Stunning slice of life. This is the most perfect short novel I have encountered. Discussed at length with colleagues and customers, this beautiful book can and should be enjoyed by all readers.

Tender storytelling that touches on heavy subject matter in an honest and thoughtful way. Instant favourite.

A beautiful and deep, thought provoking set of stories, but unfortunately the writing style wasn’t quite for me! It read a bit like a theatre play and I felt I couldn’t quite connect with it

Received the audiobook ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, so here it is. If you had the chance to go back in time, would you? 'Before The Coffee Gets Cold' is a heart-achingly gorgeous tale of time-travel split into four mini stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I've just started the second book in the series. (albeit the ebook version on my Kindle rather than the audiobook). I can't wait to read more from this author as time goes on.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a short but heartbreaking piece of translated fiction which will warm your heart and break it all over again.

In this quiet coffee shop in Tokyo we follow four different stories of time travel where participants can experience the past for as long as their coffee remains warm. However, their journey to the past will not affect the present and they can only travel back to the cafe and the seat they are in.

The characters were very charming and the relationships between them were perfectly crafted, creating touching stories of love and loss.

The audiobook was spectacularly narrated by Arina Li, who really brought both the story to life and tears to my eye so much so that I’m hoping to continue this series via audiobook format.

Overall an easy but warm read that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a beautifully written, cosy piece of literature, especially this autumn.

I have actually read this book before, and I wanted to give its audiobook a try, and oh my goodness. I found it very comforting, and the narrator had such a soothing, calm voice that lowered my heart rate. Japanese literature has a special place in my heart, and I am so glad this audiobook didn't let me down. 5/5 stars.

This book has been on my radar for quite some time and so when my sister lent it to me, and I acquired the audiobook in the same week, I thought I'd pick it up for one of my 'small book September' reads.

Before the coffee gets cold is a short and sweet tale set in a charming and quirky Japanese cafe. This cafe has the interesting perk of being able to send its patrons back in time -but only if they stick to the many specific rules. These include sitting in one particular seat, and making sure to finish their coffee before it gets cold. Kawaguchi writes of four separate thought provoking and emotional tales of love and loss; the characters lightly woven into each other's stories. I wasn't a fan of a few of the tales and how they panned out. I was particularly frustrated by the last one. Both of them dealt with themes of (unnecessary, I feel) sacrifice by a female character - which actually now I think about it, was a theme throughout all four stories.

I found the dialogue a little clunky and forced at times, which made sense when I read somewhere that the book was originally written as a play. It felt a little repetitive at times and overdone with physical descriptions which meant I zoned out in parts when listening - I thought the narrator did a good job though.

I initially felt this was a nice wholesome read - it is on the surface - and there were a few heart warming and poignant moments, but ended up feeling like it didn't quite hit the spot for me overall. I'm glad I finally read it, but I'm not sure I will be rushing to pick up the others in the series any time soon.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook ARC in return for an honest review.

I accept that I'm in the minority here, but unfortunately this just wasn't a book for me. Although the premise sounded interesting, I felt like it didn't really engage particularly deeply with its own constructed world and as a result, it all felt very surface level in the end.

As an audiobook listen, I was satisfied enough with the narrator. However, sadly, I didn't feel any emotional connection to any of the characters, which meant that each tale left me bored rather than engaged with the outcome of their visit to the past. In addition, because of the style of the narrative, the book often felt repetitive: it seemed to continuously reiterate the same descriptions and "rules" of the time travel. Although I don't doubt the latter was intended to be helpful, I found this irritating more than anything else.

Overall for me, I found myself unmoved by this. The book clearly was setting out to pull at some heartstrings, but in the end it felt forced, and ultimately left me more disengaged rather than moved.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a book with stories within the story. I’m a little conflicted; on the one hand I found the premise of time travel from a cafe intriguing, on the other, this USA very slow and reflective work which meanders. I found it difficult to follow on occasion, but realised that I had to approach it with an open mind rather than a specific expectation.

It involves a cafe owner and three other characters. Travel back in time is conditional upon returning before the coffee gets cold. The cafe owner is the common link as these takes interweave and the travellers reflect upon the past and how it’s affected their lives. It’s an unusual tale; feels very well translated and I suspect I’d get more from it if I listened to it again. Parts are compelling other bits are a little slow and too introspective. On balance, I can’t quite give it 4* but it’s certainly a 3.5. Maybe I’ll change that if I hear it again in a different frame of mind. Narration throughout is excellent.

I tried to read the ebook of this a few years ago and never got past the first 30% for some reason, but when I started the audiobook I finished it in a day. This is another lovely piece of Japanese speculative fiction that dives into our relationship with time and the regrets that we carry through life. I was surprised by the fact that there were three main characters who wanted to travel into the past, (I thought the story would only focus on one), but this actually worked well. We got to see how the coffee shop owners connected everyone together, and how each of the three had realisations about what was important to them in life, and how they should move forward.

At times, this is a really moving tale, and a very gentle piece of fiction. Not everything gets explained (we never really find out how the woman in the chair came to be there or why she's always in the cafe), but in a way this actually augmented the mystery of the story. I'm so glad I finally read this, and I can see why it's a very well-liked novel.

This was fun and definitely a cozy read! Didi I love it? No. Would I recommend it? Yes, it’s nice palet cleanser in my opinion. Will I read the other books? Probably not. The 4 stories told were interesting but I feel like they reminded a bit surface level. We got to meet a lot of different characters, which was nice, but I ended up getting a bit lost between all the names, especially in audio format (I feel like it’s easier to commit a name to memory when you see it, rather than hearing it). Out of the 4 stories, my favorites were the first two although they’re all pretty good and enjoyable to read since it’s very much « no thoughts, head empty ». I feel like the translation was pretty good or at least transcribed the very cozy vibes of those stories (I don’t speak a word of Japanese so there’s that) but I also feel like English may not be the best language to translate Japanese to since it doesn’t have a more « polite » form to address older/important people like French or German do; therefore not depicting some of the relationships exactly like they were in the original language (pure speculation, as I say, I don’t know much about Japanese). A nice rec for the fall season between all those spooky reads! 3.25 stars

This book got a lot of hype and I was very intrigued by the summary of the story. A cafe that lets you travel in time? I'm in! So I started with excitement but unfortunately the slow pace of the story didn't manage to hold my interest for very long.

The narrator of this audiobook did a very good job immersing the listener into the atmospheric mystery of the story and the story itself started by giving bits and pieces of the background of this whimsical though ordinary looking cafe. It never goes into full detail and prefers to explain the rules of time travel through characters stories and interactions which is a feat for the writer. We know that a miracle is happening there but we do not know why or how or when exactly did this start happening there.

The mystery is the best aspect of this book but alas it is so slow that inevitably it became tedious. After the first shock of urban magic appears, the events of the story seem to be repeating themselves and the protagonist's inner monologue (thinking about the decisions she needs to make but doesn't seem to make) turn the whole thing tiresome. Unfortunately i didn't manage to finish this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this audiobook.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold follows is about a time travelling cafe in Tokyo, where 4 different people make use of the cafe’s peculiar magic. There are a few rules though, one being that they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold.

I loved every story within this story; I felt so connected to the four different people that we follow. Each story/experience felt unique and profound in its own way. I really enjoyed this.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan UK Audio and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been on my radar for so long and I never had the reason to pick it up before. All the reviews have always noted that this is a cozy, soulful read and honestly, I don't how else to refer to this either. Before the Coffee gets Cold is structured as multiple stories within a master story. All stories revolve around a Cafe, its owners, employees and customers. This café has an urban legend around it which says, that a seat in here will let you travel in time! can you imagine that! But this comes with a good few rules that maintains the space - time continuum.

Time travel is such an overused, yet underused trope and this book uses it so perfectly. The way I would explain the feeling this book gave me would be that it opened up fissures in my soul with mundane, everyday stories of life, joy, loss, grief and hope. After which it put me together filling my fissures with Gold as if by Kintsugi.

The narrator was brilliant with pacing and tone. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy read or as cliché as it is, for a book to read in café with a piping hot cup of coffee. I honestly, cannot wait to pick up the rest of the books in the series.

A quiet coffee shop tucked into a side street in Tokyo, this coffee shop can return you to the past. But here’s the crutch. The past you go back to must pertain to the coffee shop itself, and when you do go back the future cannot or will not be changed. In this book we encounter a woman who left behind the man she loved, another seeking a letter from her ill husband , and a mother-to- be just told she might not survive her birth. This book allows us to rectify past mistakes and provide hope or closure to parts of our lives.

This book did very well at crafting a familiar narrative without trivialising it. By having a time travelling theme with rules in place, it’s v much a book that teaches us to be honest about our feelings as opposed to trying to change the past. As a book itself it was very wholesome. It is of no surprise that many people enjoy this book.

As for the narrator I was slightly ambivalent. I dont know if the narrators energy effected my response to the story, just because the tone of voice didn’t feel like it was quite matching what was being said, so because of that I didn’t find myself resonating with it until half way through.

Nonetheless it was a very enjoyable, touching book.

I'd seen this book in a few places and loved listening to the audio version. There's a particular seat in the cafe where you can sit to go back to the past, but it comes with lots of stipulations, including only going back to the same seat and not leaving the seat and not allowing the cup of coffee to go cold. It was in four large chapters and was like a play with different acts and I believe it was a play before being turned into a novel. The final act had interesting twists and I'd be intrigued enough to want to read the follow-up novels. An excellent translation with great narration.

This is one of my favourite books ever. It's comforting, but heartbreaking all the same. The narrator for this audiobook really made the characters feel real to me, and added a lot to an already beloved book.

Before the coffee gets cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This book has me a little conflicted as it is not the normal book type that I am used to. I found it a little hard to keep up with as an audio book ( and felt that I would be much better suited to reading this as a physical copy) and did not over all enjoy the way characters kept coming in and out of other chapters but again this is just a personal dislike, as from reading a lot of other reviews on this book I can see that I am very outnumbered in this opinion and in fact this is something that a lot of others readers really enjoyed about the wring style.

Thanks so much Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the chance to give my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was beautiful written! Listening to the audio was amazing and you felt the pain all through the audio.
I cried, laughed and smiled.
I can’t wait to listen to the rest of the series!
Thank you for giving me a copy of this, I much appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s ‘Before The Coffee Gets Cold’ is a touching exploration of the complexities of time and human emotions. Translated beautifully from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, the novel introduces us to a quaint coffee shop in Tokyo, where patrons have the extraordinary opportunity to travel back in time. Through four interconnected short stories, we meet ordinary individuals burdened with unfulfilled desires and unresolved relationships, all seeking solace in the past. The book delves deep into the essence of regret, questioning its impact on our lives and relationships. This narrative slice-of-life captures the heartache and yearning that often accompany the passage of time, leaving readers with a poignant and contemplative experience.

Unlike conventional genres, ‘Before The Coffee Gets Cold’ offers a unique perspective on human emotions. It neither dazzles with fantastical elements nor thrills with suspenseful plots; instead, it presents the raw emotions and regrets that make us human. The characters’ diverse experiences and motivations resonate deeply, prompting readers to reflect on their own past and contemplate the meaning of regret. The novel’s brilliance lies in its ability to evoke genuine emotions through simple interactions and conversations. While some nuances may be lost in translation, the essence of the stories remains intact, leaving room for thought-provoking discussions.

After learning this novel was originally a play, I can see how Kawaguchi’s narrative style would be well-suited for the stage, and the book’s reflective nature would be captivating to witness in a theatrical adaptation. ‘Before The Coffee Gets Cold’ doesn’t leave readers on the edge of their seats, but it does touch the heart and prompt introspection. It’s a book that invites you to savor its quiet moments, pairing well with a warm cup of coffee on a cozy evening. As we eagerly await the sequels, this novel stands as a testament to the power of human emotions, reminding us that time may be fleeting, but its impact on our lives is enduring.”

It took me a while to get into this as it's very different from what I normally read but I'm glad I took the time to read it. I really enjoyed this book I couldn't put it down the more I read. It was another cozy read I enjoyed and I will definitely be picking up more books from this author.