Member Reviews

This was a fun quick read. Almost more a collection of short stories via the sectioning of each food investigation, though they were all part of the same overall story. While I appreciated getting to know each client through their stories and thought the underlying messages were nice, I was never fully pulled in and felt like I could set this down at any time. It never “hooked” me. It would be a great beach read or vacation book, but if you’re looking for something with more “meat” and substance this might not be the book for you. Overall it was a cute and fun read with some real emotions sewn in here and there too.

Was this review helpful?

Such a cute cozy mystery nothing like I've read before! Instead of solving crimes, The Kamogawa Food Detectives recreate recipes for their clients just by some information that they provide. A unique idea for a book with six short stories in it, each based on a different customer (one of them discusses grief and missing a dish a loved one used to make for example). Heart-warming and atmospheric, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Was this review helpful?

There is so much happiness in this travelogue through people's memories via food.
It made me think of my ancestors and the love we shared over food.
Highly recommended to fans of Matt Haig's books
Also, the cover is adorable

Was this review helpful?

“Thanks for the free book PRH International”#ad #prhinternational



✨“We get used to things too easily. You think something's tasty the first time you eat it, but then you start taking it for granted. Never forget your first impressions.”✨



Primera vez leyendo literatura japonesa, y tengo que decir que no me decepciono, este es un libro perfecto si quieres leer algo ligero o si estás en un bloqueo lector, es sencillo de leer y al final de su historia te dejará con un sentimiento feel good y con ganas de probar la comida de Japón.







Que me gusto: El concepto del libro en general me gusto, básicamente nos cuenta la historia de un padre y su hija que llevan un peculiar restaurante/agencia de detectives culinarios en Kyoto, donde prepararan platos de tu infancia o que de cierta manera hayas olvidado. El libro está dividido en 6 capítulos, cada uno dedicado a un plato japonés y a un cliente que desea volver a probar esa comida que lo hacía tan feliz a los 5 años, o que comió en un restaurante hace muchos años, pero, no recuerda muy bien. En cierto punto el libro puede tornarse un poco repetitivo, ya que todas las historias siguen el mismo patrón y lo único que cambia son los platos y sus clientes, pero de igual manera fue interesante conocer un poco sobre el estilo culinario de este país.






Que no me gusto: Realmente no hay nada malo en el libro en sí, pero como mencione arriba puede volverse un poco repetitivo, ahora, lo que no me gusto fue que el gato (que literalmente es la portada) casi no salga o qué este incluido en la historia como un adorno no más.



Lo recomiendo: Sí.



En conclusión, es una historia que es perfecta para pasar la tarde, si quieres leer algo ligero, estás atrapado en un bloqueo lector o si te gusta todo lo relacionado con este país.

3 ✨✨✨

Was this review helpful?

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Was this review helpful?

A cosy book, which made me feel so hungry everytime I flipped a few pages. A lovely book exploring the power of food over memories and happiness. I loved how it dealt with relationships and emotions all centred around recipes and culinary ingredients. A very sensory read! It reminded me a lot of Before the coffee gets cold. This is a book I will likely find myself reaching for again

Was this review helpful?

A belated Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for an eARC of this charming title.
It is like reading a food magna, without the illustrations. Especially the dialog and exclamations.
6 short stories of former detective Nagare (widowed) and his 30ish daughter Koishi running a restaurant run down on the outside and without a sign, and hunting down precise recipes from the past for their clients. Lots of nostalgia here. And the clients really have to work to find the place (they place a one line ad in a food magazine - no address or contact information).
So, LOTS of food description. Specific locations within Kyoto, where they are based, and the rest of Japan. But you can read this with enjoyment without knowing exactly what is being referenced, or you can Google locations and sites.
Each story follows a formula, including the photos in the hallway that leads to the "detective agency" office behind the restaurant. And the cat Drowsy at the door, always trying to get in.
Each story is short, and we don’t get the blow by blow of Nagare's actual detection, but rather him sharing with the client how and what he found out. Not all the clients are likeable.
I wish Putnam provided us with more information on the author and the series. Kashiwai has written a number of these, but it is a bit unclear how many. This was published in Japan in 2013, and is just now being translated into English. Were the stories published individually, and then brought together under one cover - or published as a book for the first time? Another title in the series will be published in October 2024, "The Restaurant of Lost Recipes" (next on my reading list, and my thanks once again for an eARC to Putnam's and NetGalley).
Short, and the stories roll along quickly as well. Charming, and fun - and Foody! Makes me want to go out and get some Japanese food - even though it would not be near as good as what is described here........
A strong 4 out of 5.

Was this review helpful?

While this book has an intriguing premise and may even be enjoyable to a certain type of reader, I found it not as exciting and interesting as I hoped it would be.

Was this review helpful?

This was an unexpected surprise! It's a cozy mystery, but it's the coziest mystery I've ever read because there's no death, just talk of food. They're food detectives so they seek out recipes for food that people remember without knowing the details of the actual mystery.

Was this review helpful?

Even though this one was a cozy mystery and a dang good one, it was also a character study into father daughter relationship. And it also had me wanting a sequel.

Was this review helpful?

A gentle love letter to the power of food. A book to savor.

While the conceit makes the book a bit on the formulaic side, it's one of those that you can put down and pick up again. In fact, read in installments makes the book more enjoyable: gentle vignettes to punctuate your life with peace and reflection.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this book! It was a sweet, cozy read that I couldn’t put down. The individual stories were incredibly lovely and wove together wonderfully. I absolutely can’t wait to read the next book and will likely give this as a gift!

Was this review helpful?

i didn't really enjoy this book. there was no plot, it was mostly just short stories about different people that don't connect. the premise of the story is that it's about a father-daughter duo that specialize in finding dishes for people. it's descriptive about the different meals, so i was craving japanese food everytime i read this. it was honestly kind of a boring book and i just didn't particularly enjoy reading it. however, i do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Was this review helpful?

This book was an ode to food and the memories it evokes. While I had never heard of many of the dishes mentioned in this book, it had me remembering some of my own childhood foods and the associated memories.

People come to the Kamogawa restaurant/detective business only if they can decipher a cryptic magazine advertisement. And they come wanting recipes for food they ate long ago and are missing. Each chapter of the book has a new person, their desired food, and the resolution. I loved the descriptions of the amazing meals, and of the people and their pasts.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the e-book copy!

The Kamogawa Food Detectives follows a restaurant with a unique model as they cook food for their clients based solely on their memories. Each client has their own story and the owner and his daughter have to decipher them to recreate an accurate dish. This story worked for me because it felt like it could be a TV show. The stories are episodic in nature and provide the reader with enough to be entertained. I can see this not being for everyone as it is monotonous but I think if you go in expecting low stakes, it will work for you. I recommend this and will be reading book two when it gets released.

Was this review helpful?

This was a great book! I very much enjoyed it and I look forward to reading the author’s next work! Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

Was this review helpful?

A nice cozy book! The Kamogawa Food Detectives are a father-daughter team who help people recreate food from their past. Loved the focus on nostalgia and how important our senses and food can be to memory and relationships. This was just so similar to Before the Coffee Gets cold, the structure of strangers finding their way into a Japanese cafe for the owners help over and over, and it felt too repetitive to me in this book. Still enjoyed and would recommend if you need a nice palate cleanser/something easy! Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Was this review helpful?

In "The Kamogawa Food Detectives," Hisashi Kashiwai serves up a truly mouthwatering and poignant blend of culinary delight and human drama. This charming novel centers around Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, whose unassuming Kyoto diner offers far more than just delicious meals - they meticulously recreate dishes from customers' treasured memories, unlocking the potential for healing and self-discovery.
Kashiwai's sensuous descriptions of the Kamogawas' gastronomic sleuthing make this book an absolute feast for the senses. From parsing the subtlest flavors to unraveling the histories and emotions baked into each long-forgotten recipe, the novel pays loving homage to the profound connections between food, memory, and identity.

Full review below!

Was this review helpful?

I want to begin this review by stating that this book was simply not for me, and that is the sole reason for this rating. There was no problem with the writing style, and I only had one or two small complaints with the actual content of the book. Simply put, I am not a short story girlie and had no idea what I was going into would feel more like a series of short stories than one cohesive plot. That doesn't mean that this book is bad - it just means that I am not the audience for it.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives follows a father-daughter cooking pair who are able to bring people's most cherished culinary memories to life. This book showcases five unique cases that the pair must solve. Each chapter has extremely detailed descriptions of the methods and ingredients that were used for each dish. I think that those more familiar with Japan will enjoy hearing about the regional differences in ingredients and probably be able to relate more to the important differences between water from one area vs. another.

The main issue for me was that there was no plot. It was just a series of entertaining stories about a father and daughter that cook together and the people they help along the way. The descriptions of food were neat, but the formula for each chapter felt repetitive after the first two, and the third continued the trend. I am told that this plot is almost identical to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and I am sure that people who liked that story will like this one, too. It simply wasn't a story written for me.

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute and cozy read. At times it was a little slow for me, and unfortunately had to force myself to finish this one. Started out strong but felt weak towards the end. Loved the world and prose, so will be looking for more from this author, but this just wasn't the right book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?