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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
perksofharriet's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
The book is set in a coffee shop in Japan where there’s rumours that you can travel to the past- or future - if you sit in one specific chair and get served up a coffee. This comes with its rules of course, you can’t move from the seat when you travel back or forward in time, you can only travel back to a day where the person you want to visit was in the cafe, nothing you say or do can change the outcomes in the future and the most important rule- you must finish the coffee you get served before it gets cold to return back to the present.
We follow the stories of a few frequent visitors of the cafe, and some who work there as we learn about their lives and the reasons they wish to travel back or forward in time. It’s a story of frustrations, hopes, heartbreak, light and a little bit of magic. I found the concept really intriguing and I was excited to learn the author had written more books following on from this one. It makes you question what you yourself would do given the opportunity to travel in time.
At times I found phrasing or expressions within the text after the translation from Japanese to English a little hard to follow but overall it was a very easy read that leaves you wanting more.
We follow the stories of a few frequent visitors of the cafe, and some who work there as we learn about their lives and the reasons they wish to travel back or forward in time. It’s a story of frustrations, hopes, heartbreak, light and a little bit of magic. I found the concept really intriguing and I was excited to learn the author had written more books following on from this one. It makes you question what you yourself would do given the opportunity to travel in time.
At times I found phrasing or expressions within the text after the translation from Japanese to English a little hard to follow but overall it was a very easy read that leaves you wanting more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Dementia, Grief, and Pregnancy
midnightrain_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, there isn’t that much open thinking and reflection, which i wish wasn’t so cause i really wish we’d seen deeper inside the characters’ heads but nevertheless it made me cry (even though it’s not a sad book) so it ranks high on my list.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
mikaylawood's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, and Car accident
kappafrog's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book has an intriguing premise, and I was intrigued enough to read to the end. I liked how the author explored the way that even very rule-restricted time travel could be extremely meaningful for people. I also liked the little community of characters.
However, the writing style was off-puttingly clunky. When I found out it was originally a play, it made more sense. Much more work should have gone into making it readable as a novel. There were many repetitive descriptions pointing out the obvious.
Most of the main characters are women, but it's obvious they were written by a man. They conform too closely to stock types with emphasis on familial duty. I was most intrigued by the inscrutable waitress Kazu, but her development was very haphazard.
Still, I liked reading this book and enjoy the premise enough to check out the sequels.
However, the writing style was off-puttingly clunky. When I found out it was originally a play, it made more sense. Much more work should have gone into making it readable as a novel. There were many repetitive descriptions pointing out the obvious.
Most of the main characters are women, but it's obvious they were written by a man. They conform too closely to stock types with emphasis on familial duty. I was most intrigued by the inscrutable waitress Kazu, but her development was very haphazard.
Still, I liked reading this book and enjoy the premise enough to check out the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Abortion
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol
paperandkindness's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- 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, Infertility, Dementia, Car accident, and Death of parent
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