Hello and welcome again to another book review! Hope you’re having a great weekend ❤
I finished Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (translated by Shanna Tan) last month and I’m surprised that I liked it as much as I did.
Now now, before diving any further, let’s tell you a bit more about the book before giving you my opinion;
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (translated by Shanna Tan)
Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and bustling life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful—but all she feels is drained. Haunted by an abandoned dream, she takes a leap of faith and leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a quiet residential neighborhood outside the city and opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.
The transition isn’t easy. For months, all Yeongju can do is cry. But as the long hours in the shop stretch on, she begins to reflect on what makes a good bookseller and a meaningful store. She throws herself into reading voraciously, hosting author events, and crafting her own philosophy on bookselling. Gradually, Yeongju finds her footing in her new surroundings.
Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that bind them, Yeongju begins to write a new chapter in her life. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop evolves into a warm, welcoming haven for lost souls—a place to rest, heal, and remember that it’s never too late to scrap the plot and start over.
I don’t read much short stories tbh, not because I dislike them, but it’s just that I have yet to find one that I truly like. And while this is not a collection of short stories, it kinda has the same vibes (for me at least). Like it’s pretty slow and it’s like living day by day, not exactly for the plot but just to be better than yesterday if that makes sense.
I heard this type of books is called healing fiction and it couldn’t have been more accurate. Like it doesn’t read as the usual fiction I read but it’s obviously NOT a nonfiction (nothing wrong/bad with either, I just don’t gravitate much towards nonfiction). It is simply slices of life in pages, reading it felt like putting on a soothing cream; very calming.
We get small chapters from different POV. Each one is different than the other with its own struggles, destination in life, and how they’re deciding to deal with things.
In another note, this lowkey ignited my dream of opening a bookshop cafe and it was really nice to read about Yeongju’s struggles and fears while following her dream and how her perspective changes throughout the book. Like I got to learn A LOT of things I didn’t know about how bookshops work, writing, and reading in general. It made me reflect and appreciate the little things and just enjoy the experience and if I don’t like something, there’s always the chance to change it.
Rating: 4 stars
librorum in sempiternum 
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