Thank you to Random House/Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Welcome to the Coffee Shop that appears. There are no set times, places, or menus from which to order.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop consists of three main stories surrounding various characters finding their way through life as they struggle with various problems, concerns, and troubles. As they find the coffee shop (or rather, it finds them), they are approached by talking cats to allow them the place and time to speak about their concerns, using the natal charts and planet phases.

The illustrations accompanying this story are cute. The characters are also part of each other's lives, and we can follow their journey. By the end, we see them all reflecting on themselves, and moving on was nice.

Perhaps the only thing I wished for was more cat illustrations- it's about the cafe run by cats!/j In addition, I would have appreciated deeper thoughts and reflection on each character as they seemed a little shallow, in my opinion. The natal charts and planet phases were interesting to learn more about, but they became repetitive. However, someone who is deeply interested and invested in astrology may enjoy this book much more than I did.

Overall, it is a lovely short book that casts moonlight on human thoughts, actions, and reflections and how we move forward to continue growing. 3.5 stars

**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4.5-4.75 stars. Dreamy, soothing, and cozy. Recommended for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the Kamogawa Food Detectives.

Cozy, cute and charming—exactly the type of book you want when you just want to hunker down and watch the rain. I really enjoy these shorter books that just make you feel good.

Just finished "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" and it was a delightful and short book.
The book follows 4 characters, who end up being connected to each other in an unexpected way.
They all somehow end up at a coffee shop that only appears under the full moon.
The workers of the shop are all giant talking cats who each represent a planet. (Venus, Mercury, etc)
I think fans of Sailor Moon would like this very much.
There are some excellent life lessons in this book, taught in a very subtle way.
-make your home a sanctuary, and surround yourself with things that bring you joy.
-try your hardest at everything you do, and if something is sub-par ask "how can I improve this"
-be kind to animals
-do the right thing
A very enjoyable book- I'm sure in a print edition the illustrations will be lovely.
Thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book, my opinions are my own.

I don't know why, but this book was so fascinating to me. It was such a quick read, but I was so enthralled by this concept of the café and even just how they explain astrology. And the story was so sweet and heart-warming. Now, I do recognize that a lot of people will think it's too preachy or teachy with how much astrology is in it, but I really liked it. And I know that this book was translated, so I can't fully speak to the original intent in the original language, but I found the story easy to follow and grasp the concept of. The story didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book. If you liked the Ghibli movie the cat returns or astrology you’ll enjoy this book. It’s whimsical but also discusses a lot of deeper topics in a gentle way. The translation at times feels a little stiff but is still really enjoyable to read. It’s very short and could be read in a day so i definitely recommend

The Full Moon Coffee Shop
By Mai Mochizuki
Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

If you, like me, can’t get enough of short Japanese novels, add this one to your list.

We follow a few characters that seem to have some kind of connection. Each are struggling with something and stumble onto the Full Moon Coffee Shop where they are helped by cats representing parts of astrology. While I’m not really an astrology kind of person, the underlying theme that knowing yourself better will help you in life I absolutely agree with.

It’s atmospheric, uplifting, cozy, and the food descriptions are wonderful.

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Quick and light, this little story is full of cats, exotic drinks, interconnectedness, and hope. Just lovely!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This was such a cozy and wholesome story. I loved figuring out how the characters are connected to one another and the ending made me cry happy tears. Astrology, talking cats, Japanese fiction = lovely!

Every full moon a coffee shop appears in Japan. Perhaps in the middle of a busy crosswalk, sometimes just when you fall asleep and start to dream. The story follows several people interconnected through their elementary school substitute teacher, who provides our first point of view. We see her as a former substitute teacher, former tv screenwriter, and current video game writer. Down on her luck, she sends a pitch to a former colleague, gets shot down, and finds herself at a cafe where anthropomorphic cats read her star chart. The former colleague who received her script is dealing with a work crisis where her star actress is embroiled in an affair with a married man. She and said actress find themselves in a park at night and similarly find themselves at the cafe. Then there are two more characters who have totally separate encounter with the cafe and their horoscope readings.

This book is so cute. My one critique is that there are three “chapters” rather than three “parts” with chapters within them. This book is like “crazy stupid love” with the way the character’s stories intersect and I love it. About a third of the way in I was telling all my friends they needed to read it and by the end my enthusiasm had only grown. It’s totally clean, it’s incredibly creative, and it ties itself in a nice little bow at the end. 10/10 would recommend

An endearing and whimsical read about a magical Japanese coffee shop run by astrology-minded talking cats who know precisely what drink to serve each person. No order necessary. No need for directions, either, because it'll find you!

The story is divided into three parts, following three different characters - a screenwriter, a director, and a hairstylist - who are feeling lost, confused, and stagnated in their own lives, with an underlying thread of connection that entwines them all together. There's an emphasis on natal star charts and life lessons that gives this an air of wisdom. Of hope. Of coziness, too. It's the type of story you can curl up with on an oversized armchair and finish in an afternoon, letting it warm you like a steaming cuppa of seasonal tea.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Mai Mochizuki for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Full Moon Coffee Shop coming out August 20, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I received it directly from NetGalley. I love Japanese stories and I’m excited this was translated into English. It’s definitely a short story and a fast read. I thought the story was whimsical and fun. The characters were interesting, but could have had a little more depth if it was a longer book. I’m allergic to cats, haha, but I thought the cats in the story were cute. I think this would’ve been a fun manga.

a cozy cosmic cats cafe, magical and liberating • rating [4] 🐱🐱🐱🐱

Imagine, a magical coffee shop run by wise cat baristas and they’re not “kitten” around! They’re here to guide you on your journey while serving delightful meow-tinis and cat-puccinos (not what it’s called in the book, just my endless play on this pun.) I found this short work to be very refreshing - great for fans of cozy life, astrology, and/ or cats. Without giving away too much of the plot, I appreciated how the individuals stories came together, an illustration of karma entwining with life. A great Japanese litter-ary work that was also liberating, would recommend to check out.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a café that is run by talking cats and has no permanent location or hours of operation; it appears to those who need direction at a key point in their lives. This book tells the story of the various people who are invited to the café and the enigmatic insight given to them by the shop’s feline advisors.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a cozy fantasy and, of course, cat lovers.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for the review copy. I love the title. The locations in the book sounded beautiful. I also liked how the characters were linked together.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Mai Mochizuki, Jesse Kirkwood and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Focusing on astrology, natal charts, and the journey of life, Full Moon Coffee Shop is a cozy read for anyone looking for a side of fantasy to go with their life advice. It delves just enough into the advice aspect of things to give you some great take aways depending on where you are in your life, without making it too much like a preach-y self help book. And the focus point being a coffee shop run by cats is obviously a perk as well.

It does read a little clunky at times, which could be due to its translation but this doesn’t hinder your ability to understand the life lessons.

4.5 stars
A coffee shop with no fixed location, that appears right where you need it, when you need it... and it's run by cats that consult your star chart and give you life advice?!

A thousand times yes. This book was so cozy, I loved the description of the foods and the cats.. I'm not really into Astrology but I love how it was incorporated!

This book was a quick read, perfect to pick up when you just need a hug. I hope the rest of the series is translated soon!

I loved this magical, whimsical, astrological quick read. Loved the cats, the stories, and the people. Such a quick read, but a lovely palate cleanser between more serious books.

Round up to 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This story is a super interesting concept however I found myself lost amongst the characters and the wording at times.
Seeing as it is a translation, I feel like it kind of read like one. It tripped me up occasionally.
I do like how all of the characters are intertwined and everything comes full circle at the end.
Overall, it was a fun little story filled with magic, astrology and relationships!

"Most of all, you're hard on yourself. Even when no one has a bad word to say about you, you're never happy with your achievements or yourself. Tell me, don't you find it a little hard to breathe sometimes?" ~ The Full Moon Coffee Shop

This is a short, yet emotional read that will challenge everyone to think deeply about their own lives. It has such an amazingly unique premise: a mobile, magical coffee shop - run by cats - that dispenses advice (and yummy treats!) This book is the very definition of healing your inner child. All of the cats, but Saturn especially, are written with such depth that the reader will have no trouble believing that the cats are immortal beings full of wisdom.

This novel-in-stories is one of my favorite genres when done right. Each of the characters have a connection to one another, and whether the reader feels sympathy or relates to them, this story structure allows the reader to see each of their internal struggles. For example, one of the characters has an affair and I was reluctant to read his story, but then I realized I was only introduced to him through the perspective of the person he had wronged. The interconnected stories are each unique enough to remain interesting and surprising, but the reveal of how the characters are connected through primary school makes the novel unfold beautifully. Then having the final chapter be a conversation between the coffee shop cats and the old man wraps up all the magic nicely. There's something so touching about the coffee shop cats helping the humans because those humans once helped out an orphaned family of cats. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed how deeply this book made me consider my own life and what each individual choice has led me to (I related the most to Mizuki's story). And I ended up desperately wanting to visit the full moon coffee shop myself!