Have you ever wished that you could go back to the past? Is there something you wanted to say? Something you wanted/needed to do? Do you want to revisit a critical time? It might not be possible for you and me but it is exactly what the characters in Kawaguchi’s stories can do so long as they follow the rules.

In Before Your Memory Fades, third in the series, readers old and new can experience the magic of these opportunities. Here they will visit café Donna Donna which has some of the same magic as café Funiculi Funicula as in the earlier novels.

True to form, there are four stories in this collection. They feature:

A daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned

A comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams

A younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming

A young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late

How will lives be changed? Turn the pages in the stories with a unique concept to find out.

To be enjoyed with your next cup of coffee. Your life may just be changed a bit too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a captivating read for anyone who has ever wondered about the what-ifs of life, and is drawn to stories that explore the complexities of love, loss, and the human experience, with a touch of magical realism and a warm, hopeful tone.

Beautifully written book. I enjoyed this book and the entire series very much.

I do highly recommend this one and I have recommended to everyone I know.

This third book in the ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ series is similar to the previous books in that it is broken up into four short stories and the time travel element BUT we are introduced to a new setting - a Cafe in Hakodate in Hokkaido, Japan! I really enjoyed this change in scenery and thought the author did a great job of setting the scene and building out this new cafe (Cafe Donna Donna) as well as a more thorough job of introducing the new characters and weaving together their stories with the existing characters we’ve come to know and love. The previous books I felt were a bit more stilted and repetitive (the writing seemed a bit choppier and the rules for time travel were repeated almost in the exact same way in each story) where this book I felt like the author was more creative in how he went about reminding the reader of the time travel rules and the stories had a much smoother flow to them.
I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read the fourth one as soon as I can.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nagare and Kazu are back in another string of four time traveling stories interwoven with the cafe. However, these stores take place in Cafe Donna Donna at Hakodate instead of Cafe Funiculi Funicula in Tokyo. The rules are the same and there’s only one occupied seat that can make it happen. The only change is seven year old Sachi, Kazu’s daughter who now pours the tea.

In simple, yet elegant writing the author weaves a story where four characters travel in time for love, loss, hope and closure. Each story is connected to the cafe and the owner, Yukari. The story does a great job entwining each individual story back to Yukari; a character who isn’t directly present in the cafe but whose personality is defined through the interaction of others.

Each book in this series has four chapters to depict each story. The stories all start out somewhat similar and end just as quick. Coupled with the rules of the cafe, this becomes somewhat repetitive over time. The stories are structured alike but also different, not only with the cast of characters but with the individual’s reasoning which helps keep a fresh outlook.

This book starts off with quite a large time skip relating back to a story we visited in book one. There are mini time skips throughout and then a larger one at the end. A lot has changed except for our main cast’s personality. Kazu’s personality really strikes me as interesting because she’s very perspective in interpreting the situation, the personality of others and their reactions. It’s almost eerie how she’s able to predict the outcomes so naturally yet it’s so obvious when she provides her reasoning.

This series revolves heavily around death. Dealing with it before and after, whether or not one is directly or indirectly impacted by it. I liked the message behind each story but I personally couldn’t connect with any of the new characters. I felt sad for them and their situations though.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I liked the concept of having another time traveling cafe but I felt the time skips were advancing the story quicker than I possibly wanted. I’ll miss Nagare and Kazu if they are not in the next book. There’s not much happening in this book but it’s heavy on the emotions and the overall message.

A great addition to one of my favorite series of the last ten years, though this one did feel confusing compared to the previous installments.

First sentence: "Why are you in Hokkaido?" Kei Tokita's voice sounded tinny coming from the handset.

Premise/plot: Before Your Memory Fades is a book of connected novellas. It is the THIRD book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. The premise of the series is that there is a cafe with special, 'magical,' powers. There is one chair that will allow the occupant to travel forward or backward in time. But there are rules, of course there are rules. They have to stay seated, of course. They have to return to the present before the coffee turns cold. They can only meet people who have visited the cafe. Nothing they do in the past (or the future) will effect the present. Each story focuses on a journey (to the past or to the future). The 'main' characters are the staff of the cafe AND cafe regulars. (Think the sitcom Cheers). One of the running elements of this one is that one of the characters is ALWAYS reading a book--it is a book of questions (100, I believe) that pose various questions each with the premise of if the world was ending tomorrow...would you choose answer 1 or 2.

My thoughts: I picked this one up thinking it was book two. It wasn't. When did I realize this? Not until I was halfway through. Do I think it would have made more sense if I hadn't skipped book two (by accident)? Probably. Maybe. Do I think it would have been less confusing if I jotted down a list of characters? Definitely. Also I think if I had read the books--all three--in order and close together. I just had a hard time keeping track of the characters.

I liked the premise well enough. Though apparently there are two cafes with this magical ability? I had a hard time following some of the plot because the characters kept getting tangled up in my mind.

I love this whole series. The characters are so beautifully alive in this one as well. I do like that it branches out from the original cafe, although it took me a bit to warm to the idea since I had the descriptions of the original one so firmly in my head. These books always break my heart a little, but absolutely in the best way possible!

Before Your Memory Fades is the third installment in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. These books are best read in order. This time a few changes are made as we are taken to a different café with some new characters, but also a few familiar faces and the same familiar rules for time travel.

As with the other two books, there are four short stories about people who want to travel back in time for various reasons, but the overarching theme throughout is loss, grief, and finding joy again after that significant loss. These stories will definitely tug at your heart and I really like the interactions between all the characters. This is one of my favorite series and I would highly recommend them. I can't wait to read the next installment!

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, author Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

In this third installment, we get a brand new cast of characters set at a new cafe called Cafe Donna Donna in northern Japan. The new setting and characters were refreshing and felt like I was entering into this magical world again for the first time; but the concept and rules remained the same, which made this a familiar and cozy read. I was worried that by the third book, this series would feel too repetitive and tedious to read; but, Kawaguchi weaved so much depth, emotions and life lessons into each customer's time travel encounters that it got me crying and contemplating life and death, friendship, family and how holding on to the past can affect our futures. I am so invested in this series and cannot wait for the 4th book!

This is by far my favorite in the series! I thought all the stories were so well told and each had an emotional impact. I also love how Kawaguchi interweaves the stories, not only in this book but in previous ones as well.

I fell in love with Before the Coffee Gets Cold and have anxiously awaited each new installment. Before Your Memory Fades keeps the reader in touch with the cafe regulars, including Nagare and Kazu, and introduces several new characters. all of whom have poignant reasons for traveling in time. The main message is about the key to happiness and finding ways to move forward even when life doesn't turn out how you planned it to be. Don't let this book fool you, It will break your heart and stay with your for quite a long time Before Your Memory Fades. Perhaps this is what Kawaguchi is trying to achieve with his novel. Long after you turn the last page, you will still be haunted by it.

The 3rd book in the Before The Coffee Gets Cold series contains 4 more stories from the time traveling cafe but, this time its a different cafe. Same rules, same family, different location.

I felt that this isn't as well translated as the previous titles and its going to be much harder for westerners to identify with the emotions of the story. Which is perfectly fine because this is a Japanese stories and Japanese writers don't need to cater to the western world. I just feel like a western audience is going to unfairly judge this book because it doesn't fit their expectations of how people should feel.

Overall I enjoyed this look into a different culture and I cried a lot. Recommend if you understand what you're getting isn't from a western lens.

I'm so glad I was approved for an arc of Before Your Memory Fades!
I throughly enjoyed it and loved reading the short stories.

More of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up to 4 because I really do love this series and think that the messages behind all of these tiny stories are important. That being said... this installment was SO repetitive. I don't remember the other two being quite so annoying with how often they acknowledged the rules for going back in time. I think the rules were mentioned AT LEAST twice per story (bringing it to 8+ times in a 222 page book... which is far too many times).

I also think the stories this time around didn't really pull me in like the other two books did. Other than the final section, I didn't really care about any of the characters or their reasoning for going back/forward in time. That final story though... I will admit that I cried in the last two pages because WOW.

Overall, I want all of these books for my physical collection, and this one is no exception. It just will not be as high on my list of re-reads.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The latest installments of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Tosikazu Kawaguchi, this story continues the tradition of gentle, purposeful stories meant to inspire reflection in the reader. As with the previous books, the writing style (or perhaps the intention behind the writing style) is stalted and perhaps overly repative-- which is probably a result of it being a translated work.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a quick, but emotionally moving, read.

The third installment in this cozy (or melancholy?) series did not quite capture my attention like the first two books. I was overwhelmed at first by the quick review of the growing cast of characters, and the addition of a second cafe location felt like a solution to a problem I didn't realize existed. However, the poignant stories and the glimpses into the characters' motivations and heartbreak were as thoughtfully crafted as ever. The thread of Sachi reading the book of one hundred questions before the world ends was morbidly fascinating and ultimately hopeful. I am conflicted about the prevalence of suicidal ideation in each tale; while not exactly handled delicately, moments of beauty were highlighted even in grief. This series leaves you with plenty to mull over, preferably over a hot cup of coffee. (And if you need a hand, in the US, the new Suicide Hotline number is 988.)

I have mixed feelings on this series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but the rest of the series has fallen rather flat for me. Some chapters are better than others which keeps me reading, but I'm beginning to think a lot of the poetic writing is lost in translation. The dialogue can read very flat and the descriptions lack the magic that others hold.

I am a true fan of Toshikazu Kawaguchi - I have read and absolutely loved the prior to installments to the Before the Coffee Goes Cold series (the other being Tales from the Cafe). My love of Japanese novels and fiction has partially inspired a trip to Japan I will be making in the new year. I can't properly articulate how wonderful Kawaguchi's writing is, I can only say that reading all three books in the series so far have filled me with a wide range of emotions - warmth, sadness, melancholy, nostalgia and absolute joy. I would recommend Before Your Memory Fades (even the title has me choked up) to fans of the previous two Cafe novels, as well as fans of my other, albeit very different, favorite Japanese novels - Convenience Store Woman and Memory Police. Anyway, I have to finish this review before the coffee in my mug here goes cold... just dig into the series, you won't regret it.

A lovely addition to the series. Heartbreaking and sweet without too much of either. The format is of course predictable but it's in the details that you stay interested and the aftermath of their time travel.