This feels like a perfect winter book, with its quiet earnestness. I'm a fan of softer sci-fi, less concerned about the mechanics of its world and more concerned with the characters inhabiting it. So this brief, unusual take on time travel was directly up my alley.

This book was short and sweet. The stories all occur in a cafe in Tokyo where you can travel back in time, but there are rules; most importantly, you must come back from the past before the coffee gets cold. I liked the setting, it had a cozy atmosphere, and the workers and patrons seemed to create close relationships. While I enjoyed the idea, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The first story seemed to be kind of out of place; although Fumiko comes back into the last story, she isn't in the others, so it seems random. I did like how they didn't shy away from difficult topics.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, and to be honest, I was a little concerned in the first part of the book that it wasn’t going to be for me, but once I got past the first story, the book got better and better until it was tugging at my heartstrings and giving me all the feels at the end.

The book is told in divided into 4 connected stories with the same cast of characters throughout. Each vignette focuses more deeply on different characters, though you don’t get a truly deep dive into any of the characters, there is always a little bit of distance between the reader and the character. Normally this wouldn’t work for me because I am so character driven, but for this story it felt right.

Each of the characters has something they need to work through, and traveling through time helps them to come to terms with a specific issue in their lives. But I think it is the strict rules that are in place that really help each character to find peace.

I didn’t enjoy the first story as much, which is why I went with a 4-star review over 5, but the last two stories were so good, especially the final story of the book. It was amazing and moved me to tears. I definitely recommend this one!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley and the publisher {Harlequin Trade & Hanover Square Press} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It takes a little while to get used to the names, but then the stories weave back and forth around each other and between past and present beautifully. I like the individual stories with the overlapping characters. All the special "rules" and the way the characters operate within the constraints make this more interesting than just a time travel novel.

The emotional beats of this book were on point. I loved the vignettes and the way they looped into each other. Kawaguchi takes things in unexpected directions in each of the stories and I appreciated it. However, the writing style of this book wasn't for me, and it took me out of the action several times, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise.

When I began reading this book I thought it was quite slow. As I continued reading, I found that the slow pace of the book worked well with these unique, heartfelt time-traveling tales. There are four interconnecting stories about four different people wanting to travel back (or perhaps forward) in time for a specific reason knowing they could not change the present. Even though the pace was slow, it was a quick read. The stories were absolutely heartwarming but bittersweet, full of love and regrets. The very last story did me in and had me really teary-eyed. This was a very beautiful read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

A few years ago I decided to try to read more international authors. I've always read a lot of British authors but I was sure I was missing quality stories by not reading more broadly. To read more international authors meant that I would likely have to read translated literature as I only know one language. It has been a hit or miss kind of ride so I'm always a little apprehensive. I really liked the sound of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and looked forward to reading it.

While I have read another Japanese author, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first book I've read translated from Japanese. The story was very minimalistic, but there was a beauty in its simplicity.

The whole story takes place inside a basement cafe. There are no windows so you never know if it is day or night. It is also a small cafe - it only seats 9. The cast of characters is small: there's the husband and wife and their cousin - they run the cafe; there are 2 other women who are regulars - one runs a hostess bar and a nurse; the nurse is also the wife of another regular customer - a man who suffers from dementia; and finally there is the woman in the white dress who sits in a chair reading.

This isn't an ordinary cafe; there's an urban legend attached to it. There is one chair that will allow the person sitting in it to time travel. There are a bunch of rules - like nothing will change the present. The most important rule is to drink the coffee before it gets cold.

Each chapter features a different time traveler and while the focus is mainly on that character, there are other plot threads swirling around. I loved how Kawaguchi wove together the threads in the end.

The book is short and the language is simple - making it a quick read; I read it in two days. Yet the theme is quite profound and the characters will haunt me for a while. It was just so beautiful.

My full review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2020/11/before-coffee-gets-cold-by-toshikazu.html

This story is a subtle, moving tale based around a simple premise. With a plot device that feels like something from Doctor Who (save the extra-terrestrials!), patrons of a nondescript cafe travel through time for as long as it takes a single cup of coffee to get cold. The four sections of the book slowly reveal the layers and depth of the characters one at a time, just as the rules of time travel are proffered one at a time. The story is clever and patient, and worth the investment. The relationships are the star here. The story occurs almost entirely within the four walls of the basement cafe, but the variety and complexity of the relationships explored make the novel feel much bigger. An excellent - and not too long - read that would spark good book club discussions and satisfy fans of thoughtful, emotional stories.

A Japanese man goes to a cafe with his girlfriend of 2 years to tell her their relationship is over because, by the way, he’s moving to America... in a few minutes! Since she had been hoping for a proposal, she was pretty much stunned silent. It was now too late to say anything. Except wait, isn’t that the same cafe that was in the news a while back for time travel?

I don’t read many books of short stories, but I liked this one because they were all connected by the place and each focused on a different character like a book series. The rules of the time travel were ridiculous, but it served the intended purpose and became quite meaningful.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Perhaps it is just me, but I find some Japanese authors are challenging to read, but well worth the time in the end. Time Travel is being offered in a small restaurant, but so many rules are involved few people can do it. Nothing will change even if you go back and apologize or redo that one period in time. And by then end I was left both sad and happy.

This book would make an excellent book club selection. Not everyone would like it but I think it would provide excellent conversations. I called this literary fiction over sci-fi because it reminds me more of Exit West, for example, that addresses real situations and feelings with a slight sci-fi twist. Very interesting read.

This set of four interconnected stories is a different sort of spin on time travel- and a gentle one. Patrons of a cafe in Tokyo are able to go back in time only for as long as it takes for their coffee to cool- and they can't change anything. A woman visits with her husband before he fell with Alzheimer's, another sees her younger sister, a third talks to a man who moved away, and most poignantly, a mother talks with her unborn child. Make no mistake- this is a slender novel and it might strike you as less emotional than it could be. That's not a bad thing. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. A thoughtful read for fans of literary fiction.

What a lovely, strange little book.

The premise is deceptively simple: visit this cafe, and you can travel back in time. There are rules, of course, like how nothing about the present will change no matter what you do. You might think that this rule invalidates the whole process, but the result is a beautiful exploration of how your perspective can change everything.

This was a quick read, but time seemed to slow down every time I sat down to read more. This book drifts from story to story, pausing to examine seemingly random details like a small child on a walk. At the end of the day, though, the chapters weave together into a whole even better than the sum of its parts.

The premise of this Japanese novel reeled me in: it takes place in a nondescript Tokyo coffee shop where you can order coffee and go back in time, but but only for the amount of time it takes the coffee to cool. I knew all this going in, and yet was surprised and delighted to discover the particular rules and consequences for this understated adventure. The combination of curious playfulness and quiet emotional devastation was unusual and satisfying.

I enjoyed this short book and found the stories touching. I do feel that it is very Japanese in both nature (dialogue, construction and interaction) and themes (regret, self-sacrifice, desire to please). Some of the dialogue may seem strange or unnatural to an American but it makes sense here. I think it would be fun to read the book in Japanese (things can be lost in translation). Although time travel isn't a new concept in fiction, I liked how it was handled here - as a chance to see something or communicate in a way that wasn't possible before - without altering the course of the future. This book may not appeal to everyone, but I think it would be appreciated by those who are familiar with the culture and stories of Japan and like the idea of exploring something in the past (or future).

I loved this book, beautifully written and heartfelt. In a small Tokyo cafe, that was established years ago, many people have found solace in the ability to time travel. This is not really science fiction per se, but the time travel is a mechanism to reveal the experiences and heartbreak of the customers who come for the experience. From a young mother who wants to see what her future daughter will look like knowing her heart will not withstand the birth, to a big sister who ignored her sister and wants to make sure to tell her how much she means to her, to the wife of a husband with Alzheimer’s. There are rules, though; you can go back in time but nothing you do will change a future outcome. I highly recommend this unique and wonderful story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Finniculi Finnicula is a small cafe that's been open for at least 100 years. A small cafe, it's frequented by a group of regulars, and some seek out the cafe because of a rumor that you can time travel there. Those who work in the cafe will tell you that you can, but there are rules: there's only one seat in the cafe that enables time travel, and you have to wait until the regular who sits there uses the bathroom to grab the seat. You can only see people that have been in the cafe when you time travel, and nothing will change in the present as a result of time traveling, so if you're trying to keep your boyfriend from breaking up with you, don't bet on it. And the most important rule: drink the coffee before it gets cold in order to come back.

There are four stories in this novel, translated from the original Japanese, and while it moves slowly; deliberately, but the pacing never lags and the stories come together and leave their mark on your heart when they are finished. A good choice for readers who may want to try science fiction on for size, but don't want the usual "space opera, shoot-em up" stuff. Great choice for book clubs.

Weird and wonderful, this book deserves all the hype it's getting. Time traveling, coffee, love, past mistakes, but it all comes together beautifully.

This is a time travel novel that follows the story lines of four individuals. It was a unique premise and interesting read. Makes one think if they would take that opportunity if they had the chance. Thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, you can travel through time at that café, but there are rules. Very specific rules, the reasons for which aren't readily apparent, except as plot devices. But an author is allowed to create his own rules, and as plot devices they work well to deliver tension to the narrative, which works well, as this book isn't about the rules as much as it is about the characters. Each character has their own reason for wanting to travel in time, and, although one of the rules is that you won't change the present, each person comes back changed in themselves in some way.

This could have been a touching and tender story. Unfortunately, and I don't know whether to attribute this to the writing or the translation, the language was very stilted. The characters were sympathetic enough, but the wooden dialogue and strained narrative put a barrier between me and them, even between me and the story itself. Some of this might be due to the fact that Kawaguchi is a playwright before he's an author, but making the transition to writing a novel requires more than just changing stage directions to sentences.