Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Antes de que se enfríe el café

Really beautiful discussions of grief, moving on, and how we carry the memories of those we've lost with every step we take <3 Also a very cool and interesting take on the rules of time travel that really fit with the themes of the book!

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sherpa2015's review against another edition

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sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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woocatsuko's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

3.25

Initially, I struggled to get into this read, I'd seen so many good things said about it, and I really didn't understand why. The language felt jarring, and whilst I love the fastidiousness that seems to come in the translated fiction that I have read so far, the details within this book felt hit and miss. We had little details of characters appearances to help you visualise them, and more details of their clothing and how much they spent on food. I also found it a little repetitive at times, as you are told the rules of the cafe in slow drips, but at times told again.

However, the second half really pulled it back for me, as it's such a character driven story I struggled to invest in them within the first part or 2, but by around the halfway point we had spent a little more time with the main people of the cafe, allowing us to care about them and their lives a little deeper, and it felt as though I had gotten used to the writing style.

It did make me shed a little tear as it posed the question of who I would go back in time to visit, I pictured sitting across from my Mum who died when I was 17, all the things I would want to say or even just the pleasure of her company for that short amount of time, and this gave me a better insight to how hard it would have been for these characters to meet their loved ones for the duration of one coffee. How hard it would have been to leave them again. Now I have the insights into the characters, some emotional investment and the flow of Kawaguchi's writing in my mind, I'm looking forward to experiencing more stories from this little time travelling cafe in the second book.

A lovely concept and I actually think it would depict well in a TV show.

Content Warnings

sophiefreeman's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

3.75

I liked the overall concept and the stories explored within each chapter. However, I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. The explanation of the rules regarding time travel became very repetitive as it was reiterated in great detail in every different short story. I also found the writing style simple and clunky in places, but this could be as a result of the translation rather than a fault with the original text.

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