Review by amyradak - Before the Coffee Gets Cold

amyradak 's review for:

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2.25

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was 'meh' for me. The reader follows 4 different people who come to the Funiculi Funicula cafe to travel back (or forward) in time and relive/live one last moment with a loved one before/after a painful change happens. I have to admit that I did tear up at two of the different stories - one about a wife who goes back to visit her husband before his Alzheimer's progresses and another about a mom who travels into the future to see the daughter she never gets to watch grow up. But aside from the occasional tug on my heart strings, I didn't find the book particularly captivating - the cafe didn't feel like a place I'd want to visit, and the 'cherish your moments with everyone you love because you never know when they will be taken away from you' message seemed a bit heavy handed. I don't feel like I need to read the sequels to this book.

Content Warnings