verinvaldez's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This isn't really a novel, it's more of a collection of disjointed stories that take place in the same coffee shop.
There's definitely sexist undertones, just read this quote:
There's definitely sexist undertones, just read this quote:
'Don't go!' she would have screamed. Of course, they would have been crocodile tears. Tears are a woman's weapon.
Outside of that, the prose is very basic and wooden, I expected more depth. The characters felt mostly one-dimensional and the stories are bogged down by copy-pasted explanations of things such as Alzheimer's disease, rather than being integrated well into the story.
The last story did end up being emotional at least, but I only finished this book because it was so short and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Deeply disappointing, there are better written books about grief, but I guess the book was readable.
Note: Cat on the cover, but no cat in the story. Another layer of disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy and Death
jackiie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Sexism, Grief, and Misogyny
Moderate: Car accident and Pregnancy
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 wouldn’t do it for me, and I was right. For whatever reason Japanese translations and I don’t 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 bit… mediocre. And I find most of them to lean sexist, especially the last one. I’m 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 there’s a lot of wasted potential here and I’m really disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, Grief, and Medical trauma
lybrarie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
This was a really lovely read. It was definitely sad (each story just kept getting sadder) but in a really heartwarming way. It didn't make me cry - I think probably because I didn't feel like we had quite long enough with each of the characters to truly have a connection with them that would make me cry - but I definitely teared up.
I really enjoyed how each of the stories were their own separate story, and yet they were all interconnected in some way. I think the whole thing was done really well, and the concept in itself is really intriguing. The first story did feel quite slow, but I think that was just down to the need to set up the idea and the rules of the cafe. After the first one all of the stories felt medium-paced and they were all easy to read and highly enjoyable.
The only reason I couldn't give this 5 stars was because there did seem to be a slight undercurrent of sexism throughout the book. It wasn't overt, but I could see it. Otherwise it was a very lovely book.
I really enjoyed how each of the stories were their own separate story, and yet they were all interconnected in some way. I think the whole thing was done really well, and the concept in itself is really intriguing. The first story did feel quite slow, but I think that was just down to the need to set up the idea and the rules of the cafe. After the first one all of the stories felt medium-paced and they were all easy to read and highly enjoyable.
The only reason I couldn't give this 5 stars was because there did seem to be a slight undercurrent of sexism throughout the book. It wasn't overt, but I could see it. Otherwise it was a very lovely book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexism
mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism and Abortion
kestrel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really like the concept: a normal place like a cafe, but there is a magical element to it. Although it reminded me a little of the kdrama Mystic Pop-Up Bar, this book lacked the impact. All 4 stories were very on the surface level and, frankly, pretty sexist. The last story, especially, disappointed me a lot, considering the dangerous message it sends and made me think about the rest of the stories more carefully. I realized that all of them had the female character compromise with what the society expected from her, even if it meant sacrificing her time, dreams, or life.
Men-talk-with-women-before-writing-about-them-challenge!
Men-talk-with-women-before-writing-about-them-challenge!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Medical content, and Sexism
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
thepictureofemma's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexism
hauntedtesty's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Abortion and Death
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