A pop-up cafe where shape-shifting cats provide the horoscopes of different patrons. Yes, please.
This book is cozy and I am so glad it was translated from the original Japanese so that I got the opportunity to read it. Well-written and easy to understand, even if you don't know a lot of Japanese horoscopes.

I know this book may not be for everyone, but I can see why it is popular.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I have requested this one for our college library.

What a great read!! This was a quick story, but so much depth to it. I couldn’t stop reading, from the first page till the very end. The astrological aspects were so very intriguing to me. Each chapter was so interesting and seeing how everything tied together in the end. What a great journey this was to read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for- Ballantine for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

i was super intrigued by the concept of using astrology as an element of a cozy urban fantasy, but unfortunately the author didn’t quite pull it off. instead of being one of many building blocks for the story, astrology only seemed to serve as a device to conveniently and perfectly explain the issues going on in each character’s lives in a way that left little room for complexity or depth. honestly, it felt like i was reading a really long astrology advertisement. my favorite parts of each story were honestly the ones before the main event happens… which is disappointing. some meaning might have been lost in translation, but the pros were not enough to outweigh the cons when it comes to whether i’ll tune in to the next one.

DNF…I wanted more from this boy ok but found it lacking. The plot did not hold my attention. The characters were boring. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This book was actually really interesting. I love cats, and the idea of using cats to convey wisdom really resonated with me.
The storytelling and the in-depth descriptions of each character’s background was really well done, however what confused me was when all the zodiac and astronomic descriptions came into play. That is not really my field of expertise, so being thrust into such vivid explanation without any prior experience was very disorienting and I did not understand much if it.
I appreciated the fact that every character mentioned was able to get the direction they needed in order to make major changes to their lives in order to become better and succeed at what they were good at. I was honestly expecting this to be a story that was told from one angle and not from many, so the multi-character pov surprised me.

All in all, this was a fascinating read.

4.5/5
This is such a beautiful telling of how things could be if you change your mindset. The characters all go through struggles that I feel like everyone has gone through before. You never know when a cafe full of cats will set your life's course down a different path.

Is your destiny controlled by your natal chart? The cats at the Full Moon Coffee Shop are the knowledgible ones. They lead Mizuki Serikawa, former primary school teacher now scriptwriter, and a few of students: akari, Megumi, Katsuki, Takashe, who were in her walk-to-school group. All these characters have a 'dream' visit at the elusive Full Moon Coffee Shop. Here the cats give them 'direction' for their grown up lives.
A charming, beautiful tale to read. Cats in Japan are special.

Mai Mochizuki’s "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" blends magical realism with heartfelt life lessons as a group of lost souls stumbles upon a mysterious, ever-shifting coffee shop run by wise, star-gazing cats. The novel charms with its cozy atmosphere and imaginative premise, offering bite-sized insights into the characters' lives and struggles. Each visitor's journey of self-discovery, guided by the cryptic yet endearing feline staff, feels both touching and relatable. A delightful escape, "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" is perfect for fans of cozy, contemplative fiction with a dash of the fantastical.

A CAFE RUN BY TALKING CATS??? HELL YEAHHHHHHH
okay in all seriousness though, I couldn’t really take this book seriously LOL because the cats were walking on 2 legs and were acting like humans :( like nooooooo you were so close but so far….

I’ve enjoyed several translated Japanese reads in the last year or two, but this one was decidedly not my cup of tea (ha). The hyperfocus on astrology charts was unexpected and, for me, unwelcome. And while the plotlines did loosely weave together at the end, it felt like the story lacked a through-line that moved it forward. The brief sections on each character’s experience with the cafe felt superficial and strained, more of a magazine horoscope notation than a more comprehensive short story. The descriptions of the food and beverage offerings were pretty creative, though, and I appreciate what the author was trying to do in terms of guiding readers towards self-reflection some kind.

Reading this book was like taking a nice cleansing breath. I enjoyed the experience and felt refreshed for having read it. No notes!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop written by Mai Mochizuki and translated by Jesse Kirkwood is based on the Japanese tradition of the maneki-neko or beckoning cat. The book requires the suspension of disbelief - magical cafes, astral charts, cats who run magical cafes. However, for the kind lessons it teaches, I willingly go along. In a world with much negativity, it is wonderful to see a reminder of the vast impacts a seemingly small act of kindness can have.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-full-moon-coffee-shop.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

A charming piece of translated fiction, if you like a lot of the books coming out of Japan recently (think: lots of cats) then you're bound to enjoy this one too!

I thought this book was going to be like the Before the Coffee Goes Cold and The Dallerguy Dream
Department Store and in a way it is. It’s a fun story with lots of magical realism but this is based on the Japanese myth that if you help a cat they will return the favor.
The Full Moon Coffee Shop has no set location and no set time of opening. It opens whenever people nearby are at a critical junction but the most magical thing about this special cafe is that it’s managed and run by cats! Using astrology charts the cats help 4 patrons figure out why they are stuck in their lives and how to make changes that will bring them happiness.
I love the style in which this book is written. Like the two books I previously mentioned, each chapter is a freestanding vignette that has some overlap with the other chapters. I found the bits about Astrology to be interesting and I really enjoyed the lightness and length of this. It’s a great pallet cleanser for after a long and/or heavy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for an advanced copy of this. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to. The Full Moon Coffee Shop hit the shelves August 20.

This is a sweet and charming little book. Set in Japan, author Mai Mochizuki relates the stories of several people who seem lost in life. All of them unexpectedly come across the Full Moon Coffee Shop, which "magically" appears in various locations. Operated by a band of talking cats, these coffee shop cats guide their human customers on a journey of self-realization. And, as you can guess, these cats give their customers exactly what is needed to steer each human customer into a better and more satisfying life.

Yes, the story is implausible and more than a "little out there," but it's also charming, magical, and full of wisdom. A lovely read.

Thank you to #RandomHousePublishingGroup and #NetGalley for providing an electronic ARC of #TheFullMoonCoffeeShop.

Who wouldn't want to visit a magical coffee shop run by cats??

This was a really enchanting story. It's the perfect rainy day read. It's one of those books where you pick it up because you just know you're going to love it. It's interesting, cozy, and has freaking cats.

As someone who doesn't know a lot about astrology it was just a touch difficult to understand in the beginning but the author does a great job at helping you into the world.

**3.5 stars**

This was like eating a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup on a bad day…pure comfort food. I rarely read cozy fiction like this but this was so charming and sweet that I am glad I did. Highly recommend for cat lovers and cozy fiction lovers.

I see on Goodreads this is the first in a series, if the others are translated into English I will read them for sure.

*Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

This book was first released in 2020 but it got a new shiny edition that was translated to English just a couple months ago and I had to read it because it’s literally about a coffee shop run by cats which makes it heartwarming as heck.
Though it does lean really heavily into astrology which I am not into whatsoever. I’ve seen so many instagram posts that are like “Sagittarius are like this” and I’m like no, not even the slightest bit is this true about me. Anyways, I love the concept of this book. These mysterious cats appear out of the blue when people are facing their problems, and read astrology to give advice to the main human characters. The main characters are intertwined and it’s fun to discover the connections between them all. Bonus are the illustrations and descriptions of food. It all sounds so good and I don’t even drink coffee though I do love the smell of it. I wish I could visit the full moon coffee shop myself. Again, not into astrology, so I didn’t really enjoy the astrology parts of the story. However, it is very relatable how the characters reflect on themselves at the cafe to improve and find a solution to make their own way in life. But hey if you like astrology and cats and coffee then the stars have aligned because you were clearly born to read this book. I don’t make the rules.

This was a very fast read and very interesting collection of short stories that revolve around the same people all going to this magical cafe run by cats. It’s a little weird at first especially with all the astrology talk but by the end you see how it all comes together.

This was a cozy and magical fantasy filled with cats and astrology. I found myself enjoying this book and the interweaving stories and lives of the characters. This coffee shop is a magical place and I wish I could go to one and have my star chart read by talking cats. This was also a very fast read, but you don’t want to read it in a rush. It’s the kind of book that you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket while reading.

Overall, this was a cozy fantasy that I recommend!