Before the Coffee Gets Cold

This book was delightful. I read it because someone in my feed gave it a good rating, and it turned out to be the magical realism I needed right now. I'm looking forward to reading book #2. (Everything else I wanted to say was a spoiler!)

There is nobody I would want to see badly enough to go through this many rules of time travel.

Couldn't handle the writing style. Stating the obvious, telling me the same thing three times, etc.

A lovely little (audio)book that I would describe as ~soft philosophy~. I enjoyed the four different stories interweaving with each other and the opportunity to reflect on what I would do in a similar situation. Not a five star, but one I will be thinking about for a while I believe. The main issue I had with it was the misogynistic descriptions of some of the women that add nothing to the story. The first story was probably my least favourite as it fell most victim to this. Anyways, I'd defo recommend this to my friends as a quick, heartwarming read that invites you to think about your own life in a kind way.

DNF @18% lol the male gaze is strong for this one

“Fumiko's looks were better than ordinary. Blessed with well-defined features and petite lips, she had the face of a pop idol. Her mid-length black hair shone and crowned her with a glowing halo. Despite her conservative clothes, her exceptional figure was easy to discern. Like a model from a fashion magazine, she was beautiful woman who would draw any one's gaze. Yes, she was a woman who combined intelligence and beauty. But whether she realized this was a different matter”

“The waitress's name was Kazu Tokita”...“She had quite a pretty face, a pale complexion and narrow almond shaped-eyes, yet her features were not memorable. It was the type of face that if you glanced at it, closed your eyes and then tried to remember what you saw, nothing would come to mind. In a word, she was inconspicuous. She had no presence. She didn't have many friends either.”

HELLO?!?? Could not stomach the writing past this point...

Second attempt to read this book. I finally made it through the first story, and I'm... underwhelmed. I get that a woman - regardless of age - could be miserable over a breakup; I understand that could even be the catalyst of a good story. But the resolution is that the man might come back in three years and give the relationship another chance?! That, and the fact that I never felt any connection to any of the characters is making me question whether to continue. 

The premise sounds so promising, and the book is so beloved that I've wanted to read this forever, but I'm starting to suspect it's not for me. I do wonder if something major was lost in translation - like all the magic and whimsy. 

Update: 
So, I was going to try to get through the second story before deciding whether or not to call it quits, but I have so many other books calling for my attention and no desire to pick this one up (not even in audio format). And I'm currently on such a good reading streak that I'm worried if I force myself to keep plodding through this book, I'll only wind up in a reading slump. After reading a few reviews, I don't think my issues with the book get resolved. 

booooooringggggggg

I really enjoyed this book. The idea was so unique and interesting. The stories were emotional and made me feel connected to the characters. A beautiful and memorable read.

Lots of short stories of grief and wanting brought together into a wider whole. Excellent, emotional time. 

A short novel about a coffee shop that lets you time travel if you sit in a specific seat. Has 4 self-contained stories about the patrons of the shop and their reason for using the seat. A tiny little bit sad but mostly uplifting vibes overall.

Had to stop because degenerative diseases hit hard for me and I'm not in the headspace where I can handle that right now. The localization was serviceable, though I had a difficult time keeping the characters and their relationships to each other straight. I hope to come back to this at some point, but I'm trying to be okay with not finishing books if they're not grabbing me.

DNF. I really thought I was going to love this - I really like the premise. But the writing style was tedious to the point of infuriation

I love it

One of the most relaxing books that I have ever read, really made me wonder how fast time flows.

an emotional string of tales that follow a format of introduction, background, twist, and conclusion. despite the formulaic style of writing, each tale becomes more poignant than the last—keeping it from becoming stale.

thought-provoking and bittersweet. although one may not be able to change the past, the tragedies always end with a hopeful outlook and the presentation of a love for living—even through the hardships. 

A wonderful cozy read that caught me off guard in all the feels. Four main stories that all connect somewhat chronologically to end with just a beautiful wrap up of all characters and themes. A good read for asking yourself the question “what would I do?” And for reflecting on current life experiences. I enjoyed the bit of mystical/paranormal that was woven in subtly and thoroughly enjoyed the world building that was done so nicely. Highly recommend.

I really liked the stories in this book although it might have been a bad idea to listen to the book at work as one of the stories had me in tears.

When I think about the about book the individual stories really stand out to me. They are interesting and had well done endings. On the flip side it’s everything else that is a little hard to take. The repetition of the rules, the café staff that lack standout personalities, and the blocky dialog.

I did get though this book and liked the stories, but the repetition of information and weak dialog would make me hesitant to read this again. Which is sad as the idea of the book and the individual stories were great.

This hurt my feelings.. specifically stories; The Husband and Wife and The Sisters. I cried my way through those two short stories. I'm glad this had a positive ending because my heart is so heavy right now.

Final rating: 3.5 stars ✨

8/10 - easy read, nothing crazy literary wise but the simplicity and execution of the concept was actually done quite well. i may have shed a tear or two :'-)

The concept was nice, stories were cute, but everything was repeated too many times (specially the rules) and the translation/adaptation was poor. Thankfully I live in Japan and speak Japanese so I could imagine what the characters were saying.

It's the typical Japanese drama of very, very sad happenings in order to make you cry what I disliked about this book. After watching many Japanese movies/series and reading some books, I'm so tired of that recurring theme that it annoys me at this point. I won't continue reading the following books of this series.

A really good heart warming story.
But I didn't like the ending that much, little disappointed.

This story takes place in a cafe in which time travel is possible—with limitations. In this cafe, time traveling begins once the customer is served a hot cup of coffee, and it ends right before the coffee gets cold. The customer can’t extend the visit and faces severe repercussions if they do.

Characters in the story all have different reasons for wanting to go back in time. Some wish to change how a past confrontation ended. Alas, another limitation to time traveling here is that it is not possible to alter a course of events (Think of Marty in Back to the Future. There’s nothing he’d be able to do to prevent Doc from getting shot and dying). Well, that’s a twist. I was excited to see how the characters’ lives would change without them being able to just undo or create an event in the past that would provide a much better outcome to their present or future.

The premise is beyond intriguing. So good. The execution, however, is lacking. I’m not a Japanese lit snob by any means, but this book lacks the soulful depth, sorrow and insight I’ve connected with in the very few Japanese books I’ve read in the past. I’m chalking it up to poor translation. However, the repetition splattered throughout is unforgivable (pretty sure not the translator’s fault). For such a short book, the writer spends most of his time re-explaining minute details and not enough time on plausible storylines and emotion.

The characters could be a lot more developed and relatable with just a bit more care. The last story is the most touching. Just when the character is developed enough to tug at my heartstrings, the writer strays and begins to over explain things we just read. He focuses in on how it’s a ceremony and how carefully the coffee is served. The going back to the clocks and re-referencing the coffee getting colder, which are key elements up to a point, I can’t help but feel are repeatedly mentioned as a means to skip over chunks of plot and feeling he just couldn’t build upon enough to put into words . It’s a bit of a cop-out.

The moral of the story is clear enough though: Don’t wait until it’s too late to do a thing. And even though some things can’t be undone or unsaid, if you have a chance to listen and speak honestly, perhaps you’ll get some closure and come out a better and more enlightened being. Life will still go on either way, but we must remind ourselves that it is short and the coffee is getting colder by the second. And that’s a piece of advice worth a 3.50 star rating.

I went into this book excited about the concept, but it was ultimately just an okay read. Everything felt flat and cliched: the characters, the setting, the stories. Just incredibly boring, even down to the constant descriptions of each character's clothes. I hated the last chapter. I won't reveal exactly why due to spoilers, but it was badly written and a bit insensitive. The only things that saved this for me were Kazu, who was a slightly interesting character who I wanted to know more about, and the chapter about the man with dementia and his wife, which ran surprisingly deep compared to the rest of the book. I think I'll be skipping the sequel, however.

While at times slow, Before the Coffee Gets Cold was a quick read in an interesting place. If this was a film, I'd have happily watched it. And so I'm trying to expand my book tastes and read new books as well. And I liked this one! There were quite a few moments where I wished people would stand up for themselves more, but that's a difference in culture I think. Nothing shocking.

Wonderful story. I really enjoyed this book and the way the various characters were intertwined. Back and forth on the timeline usually gets me confused, but this one I was able to follow.