Reviews with content warning for Grief - Before Your Memory Fades

Title: Before Your Memory Fades
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Series: Before the Coffee Get Cold #3
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: November 15, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Satisfying • Reflective • Repetitive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Before Your Memory Fades offers another story of four customers, each wanting to take advantage of the café's unique opportunity to travel in time. We meet a daughter, a comedian, a sister and a lover, each with something they wish they had said differently.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The first two books in the series were a comforting escape from life, so I was looking forward to picking up this third installment. Unfortunately, this was my least favourite of the three. The unnecessary repetition of the rules is beginning to feel redundant, and the four tales felt like the author was reusing ideas from the previous books. Nothing felt new besides a different location, which I wasn't a fan of.

I'd have liked more more insight into the ghost aspect, and I think this was a missed opportunity by the author to add and explore something new to the series. I am of the impression that some of the power of this series remains lost in translation. I'd consider continuing if there was a fourth book, simply for the reflective nature of the concept exploring the value of our time, of our families, of our friendships, and of our lives.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the series
• readers looking for a light, cozy read

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"It takes talent not to give up."

Content Warnings

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

3.75

even though i enjoyed this book, it didn't have the same magic as the other ones. most of the stories felt so familiar to the other eight we've read before so that was lowkey disappointing. the change of setting was okay but i was really sad when i realized miki wasn't one of the characters, as i loved her so much as a kid in the second book :( also, i was expecting to shed a tear while reading because i am an easy crier and i teared up with the earlier books but... that didn't happen.

however, as far as can be expected, it was good! i loved to see nagare being a bit more open about kei and kazu being a mom. although i didn't love sachi as much as i loved miki, she was really cute

when she gave reiji her favorite book </3

and i am still surprised by her smartness. and i don't think i've hated any of the new characters. matter of fact, for some reason, i loved reiji since his first appearances. i thought he was adorable on his own way, lmao. nanako was also lovable

but i am really sad that she died, i was really hoping she would make it

and i enjoyed dr. saki's presence because it gave the book a psychological touch. yukari's presence in every story made me wish we could have met her, she seems like a great person.

and i was SHOCKED to learn she was the author of the one hundred questions book. idk it was such a cool twist and i genuinely loved answering to the questions everytime sachi read them out loud

unlike other readers, i was not expecting an explanation for the ghost, especially since it was described as someone with last century looks which means that no one knew anything about him.
and regardless of the stories sounding so familiar, i loved each one of them and their moral. hope, faith and grieving were big topics beautifully touched with each of the characters.
oh and i also liked how this time the author made sure most of the characters who wanted to time travel knew about the rules, so they wouldn't have to be explained over and over again.

i was even a bit surprised and... maybe lowkey pleased that the book explored a character who travelled with the intention of not coming back

summing up; even if it was not as good as the two first books, it was still a comforting read and i am looking forward to read the fourth book!

Content Warnings

thomasdj's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

Before Your Memory Fades is a wonderful addition to the ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ series. Like previous books in the series, it is best enjoyed as a collection of short stories, diving into different human emotions. This is an ideal book to read when you want to read something that is familiar and lightly thought-provoking. However, the set up of each chapter is very similar and may feel repetitive if you read the book over a short space of time.

The book is quite the departure for the series - moving from the iconic Café Funicula Funicula in Tokyo to the Café Donna Donna in Hakodate (on the Japanese island of Hokkaido). Moving the location brings in several new, likeable recurring characters but also fits the premise of time travel better - highlighting the fact that the time-travellers are essentially tourists to the past and bringing a more hopeful tone to the book. The new characters also form a much tighter community than in previous books which not only makes them more likeable, but makes you more invested in the characters

The novel also develops off the main question every book in the series has addressed (‘If you could go back, who would you want to meet?”) and really leans more into the question of ‘why would you go back’? This really develops in the last of the four stories, giving a devastating twist which almost had me in tears.

In summary, this is a great addition to the series. The change in location really helps bring out the new stories and opens up the opportunity for new characters and more relatable storylines. If you were to read the book in one go, it may be a little too repetitive though, so enjoy it as a sweet collection of short stories!

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

i don’t understand how Kawaguchi continues to write such phenomenal books despite them having the same layout and overall themes. they hit every time and never fail to make me sob. the character development is amazing and the dialogue is so good too. this is definitely a must-read series. i would literally read Kawaguchi’s grocery list.
please read the trigger warnings!!!

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