For fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold and its sequels, you’re going to find great joy in reading What You Are Looking for Is in the Library. As opposed to a café, though, Aoyama transports the reader into the lives of five characters at different life stages who are loosely connected to one another. These protagonists all encounter a mysterious librarian who recommends offbeat books that end up being profoundly impactful in their respective lives. Ultimately, these stories are filled with compassion and optimism, especially to encourage these characters to pursue their passions and find inspiration in unexpected places.

I found the novel to be a bit twee and reductive at times, but more than that, I thought it was incredibly repetitive. I was rather bored by the novel by the time it reached the fourth story. I felt that something was missing from this novel to make it more engaging (though I couldn’t tell you what that might be). A bit of a disappointing read, overall, but I didn’t hate it either.