Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Before the Coffee Gets Cold

This was a really interesting book where people can enter a cafe and travel back in time. There are some rules that go with the time traveling, but it still does not stop the characters from having meaningful exchanges with whoever they see while time traveling.

At the risk of spoiling too much, it is best to not know much about this book besides the above when going into it. This book was very inspiring and very emotional. I do not recommend reading it between work meetings like I did, or you very well might find yourself ugly crying 10 minutes before a meeting (also like I did, thankfully no one showed up to the meeting).

This book is part of a series and I will definitely be revisiting in the future.

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cassieemaree's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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woolerys's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Either something didn’t come through on translation or I am missing some cultural context because the prose read very strangely to me, kind of stilted, and I felt like certain things were supposed to be humorous but they weren’t quite landing.

That said the concept was enjoyable, the encounters were touching, and I felt attached to the little coffee shop family by the end.

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emamoretti03's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So heartwarming and touching. It'll make you ugly cry. It starts a little bit slow, it almost seems pointless but then it starts hitting. When you are chilling and when you less expect it it starts with these heart wrenching situations that feel like a punch in the gut.
I don't know how much it'll take to recover from this

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annakinsky's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The book is about a small cafe ( Funiculi Funicula) that takes you back in time. In the book there were 4 people with different life stories that went back or forward in time, although they can time travel there are rules to be followed which are: ( I got confusedat first with the character's names because most of the women's name starts with "K")

1. **You can only travel to the past**: Customers can only go back to a specific moment in their own past. They cannot change the present or future, only relive moments from their personal history.

2. **You must return before your coffee gets cold**: The time travel is limited to the duration it takes for a cup of coffee to cool down. If you don't return to the present before your coffee gets cold, consequences can occur.

3. **You cannot leave your seat**: While in the past, customers must remain seated in the same spot in the café. They cannot interact with anyone or anything outside of the café.

4. **You cannot meet yourself**: Time travelers cannot encounter their past selves during their visit to the past. This rule prevents paradoxes and disruptions to the timeline.

These rules add layers of complexity and challenge to the characters' experiences as they grapple with regrets, longing, and the desire to make things right. It's a captivating exploration of time, memory, and the human experience.

I like that the stories of the people involved because they are not too compicated and not too elaborate.
1. The Lovers - Fumiko and Goro
- Fumiko went back in time to try to convince Goro not to go to America. They were able to see each other but Goro still went to US to pursue his dream and said he will go back to the cafe in 3 yrs. This was not proven in the end.
2. Husband and Wife - Kohtake and Fusagi
- Kohtake went back to ask for the letter that Fusagi who was suffering from Alzheimers faled to give her before. Realization was that he gave her a letter about living him when his sickness already became a toll on her being a wife. Which made her even more understand his condition and even be proud of using her married name again.
3. The Sisters - Hirai and Kumi
- Hirai went back to apologize to Kumi ( who died from an accident after she came by at the cafe to convince her to come home)
Hirai realized after talking to Kumi from the past that jt was her sister's dream for them to work together at their inn. Contrary to what she thought that Kumi just want to be free from family.
4. Mother and Child - Kei and Miki
- Kei suffering from a weak heart since childhood travelled to the future to meet her own daughter. Which at that time she was already long gone from childbirth. It was a touching and sad meeting. But hearing that her daughter was thankful for the life she has, made Kei happy and even more decided to continue the pregnancy eventhough it means dying.

At the end, the lesson remains.. You may not be able to change the present by going back to the past but you can change the heart.🥰

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onegalonelife27's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In the hustle of Tokyo, a little cafe exists where you can go back in time…

I found this story fascinating since there are several rules-simple enough but daunting in practice-that makes one question if it’s even possible. Each chapter stars a traveler of the chapter, wrestling about traveling, overcoming the rules and then being able to to talk to whoever they wanted-before the coffee gets cold.

I do feel like the last chapter was more of a gut punch then it needed to be-like it’s good but man it just hurts so much. Like the author wanted to make sure you cried before you finished the book, I certainly teared up.

We actually meet quite a lot of the cast in the first chapter-made up of various regulars of the cafe and the staff. I think this lends to more telling than showing in the narration, but given the setting is always in the cafe and the characters that often show up, I found the style fitting. It gives enough description to help build on and helps the reader understand each character.

While it does make me curious how the formula is changed for future stories, I’m currently good on the series. Like i said, the last chapter really puts you through the emotional wringer.

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cian_'s review

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0

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bethanwx's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A profound story of how we are changed by gaining closure from our past. Kawaguchi is a master in creating characters with whom you can deeply empathise and love. A remarkable book.

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