Another stellar book of short stories from the series: Before the Coffee gets Cold — Where people go to the cafe to meet people or pets that they have lost. These are all stories about getting the chance to say goodbye and move forward with your life. It was another tear-jerker, moving, and heartwarming book. I related most to the second story — with the loss of a pet who was like a child to the woman. I also related to the last story as well — the girl with issues with her parent. I enjoy falling into the stories and sometimes wish it was possible to go back in time. I look forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for this ARC - this is my honest review.

This is my fourth visit to Cafe Funiculi Funicula under Toshikazu Kawaguchi's careful guidance. In this set of stories, we seem to focus on grief in the coffee travels. I was a little disappointed to not read more about the cafe itself and to visit with some of the past cafe visitors, as has happened in the previous 3 books. I still love the magic of the cafe and the magic of the coffee and the magic in the healing process. This entire series often hovers between heartbreaking and heart healing. Before We Say Goodbye is no exception. I did have high expectations going into book #4. I found that, much like book #3, I didn't fall in love with it as deeply as I did books #1 and #2. However, this is a book series which I do recommend often to my patrons and I will continue to do so. Toshikazu Kawaguchi has a gift to make the reader feel incredibly big feelings in these short stories.

Full disclosure: I skipped the story involving a woman who goes back to visit her dog. My heart cannot handle stories with animals and I knew this would be well beyond what I could handle.

My sincere thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, Randy Chan, and Toshikazu Kawaguchi for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My love for this series is endless. Another touching & heartwarming journey in the cafe. If you liked the previous books, you’ll love this one.

I’m not crying, you are😭

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher & the author for a copy of the ARC!

I have thoroughly enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold series - and the latest installment in the series certainly does not disappoint!



In Before We Say Goodbye, we return to Cafe Finiculi Finicula to travel in time with a new cast of characters. In the four new short stories we see a man who wants to talk with his wife one more time, a woman who wants to say goodbye to her dog, a woman who wants to answer a proposal, and the daughter who became estranged from her father.



Each short story is poignant with how it deals with loss, grief, guilt, and love. The stories were engaging and deeply heartfelt, and at times, gut wrenching. Like the others in the series, you feel and grapple with difficult emotions alongside the characters. I absolutely loved the second story about Apollo; it definitely brought me to tears. Though, I wish I got to see more of the staff in this one (like in the third book). Overall, would highly recommend!



Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade/Hanover Square press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the ARC! Before We Say Goodbye is the fourth installment of Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Tales from the Cafe series and returns once again to the Cafe Funiculi Funicula with four new, emotional tales: The Husband, a man too swept up in his career to appreciate his family until a sudden illness snaps his life into focus, and he has one regret; The Farewell, a woman regrets not being awake for the passing of her beloved dog; The Proposal, a woman regrets not accepting her boyfriend's proposal; The Daughter, a daughter regrets turning her father away years before and her sorrow over his subsequent loss during the tsunami from the aftereffects of the earthquake (this story was modeled after Kawaguchi's "One More Cup of Coffee?" radio drama written on request and broadcast on the seventh anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake). Each story in Before We Say Goodbye is emotionally intense, but remains heart-warming overall.

BOOK REVIEW
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The 4th installment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series (and also my 4th book by Kawaguchi this year). 🎀💗☕️🌺🩷🌸

This is easily my favorite Before the Coffee Gets Cold book. For those unfamiliar, the series centers around Café Funiculi Funicula, a coffee shop with a reputation for supposedly allowing its visitors to travel back in time. Each series follows a new set of visitors all seeking to travel back in time (or to the future).

Toshikazu Kawaguchi explores a lot of new situations, which is incredibly exciting and refreshing to me. I don’t think I will ever get tired of this series, but this installment bolsters Kawaguchi’s ability as a writer and makes me even more excited for future iterations.

I adore the glimpses we get into the lives of the Cafe workers that appear in every story, especially given that this series is all connected by a location and less by the characters. Getting to know the Cafe employees really connects me to the series and it’s easily become one of my favorites.

This story is for you if you’re looking for a light, heartwarming story that values the human spirit and connection. Or if you’re a fan of magical realism or Japanese literature. Regardless, I highly recommend this book and the entire Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series. ☕️🌸

Thank you NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for the ability to read this beautiful ARC in exchange for an honest review. Before We Say Goodbye releases on 14 November 2023.

Before we say goodbye

I finished this book with a tear!

Before we say goodbye is the 4th book of Tales from the Café series, and it is formed by 4 short stories. The setting is the Funiculi Funicula Café which is a very peculiar coffee shop with its own magic. Costumers have a chance to go back in time, and they become fascinated by the idea of traveling to the past but there are very specific rules, and it is not as easy as it sounds.

If you have read the book series it will be nice to relate this one with the first one but if you haven’t it would not be a problem to follow these stories because each includes the background context. I only listened to Before the Coffee Gets Cold and used it as an introduction before grabbing this new one but I think even if I hadn’t listened to it, it wouldn’t have been a problem to connect with this one, which I found very easy to read, and heartwarming.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC.
Pub date: November 14th, 2023

This is the latest installment in the story of Café Funiculi Funicula, where the customers have the chance to time travel to reconnect with loved ones in the short time before their coffee gets cold. Overall, another enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rated 3.5 stars

The 4th installment in the Before the Coffee gets Cold. 4 short stories situated in the Café Funiculi Funicula. All 4 stories are about loss and regret. Emotional and tugs at the heart strings. A distant husband, a dog, a missed opportunity for love, and an ungrateful daughter. Easy read and makes you think about how we treat the people in our lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this free Ebook. This review is 100% my own.

These books a beautiful and this might be my favorite one yet.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to the e-arc. All of my opinions are my own.

I am so thankful to be able to read this novel. I absolutely loved the other three installments in this series. I enjoyed reading this last installment but I can’t say that it was as good as the other ones. I loved the shorts but they felt kind of short. This installment seems to be for people who loved the other installments in the series. We get to see characters that were introduced and got to know in the other installments. The way the writer can create a world where you get sucked in emotionally is a great storyteller. I don’t know how many times I have cried while reading these installments. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves the series and wants to revise the world again. For anyone who has never read this series before I highly recommend the first installment first, Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of book 4 in one of my favorite series. I’ve read them all but I have to say this book was by far my favorite. I was drawn to all four main characters and their families. This series is about a magic coffee shop that allows visitors to travel back in time. People with regrets are drawn to the shop to try to change the past to in turn, alter the future. When they discover changing the present is not an option, they must decide whether the risk of going back in time is worth it to see a loved one one last time. Each person in book four who visits the past touched my heart so much. Such a tender hearted story that will leave you thinking, who would you visit if you could go back and what would you say to them? I only wish they were longer ❤️

I was glad to see another title in this series, as they’re always fun. The short stories and the series itself are great because they’re all connected but you won’t miss much if you drop in the middle. Like the previous 2 books in the series, the constant explaining of the rules is a bit much.

This book seemed really short, although that may be just me wanting more. It is fascinating to see people why choose to go back in time for 15 minutes or so even if they can’t change the future. One man created a whole big plan to meet his fiancée there after he died, which assuaged his guilt in advance and hers after the fact.

I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in human relationships. Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this as an ARC without having read the other books connected to this so I started it with a reasonable amount of confusion.

I cried a little during every section, but the Farewell really got me. I don’t think I’ve cried that hard in a while. Mutsuo is such a kind husband who recognizes and understands his wife, Sunao’s, grief. Apollo was truly the goodest pup ever and the nostalgia that hit me when Sunao sees him in the cafe in the past reminded me of losing my cat after 18 years. I resonated with it all so much that it broke my heart.

This book addresses so many dilemmas and challenges that we’re forced to deal with when grappling with grief. The ebbs and flows of life continuing on despite loss.

I will be going back and reading the backlist of this series. I value the message so much. Doing things for the sake of doing them, saying them, feeling them. For yourself, for closure.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for the arc. Truly enjoyed each minute with this work.

If you've read the other books in this series, the format is the same. Four stories of traveling to the past for the length of the warmth of a cup of coffee. This volume seemed more sad than previous books. It was centered around final goodbyes, one of which was a woman's pet dog. I definitely will recommend this book and the series, but this one will come with a gentle nudge that is more depressing than the others.

Kawaguchi's writing style has something so very emotional in it, that every short story in this book brought me to tears. This book is in line with the previous three in this series : short, easy to read, and deeply reflective on grief and love as an essential part of human life. I can only whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a beautiful book to gift to a loved one this autumn - I will definitely be buying a copy for my husband!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
This book was amazing but the dog story killed me and the whole book tugged at my heartstrings.

I've read every single book in this series and loved every single one! This one of course is no exception! Genuinely so happy I didn't have to wait till November to read it. This whole collection looks so pretty on my bookshelf.

This book follows the same format as the others, with different mini stories. As a reminder, there is a ghost who occupies one special seat in the back and only gets up once a day to use the bathroom. When this happens, someone else can sit in it and visit someone who also has been to the cafe. They must return before the coffee gets cold or else they become the next ghost.

There are four different stories in this book each dealing with someone wishing to say just one more thing to someone important to them. Bring some tissues. The wonderful thing about these series is for the most part, we can relate to each of these stories, either personally or we know someone similar. I love books that make me feel like I am reading about my life.

I believe this might be the final installment in the series, and if that is the case, I just want the author to know what immense comfort these books have brought me and thank you for writing them! I will definitely check out whatever the author comes up with next as well!

As someone who loved the first three Before the Coffee Gets Cold books, I jumped at the opportunity to read Before We Say Goodbye early. And to no one’s surprise, I cried just as much as I did while reading the first three books, if not more.

The Before the Coffee Gets Cold series takes place in a magical, time-traveling cafe in Tokyo, called Café Funiculi Funicula. While it appears to be an ordinary cafe, one seat is occupied by a ghost at all times — except for when she gets up to use the bathroom once a day. While she’s gone, visitors have the chance to travel in time to visit someone who has been to that very cafe before — with the caveat that they return before their coffee gets cold. If they return too late, then they’ll be cursed to be the next cafe ghost.

There are four short stories in Before We Say Goodbye. The first, titled “The Husband with Something Important Left To Say” follows a husband who is too caught up with work to spend time with his loved ones, until it’s too late. The second, “The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell” is about a woman who feels immensely guilty for her dog passing away while she was asleep, and tries to travel back to apologize. The third story, “The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal” is centered around a woman unable to commit to a proposal, only to realize later that she was too late. And lastly, “The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away” is loosely based off of a real story.

To no one’s surprise, “The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell” was the one that got to me the hardest — I was sobbing so hard that my dog woke up from his sleep and tried to comfort me. While most of the stories in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series revolve around grief and loss, this was the first one where a pet was involved, and also was the one that hit me the hardest.

In all honesty, I’m pretty sure that I missed out on some minor links between all four books, just because it’s been so long since I’ve read the first three, but I don’t think that it detracted from my enjoyment of the book at all. If anything, I think I was able to enjoy Before We Say Goodbye even more, because I didn’t think the other stories were repetitive — whereas if I had read all four books back to back, I think the themes around grief and regret, and the stories could’ve gotten to be a little repetitive.

Overall, if you’re looking for a good cry, if you’d like to read more translated works, or if you just want to read some short stories, I couldn’t recommend Before We Say Goodbye more highly — just make sure you have some tissues on you!

"Before We Say Goodbye" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi presents a unique and intriguing concept that explores themes of time, memory, and the human connection. While the book has its moments of brilliance, it ultimately falls short of the high expectations set by its premise, warranting a rating of 3.5/5 stars.

Kawaguchi's storytelling style is undeniably imaginative, and the central idea of a cafe where patrons can revisit the past and make amends with their memories is a fascinating one. The book's structure, with multiple interconnected narratives, adds depth to the story and keeps readers engaged.

The characters in "Before We Say Goodbye" are well-drawn, each with their own emotional baggage and regrets to confront. The author's exploration of their journeys to reconcile with their pasts is both poignant and thought-provoking. However, there were instances where the characters felt underdeveloped, leaving some of their stories feeling less impactful.

While the concept is captivating, the pacing of the novel is inconsistent. At times, the narrative flows smoothly, drawing readers into the emotional dilemmas of the characters. However, there are moments where the plot seems to meander, leading to a lack of tension and urgency that should accompany such a unique premise.

The book's dialogue is reflective and contemplative, which fits the overall tone of the story. It delves into deep philosophical and existential questions, which may resonate with readers seeking a more introspective reading experience. However, this introspection may not appeal to those looking for a faster-paced or more plot-driven narrative.

The resolution of the central mystery surrounding the cafe and its enigmatic owner is handled satisfactorily, providing closure to the story's overarching questions. However, it is the emotional resolutions of the characters that take precedence, and these moments are where the novel truly shines.

In conclusion, "Before We Say Goodbye" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a novel with a compelling and imaginative premise, but it doesn't fully capitalize on its potential. While it offers moments of introspection and emotional depth, it struggles with pacing and character development. Fans of philosophical and contemplative fiction may find it to be a worthwhile read, but those seeking a more tightly plotted narrative may be left wanting. Overall, it's a commendable effort, but it falls short of achieving greatness, earning a rating of 3.5/5 stars.