Thank you, NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC. This was a short read that was mainly about a coffee shop where cats serve food and drinks to people who need decisions on their futures. It was a whimsical, fantasy read that had fun and well developed characters . I really enjoyed how the author used astrology throughout the story and how the stars could help guide us to become better versions of ourselves. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the series “before the coffee gets cold”, Asian Literature and short, cozy fantasy novellas. even though I had a difficult time connecting with the book, Ii still thought it was a good read and gave it 3.5 stars..

What I liked: The backstories of the people receiving advice from magical cats in the pop-up cafe.

What I disliked: This book would be better suited for persons who are into astrology, which I’m not.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC of this title!!**

I loved the concept of this one and was drawn in by the popularity of this book in other languages. While this one was cute and did hook me from the beginning (I mean - talking cats?! C'mon!) I found myself losing steam with this one really quickly.

I wish there had been a but more plot to this book to keep me hooked. Once I got through the first couple of perspectives, the story began to feel a little formulaic and predictable which just didn't hold my interest as much as I would have liked. To be fair, this book is really cute and cozy and maybe just a bit too far from my preferred genres.

I am giving this an easy 3 stars and will consider rounding up to 4 stars for GR and Amazon since I took a swing on this one. The writing was really well done and I have to assume the translator absolutely nailed it. This is probably my first book that I have read that was translated from a language other than Spanish or Portuguese which is really cool!

I would recommend this book for fans of coffee, cozy adventures, and great world-building. While the plot didn't drive my reading too much - the setting was absolutely serene and I felt immersed in the world of The Full Moon Coffee Shop.

The summary sounded interesting - Kyoto, cats and helping people find their way. Inspiring message and an interesting approach - follow one’s dreams - the premise exhorted by cats returning favors to those who were kind to them. Well, this was a quick read and the execution a bit disappointing, especially since I’m a big fan of translated works by Japanese authors. While the concept was intriguing I think the book was too short to fully develop the storyline and the characters. I gave this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a cute concept short novel that is riding the whimsical wave of "healing coffee shops." I wasn't particularly drawn into the world that was explored, but I did like the character exposition. The writing was pleasant enough but a little too preachy.

This was definitely different from what I typically read but being that I love coffee and books I thought I would give it a go. Although admittedly I’m not a “cat lover” the idea of cats running a coffee shop intrigued me. There was a lot of astrology in this book which I also admittedly am generally unfamiliar with. I will say that I did take away the theme of “it’s never too late for second chances”

Cute concept and a quick read

This was a super easy and quick read. I really enjoy magical realism, and I was excited to read this book of a magical cafe run by cats.

I wasn’t expecting the large amount of astrology in here, which really isn’t for me. The cats seemed like caricatures, which was also unexpected.

All in all, this was cute and if you’re more into astrology you’d probably love it.

On a full moon, if you need the help, The Full Moon Cafe may appear to you, & the staff of cats will give you the advice you need.

There is something about these Japanese fabulist stories that have me completely obsessed. In this collection on interconnected short stories, there’s a mysterious cafe run by cats. In addition to a truly heavenly sounding menu, the cats also provide astrological insight and advice.

The stories are brief and charming. The characters are all dealing with difficult times in their lives, and they come to the cafe to get just what they need. But in addition to each story, there’s also a mysterious thread connecting all of our main characters. I would quite happily read another full novel about different people experiencing this cafe.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

DNF at 25%

This was not what I was expecting. This is way more focused on the astrology side of things. I was expecting cute and cozy with magical realism. But giant talking cats seems a bit much.
And I cannot get over the prose. I don’t know if it’s the translation, but the prose is very simplistic and straightforward. It just doesn’t flow well.
Very sorry to say this was a miss for me.

I am always hesitant to read a book translated from another language because I feel like things get lost in the translation. I don't mean the translator is doing a bad job, I just mean some nuances and other details don't translate well from another language to English. I thought the premise of this book was cute but I just couldn't get past all the astrology stuff. It didn't do much for me and I got bored.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC! The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a novel composed of interconnecting stories following an elementary class and their former teacher. The story's focus ends up discovering the Full Moon Coffee Shop where cats serves drinks and food that each person needs as they reflect on their lives and make decisions for their futures. Perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and similiar emotional tales, The Full Moon Coffee Shop offers a quick but impactful read.

Okay, this book is so cozy and adorable! Lots of cats and interwoven stories. If you like astrology then you will most certainly like this book! It’s also actually quite a short read!

“At home, she decided, everything she set her eyes on should bring her joy. Just making that little effort every day was enough to gradually brighten her spirits.”

One of my biggest criticisms is that it wasn’t long enough. I do happen to like astrology, but I thought it was pretty heavy on it. Not a bad thing but it would have been nice to mix it up a bit. It was still such a cute story and I very much enjoyed all of the characters and especially the cats. They had me teary eyed at some parts!

“The tea starts out as water, but experience transforms it entirely.”
.
.
.
ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•Cats
•Cozy fiction
•Magical Realism
•Astrology
•Asian Lit

The Full Moon Coffee Shop was a delightful read. The stories were short and cozy, and I was pleasantly surprised by how they all connected in unexpected ways. Each tale was charming, showing how a simple action could lead to something beautiful. I enjoyed how the book conveyed the idea that guidance from the stars can inspire us to strive to be better.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a cozy, quick, and easy read. It's written in the style of short stories that are all intertwined/interconnected, which is common in Japanese literature. All in all, it was a fun and quick read that you can easily finish in one sitting, or go at a leisurely pace, since each story is different. However, as I said, they are all ultimately connected. Every chapter focuses on a different character. Despite their differences, they're struggling with something, whether it's their career, love life, etc. They are all inevitably guided to the pop-up café known as The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I learned a lot about astrology and natal charts from reading, and I particularly enjoyed the magical elements and how the stories are interwoven. The book has some heartwarming moments, and it's an excellent palate cleanser!

This was interesting. I think there may have been some cultural nuances I didn’t understand. The story felt a bit disjointed. Almost like I was reading an anime show with my son. I always feel like there is something lost in translation for me. The themes and ideas feel so big, but then the dialogue feels almost childish. I suspect that in its original language the dialogue has much more depth and flows better with the story. But all of that aside, I can see what this is meant to be. I just wish I had connected better to the characters.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

“The Full Moon Coffee Shop has no fixed location. It might appear in the middle of a familiar shopping arcade, by the station at the end of a railway line, or on a quiet riverbank. At the Full Moon Coffee Shop, we don’t take you or order, isnstead we bring you desserts, meals, and drinks selected jus t for you. Who knows - maybe it’s all a dream.”

I picked this up expecting a story with cosy, magical, and slice of life elements, but it failed to deliver. The FMCS is written in 3 main parts, each featuring a character or pair of characters who are currently facing a challenge in their life. The FMCS appears to them and they are served by what seems to be human sized cat beings who basically read and explain to them their astrological charts. Literally. There are pictures of charts in the book and it felt like being lectured to. For someone with no background or interest in astrological readings, it really added nothing to the story - it evoked no emotion as it was presented in a matter-of- fact way.

The characters then magically are at peace with their current life crises and have a newfound outlook on how to change for the better. Just after some desserts, coffee, and a rant about their Venus sign. (I guess in some ways, a good pastry CAN be life changing, but cmon).

There were no notable quotes that stood out to me or that I wanted to save. The only parts I really enjoyed were the descriptions of the beverages and desserts that the characters ate.

The story didn’t evoke any feelings or emotions for me, I was kind of disappointed by how two dimensional the characters were. There were also very large chunks of back and forth dialogue that drove the entire story that felt very winded, especially when it was again, just talking about star charts. The writing also suffered from the downfall of first person narration where the character “tells” you everything about their backstory and thoughts, leaving nothing to interpret or “show “, and no space to linger in scenes or ideas being conveyed.

It was quaint to see how these characters’ lives connected at the end but overall there was not a lot of substance. The characters kind of just existed for the sake of having a problem for the FMCS to appear and fix by telling them that this is just how their life is fated to play out. Not my most enjoyed read this year.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the ARC and the privilege of writing this review.

This was a quick book. I rather liked the idea of a cat talking cafe. I really liked the descriptiveness of the book. The one chapter with pancakes sounded so good it made me want some. It’s a nice story

2 ⭐ 0 🌶

DNF @ 52%

I was really excited for this book, a magical café with mystical cats giving words of wisdom sounded like such a fun and whimsical read. But it ends up feeling like an astrology lesson with barely a story arc... I ended up not finishing after getting just over halfway...

If you are a fan of cats, coffee, and astrology, this book would be great for you. In fact, the idea of talking cats running a cafe under the full moon sounded whimsical to me, which is why I started reading this book. However, I did not expect this coming-of-age story to come out of it. When we think about coming-of-age, I think we normally think about growing out of childhood and other similar stories. Yet this story reminds me that adults are still working on stages in life and that we have more growing up to do. I love the dreaminess of the writing so much though. It explains the stages of life using astrology in a meaningful way, and even though I do not know much about astrology, it was explained to me so clearly. However, as much as I praise the book, I do think that there were moments, especially the end, where you are told a little too much and that does not save enough space to explore the story's meaning. Even so, I felt emotionally fulfilled with where each character ends up. It is a short read, but there is a lot to take out of it!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Japanese Literature, Asian Books, Magical Realism, Cozy Fantasy
Language: I don't remember any profanity

If you're looking for a warm hug of a book, *THE FULL MOON COFFEE SHOP* is the perfect choice. It feels like three intersecting short stories where people need a nudge in their lives. The cats help each one of the people to understand themselves and others better.

This Japanese book has a plot line more similar to western literature than some of the other Asian books I've read. If you've never read a book originally from Japan, this is an excellent one to try. It's delightful and short, giving a good taste of an Asian culture.

When each customer arrives, the cats help the person by analyzing their star charts—which happen to correspond to the Greek zodiac. That was a surprise. The food isn't order but the proper and perfect item is served.

Happy reading!