blizznya's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content and Abortion
rucha_s's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's a cute concept sprinkled with an assortment of quirky characters. The stereotypes really rankled my nerves but more than that, I found the repetitive nature of the book quite tedious. It is likely the main reason I couldn't really 'connect' with the stories on an emotional level. An easy breezy summer read, but unfortunately not one of those books that I can say left a lasting impression on me .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Car accident, Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Abortion
rieriereads's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ
๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐, written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and translated to English by Geoffrey Trousselot, was a heartwarming and equally heartbreaking novel.
ย
In a back alley in Tokyo, there's a cafe called Funiculi Funicula that has served coffee for more than a century. What makes this little cafe special, though, is the urban legend that it is known for. The cafe is believed to offer its customers a chance to travel back in time.
ย
The short novel was divided into four chapters. Each part was magical, quirky, and mysterious. And by the first chapter, I had fallen in love with the book.
ย
There are many different reasons why I loved this book. First and foremost, there is the plot. Simple and maybe not so special to some, I found it perfect. To me, it was perfectly paced, and it makes you keep wondering what will happen next. How the book was narrated is another reason. Some reviews say that the writing felt repetitive, and I quite agree. But what makes it tolerable is how Arina Ii executed the narration of the audiobook version.
ย
Additionally, I loved the characters and the little details each one had. Their characteristics and individual descriptions made them who they were. And the final reason is rather simple: I loved that it made me cry. I empathize with the characters' regrets and shortcomings. I also felt their love for their partners, sister, and child. And right after finishing, I wanted to hug them all.
ย
Overall, this was such a great book. I regret not reading this sooner. For those who are looking for a heartwarming book that could be read this weekend and that will also squeeze your heart and make you think someone is cutting onions, I highly recommend checking this out.
๐ | 42
โญ | 5
โขโขโข
My Rating System
5 ๐ - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 โญ - I loved it
3 โญ - I liked itย
2 โญ - It was okay
1 โญ - I hated it but decided toย not dnf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Grief, Chronic illness, and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, and Pregnancy
nick_thebucket's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm sure everyone hates the rule about not being able to change the future, but I think it's actually what makes this such a good depiction of grief.
I'm grieving someone right now; and it's hard. There is so much I would give to go back and to be able to at least say a proper goodbye, to let them know once more how much they meant to me, even if I never get to see them again. I think a lot of people forget how important closure is because they're so focused on what they lost. Like yes, I would much rather have them back in my life, but that's not how the world works, so at the very least I want to be able to make peace with my goodbye.ย
The book is really just a reminder to tell your loved ones how you feel, even if it's difficult or awkward and to say what you really mean, before it's too late.
I think the way so many of the people who time travel get choked up is pretty annoying and frustrating, but it's accurate. When the moment finally arrives, when you can finally let the words you've been dying to say out, your emotions clog your throat.ย
I'm grieving someone right now; and it's hard. There is so much I would give to go back and to be able to at least say a proper goodbye, to let them know once more how much they meant to me, even if I never get to see them again. I think a lot of people forget how important closure is because they're so focused on what they lost. Like yes, I would much rather have them back in my life, but that's not how the world works, so at the very least I want to be able to make peace with my goodbye.ย
The book is really just a reminder to tell your loved ones how you feel, even if it's difficult or awkward and to say what you really mean, before it's too late.
I think the way so many of the people who time travel get choked up is pretty annoying and frustrating, but it's accurate. When the moment finally arrives, when you can finally let the words you've been dying to say out, your emotions clog your throat.ย
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Dementia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
nerdomanythings's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Chronic illness
booknerdz28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Medical content, Alcohol, Dementia, and Death
emmakik's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Death
erisouls's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Loved this book but the blurb on the front is misleading. The whole shtick is that you canโt change anything by sitting in the chair.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Dementia
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abortion, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
lolamelie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Chronic illness and Grief
Minor: Medical content, Abortion, Blood, Car accident, Death, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
cady_sass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I purposefully waited until the hype died down to read this one because I had a feeling it wouldnโt do it for me, and I was right. For whatever reason Japanese translations and I donโt get along and this is no different. I LOVE this concept, and the first chapter was riveting and had me thinking I might have a 5 star read in front of me. But the stories after that were a bitโฆ mediocre. And I find most of them to lean sexist, especially the last one. Iโm almost treating this like an anthology, the first story is 5 stars, the second and 3rd are 2-3ish, and the last one is a 1 for me. So that lands us right around a 3. I think thereโs a lot of wasted potential here and Iโm really disappointed.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, Grief, and Medical trauma