I really didn't know what to expect with this book. The synopsis sounding enchanting and totally whimsy with a bit of culture tied in.

This was such a fast, easy sweet read.

This is broken into parts, and each story intertwines with one another....all circling around this mystical coffee shop with cats! But not just any cat. These cats are talking cats who also are sometimes human. (That's how they lure them to the coffee shop) The way the cats interact with the humans and how they know how the things and the ties with astrology is just all so good.

The deliverance of the (magic) food is so fun! The cats know exactly what each customer needs and how it will help them with their current situation they are going through.

I love that the pop-up cafe only takes place during the full moon. It is just all such magic.

This book is for anyone who is looking to escape a little, loves magical moments and quaint, cozy vibes.

This is a 3 star review from me because I did struggle a little with connecting to the characters but also wanted to be them with the enchanting foods!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!! :)

I was drawn to this book because the premise was so darn cute. Who could resist a transient coffee shop staffed by human sized cats?

The Full Moon Coffee Shop appears for people who are on the cusp of change in their lives or in need of change. The cats who staff the cafe don't take orders but rather know what you need and bring you something unique to help inspire you in the ways you may need to go to find the right path towards a better future.

The cats also have another secret; they have a hidden tie to the people who wander into their cafe. However you'll have to find that out for yourself.

I wish we had more story developing the lives of the people the cats help. I think it would have made the story feel a bit more complete. I do feel as though I was missing some pieces by the end but it was really I just wanted more. I also wish the story hadn't focused so heavily on building out the star charts and natal charts of the various people. It took me out of the magical whimsy and into a realm of trying to understand star charts. I was a bit confused and kind of wish it hadn't focused so heavily on it in the middle of the stories.

Overall, I thought it was really cute and I would love to see it translated into an anime or the like. I love slice of life like this.

I really enjoyed this book & the multiple stories that it tells. Highly recommend this book.
I rated it 4 stars as there were a few slow spots but overall a very enjoyable story!

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC. This was a short read that was mainly about a coffee shop where cats serve food and drinks to people who need decisions on their futures. It was a whimsical, fantasy read that had fun and well developed characters . I really enjoyed how the author used astrology throughout the story and how the stars could help guide us to become better versions of ourselves. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the series “before the coffee gets cold”, Asian Literature and short, cozy fantasy novellas. even though I had a difficult time connecting with the book, Ii still thought it was a good read and gave it 3.5 stars..

What I liked: The backstories of the people receiving advice from magical cats in the pop-up cafe.

What I disliked: This book would be better suited for persons who are into astrology, which I’m not.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC of this title!!**

I loved the concept of this one and was drawn in by the popularity of this book in other languages. While this one was cute and did hook me from the beginning (I mean - talking cats?! C'mon!) I found myself losing steam with this one really quickly.

I wish there had been a but more plot to this book to keep me hooked. Once I got through the first couple of perspectives, the story began to feel a little formulaic and predictable which just didn't hold my interest as much as I would have liked. To be fair, this book is really cute and cozy and maybe just a bit too far from my preferred genres.

I am giving this an easy 3 stars and will consider rounding up to 4 stars for GR and Amazon since I took a swing on this one. The writing was really well done and I have to assume the translator absolutely nailed it. This is probably my first book that I have read that was translated from a language other than Spanish or Portuguese which is really cool!

I would recommend this book for fans of coffee, cozy adventures, and great world-building. While the plot didn't drive my reading too much - the setting was absolutely serene and I felt immersed in the world of The Full Moon Coffee Shop.

The summary sounded interesting - Kyoto, cats and helping people find their way. Inspiring message and an interesting approach - follow one’s dreams - the premise exhorted by cats returning favors to those who were kind to them. Well, this was a quick read and the execution a bit disappointing, especially since I’m a big fan of translated works by Japanese authors. While the concept was intriguing I think the book was too short to fully develop the storyline and the characters. I gave this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a cute concept short novel that is riding the whimsical wave of "healing coffee shops." I wasn't particularly drawn into the world that was explored, but I did like the character exposition. The writing was pleasant enough but a little too preachy.

This was definitely different from what I typically read but being that I love coffee and books I thought I would give it a go. Although admittedly I’m not a “cat lover” the idea of cats running a coffee shop intrigued me. There was a lot of astrology in this book which I also admittedly am generally unfamiliar with. I will say that I did take away the theme of “it’s never too late for second chances”

Cute concept and a quick read

This was a super easy and quick read. I really enjoy magical realism, and I was excited to read this book of a magical cafe run by cats.

I wasn’t expecting the large amount of astrology in here, which really isn’t for me. The cats seemed like caricatures, which was also unexpected.

All in all, this was cute and if you’re more into astrology you’d probably love it.

On a full moon, if you need the help, The Full Moon Cafe may appear to you, & the staff of cats will give you the advice you need.

There is something about these Japanese fabulist stories that have me completely obsessed. In this collection on interconnected short stories, there’s a mysterious cafe run by cats. In addition to a truly heavenly sounding menu, the cats also provide astrological insight and advice.

The stories are brief and charming. The characters are all dealing with difficult times in their lives, and they come to the cafe to get just what they need. But in addition to each story, there’s also a mysterious thread connecting all of our main characters. I would quite happily read another full novel about different people experiencing this cafe.

Many thanks to both NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

DNF at 25%

This was not what I was expecting. This is way more focused on the astrology side of things. I was expecting cute and cozy with magical realism. But giant talking cats seems a bit much.
And I cannot get over the prose. I don’t know if it’s the translation, but the prose is very simplistic and straightforward. It just doesn’t flow well.
Very sorry to say this was a miss for me.

I am always hesitant to read a book translated from another language because I feel like things get lost in the translation. I don't mean the translator is doing a bad job, I just mean some nuances and other details don't translate well from another language to English. I thought the premise of this book was cute but I just couldn't get past all the astrology stuff. It didn't do much for me and I got bored.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC! The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a novel composed of interconnecting stories following an elementary class and their former teacher. The story's focus ends up discovering the Full Moon Coffee Shop where cats serves drinks and food that each person needs as they reflect on their lives and make decisions for their futures. Perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and similiar emotional tales, The Full Moon Coffee Shop offers a quick but impactful read.

Okay, this book is so cozy and adorable! Lots of cats and interwoven stories. If you like astrology then you will most certainly like this book! It’s also actually quite a short read!

“At home, she decided, everything she set her eyes on should bring her joy. Just making that little effort every day was enough to gradually brighten her spirits.”

One of my biggest criticisms is that it wasn’t long enough. I do happen to like astrology, but I thought it was pretty heavy on it. Not a bad thing but it would have been nice to mix it up a bit. It was still such a cute story and I very much enjoyed all of the characters and especially the cats. They had me teary eyed at some parts!

“The tea starts out as water, but experience transforms it entirely.”
.
.
.
ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•Cats
•Cozy fiction
•Magical Realism
•Astrology
•Asian Lit

The Full Moon Coffee Shop was a delightful read. The stories were short and cozy, and I was pleasantly surprised by how they all connected in unexpected ways. Each tale was charming, showing how a simple action could lead to something beautiful. I enjoyed how the book conveyed the idea that guidance from the stars can inspire us to strive to be better.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a cozy, quick, and easy read. It's written in the style of short stories that are all intertwined/interconnected, which is common in Japanese literature. All in all, it was a fun and quick read that you can easily finish in one sitting, or go at a leisurely pace, since each story is different. However, as I said, they are all ultimately connected. Every chapter focuses on a different character. Despite their differences, they're struggling with something, whether it's their career, love life, etc. They are all inevitably guided to the pop-up café known as The Full Moon Coffee Shop. I learned a lot about astrology and natal charts from reading, and I particularly enjoyed the magical elements and how the stories are interwoven. The book has some heartwarming moments, and it's an excellent palate cleanser!

This was interesting. I think there may have been some cultural nuances I didn’t understand. The story felt a bit disjointed. Almost like I was reading an anime show with my son. I always feel like there is something lost in translation for me. The themes and ideas feel so big, but then the dialogue feels almost childish. I suspect that in its original language the dialogue has much more depth and flows better with the story. But all of that aside, I can see what this is meant to be. I just wish I had connected better to the characters.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

“The Full Moon Coffee Shop has no fixed location. It might appear in the middle of a familiar shopping arcade, by the station at the end of a railway line, or on a quiet riverbank. At the Full Moon Coffee Shop, we don’t take you or order, isnstead we bring you desserts, meals, and drinks selected jus t for you. Who knows - maybe it’s all a dream.”

I picked this up expecting a story with cosy, magical, and slice of life elements, but it failed to deliver. The FMCS is written in 3 main parts, each featuring a character or pair of characters who are currently facing a challenge in their life. The FMCS appears to them and they are served by what seems to be human sized cat beings who basically read and explain to them their astrological charts. Literally. There are pictures of charts in the book and it felt like being lectured to. For someone with no background or interest in astrological readings, it really added nothing to the story - it evoked no emotion as it was presented in a matter-of- fact way.

The characters then magically are at peace with their current life crises and have a newfound outlook on how to change for the better. Just after some desserts, coffee, and a rant about their Venus sign. (I guess in some ways, a good pastry CAN be life changing, but cmon).

There were no notable quotes that stood out to me or that I wanted to save. The only parts I really enjoyed were the descriptions of the beverages and desserts that the characters ate.

The story didn’t evoke any feelings or emotions for me, I was kind of disappointed by how two dimensional the characters were. There were also very large chunks of back and forth dialogue that drove the entire story that felt very winded, especially when it was again, just talking about star charts. The writing also suffered from the downfall of first person narration where the character “tells” you everything about their backstory and thoughts, leaving nothing to interpret or “show “, and no space to linger in scenes or ideas being conveyed.

It was quaint to see how these characters’ lives connected at the end but overall there was not a lot of substance. The characters kind of just existed for the sake of having a problem for the FMCS to appear and fix by telling them that this is just how their life is fated to play out. Not my most enjoyed read this year.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the ARC and the privilege of writing this review.

This was a quick book. I rather liked the idea of a cat talking cafe. I really liked the descriptiveness of the book. The one chapter with pancakes sounded so good it made me want some. It’s a nice story