What an absolutely touching novel. The novel is about people who want to speak with someone who has died. The novel is divided into five sections, and we follow characters as they want the medium to contact the person who has left them through death. As someone who has lost several people recently, I was moved by the novel. The novel spoke to me on that level, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to go on that kind of emotional journey.

This was a very poignant and beautiful read as it delves into life and death and the ones who have passed that affected us.

Absolutely spectacular storytelling in vein of Before The Coffee Gets Cold. This is a book that will truly make you feel, told through a series of short stories connected by an emotional core, a great heart to it and depth. Amazing read.

Though I feel there are many books that handle grief in short stories in the world right now, how Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon does it in a way that is so impressive and so tenderly human.

This author has an incredible way with words and how she puts so much feeling and thought into her sentences shines from the very first story in this collection. These characters are easy to connect to and you can feel from the page just how they do in these stories. Hirase's character in the first story is a woman taking inspiration from a woman full of life as she tries to find her own and the relationship between her and her idol - and this connection is written so beautifully.

Each small plot brings these characters to life with a style of writing that has heart and has a very honest way to it. I feel like if you compared this book to others that do similar things, this author brings authenticity to the realisations people make from the meetings they have with those they have lost - I think they also tackle topics that make for such fascinating insights into how people can think.

This author is a spectacular storyteller, I loved reading this.

Definitely will continue to read this author's work in the future!

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc for review).

Lonely Castle in the Mirror is one of my favourite novels of all time, so it wasn't surprising that Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon's thoughtfulness and interconnectedness really worked on me. It's split into 5 episodic chapters, each following a different person who gets in touch with the "go-between" - a person who is able to contact the departed - in order to spend one last night with someone they've lost.

By description, its premise reads familiar to that of Before The Coffee Gets Cold - and look, I know that it's probably frustrating for every Japanese magical realism novel to be compared to the most popular one of the bunch; I almost didn't do it. However, I think Tsujimura's approach to a similar concept of "being able to talk to the dead" works a lot better than the Before The Coffee Gets Cold (I'll abbreviate it to BTC for now) series, personally. Where BTC's episodic tales get repetitive rather fast, each of the tales in Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon feel distinct from each other, most likely due to the first-person narration. It's a testament to Tsujimura's (and the translator, Yuki Tejima's) skill that each voice feels unique from one another, and I also appreciated the one chapter in third-person narration and the effectiveness of that.
Additionally, with BTC, the stories are all pretty much the same structure - a person gets in touch with someone who's passed away and feels happy and satisfied after their meeting. With Lost Souls, Tsujimura takes a more introspective approach, and confronts difficult and thought-provoking truths. Maybe, for example, the departed person you want to meet with isn't happy to see you, and you leave the meeting feeling emptier than you did before - this is a concept explored in the third chapter with Arashi and Misono, and it's the chapter that's stuck with me the most after finishing. That chapter feels like almost the antithesis of BTC's essence; where those tales are designed to be comforting and to tug at your heart-strings, Tsujimura wants to confront the parts of grief that are too difficult to look at directly.
I enjoyed the novel more as it went on - the first two chapters are good, but haven't stuck with me as much as the last three; it really comes into its own as it goes on and can rally delve into what it wants to say. It also approaches a question I never really considered when reading BTC or other similar premises: is it selfish to summon the departed back from the afterlife just to make us feel better? Are we doing it purely for our own gain, without considering the feelings of our loved ones who have passed on? It's such an interesting discussion to bring up, and I'm really glad it did - I felt it explored and dealt with this topic really well.
The way each episodic tale weaves together into a larger narrative is so excellently handled - not surprising if you've read Lonely Castle in the Mirror, which also does so perfectly. The more you read, the more you begin to understand why each story was chosen, and their significance on the wider narrative surrounding the "go-between" and their history, and their legacy. It's all wrapped up together so tightly that I was surprised to learn there was a sequel; while it's unsurprising in this publishing landscape, I honestly don't think it needs one. And that's a compliment!
Overall I really enjoyed this. It loses a star just because I think the first two stories are a little weaker than the rest, but it's still a well-written, introspective approach to this genre of magical realism, and I would really recommend it. I know it's going to stick with me for a long time.

Having loved Lonely Castle in the Mirror, I was granted an eARC of the author’s latest English translation. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon similarly touches on nostalgia and real-life issues with a magical realism touch. The story revolves around the Go-Between, somebody that can summon the deceased at the full moon, for free. The catch is, the deceased can refuse the offer, and they can only be summoned once. Thus begins a tale of four stories.

At first, I was worried that this would feel a little too similar to Before the Coffee Gets Cold or What You’re Looking for Is In The Library, which are also sentimental, translated Japanese fiction novels that have a repetitive feeling with one common thread. This, however, captured my heart with its varied dialogue, meaningful prose and a common thread of memory and longing. Plus, the Go-Between has his own special story. A lovely choice for fans of cosy fiction with hints of magical realism.

Thank you for NetGalley for the book and here is my review!

- magical realism

This book is for people who enjoy deep connection with the characters. We follow different characters with each chapters and each must compromised with grief, loss, death, connection with the people who left them.

It feels like a warm tea, because I feel warmth from each characters with their story. I reflect so much by reading this book, we need to appreciate the one who still alive and we must tell them how to feel.

It is not just the meeting but we also know the background story from each characters and how deep their connection is.

"When a life was lost, who did it belong to? What were those left behind meant to do with the incomprehensible, inescapable loss?"

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is for the lovers of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Lonely Castle in the Mirror. It's for the people who love to find a depth of character in their books that is hard to find elsewhere. It's for the readers who find peace in reading about grief.

Grief is a topic which I don't think anyone will ever tire of discussing. It's so individual and yet so universal. Whilst our lives, and the world moves forward, our loved ones will forever remain stagnant. We move and yet they stay standing on the horizon. Although, emotionally we carry them with us wherever we go. This is exactly what Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is all about.

Through four separate individuals, we encounter the Go-Between. This teenage boy can coordinate meetings between the living and the dead. The thing that is possibly the most finite thing in the world, death, suddenly isn't such a closed book anymore. For each of their own unique reasons, grappling with grief in their own ways, these individuals find their way to the Go-Between to request one final chance and communicating with their loved one who has passed. The heart of this book is the story of the Go-Between himself. Suddenly forced to reckon with his familial legacy, he must either choose a path of social isolation or of grave disappointment.

Tsujimura never fails to write a book that feels like your heart is breaking and being pieced back together at the same time. The comfort I find within her books is otherworldly. The characters she so vividly brings to life linger. I too will emotionally carry them with me wherever I go.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura.

Tsujimura also is the author Lonely Castle in the Mirror which I loved so was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint.

I find a lot of Japanese fiction feels like a warm hug and this was no different, I loved it.

Tales of loss, hope, friendship and grief all come together through the go-between, a person connecting the living with the dying. I love how creative Japanese fiction is and this as different to anything I’d read before.

A mesmerising and deeply moving exploration of grief, memory and the connections that transcend life and death.

When Hirase seeks out the mysterious Go-Between, she expects something otherworldly. Instead, she finds a teenage boy in a duffel coat, carrying nothing but a scuffed notebook. His service is simple yet extraordinary—he allows the living to meet the dead. There is no cost, only rules. The meeting takes place under the full moon. The deceased can be summoned only once. They have the right to refuse.

As the requests unfold, emotions run high. A woman longs to see the TV star who once changed her life. A desperate man seeks the location of his family’s lost land. A grieving friend faces a shocking message from the past. A heartbroken lover searches for the truth behind a vanished fiancée. Each encounter is filled with longing, regret and revelations, yet one question lingers—who is the boy who makes these reunions possible?

Mizuki Tsujimura crafts a beautifully unique and haunting tale that lingers long after the final page. This book does not just tell a story—it invites readers to reflect on love, loss and the power of memory. The translation may feel a little uneven in places, but it does not take away from the sheer brilliance of the storytelling.

If you love books that weave the supernatural with raw human emotion, Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is an unforgettable must-read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a collection of interconnected short stories reminiscent of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I preferred it to other similar books because I felt that the treatment of grief was relevant and sensitive.

The method of meeting the dead introduced was interesting and well thought out. It also meant that there was an engaging main storyline alongside the shorter stories at the start of the book. My favourite aspect was being able to experience each of the short stories from another perspective. Also, some books have a tendency to sugarcoat everything, but this was not the case here. Mizuki Tsujimura didn't shy away from tough topics, which made the stories more realistic and poignant.

In particular, I enjoyed the overall atmosphere. The prose felt reflective, which matched the tone of the story. I was engaged throughout as I wanted to know what happened with each meeting because the setup was cleverly done in each case. This is a strong start to a series, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

"She had a hard time deciding if she should see you too. If she saw you, you would know she was dead. But she said yes... even though she wants to live inside you for ever, even though she wants you to never forget her. She knows that once you see her, you'll forget about her and move on..." [loc. 1732]
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon, first published as Tsunago ('Go-Between') in Japanese in 2010, could be mistaken for another vaguely magical feelgood novel. The premise is that the Go-Between -- a young man, orphaned, named Ayumi -- can set up a meeting between a living person and a dead person. There are, of course, rules: the dead person must agree to the meeting, and neither party can ever arrange another meeting. The meetings take place at a five-star hotel, from sunset to sunrise on the night of the full moon. ('The more intense the moonlight, the longer they can meet' -- but still, sunset to sunrise...)

The first four chapters, or stories, recount four such meetings. Twenty-something office worker Manami Hirase wants to meet Saori Mizushiro, a recently-deceased celebrity whose off-the-cuff comment helped her with her self-confidence; hard-boiled businessman Yasuhiko Hatade has been given the go-between's contact details by his now-dead mother, and pretends he just wants to ask her about her will; schoolgirl Misa Arashi is desperate to see her dead friend Natsu Misono, for whose death she blames herself; Koichi Tsuchiya mourns the only woman he ever loved, Kirari Himukai, but doesn't know whether she is dead or alive.

Each of the stories goes somewhere unexpected, imparting lessons about expectations, about grief, about guilt. (And yes, they do all get to talk to the dead.) But it's only with the fifth chapter of the book, in which we replay these encounters from Ayumi's viewpoint, that the stories become part of a larger narrative: the story of how Ayumi became an orphan and then a go-between, of the history behind that gift (or is it a curse?), and of Ayumi's relationship with his beloved grandmother. It's a story about family and about loss, about expectations and unspoken assumptions, and about how we deal with grief. Is it selfish to want to speak to the dead? Must we let go of those we loved? Can we forgive them, or ourselves?

The translation was mostly smooth, though there were a couple of points where an explanation of a Japanese term felt laboured: I assume that the nonchronological flow of the stories was the author's own. This was a sweet and thoughtful novel, and I think it would be an interesting book club choice: plenty of material for discussion!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy! UK publication date is 3rd April 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for a copy of this arc.

For those who loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold this one’s for you! An interesting, touching, thought provoking read that gives very similar vibes to Before the Coffee Gets Cold. A compilation of short stories within a wider story, that all link together, centring around love and grief, with a roller coaster of emotions.

It was very interesting how the storyline not only focused on individual stories and characters but the main plot cleverly interwoven for readers to pick up. It was heartbreaking and heartfelt, gripping me from start to finish with well thought out characters & connections. However, while I really enjoyed the storyline, I didn’t really feel connected to many of the characters and found the end section very repetitive. I also felt like the “main event” of each of the meetings between characters could have been a bit longer. Even though they had the whole night it felt like it was rushed and over very quickly. Or maybe make the backstories shorter to balance it out?

Overall a interesting read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this type of magical realism but wouldn’t be my top, first choice

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon explores grief with a unique perspective, focusing on the emotional turmoil of longing to reunite with loved ones who've passed while they may have already found peace. Mizuki Tsujimura's thought-provoking narrative and the concept of the go-between who doesn't charge for their services makes it a deeply moving read, even though the translation occasionally feels awkward.

'When a life is lost, who did it belong to? What were those left behind meant to do with the incomprehensible, inescapable loss?'

In "Lost Souls Meet Under A Moon," bereft individuals reach out to a 'go-between' who facilitates a final encounter between the living client and their deceased loved one. They are granted a few precious hours together. As readers, we have the honour of accompanying the characters on this intimate and sensitive odyssey.

This book is absolutely beautiful. It brims with love, respect, sorrow, and depth. It is probably one of the finest books I have encountered in quite some time. Reading it felt reminiscent of All Of Us Strangers.

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura is a collection of interconnected stories, all linked by a mysterious “Go-Between” service that allows the living to reunite with the deceased for one night under a full moon. Each story explores themes of grief, guilt, and the desire for closure, gradually revealing deeper connections between the characters.

The book gave me major Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes, both in structure and tone. The way all the stories tied together added so much charm, and my favourite had to be the chapters about the two high school friends.

While I did prefer Lonely Castle in the Mirror, they’re quite different books. Lost Souls is more understated and reflective, whereas Lonely Castle felt more immersive and emotionally impactful for me.

Overall it’s gentle, endearing and definitely worth picking up!

In Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon, Tsujimura introduces us to a host of characters both dead and alive. Many of the characters were easy to empathise with but I enjoyed that Tsujimura also included less likeable characters as it created a balance and reflected the real world and solidified the moral message of the story more than a cast of only good characters would have done.

Initially, I found the endings of each chapter a little abrupt but quickly became accustomed to the swift changes from one story to the next. The scene setting created by the explanations of the relationships before the meetings took place allowed me to build up an expectation of how the meeting itself would go but I was often surprised by the turn of events.

I'd love to read the follow up and will be recommending Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon to others.

A collection of 5 short stories that revolves around meeting those who are dead via 'the go-between' on the basis that the living and departed are only allowed one meeting in their lifetime on the night of a full moon at a specific hotel.

As with other novels in this genre vein the book tackles the tricky topic of grief and perhaps more importantly how grief affects people differently and how ultimately it is always closure of accepting that the person has passed on, that helps people to move on.

An intriguing read and in my opinion tackles a tricky subject matter in a respectful manner.

Synopsis: Calling himself the go-between, Ayumi lays down strict rules around the meetings between the living and the dead: the deceased cannot have been summoned by anyone else; they may refuse; and they must meet under a full moon.

I had extremely high hopes for this novel, having loved 'Lonely Castle in the Mirror' so much.
This book truly delivered and exceeded expectations. It was heartfelt and gentle, sweet and endearing. I loved learning about the character relationships and the reasons for choosing the people they did. And also learning about Ayumi and his family.

It was great. This cemented my love for Tsujimura - must-buy author for me!

This book was very touching, in someways very magical. I enjoyed all the individual stories, showing the different sides to humans in their grief. I loved how the stories all came together in the end and we got to see behind the scenes of the go-between. It was a very nice book to read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with this arc.