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

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

Drinking iced coffee exclusively after trudging through this one 😬

The stories are… fine? There was nothing particularly remarkable for me throughout the entire book. I was heavily distracted by the never ending rule explaining. How many times do y’all need to repeat the rules? I HATED that. 

this is stupid but … You know what else I hated? WHY IS THERE A CAT ON THE COVER AND NOT ONE IN THE ACTUAL BOOK??? Feeling VERY blue balled on cat content. 👎🏻

But actually, what I don’t like the MOST about this read is how the entire premise is centered on women putting themselves last. This is even more sus to me considering the author is a man, which I didn’t realize til after I finished. 

**spoilers ahead** 

1.) Chasing a man who obviously isn’t a good fit if he’s up and leaving you girlie. Annoying, intrusive, and self centered. You could go back in time and you went back and gave … literally nothing 

2.) this one was actually fine ig 

3.) sacrifices her own happiness and the life she built for herself to go work for her parents who disowned her for not wanting to manage an inn. I understand the sad circumstances around this but it feels very lazy to just send her home, rather than working on a more complex solution that allows her to retain the independence she worked so hard for. 

4.) brings a child into the world knowing that she will not make it and putting all her friends and family in the position to deal with the consequences. Including the actual. Literally sacrificing herself lol. The story ending did NOT make it worth it for me. 

Overall, I rated this 2⭐️. I liked the supporting characters. I liked the vibe and the aesthetic I built in my mind for the cafe. I loved, and was so excited for this concept - but the execution fell flat.