It is a magical novel about a cafe run by cats who use astrology and philosophy to help guide their human customers in the right direction. Based on the myth that cats will always return the favour to those who care for them.

This set of serial short stories — able to be read in one setting or slowly by the reader's choice — interweaves each character’s story slowly until we see the map of how everything is connected. It is an interesting way to offer life lessons—a fun quick read — which is written in a light-hearted tone about serious life topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Cute novel about a magical coffee shop in which you are given what you need. It is a sweet novel about redemption and second chances.

This was so precious. The kind of book you want to read on a rainy day. It felt like watching a cute slice of life anime. Would definitely recommend to someone who wants a light feel good read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

If you’re looking for a cozy read, THIS IS IT! I absolutely loved it. I was emotionally invested in all of the characters and their stories. It was refreshing to see characters with realistic lives and problems, and makes the reader not feel alone in their struggles. Also, the perfect description of the food and drinks made my mouth water! I wish the full moon coffee shop would come to me! I saw that this book is a part of a series that has not been translated into English yet, and you best believe I’ll be one of the first to read them! Overall, I loved this book so much.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop was cute, but lacked the "big magical realism" vibes I was hoping for - it was basically limited to the pop-up/disappear element of the cafe.
Great if you're interested at all in astrology, but not a story about magical cats. I came for the magical cats, and stayed for the Japanese culture.
It gave an interesting peek into daily life in Japan and the translation does a good job of it. They chose to translate instead of localize, and there are spots where extra information is added in case a reader doesn't know something about Japanese culture which is tastefully done and doesn't spend too much time on it or rely on footnotes.

Full moon

A series of short stories that show the interconnections between lives. They speak of growth and acceptance and blooming where you’re planted.

My sister in law passed earlier this week, so having these stories to comfort me has been a blessing.

You are able to walk through their struggles and mistakes as the cats who host and run the Full Moon Cade give their guests the space to accept and move past what they have been through.

At times the writing and plot are simple, but at this point, it was just what I needed

This was a quiet, thoughtful read to kick off my summer. It follows four people at various crossroads of their lives who stumble upon the Full Moon Coffee Shop at a time of need. The cats who run the coffee shop offer insight, perspective, and much-needed wisdom to those seeking it, and help alter the course of their personal and professional lives.

I expected to enjoy this book and did so for the lessons it imparted. I did not expect the heavy discussion of astrology and star charts that influenced so much of the cats’ advice to our main characters. This alone was what threw me off and led me to rate the book as I did. I may be missing some cultural reliance on astrology (my own culture relies heavily on star charts to determine compatibility for marriage, auspicious dates, etc) and that is my own shortcoming; maybe I should have expected some reliance of the narrative on astrology and the sky given the coffee shop only appears on a full moon night. Regardless, it did take away from the story for me but did not prevent me from enjoying it otherwise.

I especially enjoyed the conclusion and the string drawing those narratives together was lovely and unexpected.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I can truly say I have never read another book like this one! The setting of this book is a coffee shop run by soothsaying cats. Take a chance on this book, and you won't regret it. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Honestly, I did not like this book. It reads like an excuse to talk about astrology and the characters and whatever plotline there is only serve to support that. I realize it's a little silly as a phrase, but I did not find anything in it to be believable. I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, I have no problem at all suspending disbelief if given reason to, but this just didn't give me any reason to. I did finish it, and I was not displeased by everybody's happy ending, but it took some effort to get through it. For such a short book, I wouldn't call it worth it.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a quick magical realism story about finding direction and learning to understand ones self. Set in Kyoto, Japan, the story follows three individuals as they visit the Full Moon Coffee Shop and discover its unique services.

The Positives:
1. This is a quick and easy read, good for plane rides or a laid back afternoon. I also think it's very approachable as far as translations go, so this might be a good choice for people just dipping their toes into translated literature.
2. I enjoyed the running theme within this book of the importance of learning to understand yourself and to recognize your individual needs.
3. The magical realism within this book was cozy and whimsical without feeling too fantastical. Plus lots of cute cats.

The Negatives:
1. At times this book felt more like an astrology textbook rather than a novel. Astrology is an important part of the plot, but the pages of information explaining astrology throughout the book seemed to break up the flow of the story in a jarring way. I think this could have been avoided by including a few pages of "intro to astrology" at the beginning of the book rather than trying to include it throughout the novel.
2. I felt the character voices blended together in many portions of the book, especially the first two characters, and I wish they would have been a bit more distinct.

Who I Think Should Read This Book:
People looking for a quick read, fans of astrology, and cat lovers

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This is a cozy short story; the resolutions were sweet, and I liked the connections between the stories. Maybe it's because this is a translation, but some of the dialogue felt too simple and stilted. The exposition also was too simple in some places, and also could overexplain certain things. Since this was a short story, it didn't affect my reading as much as it would have otherwise, though.

Three separate tales converge into one story line by the end of this short novel. In each of the three tales, something has gone wrong in the person's life and by chance, they stumble into The Full Moon Coffee Shop which appears and disappears seemingly at will. Run by a team of cats who may also be the planetary gods (Jupiter, Venus, Mars, etc.) they will offer the customer a drink or dessert which will enlighten them as to the source of their unhappiness. The cats will then proceed to read the persons zodiac chart in the heavens and give guidance on what path the person should pursue.

Translated from the Japanese, character names and places retain their original names. It might have been a bit easier to follow the separate story lines if the characters had been renamed into names more familiar to a western audience. I was really expecting something a bit more engaging and even though it is a relatively short novel, I had to make myself finish reading this.

This was such an interesting book with unique characters and bonus talking cats! It was translated really well and I enjoyed it a lot. There is a lot about astrology which isn’t as much by thing but for those who love astrology you will enjoy the book even more. Will be adding to our library.

I downloaded this ARC on my kindle at 10:00 am and by 3:30 pm I was finished. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did and I couldn't put it down. I was a little hesitant to read it at first because I've never read a translated work by a Japanese author before and I was a little intimidated. But I'm so glad I did because this book has a little of everything that I love. Coffee shop, talking cats, and, interesting characters. I will say the biggest surprise about this novel was the astrology aspect. It plays a huge part in this novel and does a deep dive into the various elements of it, so if you're not into that I don't think this book will be for you. I'm so happy I read this book because it's opened up a new genre for me and I'm so excited to consume similar books such as this one.

“The Full Moon Coffee Shop” is by Mai Mochizuki. One of the things that I liked about this book was that it really reminded me of a Studio Ghibli movie where animals talk and people just roll with it; in other words magical realism is accepted. The other thing I liked about this book is that it was rather short (basically three short stories tied together) which worked very well. I did not realize just how heavy into astrology this book would be - like half of each story was about astrology, houses, planets, and the person musing about their past actions maybe was affected by “the planets” and how they could move forward in a positive manner based upon astrology. It was an interesting concept, but sometimes it crossed into a bit deeper than I personally liked, though I could see those with a deeper interest in astrology rather enjoying the discussion. Overall, I think this book was an interesting concept and I did like how after visiting the coffee shop the characters did something positive to get “unstuck” with their lives.

This interwoven translated novel has astrology and wisdom-giving cats, what more could you want!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop appears where ever it's needed and some people sorely need a push to go after what they want in life. From a woman hiding from love to someone looking to get her career back on track, readers can find themselves at least one character.

Definitely a good, Saturday afternoon read.

So, I went into this book very blind. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was like, hey, why not?

I read this while on vacation in Japan and it honestly immersed me into the whole story. I loved being able to see the culture written into the pages while simultaneously experiencing it for myself. It was definitely a wonderful way to read the book.

As far as the story goes, you’re following these strangers who all end up being inexplicably tied together by their past. They’re all down on their luck and The Full Moon Coffee Shop is there to show them exactly where they need to go.

I’m gonna be honest here, I was a little lost in the beginning once you switched to a new person after the first person you read about visits the coffee shop. I wasn’t sure where the book was going or what it was trying to tell me. After the second person, though, I started to guess. It turned out to be a wonderful portrayal of our humanity and how the world often finds a way to give karma back. I believe in karma to an extent, but think of it more as mindset. You set your mind negatively? All you’ll see is the negative. However, when you look at the world in a positive light, you’re more likely to only notice the good. It’s worked for me so far at least!! But this book encapsulates this idea and I absolutely loved it.

I think I could’ve used a little more with Mizuki since a lot tied into her story specifically, but everyone else’s stories were fine being brief.

Overall, this was a short book that reads like a fairytale centered around the idea that if you do good, good comes back to find you, too. I really enjoyed the arc of the story and the characters, but would’ve liked a little more exposition on Mizuki. 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4/5 for all the social platforms. A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of the English translation for The Full Moon Coffee Shop.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is effectively a series of interconnected short stories, though at the beginning they seem more separate. The story begins with Mizuki Serikawa, a down on her luck scriptwriter and former substitute teacher. After having a pitch rejected by the studios, Mizuki is invited to try out a coffee shop nearby. When she arrives, she finds the Full Moon Coffee Shop. Staffed entirely by talking cats, you don’t order for yourself, but instead they bring out whatever they think you need based on your natal chart and current circumstances.

Mai Mochikuzi has created a cozy story about reflection and growing as a person (no matter how old you are). At the beginning, the story can feel overly descriptive of minor elements. But this short novel wraps up nicely and reconnects many of the disparate threads.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short story about re-finding yourself as an adult and fans of cozy short stories.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice, cozy, quick read. It got a little into the weeds with the astrology stuff, which I wasn’t expecting, but it’s always nice to learn about new topics. I really enjoyed the setting. It was something different for me, as I don’t typically read Japanese literature. Perhaps I should read more.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop unfortunately fell short of my expectations. The premise of a mystical cafe run by talking cats sounded intriguing, but the execution was a bit bland. The story felt predictable, and the characters lacked depth. While the idea of astrology as guidance is interesting, the explanations were clunky and disrupted the flow of the story. This could be partially due to the translation, which seemed a bit off in places. Overall, the book wasn't engaging enough to fully capture the magic it promised.