The fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, following a new group of customers in a magical time-traveling Tokyo café.
The regulars at Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with the whimsical ability it grants them to take a trip into the past—as well as the strict rules involved, including that each traveler must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to get cold. In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, patrons have been reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. Now readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors.
The Husband with Something Important Left to Say
The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell
The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal
The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away
In Last Chance to Say Goodbye, which is translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and features signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: What would you change if you could travel back in time?
Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.
“There are many crossroads in life. All regrets stem from what happened at one moment we never imagined would happen to us. When our own action brings about an unexpected result, how can we not experience huge regret? After all, do we ever get another shot?”
Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot) is the fourth installment of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series and personally one of my favorites (along with Book #2, Tales from the Café ).
Set in Café Funiculi Funicula in Tokyo, we meet an interesting cast of characters (both old and new) – café regulars, owners and staff and first-time visitors who come to the café for the unique experience of time travel. The rules are the same and no one can change their past. Then why go back? Love, regret, nostalgia, guilt, the need to say goodbye and to share what was left unsaid. In four interconnected stories we meet a former professor who spent most of his life busy with his career desires to speak to his wife who is now bedridden after an accident; a husband wants his wife to take the opportunity to say goodbye to their beloved dog Apollo who passed on while she was dozing; following a cryptic message left by her deceased former boyfriend a young woman visits the café to meet him for the last time and finally a young woman hopes to say goodbye and apologize to her deceased father for her behavior toward him during their last meeting.
The beautifully written, insightful and heartwarming stories inspire pause and reflection. This short novel left me with a lump in my throat and a smile on my face. Definitely recommended for fans of the series and can be read as a standalone.
Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Before We Say Goodbye was published in the United States on November 14, 2023.
Although I initially loved the series and enjoyed the first two books, the third book left me feeling like I was encountering repetitive storytelling. Despite this, there were still some enjoyable moments, particularly when the narrative focused on the café's family.
However, my disappointment grew with the fourth book as it failed to provide the development of the café family's storyline. Instead, the book presented four more stories following a similar pattern, all leading to the same predictable ending. This lack of originality and failure to explore the family's background left me really unsatisfied.
Listen, I truly appreciate the sentiment of this book about being good to those we love so that we won't have any regrets, etc.
But I don't think it's necessary to read hundreds of pages of (essentially) the same content throughout four little novels with the coffee place's characters repeating the same time-travel rules to different customers that react the very same way. It goes something like this every single time: "*gasps* Nothing I do can change the past?! What even is the point of going if I can't change anything?"
Everything was repeated so many times, it got tiring.
Also the writing was so awkward. I sincerely hope that it's because of the translation or something.
In this 4th book in the 'Before The Coffee Gets Cold' series, four 'time travelers' want to make amends. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
On a side street in Tokyo there's a little coffee shop called Funiculi Funicula that has a very unusual feature. It allows people to travel back in time. There are rigid rules for time travelers, however, as follows:
- Whatever you do, you CANNOT change the present.
- You can only interact with people who have visited Funiculi Funicula.
- You must sit in one specific chair in the café to time travel, and you can't leave the chair for any reason. The catch is, a ghost - in the form of a woman reading a book - occupies the chair and only leaves once a day to go to the toilet.
- A cup of coffee starts the journey, and you MUST return to the present before the coffee gets cold. If you don't return in time, YOU become the ghost in the chair.
Regular denizens of the coffee shop include:
☕︎ Nagare Tokita - the owner of the café; he's over six feet tall and wears a white cook's uniform.
☕︎ Kazu - Nagare's cousin, who works as a waitress in the café; she pours the coffee for the time travelers.
☕︎ Nana Kohtake - a nurse in a local hospital; she drops into the café every day after work.
☕︎ Fumiko Kiokawa - a university graduate who knows six languages; she also visits the café every day after work.
*****
In each of the four vignettes in this book, someone is haunted by something that happened in the past, and feels compelled to go back. The four time travelers are:
⏲️ The Husband
Monji Kadokura is a husband, father, professor, and adventurer who traveled extensively for his work. Over the years, Kadokura spent little time with his family, and left the task of raising the children to his spouse.
A few years ago, Kadokura's wife Mieko had an accident, and she's been in a vegetative state ever since. Now, the professor wants to go back and speak to his wife one more time.
⏲️ The Dog Owner
Sunao Hikita and her husband Mutsuo never had children, but they had a beloved golden retriever named Apollo. When Apollo was approaching the end of his life, Sunao and Mutsuo took turns staying with the dog around the clock, so Apollo wouldn't pass alone.
Sadly, Sunao was dozing when Apollo went to his reward, and she feels terrible about her lapse. Thus Sunao wants to return to the past.
⏲️ The Girlfriend
When Hikari Ishimori's boyfriend, Yoji Sakita, asked her to meet him in Funiculi Funicula, Hikari knew Yoji planned to propose. Hikari, who just got a job as a wedding planner, explained she wasn't ready to wed, and Yoji promised to wait for her.
Now, half a year later, Hikari says he's become interested in another woman. This spurs Hikari to visit the past.
⏲️ The Daughter
Michiko Kijimoto decided to attend university in Tokyo to get away from her father, Kengo, who was always telling her what to do. When Kengo visited his daughter at school, she was rude and disprespectul.
Shortly afterwards, Japan experienced the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, in which Kengo perished. Thus Michiko wants to go back and speak to her father once again.
*****
The stories are quirky, touching, and illuminating.
If you could go back in time, who would you choose to see?
Thanks to Netgalley, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and Hanover Square Press for a copy of the book.
you probably know that i wasn't fond of this series when i first read the first book but now this series is growing on me ugh, the last story in this one touched my heart, i love the concept of the whole series, it serves as a reminder to all of us of the importance of spending our time happy and loving to one another, I'm just a little bit confused why was this one set before the third book?, btw the third book is my absolute favourite in this series, bye now gotta drink my cup before the coffee gets cold ☕
As good as the other 3 books. Going back into the past just to not regret anything you did、even when you can't change anything with just nice stories. Your tears will come a little bit. For people who like emotional stories I can only recommend it.
sadly this series just went downhill for me enjoyment wise. I felt that the stories in each subsequent book weren't unique enough from what has come before.
3.5 When you've read one you've read them all. They typically follow a very very similar formula that's made to elicit emotions from the reader, but after a while the gimmick gets a bit repetitive. Not to say it's a bad book. but doing it four times over like....Toshikazu babe put the pen DOWN.
The fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series
The regulars at the magical Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary time-travel offer. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks, and there are rules to follow.
In the tradition of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors: the husband with something important left to say; the woman who couldn't bid her dog farewell; the woman who couldn't answer a proposal; and the daughter who drove her father away.
Featuring signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, in the beautifully haunting Before We Say Goodbye, Kawaguchi asks: Who would you visit if you could travel through time?
🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔
This final book of the series was quite a bit shorter but equally emotional and poignant.
This book was also more tragic due to mentions of the 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan. This catastrophe while catastrophic by itself also led to a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Not as bad as Chernobyl but easily could have been. This was Japan’s largest earthquake and 1 of the 5 largest in the world. The wave was over 77 feet tall and easily cleared 18 feet tall sea walls. Over 28,000 people were dead or missing just from the earthquake and tsunami.
It is simply tragic beyond my brains comprehension. If you haven’t read about this natural disaster or heard of it, I recommend doing some research and watching some videos.
🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book ❤️🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading 🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect 🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes 🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why 😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading 🎭 Comedy/Tragedy based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
A great book full of beautiful messages. Nice way to finish the series 📚I took off a little because it didn't answer everything but then again, maybe it wasn't supposed to. Time Travellers will really enjoy the series of 4 books. However, you don't have to be a Time Traveller to enjoy these books. They can be read as a stand alone as well.
1. Before The Coffee Gets Cold 2. Tales From The Cafe 3. Before Your Memory Fades 4. Before We Say Goodbye 🫂
Thanks ever so much, Elisabeth for reading this series with me!! It was a lotta fun 😀📖☕⏲️🕦🕰️
Beware Time Travellers, and remember to drink your coffee before it gets cold.....or you face dire consequences!!!
The last short story in the book, "The Daughter," truly moved me to tears 😭
“Before We Say Goodbye,” the fourth installment of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series, is genuinely heartwarming, with its simple yet beautiful short stories that provide great takeaways for reflection on life 🫶
While some parts of the book may seem a bit repetitive - for example, the descriptions of the café's rules - the stories themselves are simply beautiful. The simplicity of each story is what makes it so powerful, and you'll be left feeling inspired and uplifted after reading it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading all four short stories in this book, with "The Daughter" and "The Farewell" being my top picks. As for the repetition in this book, it was to be expected and couldn't have been avoided. I believe it was an intentional literary technique and added to the overall impact of the stories. However, on the positive side, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Also, the repetition can serve a purpose in which people could read this series not in order. Furthermore, the relationship maps of the characters at the beginning of the book are beneficial.
If you're worried that the concept of the book might be getting old, don't be. Reading this book still provides a great deal of comfort and joy, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a light read that's full of wisdom and great takeaways. 💛
I loved this book more than the previous installment. Yet again the experience was like meeting with the friends I haven't seen for a whole year! It left me pondering for hours. I love the message of this series. Makes me understand that it's in our power to make our life more beautiful than the image we create of it at times, avoiding and hurting close people for no reason. It showed me how powerful the family bonds can be and how dangerous a path sometimes our mind takes, causing hurt to our loved ones we often for some reason take for granted, depriving them from the love they always and all the time deserve - in the now, future and - if we would have a chance to travel back in time - in the past. Funicula Funiculi gives that opportunity, a chance to mend the past, the hurt one caused, leaving the happiness in its stead. Every and each book in this series shows that we need to try harder in order to become better and to be more emotionally responsive. Thank you!! The question I was left pondering was: What if? And the end of the book shows that it's not such strict a rule that, while being in the past, you can't change present no matter how hard you try. At least, that was what I thought after finishing the last page - the present did change for some of this book characters. All the stories were interesting, squeezed my heart too. The last one left me with most the questions:
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Same old same old, but I think the portrayal of women is worse in here than in the others. Still cozy vibes, but they really are just there as a help to men and there was literally one quote where a husband describes his wife as "having no personality", which after twenty years of marriage is questionable.
There's not much to say here. Usual collection of cozy short stories by Mr. Kawaguchi: I like the background idea enough to continue reading them year after year, but that's about it. ------- Non c'è molto da dire qui. Solita raccolta di racconti intimi di Kawaguchi: mi piace abbastanza l'idea di fondo da continuare a leggerli anno dopo anno, ma questo è tutto.
Still touching, still heart warming. Four short stories with characters who want to travel back in time to meet with their significant other/family/friend to finish their unfinished business.
প্রথমে ভেবেছিলাম এটাতেও হয়তো ক্যাফে ডন্না ডন্নার গল্প পাব। কিন্তু না, এবারে প্রথম এবং দ্বিতীয় বইয়ের মাঝের সময়ে হঠাৎ ফিরে গেছেন লেখক। সেই সময়ের চারজন বিশেষ অতিথির গল্প নিয়েই বিফোর উই সে গুডবাই সাজানো। সবগুলোই ভালো লেগেছে, তবে শেষেরটা হয়তো আরেকটু ভালো হতে পারত। সাড়ে তিন তারা।
“He wouldn’t have wanted me to cry. So, I’m going to live my life feeling good about myself. That’s what I want to say to those two when I get home: Thank you…”
Before the Coffee Gets Cold has become one of my favourite book series and I was ecstatic when I found out there would be a fourth book - with a gorgeous pink cover! 🩷 Usually, I have enough patience to wait for the paperback to be released, however I treated myself to the hardback edition of this book because it was signed by the author, whom I admire greatly.
Before We Say Goodbye is a comforting, bittersweet read that both reunites the reader with familiar faces at Café Funiculi Funicula and introduces the reader to a brand new set of visitors at the cafe. Each story in this novel revolves around the themes of love, loss and guilt, with each visitor eager to travel in time to gain closure from the ones they were unable to part with on good terms. Of the four stories in this novel, my favourite without a doubt is the one about Apollo the dog, whose owner missed out on the chance to give him a proper goodbye before his passing.
Whilst I certainly enjoyed this fourth book, I think the previous ones were a touch more compelling and emotive, as they focused on the history of the cafe and the backstory of the staff/patrons more. My favourite from the series so far is the third one. :)
Stories within stories that truly have a moral to each of them.
Most, if not each of us have lost someone we love in death. Unexpectedly, suddenly, tragically etc and how many of us think “if only I could go back and time” and let them know how much they were loved, or that I didn’t mean to be cross that day or, I wish ,.,…… We all have, right?
These stories are moving. Simple but fulfilling as well.