nervouspink's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
_tabby_'s review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
Before the Coffee gets cold reflects on the idea of loss and change that people have not dealt with and plays on the question about the point of returning to the past if you cannot change the future. Is there any point? And what choice would you make if you had the option to return but no power to change the outcome?
It follows multiple kinds of relationships over a variation of characters and shows how their decisions change their mindsets of their present selves if the present hasn't even changed. The characters themselves are reoccurring so you meet them multiple times throughout the book and can see them develop as their experiences and choices effect them themselves even though the situation and life around them has not.
And man... the last two stories had me crying
It follows multiple kinds of relationships over a variation of characters and shows how their decisions change their mindsets of their present selves if the present hasn't even changed. The characters themselves are reoccurring so you meet them multiple times throughout the book and can see them develop as their experiences and choices effect them themselves even though the situation and life around them has not.
And man... the last two stories had me crying
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Grief, and Terminal illness
thesecretsapphic's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, and Abortion
hannahbailey's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Quite a sweet story but a bit slow in parts. I thought the time travelling with all its rules was smart and unique, taking an old concept but getting the characters to fully think about their choices in relation to the rules made it more interesting as a character study. Sadly I think lots of it was lost in translation as the narrative felt a bit clunky and under-edited :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Death, Grief, and Car accident
rpg_gf'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, and Dementia
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Title: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Series: コーヒーが冷めないうちに #1
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: September 19, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Peculiar • Intriguing • Fragmented
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Funiculi Funicula Café in Tokyo has been serving coffee for more than a hundred years. But this coffee shop is a little different, offering its customers the opportunity to travel back in time. This opportunity doesn't come without risks, and has some rules, most notedly that they must return before the coffee gets cold.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Written in four parts, Before the Coffee Gets Cold combines four interwoven stories, each following a different character who travels back in time. The subject matter was so appealing, unfortunately the execution didn't work for me. It felt overly repetitive, and I'd have liked the stories to be more interconnected. After learning that this was originally written as a screenplay, it explains a lot. I also think some things were lost in translation.
Overall, the concept could have been great, as this is a reflective book exploring relationships, love and why you'd want to travel to the past knowing you cannot change the present. But it reads more like a play than anything else.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the time travel trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change."
"Water flows from high places to low places. That is the nature of gravity."
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Series: コーヒーが冷めないうちに #1
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: September 19, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Peculiar • Intriguing • Fragmented
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Funiculi Funicula Café in Tokyo has been serving coffee for more than a hundred years. But this coffee shop is a little different, offering its customers the opportunity to travel back in time. This opportunity doesn't come without risks, and has some rules, most notedly that they must return before the coffee gets cold.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Written in four parts, Before the Coffee Gets Cold combines four interwoven stories, each following a different character who travels back in time. The subject matter was so appealing, unfortunately the execution didn't work for me. It felt overly repetitive, and I'd have liked the stories to be more interconnected. After learning that this was originally written as a screenplay, it explains a lot. I also think some things were lost in translation.
Overall, the concept could have been great, as this is a reflective book exploring relationships, love and why you'd want to travel to the past knowing you cannot change the present. But it reads more like a play than anything else.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the time travel trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn't change."
"Water flows from high places to low places. That is the nature of gravity."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Dementia
Moderate: Pregnancy, Car accident, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Medical content, Abortion, and Suicide
queenfury's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Minor: Terminal illness
beccaruthe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Chronic illness
namesmilo's review
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-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
3.0
a very nice concept that was executed well. the fact that all of the stories were connected made it quite a fascinating read. yet i still thought it was a little bit boring. the "twist" at the end was shocking tho, in a good way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
fesd5's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book broaches on very intense emotional concepts while remaining calm and somewhat positive. It is an adaptation of the play by the same name (by the same author) and this is clear to see in how the characters act, speak and how the setting is affected. Translated for Japanese, it is a bit flat at times, but understandably so and seems otherwise to be a fast and easy read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Grief