How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?

by Kazumasa Hayami, Haydn Trowell (Translator)

A candid story of one woman's fight to find her way through her working life, while, against all odds, clinging to her passion for reading and for sharing books.

Kyoko still loves books. Just about. But life at the Musashino Bookshop is starting to get her down. Above all, there's one question that keeps going round and round her How can my manager be so stupid?

From his obsession with self-helps books to his insistence on giving inspirational speeches at staff meetings, everything about Takeru Yamamoto seems designed to set Kyoko's teeth on edge. And, as the bookshop lurches from crisis to crisis, facing criticism from customers and authors alike, it's tough for her to keep her love of literature alive. Only the prospect of changing a life by handing over the perfect book keeps her going.

But then she herself is handed a book that changes everything. Within its pages, all the struggles of her daily life are reflected back at her. Was there more to her manager than meets the eye all along?

A winning blend of slice-of-life (somewhat romantic, occasionally ludicrous) comedy, satire, and human drama with a pinch of mystery to spice things up, How Can My Manager Be So Stupid is the perfect read for anyone who has felt that they can't even . . . with the idiots that walk among us.

Genres: Japan, Fiction, Contemporary

Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 3, 2026

Reviews

[Mai H.]

Japanuary TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

If you’ve ever worked retail, parts of "How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?" may hit a little too close to home. What looks like workplace comedy sometimes reads more like documentary footage.

Kyoko Tanihara works at a small bookstore and spends most of her time trying to do her job despite her manager, Yamamoto. Imagine Michael Scott from "The Office". Same energy. A lovable dumbass who somehow manages to make everything worse while still meaning well. As someone who lives in a suburb of Scranton, I feel especially qualified to recognize this management style.

At first this feels like a sitcom about retail chaos. Terrible customers. Publishing nonsense. Corporate decisions made by people who clearly have never worked a day on the sales floor. But it also becomes a look at the literary ecosystem. Writers, editors, sales reps, critics, booksellers, readers. Kyoko is the lens through which we see all of it, and that part worked really well for me.

There is also a fun bit of meta weirdness where the story turns into a book about reading and reviewing books. Which felt... suspiciously relevant while I was reading and even more so while writing this review.

Some of the mystery elements are easy to see coming. I clocked one of the bigger reveals early, and the ending fires off a lot in quick succession, which made it feel a bit rushed.

Not perfect, but a smart little novel about the messy world between writers and readers... and the people stuck in the middle trying to make it all work.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyoko is an employee at a book store and she has the most infuriating boss imaginable. I can relate to her so much as it feels like her boss just has no brain cells and does the most insufferable things. It can definitely be hard to thrive in a work place that puts you in such a mind set.

One day, her mind changes a bit when she discovers a book that puts a new perspective on things. Maybe there is a reason her boss is the way he is even if it seems to annoy her constantly. This was a cute slice of life book, and while the pacing did feel a bit slower at times, I enjoyed it overall. Thank you to Netgalley, Putnam, and author for an ARC of this book.

[Madeline Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! How Can My Manager Be So Stupid? is a translated, satirical piece. I love Japanese literature, but this one did not completely wow me. I think that the translation was done well. The humor that Kazumasa Hayami had in the work was definitely brought into English very well. It is definitely a relatable piece in some aspects for everyone. You are focused in on the character, rather than the plot. I do really like this type of story, especially when it's short.

Thank you NetGalley, Putnam, & Kazumasa Hayami for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. How Can My Manager Be So Stupid? is released on September 3, 2026!

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

🙄 How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?
This is a very character driven story that focuses more on people and relationships. The writing style is reflective and reads more like a slice of life novel. I enjoyed this book even if it wasn’t the most exciting.

✨ What to Expect
• Workplace satire
• Japanese bookstore
• Bookstore clerk FMC
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: September 1, 2026
📝 Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

[danie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book!

This was a fun, light read about a bookstore employee in Japan. A very slice of life novel that focused of relationships and the mundane day of life.

It was slow at times, but that is almost to be expected in a slice of life book. I enjoyed reading it and enjoyed the break from my normal heavily emotional books.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4*** I loved the title and the cover. Fun, quirky, and fast read about a slice-of-life mundanity and daily frictions of work. I went in with no expectations and this was a very enjoyable, light read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for an honest review.