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

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I really loved the idea for this book—time travel, a touch of magic, set in a coffee shop…it should have been perfect! I did really like the short story format where the characters are loosely connected. This made it really easy to pick up, read a story, and put back down (especially while I was also reading other things). 
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I found the first story about the lovers to be really annoying. I struggle with the miscommunication trope in general, and I really had a hard time with how the woman views herself within this relationship. I had to put this book down for a while after finishing this particular story, though I did eventually come back to it. 
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I enjoyed the other stories a bit more. However, I did not feel a deep connection to any of the characters. The messages in the stories also seemed really traditional/old fashioned, and I didn’t always appreciate that. 
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Ultimately, I’m disappointed this one didn’t work for me. 
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