The premise for this is cute. It is a true magical realism story. A mysterious coffee shop that is never in the same place, and run by talking cats who are also sometimes humans.
The novel follows several people in short little pieces showcasing how they are all dealing with a different difficult time in their lives - and get some great advice (and treats) from the cats. All of the people in this are connected in a special way, that slowly unfolds with each story.

First, I think the story was a bit too long, with not enough substance in each. There were too many individual stories and not enough depth to really care about each one. It would just roll to the next story and start all over again. Sigh.
I also wasn't really a fan of the astrological aspect. The links to the planets and cats was fun, but when they started pulling up star charts and determining personality...ehhh. I can get behind the talking cats, but the stars...they were too much. Hahaha. Silly, I know.

What a cozy and sweet book! I loved the concept of cats running a magical café and providing astrological advice to 5 different people that are at different points in the lives. The description of the food and drinks was described so well that I could almost visually taste all of the flavors! I loved how we got to see all of the different characters going through their struggles and basically see these cats feed them delicious food while spitting out astrology related stuff. Halfway through I had my heart out on rating it a 3.0, solely because I do not get astrology. But then I got to the ending and I almost teared up. Loved how interconnected everything came in the end.

This was a really great book. The author explain things through different aspects of these people's lives. These people had a lot of problems in life and they were trying to sort their lives out. This cafe would show up a different times and was not stationary. The cat surrounded the cafe and they did the talking and it was interesting. What they told these people because every different time in your life would explain how this was related to your future They also use the horoscope in a round circle.And this was used to explain where they were at their time of their life at that moment. When they solve this problem, they seem to get on with their lives, which was great because they needed some guidance because they were lost. Everybody was related in this book. You'll find out this as you read the book.. The title.
Loved it because the cafes would usually show At all different times. The cats were wise in their own way too. I liked it because I kept going back-and-forth in time. And this really explained how these people became the way they .

3.5 stars. I think this is perfect for an introduction to fantasy elements or if you are looking for a comfortable cozy read with little to no anxiety. I thought this was cute, simple to read, and a good lesson to learn at the end. I enjoyed seeing how all the POVs tied together. I also think this would make a perfect before bed book because each POV was about 20-30 minutes long and can almost be treated like short stories. All in all, I think the lack of conflict/foil in the book and the fact that it’s on the shorter side made it difficult to emotionally invest in the book, which is usually what I need to rate something higher, but if you are looking for cozy fantasy (or you are a cat lover) this checks a lot of boxes!

This is my first foray into the genre of Japanese magical realism books, and while I don't believe it will become my cup of tea (or coffee as the case may be), I enjoyed this quick, surprisingly deep book quite a bit.

What made this particular story unique was the use of astrology to explain personality traits of the characters and to help them with difficult situations that they were experiencing. I learned a great deal about horoscopes and the planets, and honestly, it made a lot of sense. The stories are interconnected, which was fun, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine for the digital ARC of The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki. The opinions in this review are my own.

I adored this beautiful little book! The author did a fantastic job of weaving a story about interconecctedness, love, hope, and the magic of the stars.

During a full moon, there is a café in Kyoto that pops up just in time to help a person, a person who has been good to cats, and is at a turning point in their lives. I really liked how all four individuals had some tie to the others, whether they knew it or not. When invited to the café, one by one they meet talking cats who read their star charts and give them advice on their life choices and finding the path that best suits them. It was a fun, sweet book to read. The cats were adorable.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Ballantine), for the eARC of The Full Moon Coffee Shop. This review is my honest opinion.

By now I've read a couple of books in this particular Japanese genre, a sort of traveling-angel-coffee-shop story. I went in not expecting a whole lot of depth; rather, I was expecting a sweet/cute concept, a couple of characters I would get mildly invested in, and a feel-good story. Hitting those points gets the book a 3 or 4 star rating in my head, and extra polish gets a 5.

<i>The Full Moon Coffee Shop</i> delivered on those expectations, but there were a couple of things that would put me off picking up the book again or recommending it without caveats. tl;dr: Cute concept, well executed, reasonably interesting characters; but leaned too heavily on astrology to explain character traits rather than showing them through the story, and some of the characters were unnecessary -- the book and story were too short to properly develop them.

The characters were fun, and a couple of them had more depth to their moral arcs than I was expecting. Keep in mind that these books tend to be very short and focus on multiple characters, so I'm not talking major character depth; there isn't room for it. However, I really liked that the first character we were introduced to was in her forties, and that some of the other characters dealt with moral decisions like continuing a relationship in which the other partner was committing infidelity.

I thought the concept was very cute; having cats run the coffee shop and lecture people about astrology was pretty funny and different. Also, even as an astrology hater, I liked some of the information the cats delivered.

Here's where I felt a little disappointed. After the initial quirkiness of the astrology-explaining cats wore off, I (remember that I dislike astrology!) was actually sold on having astrology and the conjunction of stars as a funny piece of the story. But at some point the cats started using people's birth charts to explain <i>their entire personality and life story to the reader</i>. (I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.) I thought the author was doing fine showing the first few characters' personality through their narration and story actions. And then, as we went on, it felt like some new characters were introduced but never fully developed, because there wasn't time or space; I think the story would have been much tighter with just the core few.

There's a strange bit near the end where a character is assumed to be gay because... he's a hairdresser who dresses a bit flamboyantly? This is probably partly a cultural thing, and the characters seem to have a positive view on gay marriage, so I didn't feel terrible about it... it was just kind of weird.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC I enjoyed reading The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because it took me a moment to understand what was happening. Once I did, I enjoyed reading this book.

Told in four parts with four interwoven stories The Full Moon Coffee Shop gives its main characters the insight and push that they need to get their lives together. Wouldn't we all enjoy a talking cat reading our star maps and showing us where our weaknesses and strengths are?

Who would enjoy this book? If you are a fan of magical realism and astrology then I would recommend you check out this book.

Overall it is not my favorite book I've read this year but I did enjoy it.

Cats are magical creatures, and I love reading fantastical stories featuring said creatures. I have not read much Japanese literature, so I was eager to step into a mystical world of talking cats. What I found was a tangle of human midlife crises and seemingly quirky shape shifting cats mixed with astrology. The different humans are lacking in their lives in various ways. They are summoned to the pop up coffee shop that appears on the full moon where they are given an astrological reading to fix their situations. The premise of the Full Moon Coffee Shop was intriguing, but I was left turned off by all the astrology references. Just not my cup of tea, or should I say coffee.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

🌕 I have a deep appreciation for Japanese magical realism books that feature cats. They often blend humor, quirkiness, and profound insights. So, when I discovered a book about a coffee shop run by talking cats, I was immediately intrigued.

🌕 Unfortunately, this particular book didn’t captivate me as much as others I’ve read. While I appreciated the human stories and the concept of reflecting on one’s life, the scenes in the café with the cats felt like an extended astrological reading, which didn’t hold my interest. The heavy focus on astrology was a bit overwhelming. I believe I would have enjoyed the book more if the cats offered advice based on their own wisdom and experiences instead.

🌕 The book is short and a quick read. I know there are readers who will find it enjoyable, as it ultimately conveys a hopeful message about people striving to be their best selves, and there’s certainly value in that.

Thank you @netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

3.5 rounded to 4
The basic idea is one seen often in K-dramas these days: a cafe that pops up just when a troubled person needs it.

I like the idea more than the execution--the pacing was very slow, and I found that the heavy=handed emphasis on astrology solving all problems was a lot stronger than the characterization. All the characters buying into it , even organizing lives and jobs based on astrology didn't feel realistic. I would have preferred seeing the characters work out their own problems, maybe with a listening ear and a touch of magic instead of astrology whooshing in like Superman to solve everything.

This was a cozy, magical realism story. I liked that all the characters were connected and their stories came full circle in the end. I loved the cafe and its concept. Talking cats that create magical dishes specifically for each individual while reading their horoscopes and giving them life advice? It’s perfect! So happy this was translated into English so that I could enjoy this story.

I have to say this book pleasantly surprised me! I have read a lot of Japanese literature especially ones surrounding a cafe/coffee shop of sorts but this one actually blew me away. I love when a book is divided into short stories like this one and follows different characters that somehow find themselves at the same place, this place being The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I especially love how astrology is used and explained in this book, I learned a lot that I didn’t know before. The way cats are utilized in this book as bringing forth this knowledge and guidance to their patrons is also really beautiful (especially when you read through to the epilogue)!

I have to say that my favorite part of this book is the interconnected storylines, I love when we get a glimpse of a previous character living a changed life through someone else’s perspective.

Another part of this book that I enjoyed was how each of these characters had something different going on in their lives and it showed in their astral charts how different they were.

I will say I do wish this book was a touch longer to fully see a fleshed out version of each of the characters after their visit from The Full Moon Coffee Shop but it’s okay! Also I found at the end of one of the epilogue parts, the scene ended a little abruptly and I wished there was more of a resolution to it rather than it just ending in such a way.

If you are a fan of Japanese literature and especially of ones that are set in a magical coffee shop, filled with amazing descriptions of pastries and drinks this book is for you! Not to mention if you love cats and their symbolic nature; as well as astrology; definitely pick this book up!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Ballantine), for this book.

This book was so cute. I enjoyed it. It is a very quick read. The book centers on astrology magic and. If course, cats.

It is not a book everyone will enjoy, but I found it to be a fun, relaxing one day read.

Recommend.

This is a heartwarming and charming read. This cozy fantasy follows five people in Kyoto. On the night of the full moon each finds themselves in a in a mysterious coffee shop run by cats. Each person is at a point in their life where they need guidance. The story connects in a beautiful way. I loved the illustrations and look forward to getting a physical copy to spend a little more time exploring them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will never stop lamenting the number of books that I can't fully enjoy because I lack knowledge about the culture and so much is lost in language translation. This is a prime example. It was very popular in Japan but I feel like we missed something here.

The premise is solid: a cafe that pops up just when you need it? Yes, please. Who hasn't wished for that at some point or another? I certainly have. However, I found the plot slow-moving and the characters were hard to swallow. I know a lot of people put a lot of stock in astrology but all the characters buying into it at a level that includes choosing their professions along with the rest of their lives based on astrology didn't feel realistic. Every single thing about their lives was linked back to their zodiac signs. Despite being a slow plot, I found myself wishing that it was a bit longer and developed with more detail than it was.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This story is interesting--I didn't know a lot about the phases of the moon or astrology so this book was a bit outside my comfort zone. I did enjoy the idea of evaluating your life choices and seeing how the decisions we make impact those around us. Great premise for a story.

Ahoy there me mateys! The idea of the Japanese myth of "cats returning favors to those who care for them" and talking cats at a pop-up coffee shop is cool so I had to read this book.  While I can see this being a favorite for readers, it was just okay for me.  I am not a huge astrology fan and the cats give advice in the form of star charts and astrology readings.  Fate seemed involved too.

I did like the interconnectedness of the people in Kyoto and how their lives intertwined.  I also liked the idea of the shop itself and getting a drink specifically designed for you.  The talking cats did not seem to have distinctive personalities.  I would have liked a bit more character development in general.  The solutions to the various characters problems also seemed a bit simplistic.

It is a quick read and had a particularly sweet explanation about why the cats chose to help them.  My curiosity was satisfied and I think this will be a big hit with readers.  The faults of this are because of personal preferences.  Arrr!

DNFed at 55%. I really want to like translated books but I think I’ve read two now and I just don’t like them as much which makes me really sad. This one I just honestly did not think would have to do so much with astrology and if I liked astrology, I think I would really enjoy this book. Because I honestly really like this book when we’re not dealing with the astrology stuff. Since I DNFed this book I will not be giving it a star rating on any reviewing sites. But since I have to give a star rating here, I’m gonna give it a three because I think that’s what it would’ve been if I had finished it.