Water Moon – Samantha Sotto Yambao

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop — but not everyone can find it. Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. Only the chosen ones, those who are lost, will discover a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop's new owner to find it ransacked, its most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger quite unlike any other customer — for he offers help, instead of seeking it. Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana's father and the stolen choice: through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning, and through a night market in the clouds. But as they draw closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own — and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.

Described as "an exquisite, deeply philosophical fantasy full of visual beauty and emotional revelations," Water Moon has gone viral on BookTok for its magical realism, cozy-fantasy aesthetic, soft romance, and the irresistible "pawnshop of regrets" trope. Perfect for fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Miye Lee's The Dallergut Dream Department Store, Matt Haig's The Midnight Library, and Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea.

A trade paperback (2025) in Like New condition — crisp edges, clean pages, appears unread.