Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Reviews tagging Alcohol

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

12 reviews

northernlitreading's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

i found the concept so interesting and while it didn’t make me cry it did touch me. also, i thought we would get to know one new outsider with each chapter but i loved that it was more about the people in the cafe.

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neptunereign's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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rosenau's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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ttumbletree's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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megan_j's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Before the coffee gets cold is a short book, collected of 4 different short stories. The premise is that there is a cafe in which you can travel back in time, but you only have the time there until the coffee gets cold, and also nothing you say or do will effect the present. I have to be honest, I was expecting more from this book. It was a nice short read and was quite emotional at parts, but it didn’t bring me to tears like I have seen with some reviews. I’d say it has high re-readability factor as it’s so short and sweet. The characters sometimes got slightly confusing and seemed to be introduced quite quickly, but once you get a grasp of who everyone is they all become very lovable and unique in such special ways. I was waiting for the big ‘lesson’ at the end, but it just never seemed to come for me.

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kyarabereading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

This is a book that I heard was really sad before I read it, and though I wasn’t as emotionally invested in it as I thought I would be, I still found it to be an enjoyable read that helped me see life in a different perspective. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a book made up of 4 different (and very long) chapters with characters going through various different issues in the same little café. Their stories teach us to hold those we love close. They teach us that there is so much power in love and in family (whether it be the one you choose or the one you are born into). I loved the way all the stories wrapped up/connected in the end, emphasizing the connections all the characters (and their stories) had.

Some other things I enjoyed while reading were the character work and the use of magical realism. As for the character work, the characters are loveable, and it was great getting to know them and the bond they all share. As for the magical realism, I found the premise of the book (and the rules that came along with it) very interesting. The rules of time travel were tricky to understand at times, but I didn’t think about it too hard, since I think the true point of the book is the lesson you learn from it.

I did enjoy this read, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped. Though the premise of the book was great, the execution could have been better. For one, I found the writing to be pretty uninteresting/unimaginative and, oftentimes, repetitive. There were many times when the author wrote that “x character behaved x way because of x reason” rather than letting their personalities and mannerisms tell us what we need to know. Also, there were times when the author would repeat the same information over and over again, like the rules of time travel or what the café looked like, and I found that repetition unnecessary. These kinds of issues I had with the writing made it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level, which was disappointing.

Overall, I did find this to be a touching book, mainly because I could relate those situations and issues back to my life, helping me better understand the lessons being taught here. I would recommend it for fans of magical realism who enjoy a quick and easy read.

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