Okay so the concept of this book was so interesting to me: Jieun is on her millionth (this I’m reasonably sure about) and has decided to open a laundry (unclear if this is the same as a laundromat) where she can clean pain and negativity from people’s souls if they choose. Along the way, she learns the meaning of her own life through interactions with the town’s residents.
I absolutely adored the first half of this book and learning the backstories of all the characters and the pain they wanted to ease. The writing was so comforting and heartwarming. The last 50% was a little bit harder for me to get through and I ended up skimming a lot of it because it was moving so slowly. Which was the point of the book, kinda like a soup, slow to a simmer so you can enjoy it more. Unfortunately that’s just not the ideal pacing for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House’s The Dial Press for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own :)

I hope this book finds you at the right time! It feels like a book that you just stumble upon when you need it, or at least that is definitely what happened to me.

The start of this book felt a little slow at first and somewhat confusing. But after the third chapter, things began to make sense. This book made me smile, cry, laugh, and reflect. I can't wait to get a physical copy to add this book to my beloved library. It really deserves to be appreciated.

I would recommend it, especially to people who enjoyed "What You're Looking For Is in the Library" <3

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wish such a place actually existed.

An extremely special read, albeit "clunky" at times due to the nature of translation and unaccounted for cultural difference. An illustrative story that would map well onto a stage production. 4 Stars.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i did not care for this at all. i didn't think the writing was good, and i am not a fan of magical realism. i'm sure there will be an audience but i am not one of them.

This was such a pleasant book to read. Unlike many other East Asian cozy, magicak realism books, The Marigold Mind Laundry had more substance behind the magic.

I enjoyed how each of the characters interacted with one another and grew together.

I cant wait for the sequel!

Marigold Mind Laundry by is a whimsical and wonderful tale. The story follows Jieun, who was born with two magical powers, with one of them being to make her wishes come true. When she was young and couldn’t control her abilities she ended up wishing her parents out of existence. So to search for them she wishes to live for a million years.

After a long time of searching to no avail, she decides to do something for others. And wishes Marigold Mind Laundry into existence, a place where people could come pour their pains and regrets into clothes and then wash them away. Multiple people come and find solace but will Jieun find what she is looking for?

Some stories are sad while others are happy and kind, but all of them are heartwarming and melancholic. In the end, you are left feeling fuzzy and warm.

I absolutely adore the concept of this story! There were some meaningful lines in this one. Like this:

"We’re taught that sadness and pain aren’t beautiful, while happiness and joy are. But what if the opposite were true.”

The beginning of the story was wildly depressing. There were so many lines about feeling helpless and wanting to end things. Those poor characters were really going through it. Like this:

“I get out of bed because my eyes are open and I keep going because I’m alive. Don’t you feel the same?”

Now while I liked the story and found the writing thought provoking, it was a bit disjointed. I couldn’t tell if the translation aspect was the issue or if it was the writing flow. I often times got confused on who the speaker was because the book didn’t employ “he said, she said” language. Also there were phrases that were repeated multiple times. All that aside, I did like the concept and thought the overall story was beautiful.
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ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•Asian lit
•self help fiction
•deep conversation
•found family
•magical realism

*thank you to NetGalley and to The Dial Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review*

Both hopeful and melancholy, this magical story asks and answers the question, “What if we could wash our hearts the way we wash our clothes?”

This book is about grief and hope and found family. And while each chapter features the story of a different character, it felt so connected and whole.

Admittedly, I feel that some of the splendor of this story is lost in translation. It’s like I can feel that there’s something uniquely beautiful or profound happening, but it’s missing some kind of connection for me. Knowing what I do about translated work, I think the English language just lacks that final link that would make this story perfect.

It’s very lightweight in terms of plot line and character development, but it has a meaningful message that makes it feel complete and intentional. Overall, very heartwarming and full of beautiful descriptions.

This has that really whimsical yet grounded style of writing that I usually love but I just really failed to connect with this story very much. I think this is a book you need to make your own opinion of so while I wouldn't necessarily recommend it I think if the blurb speaks to you maybe you will enjoy it more than me!

This was cute, but I wasn’t totally invested.

The book itself is very readable, with a world-building that is easily understood and good pacing. I liked it, but didn’t love it and wouldn’t read it again.

A mysterious element here draws the reader in and makes them want to find the source of the main character's sorrow and better understand her current work. Additionally, I kept reading to find out how her powers work. I am basing my rating on my overall feeling thus far.

Unfortunately, I am unable to finish this book at the moment. I am having great difficulty connecting with the main character and struggling with the third-person view. Perhaps I will pick this book up again in the future when I have more leisurely time to read. I am finding that I am lacking context clues (maybe due to the translation) that make the world building seem difficult to understand.
I intend to read this book in the future and will update this review at that time.

2.5⭐️ rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC. This was a cozy read, gives lots to think about in regards to living in the moment, not fretting about the past, and trying to always be happy. I liked the characters and how each section was a different story that got connected. All in all, cute, but also slow.

Gentle, beautiful, and timeless--this book is a wonder. It's healing and thoughtful. It reminds of slower times and of the most important things in life. The characters' healing journeys mirror the journeys we long for ourselves.

I wish I could write more, but this book kind of left me at a loss for words. Just a beautiful little book with a heartfelt and lingering message.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

2.5 stars
a charming story about being able to wash away unwanted memories, a skill i think anyone would want, and find happiness in life. cute, cozy, mystical, but unfortunately a little bit dry. this was just okay
thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy being able to try out translated works, and I enjoyed this cozy, magical realism story about being able to wash out the stains from someone’s heart. As a therapist, I really loved the analogy for healing and the important role of family and friends. I did feel it was a bit repetitive repetitive towards the end and slightly self help preachy

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Marigold Mind Laundry is a delightfully cozy fantasy set in a neighborhood in Korea with a very special visitor. If you had the opportunity to wash away a bad memory or experience, would you want to? The diverse characters each make their own choices and find happiness in their own way.

A story about finding happiness although I didn’t understand some of the story due to cultural differences I enjoyed this book and its simple premise that happiness is needed in one’s life even if you have to struggle a bit to get it.

This book is so whimsical and beautiful. I love the idea behind the mind laundry and the cast of characters a reader can meet along the way. The magic is believable and well-explained and the ending was satisfying. Highly recommend to anyone who likes a dash of whimsy in their books.

This is an unusual book in a different style than I am used to. But it has charm and a lot to think about. An old soul (centuries) continues to live life after life, always searching for the family and the life she caused to vanish.
When she builds The Marigold Mind Laundry in her imagination and then brings it to life, people begin to come to her for help with their own regrets and sorrows. Since her very existence is magical, its no surprise that with her magic, she is able to help people lost in pain by transferring their pain to a tee shirt that she is then able to wash clean.
Along the way, you will meet five such seekers who come to the Marigold Mind Laundry. Each story is different but each one is helped. Eventually Jieun must confront her own pain. This is not exactly a parable. It’s not exactly a traditional tale and it's not a “fairy tale.” It is a charming tale that invites the reader to consider how we change when we allow someone to help.
Different, but interesting.