A review by carolinevogt
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-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

3.5

Before the coffee gets cold has been very popularised on booktok and since I've liked other Japanese contemporary fiction, I thought I'd give this a go - the inability to express emotions is projected into every single of these stories, and while I agree with this being a good moral, it was frustrating to read. I think it would have been more touching if we actually saw proper communication and the fruitfulness of this. Furthermore, I had every single plot figured out in the first few pages of each story. Being predictive and lacking a satisfying reward was mildly lackluster. I won't be rushing out to buy the rest of the series, but I also wouldn't mind reading it if I ever stumble across it.