3 Review(s)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series is a heartwarming and thought-provoking collection of novels centered around a small café in Tokyo, where customers have the unique opportunity to travel through time. However, there are strict rules they must follow, and the biggest challenge is returning before their coffee gets cold. Each book in the series explores themes of love, loss, regret, and hope.1. Before the Coffee Gets ColdThe first book introduces the mysterious café, Funiculi Funicula, and its time-traveling chair. Through four interconnected stories, customers revisit their past or see glimpses of the future, but they cannot change events—only their understanding of them.2. Tales from the CaféThis sequel brings new characters with their own reasons for traveling through time. As they wrestle with regrets and unspoken words, the café's mystical powers help them find closure and meaning.3. Before Your Memory FadesExpanding beyond Tokyo, the third book takes readers to a café in Hakodate, offering another chance for time travel. As new visitors seek answers, they must confront their emotions and the limitations of the past.4. Before We Say GoodbyeThe latest book deepens the emotional impact of the series, following new characters who must make peace with their pasts before their coffee cools. This installment offers an uplifting yet bittersweet reflection on the importance of farewells.