Meagan

3.5 stars.

This short little book ??? just three hours in audiobook form ??? was interesting, if a little repetitive in places.

Japanese convenience stores have a somewhat legendary status around the world and, having never been to Japan, this setting was a big part of what drew me to this book. I did feel like I got a good glimpse into that environment.

While Keiko, the main character, is never explicitly described as being on the spectrum, she reads as an autistic-coded character as she has difficulty understanding social norms and actively masks to blend in socially. I liked Keiko and found her interesting, but most other characters, especially her group of girlfriends, came off as insipid and two-dimensional ??? though perhaps this is done on purpose, given the book's overall message, which I think is something along the lines of: there may be a “right” and “wrong” way to live according to society, but sometimes this is entirely at odds with what is right or wrong for an individual, and it is more important to follow your own path, regardless of what society may think.

Overall, I would say while I enjoyed this book well enough, it wasn't a standout. Had it been significantly longer I may have bailed before the end of the book, but since it was so short I felt I may as well finish it. Everything was tied up well, although the circularity of the plot made it feel like there wasn't much character development.

This book has my heart. The whole thing feels like the best and worst nostalgia and I absolutely loved it.

4.5 stars.

I adored this book. I've been feeling a bit stuck with reading, not really finding anything to really grip me, but this was the perfect palette cleanser.

I often forget how magical children's literature can be, and this book was such a reminder of that.

This barely scrapes 2.5 stars for me. I almost rated it two stars, but added a half star is for the fact that this book did keep me interested in it long enough to finish it.

I liked the premise and the jumping back and forth between Monica and Jennifer five years ago. But the ending was so sloppy in so many ways that it made the nearly 10 hours spent listening to the audiobook feel like a waste.

There were way too many red herrings here, with no clues given to the actual killer, so when we did find out his identity it was out of nowhere. Plus, because there are all these little details trying to misdirect the reader, I had absolutely no recollection of the small things that turned out to be important to figuring out the killer in the end crucial in the end - specifically the earring and a dog bite scar.

I also didn't feel the motivations for the murder were believable, and there were just too many little coincidences used to explain things. The whole way through there's this sense that you're going to find out how everything is connected and why they died, but it boils down to the most boring explanation possible: coincidence.

3.5 stars. I finished this one pretty quickly but I have a feeling I'll be thinking about it for a while yet.