and make me think. I loved that. And it is these very ideas of how we as humans seal with our regrets and process them, along with how we understand the impact of seemingly insignificant choices that set us on a specific path that drew me to this book about a pawn shop where you could undo a regret. I came in with super high hopes.

However, it surprised me how difficult it was to get into the story. This, I believe, is because the plotting of the story and the characters felt distant. Again, Yambao's descriptive prose captured the beauty and whimsy of many of the locations the main couple travel too, but sadly, it is the journey itself that I didn't really follow. I kept asking "why is all of the necessary". While answers do come, they don't quite make up for the confusion throughout that I felt throughout. The main characters felt flat throughout also. While their rationale made sense intellectually, there was little in the story that made me believe them, much less feel the love that brings them together, or the threat that looms over them.

As a result, there are aspects of the book that I would rate as low as 2 stars. But there are also aspects I adored in the contemplative nature of the story. These I would rate much higher, in the 4.5 range. So here I settle on a 3 star, though that by no means expresses adequately the mixed feelings I have towards this book.

Probably about 3.5 stars. This started off really strong for me, but my enjoyment faded a bit as the story went on.

The protagonist, Ishikawa Hana, is set to take over a pawnshop in Tokyo that trades in regrets from her father, until she discovers that the shop is ransacked and one of their wares and her father are missing. Keishin (forgot his last name) then enters her store and somehow together, they end up on a journey through a whimsical, Japanese-inspired world to figure out what happened at the pawnshop.

The worldbuilding and ideas were whimsical and fantastical and a highlight of the book, with flying paper cranes, a museum of time, and memory pearls, and really contributed to the atmosphere and further built on the themes explored, like fate and choices and the flexibility of time. I wish we got to explore a bit more of each fantastical setting, because sometimes each one really flew by so it became surface-level. The writing was pretty atmospheric, too, though I wasn’t a fan of the dialogue; at times it felt like it tried too hard to be philosophical or say something profound that it wasn’t natural, but as a whole the dialogue was pretty stilted. It kind of felt like maybe since these conversations were supposed to be in Japanese, the author went for something that sounded translate rather than natural? Just speculating here but I wished it was better.

I also wished both Keishin and Hana were a bit better developed, as well as their relationship. Sometimes I got told who Hana was, but I didn’t feel like I got a good enough look into her mind for me to agree with what other characters said about her. It felt like once Keishin made his appearance, we were kept at a distance from Hana, so her characterization ended up feeling flat. In contrast, it felt like we got a lot of glimpses into Keishin’s past and mind to understand what kind of person he was, but that still didn’t really explain his motivations, which sometimes felt nonsensical. There definitely was a bit of insta-love going on, which I’m not a fan of, and since there didn’t seem to be that much chemistry, it didn’t make sense why Keishin wanted to help her so much or how they got to care each other so much over a few days. Other characters, too, like Haruto, could have been developed a bit more, just because I didn’t really feel moved when things happened to them, and it seemed like I was supposed to. The references to Japanese culture were nice, though sometimes there were just a few inconsistencies with the honorifics and references that felt like 違和感 to me. And the quote about sake was really messy, so hopefully that was fixed in time for publication.

Overall this was packed with really cute, whimsical ideas, and I can see the Studio Ghibli vibes at work. I just wished the characters were as interesting as the settings.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I really enjoyed reading WaterMoon! It was very unique, but also easy to follow and understand. The characters were likable and interesting. This is overall a cute and fun read!

✨Review✨

Water Moon by Samantha Soto Yambao📖🎧

This book will take you on a magical and whimsical journey into a dreamlike state. Filled with cozy vibes and romance that rains gently down. This book teaches wisdom and life lessons that are woven with enchantments.

“A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical quest when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dream like fantasy novel.

Spirited Away vibes meet Alice in Wonderland’s wisdom

“Yesterday has no door”

📆Release date: available now


✨Read this if you like✨
💧 Studio Ghibli
💧 Dreams
💧 Magic
💧 Japanese folklore/ mythology
💧 Cozy vibes
💧 Whips

The hardcover is stunning and if you take the dust jacket off- it has instructions on the back for how to make it into a paper hat!

Easily one of the most captivating, original, and wondrous fantasy novels I've ever read with incredible world building. I know it's only January, but I can already tell this will be making my Best of 2025 list.

My appreciation to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy to review without bias. I was intrigued by all the good reviews, and the premise of a fanciful magical journey, predicated upon a pawnshop where people came to trade in their regrets (great notion), and a helpful stranger showing up (with hints of a light romance there). I love the cover, too.

Unfortunately my experience was one of just trying to get through it to be done, after a few chapters. I didn't relate to the style, and it never took hold of me. The author was clearly attempting to make this story have meaning, and here and there were a few pithy lines, as well as the underlying sense of how we assume our reality, and how much control over life is really in our own hands. However for me it was marred by a lot of confusing drama, evil characters, chases, and just not the sort of thing I could enjoy at all. It wasn't really about the characters, even though two main ones were featured, so there wasn't a ton to grasp onto there. The action was more the point, and even though wild & fantastical, left me rather cold. I suppose along with the action it was about choice, fate, and people's inner lives, but it just didn't ever gel for me as interesting. As the joke goes in breaking up with someone, "It's not you, it's me."--perhaps. Though in reading reviews here at this early point, a few folks also found it confusing, silly, not worth their time. But we who didn't love this are in the minority so far, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I guess overall it's maybe partially not the type of "soothing" tale I associated with the descriptions and my idea of a magical story. I found it not as much fun, as it was harrowing. But some readers enjoyed the ride as something inventive, creative and fun in the author's imaginings of the many ways things were portrayed. For you, it could be more fun therefore than I found it. And many found it a meaningful story of what--& how--we relate to what we call reality.

So, it manages to be philosophical in the midst of all of this. Yet, for me, ultimately rather nonsensical.

Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

Water Moon is a beautifully written book that makes you feel as if you are in a daydream the entire time you are reading. A few parts dragged a bit for me, but the majority of the book was interesting and captivating. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

"Water Moon" has a very beautiful cover. When I first seen this book, I was like, "I want to read that!", before I even read the description. The cover matches the vibe pretty well. Even the color scheme/font is great. The whole concept with the dust jacket is brilliant. The story itself has some positives and drawbacks.



The beginning of "Water Moon" had me highlighting a lot of quotes. A pawnshop that trades your regrets in exchange for a peace of mind sounds like a perfect dream. I kept wondering about the choices I carry now that could be considered a burden to me. If I was able to pawn them off, would I make that bargain? I felt like the writing, at this point, was speaking to me. It intrigued me because Hana's world felt so mysterious. Samantha Sotto Yambao does a good job at making her story feel whimsical. I can definitely see this being picked up to be animated. The ending had some decent plot twists that had me like, "whoa" and slightly confused (in a semi good way).


There are parts of "Water Moon" that feel unfinished. The author at times chooses not to expand upon scenes that actually needs further explanation or should be prolonged. Instead, Yambao tells us what has happened instead of just showing it. A lot of the writing felt chopped and didn't flow as well as it should. A well written story needs to have a good balance between world building and character development. If the world building is lacking in a book, I can still enjoy it if it has strong characters. However, if the world building is more developed than the characters then that is just a waste, isn't it?

Maybe this is a strong opinion, but I feel like "Water Moon" did not need to be a romance. Hana and Keishin did not have any chemistry. I was genuinely confused when we got to the 66% mark where breasts and nipples started to make an appearance. Like, I knew they were adults, but the writing reads like a YA novel, so you forget they are indeed adults. This deep into the plot the readers are supposed to be convinced that these characters really like/love each other but their relationship wasn't developed enough for that. I got nothing from that intimate scene.

Overall, this book has good bones. I can see people enjoying this story for what it is. For me, I do not see myself picking it up for a reread.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this arc!

"𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬-𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘱, 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱."

the absolute CHOKEHOLD this book had on me????

I could barely put it down.

this gives such exquisite Studio Ghibli vibes, specifically, having two characters stumble into each other in a seemingly random way but actually have more connections than you could have ever expected, traveling into a fantasy world that’s not completely foreign to our own, and having rules that don’t necessarily make sense, but you don’t care. like it’s almost more enjoyable when it doesn’t make a lot of sense and you just take it for what it is and enjoy the story.

Water Moon follows a young woman named Hana who is preparing to take over running her father’s pawnshop when he retires the next day. however, their pawnshop is not a normal pawnshop. this pawnshop is hidden inside a ramen restaurant. the only people who may enter are the ones the universe deems as having a choice that has weighed on them too heavily and they would be happier if they lost all memory of it. once they enter the pawnshop, it will be Hana’s duty to explain this to them and hopefully convince them to agree.

however, when Hana wakes up the next day, the pawnshop is ransacked and her father is missing. then a man enters the pawnshop—Keishin. instead of trying to run business as usual, Hana accepts Keishin’s offer of help and the two explore her world to try and find her father before the Shiikuin (hive-mind creatures in masks that enforce the rules of Hana’s world) can find him.

what then kicks off is a magical adventure through puddles, pieces of art, museums, night markets, songs and more, all while Hana and Kei try to ignore the connection they feel growing between them.

plot: ★★★★★
this story is so unique. it’s a huge reason why I felt like it was so fun to read. there’s nothing out there that’s quite like it. I also loved the added mystery element. the missing person’s case and the mystery of Hana’s mother, and really, even the mystery of Kei’s mother.

writing: ★★★★☆
the highlight for me was definitely all the fantastical elements. traveling through song and art and puddles, everything created such vivid imagery for me. I also love Kei’s way of reasoning through things in his mind, but I didn’t like how it felt like we rushed over what happened to Ramesh. it was obviously really impactful to Kei and it just felt like we flew right over that part of the story. there are other small moments where I noticed us rushing through things, like a paragraph break and suddenly we’re jumping ahead by a little bit. it felt jarring to me whenever it happened.

pacing: ★★★★★
the story is medium-fast paced. the story kind of gives you the option to take it slow and absorb the writing more as you go. like... it’s not a demanding read. if you wanted to binge this in a day, you easily could. but it’s not so intense that it feels like you HAVE to keep reading at high speed to keep up.

romance: ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up)
the romance was very sweet. I do wish we could have gotten a little more though, like. just more time. more scenes seeing them be cute together. bc it low-key bothers me that Haruto had the most top tier romantic line and he wasn’t even the main love interest, like??? you’re just going to let him outshine Kei like that???

characters: ★★★★★
the story really keeps its focus on Hana and Kei. the side characters are definitely kept on the side, so we do not really get to know anyone else that well. that said, I really liked both of them. by the end of the book, I felt like I understood Kei and his feelings or motivations really well. he’s very transparent with how he thinks and feels. Hana is a bit more withdrawn. I think this dynamic added some fun to their relationship throughout the story.

over-all: ★★★★★
while the vagueness of the world-building didn’t bother me exactly, I did feel a little empty by the end of the book. I wanted to know more about why and how Hana was able to accomplish everything by the end. I didn’t love how years of story happened completely off page. that said, I still enjoyed the book a lot and I would absolutely read it again someday.