At some point, playing Stardew Valley felt like real work, and that's sort of when I lost interest.
There is also Graveyard Keeper, which is similar in vibe and mechanics, but with a very different setting.
Few games have events around real life holidays (in real time), and give you a sense of jumping on to see what today has in store.
If AC is a game you try to rush through, then it may not be the game for you. But if you go in understanding and accepting it for what it is, you’ll enjoy it more.
That means that some days when I want to play, everything is closed, because it's too late in the day, and others everything is closed because it's too early - and the game punishes you for changing the clock to fit more than one of those circumstances.
It is fun though.