The fourth in a series, but could be read as a standalone. I personally hate reading books out of order and wish I had the others first, but such is life. It is a very unique idea for a story: a special chair in a cafe can let you time travel, but you must wait for the reading woman ghost to leave the spot. This book follows the story of the four people that time travel. I wonder how the translation is compared to the original. I always felt like some things were lost in translation, but I don't know here.

When reading this series, it feels like a nice warm cozy hug! All good feelings and warmth...

I have loved my time with these books and have put this author on my favorites list, officially!

This series holds such a special place in my heart! Every single story is packed full of emotion, warmth, love and wrapped in a beautiful message. Until We Say Goodbye is a beautiful addition to perfect series and I can’t wait to see what book 5 will hold!

Thank you so much Hanover Square Press for the gifted copy! 📚

It took me a little while to fall into this story, but once I did, I was entranced. The main question is: If you could time travel back in your past to see someone or make a difference, would you? It's a thought provoking story with fascinating stories of people seeking an answer to a life question.

I read Before the Coffee Gets Cold and think this title is just as good! I love the style and each story could stand on its own but common threads wove throughout all of them. This is the perfect book for a Saturday afternoon and also an excellent idea for a gift. I will continue to read books published by this author!

This installment of the series was just ok for me. I personally felt like the first couple of books were better and held my attention more.

I enjoy books such as these and have been following the series. I love them even though there many mixed reviews. They are translated books so I'm pretty sure much gets lost in translation. Its simple and magical, a perfect cozy book that also teaches you some life lessons.

Such a clever, cleaver series with new characters and new stories. I enjoy this author and hope he keeps writing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

I received a copy of this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always cry while reading these books!! They're slow paced and I would classify them as cozy or slice of life types of stories in general. You are just minding your own business reading this group of what is basically 4 short stories centered in this cafe and out of nowhere one just hits you in the feels so hard and you are crying while you try to get through the ending. All of the stories are sad; some in a bittersweet type of way and some are a bit uplifting in that the characters are able to get closure in a sad situation. The story that got me in this one was not actually in what happened to the time traveler but what was revealed had been happening for years without the travelers knowledge. It was so sweet but so heart wrenching I was literally sobbing and had to put the book down for a minute. These books are always good for a cathartic cry and the audible audio book that I listened to in tandem was very relaxing to listen to (for the most part due to the story that made me sob).

I love this series and this book doesn’t disappoint. Thanks to the publisher for letting me read it in advance. I love how the author always gives you insight and multi-layered meaning in the tales within tales.

Short, bittersweet, and lovely. A Japanese book translated into English, this is the follow-up to the internationally acclaimed "Before the coffee gets cold".

Set primarily in a small cafe wherein one can time travel, effectively allowing them to visit anyone who has previously been i side the establishment, the four stories/chapters all center around the theme of visiting those we can no longer visit.

A husband who wishes to speak with his wife who
is now in a vegetative state, a woman who wants to say goodbye to her ailing dog, a woman who wants to see the man whose propsal she rejected, and a daughter who longs to apologize to the father she didn't appreciate.

Tears will be shed snd hearts will be mended. A fantastic book that I highly recommend.

This fourth book in the ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ series seems to be out of order - or perhaps the author never meant the books to be read chronologically. Kazu is back to pouring the coffee (when previously it was her daughter after she had turned seven), the setting is back at the Cafe Funiculi Funicula (not Cafe Donna Donna in Hakodate where the third book was set), and Fumiko has not learned from her stubbornness (Goro had broken up with her to go work in America and they haven’t gotten back together - where in the previous book they had reconciled and, in fact, covered for Kazu and Nagare at Cafe Funiculi Funicula when they went to work at Cafe Donna Donna for a time). This caused some confusion at the outset - especially given that the other three books in the series seemed to work together chronologically. This one also felt a bit more stilted and repetitive (re: the rules for time travel) where in the third book the author had been more creative with reminding the reader of the rules so that the story had a better flow.

I loved ‘the farewell’ the most (despite the fact that having a dog in a cafe would present some health code violations) - I loved the idea of getting to show love once again to our precious heavenbound four-leggeds. I had a hard time with ‘the proposal’ because I didn’t find the characters particularly likeable.

I enjoyed this book, but I definitely enjoyed the third book more. That said, I would recommend this book - maybe to be read after the second (‘Tales from the Cafe’).

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

This is the 4th book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. Its a fun and quick read. Love the cover.

New characters are introduced as well as returning ones. One is a husband who has something important to say and he wants to do it before its too late.

Another is a woman has loves her dog and she can't bear to say good bye even though she must.

Then there is a woman who was proposed to and she never gave him an answer. Is it too late to fix it?

And finally the last character is a daughter who drove her father away. Will she be able to fix that relationship before its too late? I think this was my absolute favorite and as a parent I got mine son to read this because yes parents can be annoying and nagging but if you push yourself away from your parents you might never get the chance to mend that relationship.

I love this series because the stories are all heartwarming and make you think about life past and present and what you can do to fix those relationships.

The final instalment in the beloved Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. Going back to the Tokyo cafe, we meet new characters as well as reuniting with old ones. This reads like a collection of short stories rather than.a novel. Sweet, enjoyable.

I enjoyed revisiting the cafe, but these bittersweet stories always make me cry. I gave the first book to family for gifts, and I continue to recommend this series.

Still the same as the first to third books. Maybe it's more precisely the same as the first to second books because the third book focuses more on the origins of Funiculi Funicula and its stories from the perspective of people in the future who are waiting for them from the past. This fourth book's back to “people going back in time” mode.

As the title, Before We Say Goodbye, the story is about people who want to convey their feelings or look for closure before saying goodbye to those who are no longer there.

THE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:
1. The story isn't much. Only four chapters but managed to make everyone cry. And I think this is the first time there is a story about pets. Someone who wants to meet their pet again. I remember the books by Japanese authors who included cats in their writing. One of them is The Traveling Cat Chronicles. I'm curious, if the MC was placed in the Funiculi Funicula story, would he go back to the past before he left?
2. And I found out something interesting. As far as I remember, in previous books, there was a thing where the character had to wait for hours for the ghost to go to the toilet. But in the fourth book, the ghost goes away quickly. Every time the character expresses a desire and reason why he wants to go back to the past, the ghost like "oh okay the reason he wants to go back to the past sounds makes sense. I want to give this person a chance” then she left just like that.

THE SHORTAGE OF THIS BOOK
The shortage of this book is there's nothing new. However, the story concept can still save this shortcoming because I think it can still make readers feel the characters' emotions.

This series is wonderful. Each time I finish a book in this series, I just feel very pleased and content. I love that we continue to get new stories and developments from the original sort of core characters as well as snapshots and stories of new characters. I hope we continue to get more of these but if we don’t, I’m very pleased with this potential final installation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Before We Say Goodbye (Book 4)
AUTHOR: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
PUB DATE: 11.14.2023 Now Available

In the first book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we are introduced to a cafe in the back alleys of Tokyo where more than coffee is served but also a chance to travel back in time.

In Book 2, Tales From the Cafe, we get a glimpse of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers.

Book 3 takes us to northern Japan in Cafe Donna Donna where we meet old and new friends that travel through time to move forward in their grief and loss.

Before We Say Goodbye is the final book in the series and fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi will have a hard time saying goodbye. All good things must come to an end, and these stories will always stay as we reminisce those who have passed and remember whom we have lost and could not let go. Incredible story telling. I highly recommend.

I love this story. This is the fourth book in the series. I am hoping it is not the last one. I love what every character goes through in each story and the lessons learned.

I discovered this series back in 2020 with Before the Coffee Get Cold and loved it so much and was excited when a sequel came out the following year, Tales from the Cafe. When I saw that a fourth book was coming out I realized I somehow missed the third book, Before Your Memory Fades. Thankfully, I was able to get a copy through the library.

While I highly recommend reading the whole series - they are such beautiful stories - it isn't really necessary. Particularly with Before We Say Goodbye. In the earlier books, there was always a focus on the people who ran the cafe or were regulars along with the person who wanted to go back in time. That wasn't the case with this book.

Books 1, 2, and 4 are set in the Tokyo cafe, but the third book is set in a different town that also has a "magical" cafe. There were other things that made book 3 feel like it was out of sync with the other three.

But all the things that I love about this series were there. I wonder if these are published as a serial in Japan as each chapter reads more like a stand-alone short story. Thematically the stories are connected - all the people who want to go back in time want to find closure, say "goodbye", to a loved one.

These are bittersweet stories. One of the rules of time travel in this cafe is you can't change the present. So even if you tell the person they will die in an earthquake, the person cannot escape their fate. However, what does change about the present is how the person who traveled back feels. Sometimes, it is just because they were able to share a piece of themselves that they always wished they had or get understanding about why their partner left them. There is definitely a lesson about regrets and perspective, but it is subtle.

The subtle subtext is what makes these stories so beautiful. And while they might make you a little sad, they will also make you feel lighter in some way.

I thought perhaps this would be the last book in the series, but from Goodreads, I see that a fifth book came out in Japan last year. I will be keeping an eye out for the English translation.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/01/before-we-say-goodbye-by-toshikazu.html