Synopsis:
As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…
Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.
Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.
Review:
I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to review The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop or not. Sadly, this was a DNF for me, but that’s more down to it not being my usual genre or style of book. I made it through ‘book one’ and honestly, I was just a little confused. I read just a few pages at a time over the course of a week and a half so the story just wasn’t clicking with me.
There’s a very big part of me that can see why this book is getting such high praise. The magical realism is off the charts and the emotion woven into the words is stunning, but it was almost a little too emotional for me. I’m more the type of reader that picks up a book to escape so I love an easy reading romance or an action packed fantasy. Highly emotional books are not really my thing – it was worth the try though. I’ve been trying to branch out a little with what I read and I’m glad I gave this a go. You don’t know until you try and I’ve discovered this style of book is not for me.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think this book was a cosy contemporary about a bookshop in a small town. These types of books seem to be in abundance at the moment and I really love them. However, that’s not what you get at all. I think the bookshop takes its chosen customer through their memories in order to heal something in their past that is causing them trauma or hurt (at least that’s what ‘book one’ was about) but I didn’t get far enough to really understand it.
Unfortunately, I found The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop a little boring (sorry) and disjointed. This style of book is not for me, but I can see why people like them so much.
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