Dinner at the Night Library
by Hika Harada
A Quiet, Slightly Offbeat Story of Books, Burnout, and Finding Comfort in Unlikely Places
ARC Review
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press
Release Date: Sep 30 2025
Format: ARC (Digital)
If you’ve read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop or The Nakano Thrift Shop, you’ll be familiar with the rhythm of this one, quiet, slightly quirky, and focused on small shifts in a character’s inner world.
Otaha Higuchi is stuck. Her bookstore job has become soul-crushing, low pay, long hours, a manager who drains the joy out of being around books. Then she gets a strange invitation to interview for a job at The Night Library, a mysterious place that only opens at night and only houses the books of authors who’ve passed away.
At first, it feels like a dream. The library is beautiful. The people who work there are kind, if a little offbeat. There’s a legendary chef who cooks meals at the end of every shift, based on the literature on the shelves. The concept is strong, a kind of after-hours museum for books, where readers come to honor rather than borrow. The stakes are low, the mood is cozy, and you can feel the author’s love for literature on every page.
But the story takes a few strange turns, some of the character backstories are more whimsical than expected, and not all of it lands. There’s a slight magical thread that sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. And while I liked the food element in theory, I think it would have hit harder if I was more familiar with the specific books being referenced. That said, the idea of connecting food and literature is something I’ve always loved. I used to recreate meals from books with my kids, so I appreciated what it was trying to do.
This one will appeal to readers who love the idea of found family, literary rituals, and quiet healing. Maybe not quite as grounded or memorable as some of its shelf-mates, but it still has something to offer, especially if you’re in the mood for something soft, bookish, and gently odd.
Would I Recommend It?
Yes, for readers who love quiet, cozy fiction about books and the people who orbit them. Especially if you’re a fan of Japanese slice-of-life novels with a gentle twist.
Probably not for readers who want tight pacing or narrative tension.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read this early.
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