Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Kawaguchi, Toshikazu	4-week checkout	In transit
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Kawaguchi, Toshikazu	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Kawaguchi, Toshikazu	4-week checkout	Due 10-16-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Kawaguchi, Toshikazu	4-week checkout	Due 10-03-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Kawaguchi, Toshikazu	4-week checkout	Due 10-05-2024

"Originally published in Japanese in 2015 as Coffee Ga Samenai Uchimi by Sunmark Publishing, Inc., Tokyo, Japan."--Title page verso.
"First published in 2019 in the United Kingsom by Picador ; This edition published in 2020."--Title page verso.
The lovers -- Husband and wife -- The sisters -- Mother and child.
In a small back alley in Tokyo at a century-old coffee shop rumored to offer patrons the chance to travel back in time, four customers reevaluate their formative life choices.
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers coffee-- and the chance to travel back in time. Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. There are rules that must be followed. And the most important one: the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold. -- adapted from jacket

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Absorbing and heart-wrenching submitted by bookasaurusray on July 27, 2022, 12:24am The more Japanese fiction I read, the more I'm left wanting to read more (minus Murakami, as I could live without ever having to read him again). Even though this book was just over 200 pages, I sobbed more than once. The simplicity of the writing and the beautiful stories within had me reading non-stop. I don't really know what else to add other than, PLEASE READ THIS WITH A BOX OF TISSUES.

Sweet and Sentimental submitted by bll1010 on July 31, 2023, 10:44pm This was a unique and delightful little book! I was moved by each story and found myself thinking about the book after I finished it. Definitely recommend this!

Would recommend submitted by Mtadams on August 15, 2023, 9:00am Four charming stories with the characters interwoven. Good for readers who do not practically like fantasy.

Meh submitted by zwachtel50 on June 14, 2024, 1:15pm Really disappointing. I liked the idea but was not a fan of the execution

Nostalgic and heart-tugging submitted by musicnsneakers on June 15, 2024, 10:52am Simple relationship vignettes through the lens of a chair that lets you travel through time - sort of magical realism book that goes well with a rainy day curled up in a large blanket on the couch; will likely reread this one :)

Not original idea but originally executed. I like it! submitted by elenalibro on June 30, 2024, 3:55am The time travel idea is not extremely original (also considering the book is from 2015) but I loved the little the addition of all the conditions attached and the discussion of the consequences such traveling can carry. Overall I found it easy to read and to like all the characters.

5/5 submitted by kmp009 on July 10, 2024, 11:42am This book is a quick, heartwarming and heartbreaking read. I enjoyed the overlapping stories and am looking forward to the next one in the series

An adequate summer read submitted by sarah fishburn on August 2, 2024, 11:19pm I love the concept of this book but did not really engage until the third (of four) section(s). What I liked: the coffeeshop setting (my family has a coffeeshop), the definite rules for Time Travelers, the community of characters. I have now read several books translated from Japanese, and there is a definite style to them. I recently heard a reading podcaster say, upon finishing a non-fiction book that was originally in Japanese, that although she thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like she learned a fair amount, it could have used an editor as it was quite repetitive. Not sure if that isn't a comment though on the editing, the translation, or simply a distinctive Japanese writing style, but I found it to be true in Before The Coffee Gets Cold as well; odd because the book really isn't that long. Not sorry I read it, but was not as drawn in as I had hoped. Not quite 4 stars, but 3.5 for me. (Should mention I really like the cover art!)