One of PEOPLE’s Best Books of July 2025
One of AARP‘s “Summer Escapes” Reads
“For lovers of Japanese translated fiction with an element of fable, comparable to The Blanket Cats and We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, this feline-free novel adopts the tone of small-town magic built on community caring and store manager Shiba.” —Chicago Review of Books
“This Japanese bestseller unfolds in a 24/7 market where everyone knows your name. Its quirky staff and clientele will melt your heart. Fans of Gilmore Girls and quiet small-town dramas will gobble it up.” —People Magazine
“Japanese convenience stores already verge on magical realism. A perfect jammy egg nestled between white bread so fluffy it may as well be a cloud? Absurd. Self-heating ramen containers? The future. The Convenience Store by the Sea is about one such konbini in southern Japan. . . . If you miss those dramedies from the mid-aughts where all the characters are connected through fate and everyone is in love or having a nervous breakdown—the Magnolia, Me You and Everyone We Know, I Heart Huckabees school of sondering—this is the book for you.” —Vulture
“In Machida’s English-language debut, charmingly translated by Bruno Navasky, she writes encouragingly of unexpected connections that foster new growth and fulfillment. Come in seeking easy gratification, leave with a promise of soulful nourishment, she seems to say. Deftly decorated with sly humor and the slightest hint of fabulism, The Convenience Store by the Sea is a thoroughly inviting, sigh-inducingly satisfying read.” —Shelf Awareness
“Machida’s novel weaves together individual stories to form a detailed, lush picture of relationships and their fuel, notably the care taken with the food and beverages sold by the convenience store. For lovers of the uplifting and heartwarming and believers in humanity, a timely, lovely, and much-needed escape into a world of care for and consideration of others. Machida’s comforting and cozy read should resonate with fans of TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.” —Library Journal
“A charming tale. . . . In an age in which loneliness is an epidemic, the people at Tenderness show that the definition of community can be exactly what you need it to be.” —Booklist
“A heartfelt and pleasantly quirky tale of a convenience store chain that serves just what its customers need. . . . Readers of healing fiction like Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold will be delighted.” —Publishers Weekly
“The Convenience Store by the Sea makes magic from life’s simple moments. A book about kindness, human connection, and the joy of sharing food with a friend (or stranger!), this story is exactly what the world needs right now. Each chapter unveils a peek at a different character’s life and I loved getting to know them all. Much like Tenderness, this book is an unexpected treasure revealing what’s truly important in life. I will hold it close for when I need a reminder!” —Laurie Gilmore, bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
“Utterly charming! A trip to The Convenience Store by the Sea is the uplifting, soul-cleansing experience we all need these days.” —Kirsten Miller, author of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
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