I found that I liked the premise, the world created by the author, the themes of friendship and loyalty. The translation however really let this book down, it was so clumsy that I wonder if it was done by AI. It stopped the flow of the book and wouldn't allow me to fully get immersed into the story. I read a lot of translated books and this was by far the worst (again to clarify, the translation, not the story!).

This is a real shame because the story has potential to be a 3/3.5 in my opinion and then clunky translation/language has bought it down to a 2.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital ARC of this book.

This was a sweet, joyful story and I enjoyed the fantasy premise. I’ve seen some comparisons to Studio Ghibli and definitely got those vibes, with the whimsical characters and unique setting. The language and structure is quite simple (perhaps because of translation) and it’s not clear how old the main character is, but she comes across as quite young, so I would probably only recommend this for younger readers. The characters and story need more depth and background for an older audience, and there are a few plot holes which are confusing.

I loved the fantasy elements of this story but the simplistic language brought my overall rating down.

I'm not sure I can put into words how wonderful this book was. A story of self discovery and friendship, of the importance of kindness and helping others, but above all - making the most of every moment.

Beautifully descriptive with a unique cast of characters, The Rainfall Market is perfect for fans of the Studio Ghibli stories.

Potentially my book of the year, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Easy to read and light-hearted. A wonderful debut novel from a very talented storyteller.

"The 'present' isn't just a moment in time, it's also a gift"

A magical story about the power of friendship and life's true treasures.

This YA book gets a 4.5-star rating from me.

I love the cover and the prologue drew me right in. It feels like it should be a Ghibli film, especially since the scenes and chapters are rather short and the whole book only takes a few hours to read.

Selin, the young protagonist, wins a coveted ticket to the elusive Rainfall Market, that takes place in an abandoned house during rain season each summer. It is said that the winners of a ticket get to exchange the misery in their lives for what they want most: a better future.

If you like magical settings, helpful spirit animals and a thickening plot centering around a young heroine, this book is for you. I loved the colourful settings, the Dokkaebi that were both mischievous and great friends to the protagonist and the lovingly constructed economy of the Rainfall Market.

While the voice is very much that of a child and sometimes the scenes feel rushed or on the nose to an adult reader, this book is very enjoyable and an easy read. I thought that the translation is clumsy in some places and would read more elegantly if not put into a somewhat petulant voice, but that might be a matter of taste.

I found it very interesting that the book seems to have been crowdfunded after multiple rejections by publishers. I can see why that might have been the case and would love to see a properly edited version of this, as the editing process could add more rich layers to the novel and deepen the settings and character development more.

This book is a great story for younger readers, with some graphic violence to be mindful of, and a lovely ending. If you want to know which future Selin chooses for herself, pick up a copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read The Rainfall Market and join Serin on her journey there.
If I had to summarise this story in one phrase, it'd be short and sweet. I think that The Rainfall Market is the sort of story that can really reshape it's readers perspective on their own lives and the lives of others in a positive way and may be one that they might need to read to do so.
With its heartfelt story, loveable and unique cast, and overall message, The Rainfall Market is a story any reader, young or not, will enjoy and find comfort in. I myself found myself easily drawn into the story and the magic of the rainfall market and hope that others are too.

Another beautiful translated novel. It was a whimsical warming story. Nicely written and translated. At times it did feel a little disjointed but I feel this is very common with translated novels. I will be recommending this one.

I really enjoyed the plot, I think the idea was excellent (strong The Midnight Library vibes), and overall the book was giving some Ghibli vibes which was charming and I was hoping to be hooked. I'm not sure if this is the translation or cultural and linguistic differences but the writing and the way the story was delivered felt very childish and overly simplistic. It didn't feel like an adult book but it's also not a book for kids. It felt a little like an old folklore tale but it just didn't grip me enough to enjoy it properly.

This is an incredibly uplifting and heartwarming story set in a magical world where at the start of monsoon season each year, if you are fortunate enough to receive a ticket inviting you to The Rainfall Market, you get the opportunity to trade your life for a better one.
I absolutely loved this book and read it in one sitting. I cannot recommend it enough.

⛈️🏯𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓡𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓮𝓽🏯⛈️

this is a deeply enjoyable Korean novel about a young girl named Serin who dreams of going to the mythical Rainfall Market and getting an opportunity to change her life beyond her wildest dreams.
I really liked this book! it felt very homely and had a really good message without being too difficult to follow or understand what was going on
would reccomend to anyone looking to get into light fantasy or a feel good low stakes adventure style book!

thank you to netgalley, michael joseph and Penguin Random House for giving me this e-arc ❤️

The Rainfall Market is a delightful, whimsical tale of a girl who wants to dream herself out of her life. Filled with colourful characters and fantastical sets, it's reminiscent of Roald Dahl. The world of the Rainfall Market was so vivid and exciting and Serin's first explorations were my favourite parts of the novel. As Serin gets to glimpse at other people's lives, she soon realises that things aren't what they appear from the outside, and her inner journey reflects that. The Rainfall Market is a title that would be lovely as an audiobook!

I thought this was a really sweet, heartwarming and whimsical story about learning to appreciate what you've got in life. It took me a little bit of time to get into the book because the writing was a little disjointed but once I was used to it it was a quick and easy read. I've seen a lot of people say they don't know who the target audience is for this but I feel like it's one of them books that everyone could benefit from reading.

My favourite part was definitely Isha - how can you not love the cat companion in a Studio Ghibli-esque book?

Thank you netgalley for an ARC copy of The Rainfall Market, in exchange for a review.

I wanted to love this more than I actually did - which makes me so sad as i love translated literature!! I don't think the translation was done very effectively with the language and writing style feeling very simplistic, overly short sentences and not very descriptive. I am confused who the target audience is with this one specifically as it was in the Adult fiction - I would say it is more of a YA novel.

We are introduced to our main character Serin who is deeply unhappy with her life and the unlucky nature of her family. She hears of the rainfall market where you get the opportunity to trade your life for a better one. overall I thought the book was a cute little read, having a studio ghibli kind of vibe and even a cute pet side kick. If you want a non-heavy, whimsical, young fantasy then it's great!

Overall I give this a 3 star as it was a cute read!

This whimsical short novel follows protagonist Serin who looks to better her prospects by following directions to a mythical market. Featuring fantasy characters, adventures and lots of feel good scenes, this definitely has Studio Ghibli vibes and would appeal to fans of the movies.

The world building is fairly limited, and the story itself is simple, but it is a quick and easy read which teenagers might like.

I really lovely whimsical read! A quick book although i think some of the translation means it feels a bit more YA. I saw lots of reviews with Studio Ghibli comparisons and can understand why!

A short book following the main character as she navigate the course of life and deciding where to go from there. This book is light and only during the final half of the book where the story starts to pick up. The first half for me was kinda dull snd boring so I enjoyed reading the end. All in all, I won't recommend this book.

What a gorgeous read! The concept of the rainfall market was so intriguing and the story did not dissapoint. Isha the cat was a great characte.

I really enjoyed this one, I’ve recently been reading translated books and finding a few very good ones. This story is a true adventure of finding what you want in life and realising that sometimes it is better to have people who care for you than all other materialistic elements. I truly enjoyed Serin as a character and was very thankful to see her realise her relationship with Issha.

While I liked the premise for this, I found the writing rather clunky. The world building is limited, and the character development is limited meaning I never really felt like the story was fleshed out enough. Serin reads as very young and immature, yet I never felt confident in her age and therefore who the target audience was.

Fast read, interested story, but this lacks the depth and development of othef Korean whimsical literature I've read previously.

This was quite a quick read for me which was refreshing from my usual longer style books. I did find that the genre labels are mistaken as this felt more aimed at a younger audience, however.

I will state what many others already have, I felt that this was reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, so the voice appealing more to a younger audience is understandable. I think it was naive of me to expect the book to be as exciting to all ages as Ghibli is.

Though the story was interesting, I didn’t feel I could relate to the main character at any point due to the ambiguity regarding her age. I do, however, think that this issue may have been a result of the translation to English.

I read this book quickly as I had time, but it wasn’t one that would have be desperate to pick it up if it had been a slower read. I don’t think this is a bad book, I just think some of the charm may have been lost in translation and I am not the correct audience.

I enjoyed this book. It was light-hearted, good fun and it had a happy ending. Everything I could ask for.