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experimentalaudioscene's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Short in page quantity and easy to read, but very repetitive which makes the narrative feel slower. This was more than a cozy sci-fi, it was also philosophical because the cafe can be interpreted figuratively as a thought experiment. The rules, while plentiful and arbitrary, makes the parts of the process accessible to the reader themselves to project into their own past or possible future. I don’t think I read this at the right time for me (I finished it for a book club) and I would have DNFed it under different circumstances but I don’t regret reading it, I don’t plan on re-reading any time soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
jillselwyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
i. the lovers
sorta sad this story was about a girl hung up on her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend - but I liked how it set up the rest of the story. having Fumiko realize that her coffee had gone cold within like the first page or two was honestly ingenious. the ghost girl with the book being titled the same as that part of the story was pretty neat too.
ii. husband and wife
what a sad but leaning towards bittersweet story. set up enough that the idea of Kotauke's husband continuously forgetting her and having to remind him that she's his wife is actually shown in effect later on throughout the rest of the story. it is very clear that husband and wife match each other in their levels of selflessness, Kohtake willing to spend the rest of their life being there for him as a nurse once he forgets her role in his life, and Fusagi telling her in the only way he can, that once it becomes too much for her to handle that he doesn't want her to be his nurse - only as his wife.
iii. sisters
i am an older sister, this one caught me in the absolute feels. knowing at the very last possible minute that your younger sibling's dream was all to just spend time with you, to work beside you - together - but not ever get that opportunity is heartbreaking.
iv. mother and daughter
i'm gonna be so honest here - i didn't really expect this story to impact me even more than the previous one. i had already guessed that the girl who took the picture with Kei was her daughter in the future, and that Kei hadn't survived childbirth with her. i assumed that was the story that was about to be told. but it wasn't. and as someone who really wants to be a mother to a daughter - this was quite the story to end off with.
v. my thoughts
oh i get it now, i get the hype...
so - i pose a question to you: reader, follower, friend, stranger. what would you do, who would you want to see, what might you say, when would you go back (or forward) to - if you knew that nothing you did could change the present (but certainly affect the future), you couldn't leave the seat at the cafe, and you only had until your coffee went cold to do it?
now i just want to know more about the ghost girl...
sorta sad this story was about a girl hung up on her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend - but I liked how it set up the rest of the story. having Fumiko realize that her coffee had gone cold within like the first page or two was honestly ingenious. the ghost girl with the book being titled the same as that part of the story was pretty neat too.
ii. husband and wife
what a sad but leaning towards bittersweet story. set up enough that the idea of Kotauke's husband continuously forgetting her and having to remind him that she's his wife is actually shown in effect later on throughout the rest of the story. it is very clear that husband and wife match each other in their levels of selflessness, Kohtake willing to spend the rest of their life being there for him as a nurse once he forgets her role in his life, and Fusagi telling her in the only way he can, that once it becomes too much for her to handle that he doesn't want her to be his nurse - only as his wife.
iii. sisters
i am an older sister, this one caught me in the absolute feels. knowing at the very last possible minute that your younger sibling's dream was all to just spend time with you, to work beside you - together - but not ever get that opportunity is heartbreaking.
iv. mother and daughter
i'm gonna be so honest here - i didn't really expect this story to impact me even more than the previous one. i had already guessed that the girl who took the picture with Kei was her daughter in the future, and that Kei hadn't survived childbirth with her. i assumed that was the story that was about to be told. but it wasn't. and as someone who really wants to be a mother to a daughter - this was quite the story to end off with.
v. my thoughts
oh i get it now, i get the hype...
so - i pose a question to you: reader, follower, friend, stranger. what would you do, who would you want to see, what might you say, when would you go back (or forward) to - if you knew that nothing you did could change the present (but certainly affect the future), you couldn't leave the seat at the cafe, and you only had until your coffee went cold to do it?
now i just want to know more about the ghost girl...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
peanutfor15yrs's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Generally a “Meh” experience. Intriguing universe/world rules for time travel. However I probably wouldn’t have made it through the book without it being an audio book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
caitlinteresa's review against another edition
3.75
3.75/5 rounded up
In Tokyo, there is a cafeé that allows you to travel in time. The catch to this is that there are several rules-- one of which is that you only have until your cup of coffee gets cold to return to the present.
This book was a short, quick read. I found it to be a good blend of emotional and uplifting. I loved the characters and employees of the café. I enjoyed the way each chapter was set up to focus on a different character, but I did find myself longing for some substance. The emotional scenes would have hit a little harder had we had a chance to get to know the characters more through a plot-- even a small subplot!
A different reviewer had mentioned that this would have worked well as a play versus a book. I have to agree. I feel this would do well on a stage, but did not quite perform as a novel.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and I'm glad I explored a different type of novel than I tend to read.
In Tokyo, there is a cafeé that allows you to travel in time. The catch to this is that there are several rules-- one of which is that you only have until your cup of coffee gets cold to return to the present.
This book was a short, quick read. I found it to be a good blend of emotional and uplifting. I loved the characters and employees of the café. I enjoyed the way each chapter was set up to focus on a different character, but I did find myself longing for some substance. The emotional scenes would have hit a little harder had we had a chance to get to know the characters more through a plot-- even a small subplot!
A different reviewer had mentioned that this would have worked well as a play versus a book. I have to agree. I feel this would do well on a stage, but did not quite perform as a novel.
Overall, I enjoyed this, and I'm glad I explored a different type of novel than I tend to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Death and Car accident
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
erikalynny's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
kyriannaj's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I think a lot was lost in translation when it comes to the emotional pull of this book. The plot beats were emotional, but the writing and words used were very blunt and to the point. The world building around time travel was incredibly well done and drew me in. Although this is commonly talked about like a short story collection, it’s much more a novel with recurring characters, a singular setting, and plot points building on one another throughout. Apparently the author first wrote this as a play, and thinking about it like that makes perfect sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
nineinchnails's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
i spent 60% of this book mildly disappointed by this book because it hadn't made me cry but it hit me like a truck. i thought the prose was a little plain (maybe because it was translated) but it kind of works for a story like this so i liked that! there was a couple of characters who weren't as memorable so their stories didn't really stick with me but the ones that did more than made up for that. i will probably reread this in the next couple of years :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Grief
martzi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
jessica2978's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Dementia
yerfillag's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A short and sweet read. You immediately get drawn into the story and feel a sense of familiarity with the characters. Each chapter follows one person's storyline and the later chapters got much more emotional than I thought so be emotionally prepared. Some of the dialogue and character's thought processes left me feeling a bit frustrated as it took them way to long to say or realise certain things. This might have been due to different storytelling and packng in Japanese literature and didn't disrupt the enjoyment of the book too much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Dementia, Car accident, and Death of parent