I have been loving this genre of cozy Japanese magical realism books lately. A small part of me was nervous that I would be fatiguing myself with these types of books by picking this up relatively soon after the last one (given it's not a go-to), but it's now one of my favorites in the genre.

Only when the cherry blossoms are in bloom does Sakura's bookshop appear, and only when a soul in need picks up the right book at the right time. We follow four stories in and out of this bookshop. First is Mio as she grieves the death of her mother. Second is Shingo, an older man dealing with dementia and a wedding anniversary without his wife at his side. Third are twins, Shiho and Kaho, confronting what went unspoken between them when they lost a friend in their childhood. Lastly is Kozue and her personal connection with the bookshop.

Of the four stories, I was the most invested in Shiho and Kaho's. I could have read a full-length novel with those characters alone. I did enjoy all of the stories, though, and it struck the emotional chords of grief without being overwhelming, even taking a comforting approach. It was the perfect before-bed read!

A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book to read and review!