Beautifully magical. I loved this book, so easy to melt into and relax. If you love cats, you’ll adore The full moon coffee shop by Mai Mochizuki. 4/5

I received the audio to listen along to as I read. The narration was excellent, and added authenticity.

This was an unusual story as I'd expect from a mystical Japanese translation. I enjoyed seeing how all of the characters were interconnected, although with so many of them, and a lot of them interacting separately, I found it a little hard at times to keep track of who was who - perhaps more so reading the audiobook rather than print book. I'm not so much into star signs and astrology but it was interesting to hear the coffee shop folks speak of different stages of life associated with different meanings and how this affected the characters. I was confused by the changing workers in the coffee shop and perhaps would have liked a smaller cast to keep up. The snippets into the characters' struggles really set out different problems we'd face in life and could offer some reassurance that they can be overcome.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This is Japanese fantasy fiction that reveres cats by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, primarily set in Tokyo. I listened to it on audio, approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes long, and narrated by Sadao Ueda,Tomoko Komura, and Yuriri Naka, which was mostly fine but there were occasions when it was hard to make out what was being said. A seemingly random set of characters, all with issues, feeling lost, find themselves at the magical The Full Moon Coffee Shop, which appears out of nowhere, run by talking cats. They dispense alternative perspectives, insights, wisdom and advice based on astrology and their customers specific birth charts and houses, helping to nudge each of the troubled souls in the right direction for them, whilst offering them particular drinks and other yummy delights.

However, these are characters, with a past history that slowly emerges which connects them all, none of this is coincidental, the fates are at work here. This was a okay and light listen, but I never felt fully immersed in either the characters or the storytelling. As this was not very long, I saw it through to the end, but feel it lacked the depth and complexity that I would have appreciated. I can recommend the audio. No doubt there will be other readers who will love this more, so please read other reviews. Many thanks to Octopus Audio for an ALC.

This was my only 2nd time listening to an audiobook, 1st on Netgalley though.

I enjoyed the story and the warmth at it's heart. The characters were all related to each other at some points in their lives and the way their paths cross was done beautifully. The cats were fascinating yet simply amusing too. I enjoyed the Full Moon Coffee Shop, the wonderful treats and clarity it gave it's visitors.

The audio narration I wish was more emotive and flowed better.

This was nothing like I expected and such a joy.

The tone, pacing and cadence of each of the stories was unique, yet they gentle wove together to create this gorgeous photo of an almost ethereal conclusion.

The narrators were lovely as well.

A beautiful magical realism story that blends what I personally see as self help ideas with the magic of kindness to animals specifically cats.

As a friend to cats I absolutely belive that if you are kind to them they bring you happiness after taking in 2 strays I don't think I need more evidence... the story takes place in a magical cafe where cats serve you drinks and snacks based on your needs... without giving away to much of the storyline I think fir myself it's pretty safe to say that enjoyed listening to the advice and ideas the cats had and some of it hit home quite hard to me. I like to think it might have changed me for the better 🧡🧡🧡🧡 I don't think I'll ever forget this story... I have 2 tuxedo cats myself and I will never look at them in the same way again 🧡🌟

Thankyou to netgalley for this arc I very much enjoyed it.

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Really enjoyed this audio. Not my usual type of listen and very unexpected. Reminded me somewhat of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, hoping this book has as much success. The premise of the book was so interesting and really drew me in, I finished it in 2 days. The plot and character development was also great and a welcome change in terms of being different to what I usually listen to. Look forward to more from the author

I loved this audiobook and it was a brilliant experience listening to it, plus the narrator was excellent. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the audiobook.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story. I don’t read much fantasy or Japanese literature and it’s often good to push the genre boundaries. Maybe I’m missing something, but this just didn’t work for me. It’s three interlinked stories tied by a pop up coffee shop run by cats. Add a large dollop of astrology to the mix and the whole became something of a jumble. Each person is somewhat lost and looking for new direction. The cats proffer wisdom and advice, but rathe than being depicted as the enigmatic and wise creatures they are, they came across as cartoon characters. I’m interested in Astrology, but this weighed too heavily and added little to exploration of the characters and their predicaments. Some of the writing was simplistic, but I don’t know if that’s down to style or translation.

I listened to the audio version in one sitting and found the narration acceptable but uninspired. I’m at a loss to understand why this title has achieved cult status. I listened to the end hoping it would improve, but I can’t say I enjoyed this book in any way,

I'm so glad I was granted a review copy of this lovely book from the publishers. The audiobook is narrated beautifully and it was quite relaxing to hear all the different stories.

My mind did start to wander during the third story, but I liked how it tied with the others and the epilogue was probably favourite part.

Overall, it was a cosy, heartwarming read and one that I'd definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC

This was a very enjoyable collection of interconnected heartwarming stories with a very delightful twist a the end. I loved the magical realism and certain themes and messages really resonated with me.
Astrology plays a big part in this book, I'm not particularly into it and I didn't mind it for the most part, but I can see it being an annoyance.
Audiobook was really good, narrators were excellent.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.