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jlewis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I loved the first 2 books but felt this was disappointing. I didn’t feel much sense of connection with most of the characters and many of the conversations felt very stilted - I’m not convinced that this was just down to the translation. There was also endless repetition between and often within the stories, which became quite tedious.
I agree entirely with the previous reviewer who says they are tired of every story concerning someone with a mysterious illness who dies.
And I feel that the philosophy of not being endlessly unhappy about the death of a loved one is incomplete - there is no discussion of where necessary and appropriate grief belongs.
Finally, Dr Saki clearly lacks any of the necessary skills to be a psychiatrist - she seems wholly lacking in sensitivity
I agree entirely with the previous reviewer who says they are tired of every story concerning someone with a mysterious illness who dies.
And I feel that the philosophy of not being endlessly unhappy about the death of a loved one is incomplete - there is no discussion of where necessary and appropriate grief belongs.
Finally, Dr Saki clearly lacks any of the necessary skills to be a psychiatrist - she seems wholly lacking in sensitivity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness and Suicidal thoughts
tinypear's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Well, I read that when you give a gift to someone who is striving to achieve their dreams, you have to give them the most cherished thing you have. Some days, that person who is chasing their dreams will not be able to find the strength to keep going. It will be bitter and painful, and they will have to weigh up their dreams and reality to make a choice. When that happens, the person gifted with the most precious thing will be able to fight on a little more. It apparently helps them to feel they are not alone. So, I'm giving you this book because I want you to fight for your dream.”
I found this instalment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series to be the most heart-warming, heart-wrenching and immersive. Kawaguchi’s storytelling seemed to take a step up for this one, with the stories becoming a lot more in depth and layered.
I loved how this story took place in a different location, with different regulars (but still a few of our original cast), and how all of these new characters meshed together to create a web of new storylines and levels to each chapter. Kawaguchi’s storytelling and character building felt much stronger in this book and his style of writing seems to have evolved alongside this, which made this one a much more enjoyable read and made characters ten times more loveable for me. Once again, this book is separated by four chapters with four different main actors time travelling in the cafe, but this time I found myself gripped by all four stories pretty equally. My favourites have to be the last two chapters, The Sister and The Young Man. I thoroughly enjoyed how all of these stories revolved around death, human emotion and regret during our lifetime, and the implementation of Sachi and her little (well, quite big) book as a plot device.
Another point that stood out to me was the ending of this book. I have always found Kawaguchi’s books to end on a somewhat uplifting and happy note, however this book left me with whiplash through the final pages. I did not expect to read what I did on the last few pages, but this added to the impact of the book as a whole. The only reason I can’t rate this one 5 stars is because I didn’t feel an urge to finish this book too quickly. This book has been my definite favourite read out of the series and I hope Kawaguchi’s storytelling continues to be on this upward trajectory. ✨
I found this instalment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series to be the most heart-warming, heart-wrenching and immersive. Kawaguchi’s storytelling seemed to take a step up for this one, with the stories becoming a lot more in depth and layered.
I loved how this story took place in a different location, with different regulars (but still a few of our original cast), and how all of these new characters meshed together to create a web of new storylines and levels to each chapter. Kawaguchi’s storytelling and character building felt much stronger in this book and his style of writing seems to have evolved alongside this, which made this one a much more enjoyable read and made characters ten times more loveable for me. Once again, this book is separated by four chapters with four different main actors time travelling in the cafe, but this time I found myself gripped by all four stories pretty equally. My favourites have to be the last two chapters, The Sister and The Young Man. I thoroughly enjoyed how all of these stories revolved around death, human emotion and regret during our lifetime, and the implementation of Sachi and her little (well, quite big) book as a plot device.
Another point that stood out to me was the ending of this book. I have always found Kawaguchi’s books to end on a somewhat uplifting and happy note, however this book left me with whiplash through the final pages. I did not expect to read what I did on the last few pages, but this added to the impact of the book as a whole. The only reason I can’t rate this one 5 stars is because I didn’t feel an urge to finish this book too quickly. This book has been my definite favourite read out of the series and I hope Kawaguchi’s storytelling continues to be on this upward trajectory. ✨
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
e_read_books's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
3.75
Another entry into this series exploring grief and regrets, but also about healing and finding hope.
This time we aren't in the familiar Tokyo cafe of the previous two entries, but instead in the port town of Hakodate and Cafe Donna Donna. The setting is different, but the set up is the same.
A specific chair in the cafe allows you to travel to the past, with a number of rules attached. The most important being, you must return before the coffee gets cold.
These books always make me happy just through the different circumstances the different time travellers come from and how their journey changes their attitudes, even if some of them stretch my limit of disbelief.For instance, there are no less than 3 sets of dead parents and multiple young people die from obscure terminal illnesses.
I liked the plot device of the book of 100 questions that is pretty central to all 4 of the stories. The questions are sometimes a little ridiculous, but the author makes an effort to not paint either answers in a negative light.
As always, the characters are sweet as well, and everything is a mix of wholesome and emotional - the 1st story made me tear up a little.
The repetitive writing is what holds this series back for me. Thankfully the rules were only really explained once, which did drag down the 1st story a lot. However, beyond that, we still get events resummarised between stories constantly. Even within the same story, characters will repeat what someone said back to them, so sometimes you're reading the same thing said 2 or 3 different ways.
I keep not following my own advice, but I think this series is best consumed one story at a time, with at least a day or two between each one.
This time we aren't in the familiar Tokyo cafe of the previous two entries, but instead in the port town of Hakodate and Cafe Donna Donna. The setting is different, but the set up is the same.
A specific chair in the cafe allows you to travel to the past, with a number of rules attached. The most important being, you must return before the coffee gets cold.
These books always make me happy just through the different circumstances the different time travellers come from and how their journey changes their attitudes, even if some of them stretch my limit of disbelief.
I liked the plot device of the book of 100 questions that is pretty central to all 4 of the stories. The questions are sometimes a little ridiculous, but the author makes an effort to not paint either answers in a negative light.
As always, the characters are sweet as well, and everything is a mix of wholesome and emotional - the 1st story made me tear up a little.
The repetitive writing is what holds this series back for me. Thankfully the rules were only really explained once, which did drag down the 1st story a lot. However, beyond that, we still get events resummarised between stories constantly. Even within the same story, characters will repeat what someone said back to them, so sometimes you're reading the same thing said 2 or 3 different ways.
I keep not following my own advice, but I think this series is best consumed one story at a time, with at least a day or two between each one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Bullying, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death of parent
froggybooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
this one didn’t hit the same as the last two but i did cry during the second chapter, did find the format of the powercut incredible and the ending was wonderful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief
amandaisok's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Mental illness
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Every time I read another installment of this series, I am left an absolute wreck. I love the way Toshikazu Kawaguchi's writing is so direct and straightforward, yet also manages to punch you in the gut with such visceral emotions.
I loved this book, I loved the messages (especially as someone who is perpetually unimpressed and angry) and I am so glad I listened to the audiobook on Everand <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Pregnancy
cnannery19's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
burningskyes's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness
erinreadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was emotional and sad, but I felt less invested in these stories than in those of previous books. I can’t really put my finger on why. I did like the thread of the “100 Questions” book through all of the stories, but I think this was my least favorite of this series so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Terminal illness
kenshi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent