A laundromat run by an enigmatic young woman with years of lived experiences behind her has the ability to erase painful memories of others but still needs to find her own peace before unlocking her full abilities in Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun and translated by Shanna Tan.
With mysterious powers within her upon birth, a young woman who takes up the name Jieun spends many lives wandering after accidentally causing her family to vanish but never gives up her search and aim of reuniting with them. Putting her powers to use, Jieun sets up the Marigold Mind Laundry and helps people by removing their deepest pain from their hearts by transferring it as a stain onto a T-shirt to be cleaned, dried, and blown into the wind as flower petals, leaving the customers with as much or as little of their pain as they’d prefer so they can find a sense of peace. Aiding a young filmmaker, a jilted lover, a spiraling influencer, a betrayed mother, a man who was bullied as a child, and a photographer with a powerful talent of his own, Jieun soothes the sorrows plaguing their hearts and minds, listens to their stories, and learns a valuable lesson about healing that allows her to accept the happiness available in each and every moment to unlock her full potential.
In a story comprised of episodic yet interconnected chapters that present a cohesive whole, a wonder- and emotion-filled narrative is built from the small cast of characters and the experiences of their lives. Jieun serves as the anchor point and more magical element to instill a sense of mystery and wonder, providing a foil of intrigue, behind the more relatable or commonplace reflections that each of the characters had regarding the impactful moments within their lives that they’ve been carrying with them that have shaped who they’ve become. The version of the world that Jieun’s family is from and she accidentally left all those years ago is imaginative but one that, intentional or not, doesn’t feel portrayed to the extent that it adequately depicts the full reality of the magic behind it, though there’s a bookended tie-in at the end as Jieun comes to a level of acceptance in her life that provides an idea that she’s not the only one who has wandered and offers a sense of optimism.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1.5 ⭐️. This entire book could be summarized in a TLDR: live life with no regrets.

Maybe it was the translation, maybe it was the writing, but this book was so cheesy and so boring. While I was reading it, I couldn't help think that it was trying to do what "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" did -- entice visitors in a magical place where they can reflect back on their lives, confront their pain and find solace in their future, but with "Before the Coffee" did this successfully.....this book was a HOT mess. The storytelling would constantly shift into the focus of each character, sometimes within the same paragraph, and I could never follow who was speaking/ thinking. The characters felt like caricatures. Ultimately I did not get this book.

TY to Netgally, Random House Publishing and The Dial Press for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review Marigold Mind Laundry. I thought it was a cute and fun read with whimsical magic. Although I loved the story and characters, I feel like it was lacking something. I did enjoy the book thoroughly.

I didn't like this much.

Jieun's powers were not well explained, which is important because they're what kick off the entire story. I don't understand the petals. Jieun mentions living multiple lifetimes, but it seems like she's always an adult somehow and can just move on whenever she feels like it, so she's not living a full life. It's not really explained why she felt like she knew some of her customers.

At one point, Jaeha (an adult) referred to his mom as Ms Firstname and they walk away holding hands, both things I found odd.

This isn't a very long book, but it does feel like it is. I was also kind of confused most of the time, which probably wasn't helped by characters having similar names.

This could have been better if it just focused on the characters coming into the laundry and left out all the things about Jieun's backstory and her dream ability

I did like that Eunbyul cut out her toxic family.

CW: cheating, attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, pregnancy, death from cancer, bullying

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an early release copy of Marigold Mind Laundry written by Jungeun Yun and translated by Shanna Tan.

Marigold Mind Laundry has an interesting premise to it but I’m not particularly impressed. I didn’t mind any of our characters or the story in general but I have to say this one fell flat for me. The writing is rather flowery, it’s trying to convey way too much in long confusing sentence that are suppose to be meaningful. There are also a lot of metaphors that are being used in order to describe how life can be difficult be but we have to push forwards. I know that this story is trying to come off as thought provoking but I found it to be rather confusing.

This is definitely a nice story. I don't know if these magical realism stories are a trend or just generally popular, but there seem to be quite a lot of these sorts of books out in the market. In this one, a woman skilled in empathy opens a laundry to wash the painful memory stains from the minds of her customers. It's cute, but I wasn't overly impressed with this one. I do love the cute cover which looks like a box of laundry powder.

Marigold Mind Laundry is a book entirely outside of my preferred reading genre and was definitely a gamble for me to pick up. However, this was such a fun, cozy, and magical little read! I generally have a tendency to read quite heavy, dark books and found this to be such a nice pallet cleanser. I'm very keen to read more from Yun as their prose is gorgeous and vivid, at times even bittersweet. I really enjoyed reading this and will definitely be recommending when the publication date rolls around!

Maybe I am missing something, but this book was hard to get into. It left me with so many questions and I always felt like I was trying to catch up. The beginning was full of confusion on my behalf.

This is a beautiful book about not letting bad memories or experiences ruin the rest of your life. Of learning how to let go and move on. This is a translated version from a Korean bestseller and it's just beautifully written! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!

Marigold Mind Laundry was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Yun's prose is undeniably beautiful, painting vivid images and evoking a sense of melancholy that lingers long after the final page. The concept of a laundromat for memories is intriguing, and there were moments of genuine emotional depth. However, the story felt a bit fragmented, jumping between different characters and timelines without a clear sense of cohesion. I also found some of the symbolism a bit heavy-handed at times. It's a thought-provoking read, but it didn't quite fully capture my heart.

This was a quicker read than I expected. A girl grows up in a magical world where people are only good. But when she discovers her powers of empathy/healing and making dreams come true, she accidentally dreams away her life as she knew it.

She spends the next hundreds (thousands?) of years drifting through life trying to find those she’s lost.

However things begin to change when she opens a laundry service in a small neighborhood that promises to wash away hurts, sorrows, and painful memories.

Jieun begins to put down roots and relationships start to deepen as she meets and helps those around her.

I enjoyed this story. I did feel a bit of disconnect but I think that’s a product of translation and the speech pattern/cadence being different from what I’m familiar with.

"Capture it with your eyes and keep it in your heart. True beauty can't be preserved within a frame. Pictures are lovely, but if it's a moment meant to be cherished forever, you won't want to miss anything. Be present-wholly, unreservedly- and remember it with your heart."

Maybe I am reading too many "cozy" Asian novels, but I feel like once you've read one you've read them all. While there were definitely some great moments, like the quote above, this felt too similar to other books I have read in this genre. Make the most of life's moments, whether they be good or bad, they are all a part of who you are.

Such a lovely book that took me on a journey of healing and finding joy that I didn’t know I needed but now I want to read it again just to experience that feeling over and over again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to just enjoy reading at its best.

The Marigold Mind Laundry was translated from a popular Korean novel. The story is hopeful while still exploring the hardships and wounds of the characters. At the Marigold Mind Laundry, Jieun has the magical ability to wash away her client's unhappy memories by transferring them to a t-shirt. As we learn of Jieun's situation and that of the other characters, deep emotions are explored. There is a lovely slow pace allowing each character and their circumstances to be added in and examined. I especially liked the found family elements as well as the messages of healing and hopefulness. The translator has done a nice job of capturing the essence and substance of the book. Korean honorifics are used throughout providing a connection to the culture of the original work.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House The Dial Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

“Perhaps we fail to notice the morning moon because we’re only ever looking for the sun.”

“What was in the dark didn’t have to be darkness, what was in the light didn’t have to be light, just as darkness could be found in the light.”

“Don’t clog your heart with negativity. Reject abuse. You have the right to do so.”

“No matter how many regrets you have, yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is the future that has yet to come, so what we should do is to be in the moment, to live our life today.”

What a beautiful story about how we shouldn’t take life for granted. This story is full of magic, fantasy and found family. We follow each character as they learn to heal their hearts and become the best versions of themselves while finding family in those around them.

I loved this book. Yum created such a beautiful story all centered around laundry, powers, and the desire to help people heal. This book was touching, charming, and everything you would want from a book. The writing was beautiful which not only shows how talented Yun is but also their translator Shanna Tan who did a wonderful job at translating this book into English. The cover is gorgeous also which further makes the book a well rounded experience.

A fun and introspective read!

I was pleasantly surprised at how wholesome this felt (it's the closest word that comes to mind for how this read felt). Overall, it felt very reflective and thought-provoking, but not in an overly aggressive way.

It was a slower read, but I found the pace to feel similar to other 'slower' and more thoughtful books (as opposed to some battle-heavy fantasy read). I read slowly over a few days and found this to be a satisfying pace as I had other books I was reading at the time. Some stories gripped me more than others, but overall I was intrigued by most sections. I'd recommend for people who are fans of other books such as the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

The overall themes in this were great. The concept was really unique which is what initially drew me in - A magical laundromat where you can go to forget your unwanted memories. I felt that the story as a whole was a bit lacking, I thought that the life lessons conveyed were important and laid out in an easy to understand way.

Would I recommend this? If translated Asian fiction is your thing - sure! This was my second translated book in recent months and both follow the same storytelling style with underlying themes of overcoming hardships, personal healing, and hope.

This is a sweet book. It's a magical story that has laundromat customers confront their past traumas and decide if they would be better off erasing those memories. Friendships blossom over shared meals and healing begins. This author and translator have beautiful insights on the emotions of people.

This was such a unique concept and I really enjoyed how fresh and different it felt! The characters were really interesting and relatable! I wish I could give it 5 stars for that alone but it just was kind of confusing at times - I think some of it was because certain things were still in Korean. I still really really enjoyed it and would add to our library!