Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine books for an ARC of this book.

I really loved this book. I have loved cozy fantasies and this really hit the spot. This is the perfect book if you love cats and coffee. Also being able to heal your inner self.

I find myself enjoying cozy fantasy books more and more. I know some did not like the astrology aspect to this but I really enjoyed it.

Definitely not my normal read, but well written and enjoyable enough to keep up with. A bit heavy on some of the mystical elements and a lot of things that didn't fully make sense, but a good message overall.

A really cozy and enjoyable read, but a bit too heavy on astrology for my tastes. It did follow the wonderfully comforting tradition of books like Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Lantern of Lost Memories, which is why I was initially excited to read it. The story aspects were lovely and the characters were likable, but there were large chunks in each section that felt like reading a horoscope rather than a novel. If you are interested in astrology and the zodiac, you may really enjoy it, as it is a cozy way to learn through narrative some main concepts of astrology. It was an enjoyable read, but overall, just not my style.

What a delightful novel of acts of kindness and how it shapes the givers future. The Full Moon Cafe is a magical cafe that appears with a full wait staff of beautiful talking cats , who happen to serve delicious coffee. It is while being served that our characters will each see how situations in their lives need to be resolved and gain the courage to obtain these desires. Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House for the advanced e-copy book.

Four out of five stars. It’s not perfect, but I liked it overall. I would recommend this book to others.

Hmm. Maybe I’m just not the reader for this but the extensive astrology lessons (insights?) were boring. The cats should have made up for it but they’re really interchangeable with any animal, including humans. This is for you if you like weird interconnected stories with lots of astrology reading.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop book was a little different than what I normally read. It was magical realism, which I do enjoy. I love cats, so I loved that they were a big part of the story. It did seem a little slow and drawn out, but I'm wondering if it is because it was translated from another language. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys cats and astrology. It was a cute and cozy book, just not my favorite.

The recent influx of translated cozy fiction is so appealing! I had high hopes for The Full Moon Coffee Shop. Magical talking cats? Yes, please!

I know very little about astrology, but I enjoyed the astrological analysis the cats provided each character. The idea that we are moving from a cooperative society to a more individually focused one definitely hit home.

But there was very little character development. Yes, each individual had their own personal growth, but it was pretty simplistic.

I did enjoy this more than The Dallergut Dream Department Store. But with both these books falling flat, I wonder… is this an issue of translation? Cultural differences? Or are these stories just not for me? I hope not! I have a few more similar books on my shelf to still read.

I was so excited to read this book but then I somehow forgot about it. I wish I had read it sooner! I had so much fun reading this book. There were definitely a few slow parts and it took me a while to finish this book but overall, I enjoyed myself. This book included some of my favorite things; magical coffee shops, cozy fantasy, and lots and lots of cats

My husband is of Japanese descent and has a deep appreciation for his cultural roots. Over the years, he’s immersed me in Japanese culture as well, especially through countless hours of watching Japanese YouTubers. Because of that, I’ve developed a real fondness for the country and its people. Japan is now one of my top travel destinations, so when I came across this book, I was immediately intrigued by the summary. I’m always eager to learn more about Japanese culture, especially through fiction.

That said, this story wasn’t quite my cup of (green) tea.

I was expecting a cozy fantasy or magical realism novel, but the story took an unexpected and, for me, overly bizarre turn. At times, I struggled to follow the plot and found myself confused by what was happening. The magical cats, who stand upright, wear clothes or accessories, serve food and drinks, and offer wisdom based on astrology, felt more surreal than whimsical. Since astrology has never really interested me, I ended up skipping over parts related to birth charts and signs.

It’s possible that my unfamiliarity with Japanese mythology and folklore contributed to my disconnect from the story. I appreciated the attempt to weave in cultural elements, but they didn’t fully land for me. The book is divided into different parts, each following a new character, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel invested in any of them. Months later, I honestly don’t remember much about the plot or the characters, which says a lot about how little it resonated with me.

That said, I did enjoy the cozy moments—the detailed descriptions of food and beverages were delightful, and the overall atmosphere had a certain charm that reminded me of cozy fantasy settings I usually enjoy.

Ultimately, this book wasn’t a fit for me, but I can see how others might enjoy it, especially if they’re more familiar with Japanese lore or have an interest in astrology and birth charts. If the premise piques your interest, it’s worth giving a try—it’s a quick, quirky read that might be just your style.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I appreciated the feel good nature of this novel. Different people all come across a mysterious coffee shop, and learn things about themselves that they can apply to their lives. However, the story quickly became repetitive, and the characters really did not develop. The story is a quick read. I do recommend reading it more or less in one sitting, just so the story as a whole makes sense.

I want to start my review off by saying this is totally different from the genres I normally read. I received this as a “read now” offer through Netgalley and was excited to be presented with such an opportunity. In my excitement, I did not look into the book at all.
This story follows multiple characters and their encounters with the Full Moon Cafe where they are offered advice tailored to their birth chart. I am sure that this book would be delightful to a reader who is interested in astrology. I did enjoy how the story looped back around and by the last section of the book everything had been connected and made sense. I think the brevity of this story took away from the story. I hadn’t been with the characters long enough to have any feelings, positive or negative, towards them. This isn’t a bad story, it’s just not a story for me. This is also my first experience with a book that has been translated from a different language.
I would recommend this book if you’re interested in astrology and looking for a short, light-hearted read.
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a miss for me, but I absolutely think there’s an audience for it. It was a sweet little read, and if you are a cat or astrology person (I am not) it might really land for you!

Thank you Netgalley & Ballantine Books

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of this! I'm catching up on my backlog and listened to the audio from the library for part of my reading.

Cats running a magical coffee shop? Sign me up. The atmosphere was lovely, but it was so heavily character driven and relationship focused between the multiple POVs that I struggled. If you like a character study, I think it would be easy to enjoy, it just wasn't right for me. Overall, it was short, so I don't regret reading it.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is a short Japanese novel about a mysterious coffee shop with mythical cats. The patrons of the shop are helped with their problems by the cats at the shop. This is a cute book, and I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

A really fun read that will leave you howling for more! I’m looking forward Mochizuki’s next book! And I will definitely recommend this to friends of mine whose TBR’s can stand to be longer than they already are.

a lovely lil collection of interconnected short stories that focus on what you should do when you find yourself at a crossroads in life. I really enjoyed my time with this book but don't feel like it was particularly memorable/is something that will stick with me!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a short little read about a group of magical, astrology centered cats who help out a group of people who had helped them in the past. It's full of mythology and astrology and cats and ended up being kind of cute but also not for me.

I liked how the book interconnected the characters and their stories, how as you read you discovered that each of the characters knew each other in some way and then you found out exactly how. It was cute that the whole story was that they'd helped out a group of cats and the cats were returning the favor.

But, the astrology aspect was a bit too much. It went into entirely too much detail and almost seemed like more of a guide about star stuff than a novel. I also feel as though some information was lost in translation because there were quite a few passages that didn't flow as well as I would have expected them too.

It was decent but could use some work though I wonder if the novel in the original Japanese flowed better.

This book beautifully portrays humanity and the idea that the energy we put into the world comes back to us. What lacked for me is that I wanted more depth in Mizuki’s story. Overall, this short, fairytale-like novel explores the power of kindness and karma, and while I enjoyed the characters overall, I wanted more development on Mizuki.