4.25 stars

Before We Forget Kindness is the 5th book of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. This is the second book I've read in the "special food establishment in Japan" genre this year, and I must say, I am quite impressed with this series.

The premise is that customers can travel back in time at this cafe if they follow a very specific set of rules, the most important being, you guessed it, to drink the coffee before it gets cold. Like other similar series, this book is comprised of short stories of different patrons visiting the cafe, so there are a few recurring characters, but the main character of each story changes.

Without giving away too much (which is especially hard to do with a collection of short stories), I did not anticipate getting emotional when reading this. (Now I wasn't all out bawling, but there were definitely times where I was surprised to think, "Is this going to make me cry?") The stories for each character are so universal, and it's hard not to be impressed by the depth of Kawaguchi's emotional intelligence to tell such different stories in such a realistic and relatable way.

I know some people's hang up on books like these are the parts where the author can get potentially didactic about issues that go beyond the characters' narrative (i.e. tangent about divorce in the first story), but I'd say it's not bad in this book. Yes, those parts exist, but it actually gives a fascinating insight into the author's belief system when it comes to these issues, and see how it informs their stories.

The only aspects I don't care very much for are the specifics on exactly how the characters go back in time. There are just so many rules, and while some understandably contribute to the plot, some others just seem unnecessarily complicated.

Regardless, if you have ever ruminated over the things you've left unsaid, then this book is the form of catharsis you need.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is available everywhere now.

Before We Forget Kindness - Likewise Book Reviews

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