I’m behind where I want to be on book reviews for the back half of the year and I want to be caught up for the new year. So we’re going to post some reviews speed-dating style. If I have lots to say, I’ll go into more detail, but for some of the middle of the road reads for the year, I’ll keep my thoughts brief.
What it’s about:
Before The Coffee Gets Cold is a novel made up of a handful of interwoven tales all revolving around a small, Japanese coffee shop that has a magical seat that can transport the sitter to a different time (within the confines of the coffee shop.) The main caveat is that the traveler must return before their cup of coffee gets cold. I should note, this isn’t really a sci-fi time traveling book, but rather a really beautiful, human look at life and love, that explores it’s subjects through a lens that’s similar to the idea of “things I wish I had said sooner.” I won’t get into too much detail about the stories as they are short and can easily be spoiled, but if you’re anything like me as a reader, it might make sense to have a box of tissues somewhere nearby because some of the topics covered in this short novel can hit very close to the heart.
Why I decided to read it:
Not gonna lie: I really liked the cover and I thought that the title was intriguing. Also, I’ve been reading more translated works lately, so I decided to give it a go. I went into this totally blind and had no idea what to expect – I 100% did not think that it was a book of heartfelt stories, so it caught me off guard. (But in the best of ways.)
The Pros:
- This stories in this book are absolutely gorgeous. The interconnectedness is well thought out, the stories hit right to the heart of some of the things that make us human, and reading this feels like you are sitting at another seat in the coffee shop witnessing it all for yourself. It comes alive around you.
- The book has all the makings of a single-sitting read. It’s well paced, the stories keep you turning the page and wanting to know what’s next, and it’s not a door-stopper of a novel.
- It’s really well translated. I feel like that’s maybe a bit of a silly thing to mention, but it didn’t feel like there was anything lost in translation or that felt confusing.
The Cons:
- The marketing of this book felt a bit off. I think the marketing leaned a bit more heavily on the time-traveling bit, when I think the reality of it is that the time-travel is just a means to an end when it comes to the story being told. I’ve seen some critiques about how the time travel rules work and I think they are fair critiques, but I think this is actually less a story about time travel and more a story about relationships throughout life. And I think if you’re going into this story based off some of the marketing, you’re going to be disappointed.
Final Thoughts:
I loved this book and, up until just a few days ago (it’s December 8 as I’m writing this), it was my only 5 star book of the year. I loved the reflection on relationships and some of the subject matter really struck a chord with me, which was a pleasant surprise. I don’t know what I thought this book was when I opened the cover, but it was entirely different than I anticipated and I am so glad that it was. At some point, I’m sure I will dive into the other coffee shop stories by this author, but until then, I’ll keep recommending it to people around me looking for good reads.
