In Japan, legend has it that cats are good luck, and if you are kind to them, they will repay your kindness. Mochizuki has some fun with this legend in the lighthearted tale, The Full Moon Coffee Shop. Rest assured that this cafe is not your typical corner coffee shop. For one, it materializes at unexpected times and places. Two, it is run by talking cats with sophisticated tastes, and who know exactly what you need. We meet a few characters who are at a crossroads in their lives; failing careers, messy romances and plain bad luck. But have no fear! The merry and wise band of cats of The Full Moon Coffee Shop know it is a challenging time, and are there to nourish the spirit, read astral charts, dole out advise and help these lost souls correct course.

I enjoyed this charming tale about reconnecting with old friends, second chances and reaching for the stars. I was particularly enchanted by the magical concoctions served up by our feline friends, and would be happy to be served an Aquarius Trifle, a Planetary Affogato made with Venus Ice Cream, or a Lunar Chocolate Fondant. If you are looking for a magical treat featuring some very clever cats who listen to Beethoven, reach for The Full Moon Coffee Shop.


Many thanks to the author Mai Mochizuk, Ballantine Books/ @RandomHouse and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

🌕Set in Japan, the story is about a group of people who are connected to each other through various life experiences and how they one day discover a mysterious and magical coffee shop. They all are going through some challenge in their lives as well.

The specialty of this coffee shop is that it only appears on a full moon and the drinks and desserts are chosen for you by cats. These cats are no ordinary cats but they are talking cats who give you advice by analyzing your star chart. The food and drinks they serve you, are also connected to what you are experiencing in your life now.

This book was beautifully written! The description of the coffee shop drinks and food made me crave for them. Absolutely loved how astrology was woven into the story and how the cats are actually the planets giving life insights to the customers. The cat who is Saturn is so adorable and was my favorite. The premise was so unique and I really wished it was real.

How the characters connected and how a good deed they did together in the past being the reason why they find the coffee shop were well written. A warm and cozy read that’s perfect for your fall reading list. Really looking forward to more stories about this coffee shop. The cats reminded me a lot of my late girl Cathy cause she’d give perfect life advice. The smartest cat I ever knew 🥹.

You’d love this book if you love,
Cats
Warm and cozy vibes
Magical realism
Coffee and desserts
Self discovery

Thank you Random House for my ARC. All thoughts are my own.

English translation of a Japanese novel. It was a bit quirky but that made it more interesting to me because I had to see how the stories ended. Thanks to #Netgalley and #TheFullMoinCoffeeShop for advanced digital copy.

This is such a cozy and heartwarming story; I think fans of Before The Coffee Gets Cold and What You are Looking for is in the Library will adore this book because it’s a similar premise but with its own unique twist.
I absolutely loved the idea that the cats in the story who are taken care of by the children come back to return the favor when the now grown children need them most.
And this book has me so curious about astrology! I wish there was an explanation included as to how to read those charts - even just as an extra in the back of the book.

I absolutely love Japanese fiction; I’m so glad to see this is going to be a series! I’d like to say thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for my e-copy!

Love the cat aspect but unfortunately not enough magical cats to make me continue reading this one. Had to dnf It had its whimsy and charm and I normally enjoy translated copies but this one just wasn’t for me.

I thought this was a charming story and a great way to remind the reader to be yourself. The characters were all connected in some way and the lessons they got at the cafe all helped them. The cafe itself was the star of the book. I would love to stumble on such a place! It was magical.

The cats in the book were whimsical, insightful and clever. It was not what I expected and worked well for this story.

Whether you are into astrology or not, the addition of astrology to the book was easy to follow and believe. I enjoyed how music, cats and food were all woven into the story. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

I completely adore this book! I loved the mix of astrology and magical realism. I haven’t come across many books that centered on astrology like this. It was interesting to learn more about natal charts and how it may affect a person. The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a novel of entertainment and education.

3.5🌟 this was such a fun and unique book. I really enjoyed the way the author took each characters story, and weaved them into each others. Each new character revealing more information on how they are connected. This was a simple and quick read, but enjoyable, and a great reminder to trust yourself and to fully be you, always.

A fun, quick read perfect for readers who enjoy astrology. If you are looking for a single session read I highly recommend The Full Moon Coffee Shop.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a charming and whimsical tale that draws readers into a world where talking cats, astrology, and the magic of Kyoto nights come together to guide lost souls back to their fated paths. The novel weaves together the lives of a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer—all of whom find themselves at crucial crossroads when they stumble upon the mysterious, ever-shifting coffee shop.

Mai Mochizuki's novel bears a striking resemblance to Before the Coffee Gets Cold in its cozy, character-driven narrative, but it sets itself apart with a delightful twist: the coffee shop is run by cats named after planets, each with their own unique personality and wisdom. These feline guides read star charts and offer cryptic yet insightful advice to the customers, nudging them toward self-discovery and helping them realign their lives with the stars.

The story is steeped in the gentle, reflective atmosphere typical of Japanese literature, making it a perfect read for those seeking solace in the simple pleasures of life—like a warm cup of tea, a slice of cake, and a quiet moment of introspection. Mochizuki’s focus on the characters’ personal journeys and the soothing presence of the mischievous, star-savvy cats creates a narrative that is both heartwarming and thought-provoking.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

-Honest review in exchange for early access on Netgalley-

This book is a very short read, only about 100 pages. I don’t mind that it’s short, sometimes you’re looking for something like that! I found the concept very interesting. The book mentions a lot of astrology and I enjoyed hearing about the natal chart meanings and things like that. I did have trouble connecting to the characters though. I couldn’t find myself really caring about them or what they had going on. Despite that, I did enjoy it for its theme.

I know some people believe that it has too much astrology and that it takes away from the book. I personally did not mind it as I knew what I was getting into and expected it to be astrology-heavy. However, if you do not find it interesting to hear a lot about astrology and natal charts and what each part of different charts represents then I would not recommend the read as it is brought up a lot.

I love this book!
Cats, Coffee, Astrology the easiest cozy read so far this year
The self discovery and character development was also super good!
If you want a cozy self discovery read with a lot of astrology this is your read!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop
by Mai Mochizuki
Pub Date: Aug 20 2024

The Full Moon Coffee Shop in my opinion is more of a book about astrological charts than it is about cats. The story is told in the first-person POV of Mizuki Serikawa and Akari Nayakama and the third-person POV of Takashi, each divided into neat sections. The story is about second chances, understanding ourselves, and hoping for a better and happier future. It's the first book in a series, I'm looking forward to the 2nd book coming in the future.

Synopsis: Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

Many thanks to #TheFullMoonCoffeeShop #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is deliciously cozy and magically sweet. Following four timelines (which all intertwine in the best way), each character goes through their ups and downs, only to end up at the Full Moon Coffee Shop, where cats read your fate in the stars and serve you without taking your order. I think this will be the perfect bite-sized fall read!

I will say, the writing was a bit blunt and simple for me. It's impossible to tell if this was due to the translation, or if this was just how the writing was to begin with, but sometimes it felt clunky in a way. That's pretty nitpicky, and I know most people don't care about things like that, but if you're looking for whimsical, flowery prose, this will probably not deliver on that.

Overall, fun and fast!

I enjoyed readingThe Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a charming story told from the multiple perspectives of seemingly loosely connected people. It’s full of whimsy and lessons in astrology. I loved this books for the rich character development & vivid visual descriptions. Each person and place in this book feels real and relatable to the reader. The astrology material in the book reads as both scientific and magical, making for an engaging reading experience. Without giving too much away, I recommend this book to anyone who believes in fate but also in the power we have to make our own destiny.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki in the book we meet Mochizuki Serikawa, A woman in her 40s she is single and a script writer for video games. She wants wrote scripts for TV shows and was celebrated for it she even left her teaching job to write full-time but these days she can only get secondary characters stories Life isn’t going the way she thought it would she even recently broke up with her long time love who she thought she would be with forever. So when a friend from her days and television calls Mochazuki is excited but hesitant just that morning she saw a calico cat on her balcony and thinks it may be a sign of good luck. When she arrives at the hotel her friend apologizes but says she’s a good writer but it isn’t what they were looking for and needless to say this breaks Mochizuki‘s heart. After her friend rushes off and leaves her to drink her cold coffee her thoughts are interrupted by a young boy at the next table who tells Mochizuki her writing is dated and people nowadays are looking for something else, his enthusiasm comes off as arrogance. and an older man walks up and boxes his ears and is much kinder to the brokenhearted Author. They also tell her about the full moon coffee shop in being a coffee lover she is perplexed as to why she’s never heard of this place but then almost blows it off as a prank. Thankfully Mochizuki decides to visit and it changes her life profoundly. This is a short but a gorgeous story. It is a unique original coffee shop where you don’t order anything but get exactly what you want and over each course will learn things that in the end will only help. If you love fairytales then you will definitely enjoy the story it has three talking cats in by the end you will love all of them I certainly did. This is so so so so so so awesome I absolutely loved it! I like the writing style I like the kindness people in Japan treat each other with I love the story I loved Mochizuki, The three felines the book was so interesting it has a lot to say for a fairytale and I also love that it’s not a woman looking for a man to fulfill her but a woman looking to do it for herself.#NetGalley, #RandomHouse, #MaiMochizuki,#TheFullMoonCoffeeShop,

This genuinely might be my favorite read of 2024. I was so shocked and pleasantly surprised by how large an impact such a comparatively short book left on me. I cannot stop thinking about it and I will not stop recommending this to everyone I know. I just hope to one day be worthy of the full moon coffee shop myself.

In this book, we have three interconnected parts, but really five people. All five people knew one another in the past but don't interact much in the present AND their present selves are going through it. They need some kind of guidance or reminder of who they are and why they do what they do. *Cue to the full moon coffee shop* Each of our main characters find themselves at the coffee shop, run by cats, who offer them drinks and desserts based on what they most need at the time...as well as some astrological counseling.

This is such a poignant, thought-provoking story. It is really going to stick with me for the foreseeable future.

This book is about a mysterious coffee shop run by cats that appears only when a person needs it and helps them set their lives back on track. While this is an interesting premise, the story is so brief that there isn't time for that much development or to get to know enough about the characters to care about them that much. The characters did seem likable, however, and it might have been more interesting if more were revealed about them and the story was longer. However, characters coming into and out of the story so often made it hard to keep track of who was who. Plus, unfamiliarity with the Japanese names which sound similar to each other made it even more difficult. Maybe, the book was so popular in the original Japanese because the Japanese consider cats lucky so that was enough to get people invested in the story whereas here it just doesn't go over the same.

Thank you Ballantine Books for my free ARC of The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki — available Aug 20!

» READ IF YOU «
🌙 enjoy low-stakes, cozy fantasy vibes
♓️ love discussions of astrology and zodiac characteristics
☕️ have ever let a server/chef decide your meal

Translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood 🇯🇵

» SYNOPSIS «
It's a full moon tonight, so if you're lucky you might stumble across the Full Moon Coffee Shop — where orders aren't taken, but chosen for you. And if you're feeling a little down on your luck or stuck in place, the extra-helpful celestial staff might be able to help you out of a jam.

» REVIEW «
This book exemplifies what I've come to expect from Japanese fantasy — low stakes, mythology vibes, simple relationships, uncomplex language. If you enjoy learning about astrology and natal charts, you'll have a great time here. Personally, I didn't realize that this would be SO much of the focus, and I already know a lot about this so it was a little boring for me. I loved the way all the characters were connected, as well as the resolution at the end. A lovely, lighthearted read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫