Before The Coffee Gets Cold (Coffee Series Bk 1) Reissue

There's a tenderness to this book that I found completely disarming. Toshikazu Kawaguchi writes about love and heartbreak with real honesty — no clichés, no easy resolutions, just beautifully observed human experience. I hugged my copy when I finished it, which I realise sounds odd, but there it is. Five stars.

I've been shopping at Crossword stores for years but only recently started using their website regularly — crosswordbookstores.com has genuinely impressed me. The catalogue is enormous, the filters work well, and the curated reading lists are a great discovery tool. Ordered this along with a couple of others and everything arrived together, well-packed and right on time. Between the book and the shopping experience, five stars all the way.

There are 4 layered stories which are set in the small, mysterious, time-travelling, magical cafe in Tokyo named Funiculi Funicula. There are : lovers (Fumika & Goro), husband-wife (Fusagi and Kohtake - a very touching story), sisters (Hirai & Kumi) & mother-child (Kei & Miki). Each story is unique, interrelated, and deeply personal. The character's (with their past and current situations) journey are relatable. Noted Japanese home structure, climatic conditions, decor of the cafe, staff (helpful and kind) in the cafe, i.e.., Kazu, Kei and Nagare. In the cafe, one can find the rules. These are: 1) The only people one can meet while visiting the past who have visited the cafe and once the coffee is poured., 2) One cannot change the present life., 3) in order to return the past, one have to seat in that seat and to be alone., 4) while back in the past, one must stay in the seat and not to ve moved., 5) There is a time limit (one must return before the coffee gets cold).

I don't usually cry at books but this one got me completely. Toshikazu Kawaguchi has written something that is genuinely moving without being manipulative — the emotions feel earned, the characters feel real, and the story left me thinking about it for days afterwards. Beautiful in every sense.

"Before The Coffee Gets Cold" is a poignant exploration of love and regret, cleverly woven around a mystical café where patrons can travel back in time. Toshikazu Kawaguchi's tender storytelling invites readers to ponder life's what-ifs, offering a heartfelt journey that lingers long after the last sip of coffee.