Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this publication.

This beautiful story put me in a trance and I, too, felt like I was sipping a coffee with Sunrise Syrup in The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I loved how all of the characters had their own story and background, yet they were all woven together in one way or another. I loved the concept of mindfulness in this story; how being in the moment can bring realizations that can improve your sense of self and happiness. My only gripe is that the tortoiseshell cat is a male in the story, only 1 in about 300,000 tortoiseshell cats are male. Then again, maybe this was essential to the character and was meant to send a message about him. If you are interested in astrology and/or cats, this book is for you. Even if you are not, I believe that this cozy read could convince you to be. This is also great for readers who want to dabble in fantasy and are unsure where to start.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy of this book. Overall I really enjoyed The Full Moon Coffee Shop. It was a super quick read and the story flowed almost effortlessly. My biggest gripe was the tone shift around the explanations of astrology within the story. I understand that the book has to assume the reader doesn’t know anything about astrology but a lot of the phrasing and explanation felt stiff and ruined the flow of the story. However, this could be due to the fact that the story was being translated from Japanese to English. On the whole, I would recommend this book for people looking for a quick read. This is something that I would pick up to get myself out of a reading slump.

Marking as read because I finished the E-ARC sample I was given on netgalley. This book is such a fun read kind of magical realism and as a cat person I love that it has cats. A nice easy/fast read that uplifts your mood, love the idea of cats taking care of humans who have helped them. Will be getting the book once it releases!

This was a heart warming story that shows that if you believe in a little bit of magic, or just yourself, things can turn out differently.
After reading this, I felt there were a lot of similarities to other books recently transcribed from Japanese. This one did have a little something that caught my heart more than others I’ve read.

3.5 stars

This was a super quick & cozy read full of life lessons and talking cats. I enjoyed the magical elements and the cafe setting, and the food & drink descriptions were a nice touch as well. I liked how each of the different characters were all connected and how everything really clicks at the end. That being said, there was a lot of astrology stuff that went over my head and overall the stories were just okay. I would recommend this if you’re into astrology or if you’re just looking for a quick insightful read.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC!

3.5 stars

This one was magical and cute!! Each chapter follows a different character’s experience with the Full Moon Coffee Shop - run by cats named after the planets who offer advice based on astrology. Cats are a symbol of good luck in Japan and your karma for being kind to them is that it’ll come back to you.

I’m a cat lover so obviously this premise was right up my ally - I’m also into astrology so I appreciated the break down of reading an astrological chart and references to astrological events such as the Age of Aquarius and the notorious Mercury retrograde.

It did feel a little repetitive and the chapters and story itself was so short that it was hard to feel deeply connected to any of the characters - I also think that folks who aren’t as familiar with the astrological concepts might feel a bit overwhelmed and confused.

This was a cozy read that you could easily get through in one sitting if you had a free afternoon - so cuddle up with your feline companion, grab a cup of tea and enjoy!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

ank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Full Moon Coffee Shop in exchange for a review

2.5 stars?

The premise of this is adorable and wholesome. As an avid cat lover I would adore this to happen to me especially when I’ve been down on my luck. This story switches POV each time to another person who has been struggling with life and magical stumbles upon a hip pop up cafe. I wish it delved more into the cats and who they were and how/why they can switch between forms and so on. While I love the idea it was kind of the same thing over and over again? The stories feel nearly identical and so does the advice given by the cats. I do love that they’re astrologists though, I’d love to have my chart read by a magical cat. I laughed really hard at one point because the 3rd POV character was guessing the cats breed through an internal monologue and said Persian or chinchilla. That got me.

Overall it’s cute but since each POV is short there’s not a ton of depth and it feels repetitive.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC! This short story, translated from Japanese, was cozy and cute, if very brief. I got a little lost in the heavy astrology later in the book, but overall enjoyed it as a whole!

This unusual story is a Japanese best seller translated into English. Symbols of good luck, cats are revered in Japan. If one treats them with kindness, the favor will be returned. Readers may recognize this mythology from the emblematic maneki-neko, who is thought to beckon customers in to shops and “bring good fortune and prosperity.” Each of the characters in individual chapters are connected by issues in their lives causing them to reevaluate themselves once they are magically drawn to a very strange pop-up coffee shop with talking cats who read their customers' astrology chart.

The cats also seem to be representative of the planets that are thought to influence people’s lives by their position in the heavens and particular characteristics. Each person brought to the coffee shop is at a personal or professional crossroads and in need of some advice whether unsolicited or not. The men and women in the vignettes are interconnected by their primary school as children and a particular teacher they all favored.

Some aspects are probably lost in translation so I found the last character set a bit confusing as to their ending. This book has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland vibe to it. The heavy emphasis on astrology and all its attendant specifics weighs down the story to some extent making it seem as if free will is much less important than knowing one’s natal chart. It becomes repetitive after a while even though each character has a different set of problems

A Japanese bestseller translated to English.

In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. Take care of them and they will take care of you.

And there is a special coffee shop you may get invited to where they talk!
There is no static building. It appears around people who are at a crossroads.

What a magical and sweet book this is!

NetGalley/Random House/ Ballantine August 20, 2024

A quick and cozy read about a magical pop-up cafe that only appears during a full moon, but only to those who are invited to it. Oh, and it’s run by talking cats. What’s not to love about a talking cat?

Four interconnected people are brought to this cafe, and are served exactly what they need (the cats won’t take your order!) according to their star chart. After their visit is complete, the cafe disappears as quickly as it appeared.

I loved how the ending tied everything together - from how everyone was connected, to the reason the Full Moon Coffee Shop exists.

As someone who doesn’t follow Astrology, that aspect of the book was a bit over my head. But don’t let that steer you away from this story.

If you are a fan of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series, I recommend this book.

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

A representative from Penguin Random House reached out to me through NetGalley to request I read this book, since it seemed like something I would enjoy based on my past reading history. And honestly, the premise absolutely sounds up my alley. A magical pop-up coffee shop run by cats who know exactly what you need to hear and to drink sounds delightful! And parts of it were, but I was not prepared for the level of astrology that was included in this book.

Every time a character finds themself in the coffee shop, the cats read their astrology charts in great detail and explain their lives to them through the stars, and that lost me every single time. I started regretting when the coffee shop would pop up because I knew it was coming! Maybe I would have appreciated it more if I knew anything about astrology, but for me it made what little plot there was come to a stand still in every chapter.

This book was pretty short, but I almost couldn't finish it. The ending almost redeemed it for me, except that a new (more interesting) character was introduced that we then learned almost nothing about. I think this book would have been better if we had focused on fewer characters and let them develop more.

A magical read. If you love a bit of magic, cats, and astrology this is the read for you. Such a cozy read that will transport you to another world while your reading.

Thank You to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love the idea of a cafe that only appears when the full moon is up, and only for people the cats invite to it. It reminded me of The Cat Returns film with the vanishing places and talking, bipedal felines! I loved that the cats represented planets, serving food that sounded out of this world! My eyes got a bit glassy when the astrology talk got heavy, seemingly trying to convert people to the belief of natal charts and house placements rather than seamlessly fitting the concept into the narrative. Aside from that, I found it cozy, a book to pick up when you want something quick and light-hearted!

This book was so much fun. Who doesn't love a talking cat, let alone a talking cat at a coffee shop? I really enjoyed this one. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop" offers a whimsical journey through the lives of characters facing personal turmoil, finding solace in a café run by talking cats representing astrological forces. While some may find the feline element a bit much, the novel's descriptions of food and drink are delightful, and its themes of self-discovery resonate. Interconnected characters and light-hearted prose make for a cozy read reminiscent of other Japanese healing fiction. Though lacking the emotional depth of similar works, it's a charming option for those seeking a quick escape.

A translated Japanese novel about cats & their mythical powers... I should have known better than to think I'd *love* a novel about cats.

Absolutely adored this book. there’s nothing i enjoy more than an easy read that involves cats! such a cute and fun ready and i finished it within hours. the characters within the story all share so much and are also so drastically different. the way they evolved throughout the story and then came to realize what these talking cats were trying to tell them, i loved it. from the people, to the plot, to the cats, this book was so cute and so well written. definitely going to buy when it comes out.
5/5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up. This book has a really good idea, I like how everyone is interconnected, and the stories are interesting, but some of the astrology stuff reads dry. Also, it's not very good explanations for the astrology stuff. Would be great if a guide was added.

Thank you to Balletine Books for the opportunity to read the ARC copy of this short little book!

All in All: It was okay.

The characters were bland. There was not really any deepness to them. Granted, I understand they were supposed to be ‘normal people’ but they didn’t really have a single interesting thing about them until the end.

Which, even though I loved the concept, they should have had the ending in the beginning and then having them go through the Full Moon Cafe. It would have made a lot more sense to do so. Especially when I was lost in some places.

But, what I enjoyed the most, was the cats and the horoscopes. The cats were fun and reminded me of ‘The Cat Returns’, on top of learning of all the signs and what they meant. Especially when it came to understanding the main characters a bit.

All in all, it was enjoyable but kind of fell flat on its face.