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lydderbox's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Gun violence and Murder
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a quick, entertaining read, although I don't understand the level of hype around it.
The book was adapted from a play the author wrote, and the structure and format of the play is still evident in the way the chapters form separate vignettes, the small cast of characters, the single set, and the use of (sometimes redundant) repetition to set the scene.
The cafe is lovingly described, down to the tiny details, and is the most fully fleshed out character in the novel. In contrast, the human characters that inhabit seem transient and lack dimension. To me they felt like undeveloped archetypes who existed only to explore conceit of the novel.
If the concept of the story interests you, I think it is explored well enough (and the length of the book is brief enough) that it's worth picking up. However, I don't feel the need to pick up any of the sequels.
The book was adapted from a play the author wrote, and the structure and format of the play is still evident in the way the chapters form separate vignettes, the small cast of characters, the single set, and the use of (sometimes redundant) repetition to set the scene.
The cafe is lovingly described, down to the tiny details, and is the most fully fleshed out character in the novel. In contrast, the human characters that inhabit seem transient and lack dimension. To me they felt like undeveloped archetypes who existed only to explore conceit of the novel.
If the concept of the story interests you, I think it is explored well enough (and the length of the book is brief enough) that it's worth picking up. However, I don't feel the need to pick up any of the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
ittybittybookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
ariajb's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
I really wanted to like this,, but I just couldn’t. which sucks because I love the premise it sounded right up my alley. I liked the story as a whole well enough I guess I just couldn’t get on board with the characters.
it started off poorly the first character, Fumiko, to travel through time is literally the most annoying character with the worst reason for wanting to do it so I think she kinda took me out of it right at the beginning.It just seemed so much like a girl who was embarrassingly down bad for her ex who didn’t care about her, I know it had only been a week but,,, get over it. also it seemed she only wanted to marry him bc she was the last single one in her family not bc she loved him. This whole book felt like it was lacking love. I didn’t feel any between any of the couples. It seemed like Kohtake loved her husband even though he was just… there. he seemed very closed off, easily offended/uncomfortable, and kinda mean. The moment when she finally got the letter probably would’ve been emotional if I liked him but I just wanted her to mourn the relationship and divorce him frankly.
I guess I believed Hirai loved her sister even tho she avoided her for years. their story almost reminded me of it’s A Wonderful Life but without any of the happy parts. Especially since she had a successful business and built a life for herself that she enjoyed and had a lot of friends. but yet she ended up leaving her life and moving back home to run the inn that she never wanted
Kei’s was definitely the one with the most heart and saved the book for me. I wish some time was shaved off of the other stories to give hers more time especially since she owns the café and is there all the time I thought she deserved a little more. her story is also the saddest, having a heart condition and being in and out of the hospital her whole childhood, meeting her husband when she was 17 and he was 20 and the only guy she ever dated then getting pregnant and not even getting to raise her child. A lot of that sadness was undercut by the new manager, Goro being an idiot who misses context clues. but it had a bittersweet ending with their short, but heartfelt mother daughter conversation
it started off poorly the first character, Fumiko, to travel through time is literally the most annoying character with the worst reason for wanting to do it so I think she kinda took me out of it right at the beginning.
I guess I believed Hirai loved her sister even tho she avoided her for years. their story almost reminded me of it’s A Wonderful Life but without any of the happy parts. Especially since she had a successful business and built a life for herself that she enjoyed and had a lot of friends. but yet she ended up leaving her life and moving back home to run the inn that she never wanted
Kei’s was definitely the one with the most heart and saved the book for me. I wish some time was shaved off of the other stories to give hers more time especially since she owns the café and is there all the time I thought she deserved a little more. her story is also the saddest, having a heart condition and being in and out of the hospital her whole childhood, meeting her husband when she was 17 and he was 20 and the only guy she ever dated then getting pregnant and not even getting to raise her child. A lot of that sadness was undercut by the new manager, Goro being an idiot who misses context clues. but it had a bittersweet ending with their short, but heartfelt mother daughter conversation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Car accident
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lovely concept and i loved the four different stories all separate but linked together. i liked how it was still grounded, there was no changing past present of future, just the ability to live in a moment. some of the characters were annoying but it was an eclectic group. i’m intrigued to see where it’s taken in the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Dementia
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
sabrinaleaf's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
While the writing was quite dry and the author had a habit of reexplaining something that previously happened in the book like the reader was reading the sequel to a middle grade novel and had to be reminded of what happened , I did really enjoy reading the life and stories of all the different characters.
While the writing was quite dry and the author had a habit of reexplaining something that previously happened in the book like the reader was reading the sequel to a middle grade novel and had to be reminded of what happened , I did really enjoy reading the life and stories of all the different characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident
anguawolf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, and Car accident
toreadforpleasure's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent
thestarsaresad's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book has been on my TBR list for years; it was there for so long that I began to dread actually reading it. It took time for me to come to enjoy the story and the characters, but once I did, I really enjoyed reading about their stories. Seeing how people’s actions changed in the present despite not being able to change the past was the biggest takeaway for me; it taught me that you truly don’t know everything about someone and that they can always change. This was definitely a quick but enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
chloesnotscared's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Chronic illness and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent