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

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

There is a simplistic nostalgia in Kawaguchi’s writing that I can’t help but fall in love with.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold is a unique twist on time travel limited to the small antique comfort of a café. The characters cannot change the present but the future holds endless possibilities and the willingness to do anything for love is absolutely heart wrenching. Although The Lovers, Husband & Wife, The Sisters and Mother & Child all have their own background stories and motives, their one commonality is that this little café houses an infinite love for each of them. 

I did not expect to cry but my tears were well deserved. Thank you, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, for allowing my heart to receive this story and for opening my mind to the wonders of magical realism.