Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

قبل أن تبرد القهوة: حكايات من المقهى by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

50 reviews

stardustdreamer's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Death, Terminal illness, Cancer, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Car accident, and Grief

Minor: Suicide attempt and Car accident

itsgeesus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This is a beautifully written book and it never failed to impress: the imagery, themes, and characters were incredible. In fact, the novel was written in a way that it didn't matter it was a sequel: I picked this up without realising it was part of a short series, but it honestly doesn't matter which order they're read. Each chapter can almost stand alone as its own short story, which I loved, and yet, they all seem to find a way to link with each other. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Miscarriage

laurataylor's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Cancer, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

chloelj27's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

With this following on 6 years after Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I loved the old characters still being a main focus as well as new characters being introduced. 

All the stories again were so beautiful to read and heartbreaking, each in their own ways. I definitely felt that this book made me more emotional than the first. There were times where things felt a little repetitive again and a bit slow in places, but it soon picked back up and hit you right in the heart! 

I loved how we got to know more about the woman in the dress and her history too. It made for an interesting read and something that never even crossed my mind in the first book.

Again, if you are looking for a thought provoking and emotional read, this is the book to choose.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Death, Terminal illness, Car accident, Grief, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage

books_and_rainydays's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

"Antes que o café arrefeça", o livro anterior a este, é um dos meus livros favoritos por isso quando vi este à venda fiquei muito entusiasmada e comprei-o de imediato. Visto que adorei o primeiro livro, comecei "De Regresso a Tóquio" com expectativas muito altas. Isto poderia ter dado para o torto caso este livro não atingisse as minhas expectativas, no entanto, assim como o anterior este também me fez sentir os sentimentos e dilemas das personagens como se fossem meus e envolveu-me novamente no ambiente do café Funiculi Funicala com a sua iluminação acolhedora e o cheiro de café acabado de fazer. As novas personagens introduzidas e as suas respetivas histórias são feitas de uma bela complexidade tipicamente humana dando ainda mais prazer à leitura deste livro. Concluindo, recomendo muito este livro, assim como o anterior.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Abortion

Minor: Pregnancy, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

robinks's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

It was so nice to revisit some of the characters from Before the Coffee Gets Cold and meet new characters whose stories get interwoven as well. The characters relationships and development are so beautiful to read through, and the writing feels like drinking a warm cup of coffee.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Cancer

sarah984's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Yes, it's sappy but I really enjoyed this book. It keeps the same formula as the first one, with all of the rules of time travel, and asks what it means to choose to be happy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Cancer, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Minor: Car accident, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Murder

sketchydelusion's review against another edition

lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Death

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.25

Title: Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Series: コーヒーが冷めないうちに #2
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: September 17, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Quirky • Reflective • Emotional

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Welcome back to Funiculi Funicula Café in Tokyo. A place which has been serving coffee for more than a hundred years. But this coffee shop is a little different, offering its customers the opportunity to travel back in time. The opportunity doesn't come without risks, and some rules, most notedly that they must return before the coffee gets cold.

In Before the Coffee Gets Told: Tales from the Café four new customers: a man who goes back to see his best friend; a song who was unable to attend his mother's funeral; a man who travels to see a girl he could not marry, and a detective who never gave his wife a certain gift.

💭 T H O U G H T S

In this second installment, I had the pleasure of being introduced to four new characters and their stories for wanting to travel in time. I was more prepared for the structure this time around, which helped me enjoy this one better than the first. Still overly repetitive, I felt like I connected a bit more with the characters and their individual vignettes.

A nice escape from reality, I'm looking forward to the upcoming release just to see where the author goes next. Because I love the concept so much, it's easy to put aside the less than stellar execution. And it's no surprise that I am a huge fan of books that make me reflect on what I would change if I could travel back in time.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers that liked
• time travel trope fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"There is no greater suffering than that of a parent who is unable to save their own child who wants to die."

"Seasons flow in a cycle. Life too, passes through difficult winters. But after any winter, spring will follow." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Cancer, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Miscarriage

littleredbiblio's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Car accident, Pregnancy, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Child death