Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Bookseller recommendation

“Human nature, human desire, and magical realism at its finest, with a setting seemingly destined to be performed on stage. We follow customers and staff of a café rumored to allow quick trips to the past. The intricate rules and restrictions weed out all but the desperate. At times lighthearted and familiar and yet, equally heartbreaking. A look into the lives, hopes, dreams, and fears of a group of ordinary folks with an extraordinary opportunity. These stories will stay with me for years to come. ”

— Ashlee • Vroman's Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“This was the most interesting and wholesome take on time travel I have ever read. Everything in the world is totally normal, but if you sit in a specific seat in a specific cafe in Tokyo, you can travel back in time. There are some rules in order to time travel, but my favorite one? You can only stay in the past for as long as your coffee is warm. This charming and emotional story of four different women teaches about the importance of making the most with the time you’re given.”

— Lauren Suidgeest • Schuler Books

Bookseller recommendation

“In a Tokyo back alley, in a basement, there is a cafe where you can travel back to the past. There are rules that you need to follow through, and you need to come back to the present before your coffee gets cold. This book seems more like a series of vignettes following people's trips into the past. The question is, what really changes when you go back? Is it you or the future? This is a refreshing take on time travel, reminiscent of magical realism. It is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants an ethereal read. ”

— Izzy • Off the Beaten Path

Bookseller recommendation

“There is a small cafe in Tokyo where you can travel through time. But there are rules. Rules that dissuade most of those who come to the cafe after hearing its legend. And there are regular customers who come with no intention of traveling through time.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a feel-good listen that tells the story of some of those cafe regulars whose minds are eventually changed by their lives’ circumstances. The reasons for their journeys are varied, but all are compelled by an unyielding desire to unite with a loved one in a different time. Kawaguchi has imagined a complex and wonderfully creative set of rules for time travel in the cafe, so much so that they become central to the story and character development. He smoothly reveals the hearts and lives of each of his characters against the backdrop of the time-travel rules and the mysterious yet legendary cafe.

There are lovers, sisters, mother and daughter, husband and wife, and a ghost. Uniting them all are love, sorrow, regret, redemption, and most of all, hope. This uplifting tale of human connections is especially worth the listen in our current time of pandemic and feelings of isolation.”

— Nancy • Raven Book Store

Bookseller recommendation

“Come visit The Café located in Tokyo. Featuring delicious drinks, yummy treats, and...time travel? In this cozy and tender novel this cafe's customers will experience the frustrating moments of transtemporal travel, and the bittersweet outcomes of their journeys. Fans of Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories will devour this book!”

— Courtney • Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“If you had a chance to travel in time, would you? Even if there were multiple rules that must be followed, including you cannot change the present, and the cost of breaking the rules means losing your life. Would you do it? In Before the Coffee gets Cold, you follow four different customers who have come to a coffee shop, hidden in the alleys of Tokyo, for the chance to experience just one moment in time. What would be so important that you would be willing to take that chance? The opportunity to see your true love one more time, to find the answer to a question long forgotten, or to see a loved one taken too soon. If you are looking for a heartwarming tale about reflecting on the past and embracing the future, Before the Coffee gets Cold is your next read. So go grab a coffee, and remember to drink it before it gets cold.”

— Gretchen • Fiction Addiction

Bookseller recommendation

“If you could go back in time, would you? Even if the parameters for your trip were very strict? The people who visit this cafe with the desire of going back in time do so for their own reasons. This book is such a cozy and calm look at time travel, at what people so desperately want a chance to revisit, and maybe therefore what matters are closest to their hearts.”

— Amy • Changing Hands

Bookseller recommendation

“What if you could go back in time, and all it took was the price of a cup of coffee? Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a fun and touching speculative tale revolving around an innocuous café that not only offers friendly service and delicious homemade butter, but an unamusing way to revisit the past; the only caveat is that you must finish your coffee before it gets cold…or else. Originally published in Japanese, this English translation retains most of the cultural charm from the original text, offering Fantasy Island vibes in an indoor setting. From its revolving cast of characters who seek the rumors of a café that can transport them back in time, to its Japanese flavor, Before the Coffee Gets Cold simply hits the spot.”

— Nicholas • Mysterious Galaxy Books