Before We Forget Kindness Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series 5 by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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Web ID: 20312205Cozy comfy read
There is something so comforting the way this book is written. The story premise is original. I honestly haven't read anything like it. It's not something I would usually pick up. But I wasn't disappointed. I would recommend this to a few of my friends who would definitely enjoy this book. I have a cousin who is a fan and has read the previous books and I sure he'd be happy to read it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Before We Forget Kindness
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is another beautiful, introspective addition to the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series—a collection of interconnected time-travel stories that are more about healing and forgiveness than rewriting fate. By now, the rules of the mysterious café are familiar: you can visit the past, but nothing you do will change the future. The only thing that changes is you. And once again, Kawaguchi masterfully uses this premise to tell stories that are cozy, poignant, and quietly devastating. The four new visitors to the café each bring a unique emotional weight to their journeys. The father who refuses to accept his daughter’s choice to marry, the woman who carries unspoken feelings in the form of uneaten Valentine’s Day chocolates, the boy caught in the chasm between divorced parents, and the mother with a nameless child in her arms—each story gently peels back the layers of their sorrow and regret, showing us what happens when we’re brave enough to confront the past instead of burying it. Kawaguchi has a gift for making ordinary moments feel profound. A simple conversation over coffee becomes a life-altering revelation. A word left unsaid can echo for years, haunting someone’s future. His writing is restrained, almost deceptively simple, but it carries immense emotional power. The dialogue feels authentic, especially in the quiet pauses where his characters hesitate, caught between grief and hope. You can feel the weight of everything they’ve left unsaid pressing down on them—and the quiet relief when they finally speak. What makes this fifth installment particularly memorable is its exploration of kindness—not the grand, performative kind, but the small acts of grace that ripple outward. Kawaguchi seems to be reminding us that kindness, whether to ourselves or to others, is something fragile and easily forgotten. His characters’ journeys aren’t about fixing the past but about finding the courage to offer themselves forgiveness and understanding. It’s bittersweet but never bleak—there’s always a flicker of light, even in the saddest stories. The only critique I’d offer is that, as the fifth entry in the series, the formula is starting to feel a little familiar. The rules of the café, the ritual of pouring the coffee, and the recurring theme of closure can feel a bit repetitive if you’ve read the previous books back-to-back. However, that same familiarity can also be comforting, like revisiting an old friend who you know will always have a warm cup waiting for you. At 4 stars, Before We Forget Kindness continues the series' legacy of gentle, cathartic storytelling. It’s a quiet reminder of how precious our connections to others are and how important it is to be kind to ourselves and those we love. If you’re already a fan of Kawaguchi’s time-travel café, this book will feel like coming home. And if you’re new to the series, you’ll find yourself enchanted by its blend of magical realism and emotional truth. Either way, it’s a story that will linger with you long after the coffee cools.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
heart warming
Before We Forget Kindness written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi tells stories about people who have come to a mysterious cafe to travel back in time. I have not read any books by this author but will definitely look for the other four in this series. This book can be read as a standalone. Each of the characters are introduced and developed within the corresponding stories. There are four stories within this book, four people who want to time travel. Each for their own reasons. Each story is heartwarming and heartbreaking in many ways. This review does not do justice to this book. It is one of my favorite reads of 2024. One of the very few five-star reads this year. - The father who could not allow his daughter to get married - A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one - A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents - A wife holding a child with no name
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Kindness is Underrated
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review. Genre: Asian Literature, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Japanese Literature Language: A couple of words were said but nothing overly vulgar Spice Level: Kissing Representation: This seems obvious, but the characters are Japanese. There is also one gay character Format: One thread pulls the story together, but it's really a series of vignettes or short stories. You do not need to read the previous books to understand this one. BEFORE WE FORGET KINDNESS is perfect reading for warm and cozy feelings, and the right length for a commute read / listen. Why go back to the past if it won't change the future? That was my biggest question. Kawaguichi explores regret and how changing what we say maybe doesn't change the future, but it changes our perceptions and feeling of closure. I thought each of the characters' goals were interesting. There's one dealing with a child that made me teary too. The sense of belonging and all coming to the right ending is wonderful. This is something I've found in Japanese literature—a sense of space and time to ruminate and become easy with who you are. This is a thoughtful book and delightful. Happy reading!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Another fabulous book in the series!
This is the 5th book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. I was so happy to discover there was another book to read. Cafe Funiculi Funicula is back providing the backdrop for people to travel back or forward in time to face unresolved issues from their past. There are four different stories in this installment, and they will make you smile, cry, rejoice, celebrate, mourn and understand, at least partially, life’s challenges. There are lessons learned, but not the lessons people expect to learn. Time is precious, and the cafe and its magical abilities allow the characters to gain a better understanding of their life situations. Things aren’t always as they perceive them to be.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
series
Four heartwarming stories of people who travel to a past time to see people they have unresolved issues with. While it will not change what happened, it gives them closure and the ability to move on with their lives. #Before We Forget Kindness #HarlequinTradePublishing #HanoverSquarePress
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
New To The Series And Hooked!
Thank you Toshikazu Kawaguchi and the publisher for an e-ARC via NetGalley🫶🏼 This is my first time reading on of the books from this series and I was pleasantly surprised. Each of the stories, as the title alludes, is about kindness. I found myself teary-eyed at the end of each story and read through the entire thing on a flight home from a work trip. Excellent writing. The rules got a bit confusing, but I loved learning more about the rules as the book went on. Has me thinking a lot about how small moments to me may be bigger moments to others, and to lead with kindness when possible.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This book builds upon the mythology of the cafe.
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Fifth book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold This series present challenging situations to he reader, and the results are how we feel after we put the book down. Not everyone will connect with every story, but I do believe that enough will...connect to at least one per book. These stories are emotional. That is their charm. I also believe that the conceit of the universe of this coffee shop, with all its rules...is to provide a hopeful view of the world, especially when there seems to be no hope. These short stories (tie within a thread...through the title of the book, give us a peak at an informative viewpoint that is both inspiring and comforting. Each story is mysterious, since we don't know how EXACTLY the characters are going to attain their desires, especially with ALL the rules. As a reader, it allow me to be reflective about my own life, and how...if I was able to go to this cafe, what would I do, in their situation. At times it is sad and tense, but for the most part...the stories are hopeful and encouraging. I see this book as fast-paced, since each story propels you to read more, and quickly, since you NEED to know what is going to happen, next. All these stories are character, mostly because that is what short stories normally are, but there is a plot, but that is referenced in the title...for all the short stories tell a similar theme of story. You cannot say that there is strong character development, since each story focuses on people that most likely you'll never hear from, again. There are characters that you almost always see, but, they are usually background characters...who DO have a narrative arc...over all the novellas. When asked, are the characters loveable? I'd have to say yes. Not to say that you'll love them all, but for the most part...I believe you will. Just the fact that SO many different people come to this "famous" cafe...to go back/forward in time...brings diversity (from every walk of life). Each story is honest and forthright, for the flaws of characters are a main focus. This is what has brought them to THIS cafe...to do, what most people think cannot happen. 4.0 Stars If you add up each story, you get 16.25/4 = 4.06, which averages to 4 Stars I am very thankful to Net Galley for giving me this eArc for a fair and honest review. I never thought that the conceit from the first book, would be able to carry over to a sequel, let alone the fith book in the series. One of the things that I've enjoyed the most, is the interactions with these characters from a different culture (and they are firmly rooted within the Japanese culture)...but still the human spirit and struggles seep through. Also, it is a translated story, and I'm glad to happy read these stories...and I wonder how I'll feel, when I reread them, in the future. These five books show many different situations that us humans find ourselves in. Not every story is going to resonate with you, but I'm sure that someone loves the stories that you didn't love, and conversely. I am so glad that I gave this series a try. Chapter One - The Son This is a sweet story (about a sweet little boy). I thought it would've had a more powerful punch for me. I might reread it...to see if I was just too distracted by the Election, today. I've been distracted. Ugh. I will reread this story. I'm just going to give it a little time...after the struggles of our recent American elections. Rated 3.5 Stars Chapter Two - The Nameless Child When I was reading this story, I kept thinking...why is she doing this? I feared for the child. Yikes. Why would you take this chance? The sort of dealt with it in the story, but I still would NEVER have taken that chance...with my child. Never. Just take a picture on your phone, or a video. Sheesh. At first, I really did not like Riugi (until the end), he really does sound like a man/baby (not serious enough as a husband with his wife. Sorry). Quirky, but sincere. Sweet story. A great finish...that's for sure. 4.25 Stars Chapter Three - The Father For some reason, I was hesitant to read this story. It didn't bring me to tears like some others), but it was a truly edifying story. As Father who has made numerous mistakes in life. I've stepped into it SO many times. Said things I didn't (evenutally) believe/shouldn't have said. One of our children struck off on his own path, which hurt me and my wife. If I was in the same situation has the woman, I would want to go back...and at least make amends. At least. 4.25 Stars Chapter Four - The Valentine The regrets of life. The things that we wish we had said, or taken the time with the person we met, but for some reason or another, didn't. This was the perfect story to finish this latest book with. 4.25 Stars I was wrong, this series continues to chart a course that reaches each of us at different times in our lives. I look forward to the next book in this series (if there will be one). I wonder how they are received within Japan. Does anyone know?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com