Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

507 reviews

emamoretti03's review against another edition

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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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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rainbowbrarian's review

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

I found this one a little challenging to get into. Books in translation can be tough, Japanese culture is very different from American culture so it felt challenging to relate to some of the characters.

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rae1523's review against another edition

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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

5.0

I love the premise of the book. All throughout the story you know what the book os about, its about a time traveling cafe, but it doesn't prepare you for the sad stories that come out of this cafe. It was eye watering and very reflective. All along I wondered if I could travel back in time who would I meet and what would I say? I think the biggest take away from this story for me was that we should always say what needs to be said and be honest with the people we care about the most.

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bethanwx's review against another edition

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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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