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How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26A Japanese rendition of The Office set in a bookstore, following a young bookstore employee's fight for stability despite her infuriatingly oblivious manager, while against all odds clinging to her passion for books.
Kyoko Tanihara loves books. Just about. But life at the Musashino Bookshop is starting to get her down. Instead of promoting her favorite stories, she finds herself distracted, tearing her hair out at the mere sight of her infuriating manager Takeru Yamamoto who can’t seem to do anything but get in her way of success.
From Yamamoto’s useless obsession with self-helps books to his cringey remarks on the hottest author in town, everything about Yamamoto seems designed to set Kyoko off. All that amid her struggle to make a name for herself in the publishing world, it's tough for her to keep her love of literature pure and alive.
Until one day she is handed a book that speaks to all her frustrations, and opens her eyes to a whole new reality. What if there's actually more to her manager's obnoxious antics? What if, just maybe, her manager isn't so stupid after all?
Kyoko Tanihara loves books. Just about. But life at the Musashino Bookshop is starting to get her down. Instead of promoting her favorite stories, she finds herself distracted, tearing her hair out at the mere sight of her infuriating manager Takeru Yamamoto who can’t seem to do anything but get in her way of success.
From Yamamoto’s useless obsession with self-helps books to his cringey remarks on the hottest author in town, everything about Yamamoto seems designed to set Kyoko off. All that amid her struggle to make a name for herself in the publishing world, it's tough for her to keep her love of literature pure and alive.
Until one day she is handed a book that speaks to all her frustrations, and opens her eyes to a whole new reality. What if there's actually more to her manager's obnoxious antics? What if, just maybe, her manager isn't so stupid after all?
- GenresJapanFictionContemporary
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 1, 2026
2 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
2026
March 4, 2026Japanuary TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
March 7, 2026
🙄 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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews