This was such a gorgeous and beautifully written story that felt absolutely magical! I am always a little bit hesitant with books that seem to have a good bit of hype for them and that I have high hopes for, and fortunately Water Moon deserved all of it. I really had a great time exploring this magical world and story and all of the characters within it. I thought the entire concept was really unique and thought-provoking, and I really appreciated how the author explored it. There were a lot of whimsical elements present in the atmosphere of this one and I found myself feeling like I was just gliding along with this story and everything our characters experienced. I felt that some of the relationships lacked a bit of depth that I was hoping for, but this didn't take away much from my enjoyment of the story at all. Overall, I'd highly recommend this to someone looking for something whimsical and full of magic!

“College. Marriage. Kids. These were the big decisions that people believed mattered. They were wrong, of course. In reality, it was the choices that people didn’t even realize they were making that set the course of their lives. The shifts were small, even minute, but, by the tiniest of angles, they pointed one in the direction of what was going to happen next.”

On paper this book is everything that I love - whimsical, cozy, lyrical, and full of beautiful quotes.

Hana inherits a magical pawnshop where people can sell their regrets. One day, Hana’s father goes missing along with a magical artifact. Hana then teams up with a stranger, Kei, to go on a journey to find her father.

I can’t quite explain why this book didn’t work for me. It had so many components that I love, but I never found myself fully invested in the story. I highlighted so many beautiful sentences, but I felt very meh about the book as a whole.

“…people. They shatter in the most fascinating ways. Every dent, scratch, and crack tells a story. Invisible scars hide the deepest wounds and are the most interesting.”

*3.25 rounded down to a 3*

Hana's family owns a pawnshop on the other side of a door to a restaurant. This pawnshop is rare, in that you only find it when you need it and they deal in choices. On the day that Hana is to start her first day as the pawnshop's owner after he fathers retirement, she finds that a choice is missing and so is her dad. The shop is in disarray and the door to the other world is a jar. As Hana is piecing together what happened, Keishin arrives from the other world. He agrees to help her find her father, and adventures (and love) ensue.

I loved all of the different places that they traveled to in Hana's world, and how they had to travel to those places (no planes, trains, or automobiles here). The reveals towards the end of the book were also really good. I didn't see them coming.

This book was fun and whimsical, but didn't fully grab me for some reason. I'm not sure is it was the writing style or what, but I found myself not picking this up as often as I wanted to.

Overall, I think it is worth the read if you like whimsy and don't mind suspending your disbelief.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'd around 50%. While the premise is intriguing, the actual reason experience has been boring and unsatisfying. Our two main characters are constantly moving to different places in this fantastical world, but the pacing is so fast you don't get to learn about any of these places at all, just getting a couple sentence explanation from Hana and then moving on. Since the draw of this book is this otherworld, it feels like a let down to be picked up and moved every couple of pages.
This book also has the most insta of insta-love. It makes the characters feel uninteresting, because they don't care to learn anything about each other before being absolutely obsessed. There also is probably going to be a love triangle which feels so unnecessary because it's obvious where these characters would end up.
Overall, it feels like this should have been planned out to be a longer book or part of a series, because you move at such a breakneck pace that nothing feels important.

WATER MOON by Samantha Sotto Yambao has an absolutely beautiful cover and contains a story full of wonder that will touch your heart. Imagine if you could leave your deepest regret at a pawnshop. Hana and her father manage such a magical place and she is almost ready to follow fate and take over the Tokyo shop until one day when a young physicist, Keishin, enters. The two of them begin an amazing adventure as they try to locate Hana's father who has disappeared in his own attempt to find her mother (long thought to be dead). Confusing? Yes, but so are bending the rules of logic, such as riding a rumor or jumping through puddles to move from place to place. Both Hana and Kei are in danger and learn to make sacrifices as they gradually acknowledge their mutual attraction. WATER MOON received starred reviews from both Booklist (“charming, fresh, and difficult to put down”) and Library Journal (“readers ... will fall hard for the mix of magical realism, fantasy mystery, and star-crossed romance”) and was a LibraryReads selection for January 2025.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Water Moon has very whimsical vibes and fantastic world-building. The author creates a mix of a beautiful and scary alternate reality, which one can access through a door leading to a magical pawnshop that deals in regretted choices. Hana has just taken over the job from her father, when he mysteriously disappears together with one of the precious pawned choices. Accompanied by a physicist who enters the pawnshop right while Hana is trying to figure out what happened, she embarks on a journey to find her father and the missing choice before the mysterious guardians of this world catch up to them. It's a journey filled with magic - travelling via puddles, paper cranes and rumors - as well as unbelievable discoveries!

The book has a very slow start, but it picks up around 50% and gets really intriguing. I loved all the (very unexpected!) plot-twists and how things came together! I often could barely predict what was going to happen... and was then proven wrong anyway. I really enjoyed how much this story surprised me. What appears to be a beautifully whimsical world is also filled with horrifying situations and truths, which appear unexpectedly and put so many things in a different light. I liked these two sides of the author's imaginary reality!

Hana is an interesting MC - she is well-rounded, filled with the expectations placed on her since birth and her unspoken desire to somehow get away from them. Kai is a fun addition and he made me smile with his neverending scientific curiosity. I really didn't feel the need for the insta-romance, as it seems too quick and distant, but it is quite a sweet one. I think Kai could have easily just been part of the story as a new friend and been guided by his scientific interest rather than love.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to lovers of whimsical fantasies, who don't mind a slow start before exciting twists and turns that will definitely surprise them!

It had beautiful writing. I really enjoyed the premise and concept of the story and the setting sounded so beautiful and interesting. The characters and general plot felt so one-note though. We meet this guy whose willing to go through a lot for someone he literally just met two minutes ago. The romance didn't feel like it made any sense, but it could have really propelled the story if it had been used differently.

Toshio is the pawnshop’s current owner and the father to Hana, who is next to inherit the shop. Keishin shows up one day and instead of trading, he helps her.

This is a complete mind warp of fantastical, imaginative storytelling with a dash of forbidden romance. If you’ve ever watched a Studio Ghibli film, this is the EXACT same vibe you get from Hiya Miyazaki films and my SG heart was obsessed!

𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 is a story of suspended reality. It’s paper cranes, traveling through rumors, puddles are portals, magic markets, and lots of trades. Hana and Kai’s journey was emotional and confusing and beautiful.

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
☁️ cozy fantasy
☁️ Studio Ghibli vibes
☁️ forbidden romance
☁️ magical realism
☁️ ‘I want you, but can’t have you’

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}

If this doesn't get turned into an animated movie, I will riot! Watermoon is a beautiful and whimsical story that reads like a Studio Ghibli film. Listening to the audiobook felt like watching a movie while reading; I could picture everything clearly. It is a magical world based on many aspects of Japanese folklore and culture. I loved both of our main characters and the more we got to know about them as they ran through their adventure. This is a book that makes you reflect on everything you think you know about regrets, choice, family obligations, identity, and more. The writing, line by line, is beautiful and quotable.

This cured my reading slump, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine/Del Rey, and Samantha Sotto Yambao for the advanced reading copy of Water Moon in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such an original and magical book. It felt like stepping into one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies. The normal laws of the world don’t apply to the world created by Sotto Yambao. Ponds are portals to new worlds and Night Markets are held in the clouds. This is a cozy read full of heart and a little bit of mystery. Absolutely spell-binding!

Hana inherits her father’s pawn shop when he retires, but then he disappears. Nothing is as it seems, though, in Hana’s world. When she meets Keishin, they embark on a journey to find out what happened to Hana’s father.

Every so often, I’ll read a book that captures my whole being. This is one of those books. It was beautifully written, and it transports readers to a magical other world. There are a lot of pieces to this story, and the reader is taken on the journey to work with the characters to solve the puzzles. While this was mostly a book of mystery, there was plenty of action packed moments as well. I recommend this story to those who want to savor a book, work through the puzzles, and also think about life’s choices and regrets.

This ended up being a very different read than what I expected, and I was initially a bit resentful of that. But I slowly got into the rhythm of it and while it wasn't a favorite, I still enjoyed myself. I expected this to be a cozy novel reminiscent of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but it's more of a Myazaki adventure. Dreamy, borderline nonsensical at times. It may even be worth it to go back and reread down the road when I have better adjusted my expectations. There are still some critiques that hold, however, regardless of expectations. The dynamic between the two MCs felt a little insta-lovey, and their motivations felt a bit surface-level. More character development would've really taken this to the next level. Similarly, there were some moments between them that just felt a bit over the top and became cringey, just so dramatic in these scenes that lacked the emotion to give proper depth. It seems like a lot of folks are loving this so far so please feel free to take my review with a grain of salt. But as with just about every book I've read this month, this one just wasn't for me.

4/5 ⭐️

This was a cozy, dream like, magical, transport into a Hayao Miyazaki film kind of book. I loved the imagery this book conjured up, it was unique and the story was compelling. I did think the ending was weak but overall a great book, I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Sotto Yambao, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my early access to this.

I had a feeling this was going to be an "it was fine" kinda book, and yeah, it was fine... but you know *just* fine.

There was a lot about this book I liked, but there was a lot that needed development as well. The world was magical and was on the cusp of bringing rich lore! The only thing is... it never quite stuck the landing. More often than not, it felt like we got the polished first draft. There was so much potential, which is a little disappointing because the book was so short, and it felt so rushed.

This extended to the characters... They were pretty one-note, with the exception of Haruto, and I am SO SAD we did not get more of him. He was so good, and his brief time with us made me more invested in his story vs. the MCs. And I liked the Hana and Kei, but I just was not invested the way you should be with MCs. There just wasn't enough there to connect with them on a deeper level.

Also, I think this is more due to reading reviews and the singular reference Kei made, but... just because something is whimsical and set in Japan doesn't mean it automatically equals Ghibli. Even at Ghibli's darkest, like Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä, and yes, even Grave of the Fireflies, there are still profound moments of unyielding hope or optimism woven throughout the story. I did not get that from this novel ***AND THAT'S OKAY!*** This book is its own thing.

If I had to do comparisons I'd say that this book has a darker kind of whimsy that was more akin to Pan's Labyrinth, Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore (but sadly not as good as those two, sorry...) mixed in with The Alchemist (which was imho also fine!)

There is one thing I do want to bring up. How was "cozy" being used to describe this book? This whole thing started out as being mysterious and well... sad. There were a lot of heartbreaking moments here, even from the beginning. And we were thrown into a scenario with very high stakes! Which again is fine! I like those kind of books! So, if you remove "cozy" from your expectations, I think you're better prepared for the world ahead! Possibly you'll even enjoy it more!

So, was this a bad book? No! It had a lot of heart, but it felt too rushed. I think if this had more time to bake/develop the characters, then you'd easily have a 5-star book. Also, the marketing did not help. The emphasis should have been more on its darker, enigmatic themes rather than its whimsical side. My expectations would have been completely different if "cozy" hadn't appeared in the genre tags or marketing.

Overall, I thought the story was beautiful in its own way, and I think fans of Journeyman's Tales will enjoy this a lot. Those who like rich dialogue, complex characters, and detailed world-building? It might be a skip for you.

Lastly, I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and Random House for the arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a beautiful story!! 😍 I was so invested in the characters and the world building was fluid.
An engaging story I'll be sure to pass along!!!

The magic structure and world building created by Yambao made this a very fun read that stretched my imagination in the best ways. There's a pawnshop that buys choices, people followed by rain, highways of rumor, and flight by song. It's rich fantasy with a playful love story to carry you through a mind-bending universe. (Email recommendation sent to newsletter subscribers of WordSmarts.com)

The worst thing a book can have is potential.

This premise had loads of it. I was really excited to read something a little different for me and, at first, this drew me in. It was dreamy and whimsical. But as I kept reading, it got more stiff and lost all the oomph.

I feel like genre books try to make themselves fit into a small literary box and this causes them to lose all the fun and entertainment in them. Yambao is a good writer, but something just never came together here. It felt too stilted and like is was trying really hard to make some poignant point.

The main relationship made no sense - why would Kei just join this whole adventure? He took zero convincing. I know we get kind of an answer why Hana brought him along, but that also doesn't completely make sense because she was trying to get him to leave for most of the story

Anything interesting that could have happened in this story just didn't. It became dry and boring - which makes so sense for a premise that felt so exciting. It was so repetitive - Hana and Kei would take some quirky transportation to a new part of this world. They would get a morsel of information. Then they would take another quirky mode of transportation. I kept thinking what is the point here? What is the motivation for this entire journey? Are we hanging all of that on Hana wanting to find her parents? She didn't seem that close with her dad and barely knew her mom. She thought her mom was dead, anyway. And when she does finally find them, she chose Kei over them immediately and just leaves?

Also, I have seen no one else mention this, so maybe this is just me and where my head is at in this moment of my life, but - CW/TW pregnancy, childloss, infertility

There is a lot about choice and motherhood and babies and conception in this book that just felt...bad? SPOILER the entire idea of Hana's mom being punished to live with soulless children who are constantly called monsters felt really weird and gross to me. Is there an allegory here? It sure feels like there is. If this concept had been brought up earlier in the book, I would have DNF. But it came in in the last third, so I pushed through. But this whole idea was off putting. The people in Hana's world do not have souls - the pawnshop uses the regrets they take from people to make souls for their people. But some babies don't get souls? So those babies are taken away and put into the ground and live ferally in this underground world. This is where Hana's mom is sentenced to when she steals a soul. So she is left longing for her child that she left behind. There is a lot to unpack here with yearning for a baby and struggling to have children.

It's also revealed at the end (HUGE SPOILER) that Hana's mom conceived of Hana because she drank someone's regret and that Kei's mom abandoned him to have a different life - then she regrets that!

Don't get me started on the whole idea that in Hana's world people are tattooed with their entire life/fate so it is all planned out. So how/why is she able to completely stray from the path and go on this journey? Or was this on her skin the whole time? None of this is explored or acknowledged. Is that why the Shikkuin chasing her? I know they want Kei because he is an outsider...

SPOILERS Done

I don't know even know what I'm trying to put together here, but the more I try to explain this book the more it falls apart and leaves me feeling upset.

What I liked about WATER MOON:
-super interesting world, "magic" system, and general mythology
-extremely cool different scenes and locations, very Ghibli vibes
-overall themes of choices and decisions being critical to humanity
-well written and extremely readable overall
.
What I didn't love as much:
-While I liked the characters, I didn't find myself truly connecting with them in a way that could have pushed this to five stars

A unique take on a fantasy novel. This book GRIPPED my attention and I read it in one sitting. If you’re looking for something different yet also magical, this is your book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Digital ARC. I can’t wait to add this to my physical book collection when it releases soon :)

This story is very beautifully written. What a creative concept. This will live forever on my shelf and I eagerly await more from this author.