There is SO much to love about this unique story. I always love a good "what if?" story and this one does not disappoint. The distinct flavors of Japan make a beautiful backdrop for all the characters' meetings with their favorite people. Especially interesting in this book was being able to get to know the story of the "go-between." Excellent character development.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this marvelous book in exchange for my honest review.

“‘There’s somebody you wish to see, isn’t there?’

The elderly woman asked this in a gentle voice. I didn’t know how to reply. We fell into a long silence, which I later regretted. The quiet in the air held too much meaning for two strangers making small talk.”

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a tender and touching novel where each chapter follows a different character visiting someone deceased. The second half of this was stronger than the first, once all of the logistics of how the go-between works was explained. However, the same information was repeated to each character, so it sometimes got repetitive.

I would recommend this to readers looking for a hopeful and unique take on grief in fiction!

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 7/4/25.

Review to be posted to Instagram closer to release date.

I'm so impressed by this original, inventive, and beautifully-written novel! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy now.

Mizuki Tsujimura has crafted a very entertaining collection of individual stories connected by a go-between who arranges meetings with the dead. The backstory of each character is skillfully told, revealing the need for the confrontation with the deceased. The go-between is himself an intriguing character. As the novel unfolds, you find out more about him as well.

The author explores the human condition in rich and varied detail. Each character is flawed but seeking closure before they can move on with their lives. I hate to disclose the situations or the characters because I want you, the reader, to come to this book without preconceptions. However, chapter titles allow an advance look at what is to come: The Rule of the Idol, The Rule of the Eldest Son, The Rule of the Best Friend, The Rule of Lost Love, for example. I found myself urgently reading to the end of each chapter, the need to find how each situation was resolved overwhelming.

I am grateful to the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

This was definitely very unique, thought provoking and contemplative! I liked it. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc

contemplative and thoughtprovoking book about what it's like to lose someone and what would happen if you had a chance to speak with them once more. what would you say? 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you for approving me to read this heartwarming novel. Truly.

I've been in a slight reading slump since finishing an incredible magic realism novel, followed by an incredible fantasy series. I picked this up hoping it would help get me out of the slump... and it did. However, it's also going to set the bar a lot higher for other novels in the genre.

I was somewhat concerned this novel would not be warm but rather depressing. It was not. Yes, it had the potential to be that way due to the setting and the premise of 'the dead' and revisiting them once. What made this novel so engaging and beautiful was the focus on relationship impact, the meanings and the connections we build. There was not an overwhelming focus on loss. Yes, I cried; yes, I took a break from the book... but it welcomed me back with a caress rather than stabbing me in the heart.

I recommend it!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is perfect for anyone who enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the Heartbeat Library, the magical realism of Isabel Allende or the films created by Studio Ghibli.

Imagine that you were allowed a once in a lifetime chance to speak with a lost loved one. Who would you choose? A parent? A lost love? A best friend? A celebrity? Would you be seeking advice? Forgiveness? Or simply to see that beloved person once more. Each character has their own unique reason. As does the mysterious go-between who is also balancing his newfound responsibilities with the life of a normal teenager, who has survived his own tragic losses.
Please pick up this deeply felt story!

Lost Souls Under a Full Moon is a beautiful, emotional read for fans of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

Through four different character stories, we learn about the go-between (whose story we learn in the final chapter) who can connect the living with the dead for one night only: the night of the full moon. Not everyone learns, let alone can connect with the go-between; they must have the right mix of belief, sincerity, and luck to have their chance. To add yet another layer, the deceased can turn down this meeting, as once they meet with someone living, their spirit vanishes forever.

These stories ask the reader to reflect on relationships in a somber and morbid way. It goes beyond the question of, “if you could meet anyone who’s passed away, who would it be.” It pushes the reader to think of not only why they would meet that person, but also how this meeting would impact themselves and the deceased.

This was a beautiful read that touches on grief, love, friendship, and loss. It is thoughtful and weaves together multiple stories surrounding getting the chance to see someone after they've passed.

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a story about the connections we form in life. The story is set in a world where a go-between exists between the living and the dead. A living person can request to meet with a deceased person, but only once in their lifetime. Each deceased person can only meet with one living person, ever.

The story is about one go-between and his encounters with people wanting to meet the dead. Each of the first few chapters is about a different person and their reasons for wanting to meet their person. In the later chapters, we get more of a perspective on the go-between and the greater perspective of each encounter.

I’m really glad I read this one! Normally I’ll pass on reading books like this, as I think they might be depressing, but this one really was not. The focus was more on the connections we make with people and the motivations we have in life. Overall this was a really good story about relationships and the lasting impact others have on us.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thought provoking and still similar to Before the Coffee gets Cold. Leaves a lot of interpretation to be done by the reader.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young man acts as a go between for the living and dead. In the storyline, each person has one opportunity when alive to meet with a deceased person and the deceased has only one opportunity as well.

A beautiful collection of stories woven together through grief and love. I’m always a fan of Mizuki Tsujimura and I hope there will be another to make it a series! Each story was beautifully, painfully, and exceptionally written. You really fall for the characters and feel for them. This book came at the perfect time in my life and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know.

Thank you Scribner, Netgalley and the author for the e-arc. All the opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Lonely Castle in the Mirror, which is why I was excited to read this one. I liked the emotional core of that book.. So I had high hopes for Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon. Sadly, it turned out to be a disappointment.

The book is based on an interesting idea, someone helps people meet the dead for one final conversation. It sounds like a touching concept, but the way it’s used here just didn’t work for me. There are four separate stories, each one about someone dealing with regret or loss. Then there’s a final story that tries to explain everything and tie it all together.

The biggest issue was the pacing again. About 60% of the book is spent telling the stories, and the rest retells things from the perspective of the person organizing these meetings. That final part was the weakest for me it was overly sweet, a bit boring, and way too focused on delivering a moral message.

The only story that stood out was the fourth one, about a man hoping to see his missing fiancée again. That one actually felt emotional and sincere. The rest felt more like a writing exercise built around a neat idea. Overall, I was let down. I wanted to feel moved, but instead, it felt hollow.

Thank you for the opportunity, but I’m afraid this is a DNF for me. I’m afraid this just feels too much like Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, even down to the aloof go-between/waitress. I would leave the star rating blank, but it is a required field so I am giving three stars just in consideration of the writing minus the plot.

This is my second novel of Mizuki Tsujimura and I'm blown away by her writing again. This is such a heavy topic of grief and it was handled beautifully. This was a perfect mixture of being bittersweet and emotional but not taking it too far where it's overwhelming. I really enjoyed reading this and I look forward to reading more of her work.

4 stars...first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of the book. I enjoyed this book, the concept of being able to speak to a loved one who's passed for some final closure is amazing. I find I like Japanese literature that's been translated to English. I look forward to reading the next book in 2026. This book focuses on love, loss, grief, acceptance, a little bit of a fantasy/magic element and family. The characters were all likeable and I loved the plot. Yes I would recommend this to readers. It comes out in October I believe.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - It’s been awhile since I’ve read a story with magical realism, but I really adored this one! To have the opportunity to meet a beloved friend, family, or even celebrity one final time and have that chance to get some answers or closure, who wouldn’t want that? In this story we follow some individuals who seek out the “Go-Between” Ayumi to get such a chance. We get to see how their meetings with the deceased changes and affects each of them, for better or for worse. We also learn how Ayumi became an intermediary for such a bizarre but fulfilling role. I’m hoping we’ll get to explore more of his character in the sequel.

This was a great story written by Mizuki, but I was also very impressed with Yuki Tejima’s translation. Sometimes I find translated work a bit cumbersome to read as the wording can be rigid and awkward, but this story flowed so nicely that I honestly forgot I was even reading a translated story. That was a pleasant surprise for sure!

I’ve been meaning to read Mizuki’s other story “Lonely Castle in the Mirror”. Finishing this novel has me looking forward to reading that book even more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my review.

A haunting but fun translated fiction full of heart, detail, thought provoking themes, and macabre beauty.

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

If you had one chance to speak with anyone who had passed, who would it be? Why? Do you think you would feel better afterwards, or worse? Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a philosophical and contemplative novel about our relationships with each other and our relationship with death, and how the two intertwine.

Each chapter features a different character longing to reconnect with someone who has been lost, and all for different reasons. The only connection between each chapter is the presence of the Go-Between (the individual who helps to arrange meetings between the living and the dead).

This novel reminded me a bit of the experience of playing the game Spiritfarer, which also examines our relationship with death and our own mortality. Similarly, not every character was or is a good person. We see how those flaws can echo through multiple lives (and deaths) of the people around them.

I would call this novel emotional without being devastating. I cried multiple times, but it felt gently sad or bittersweet in those moments, rather than depressing. Each chapter being essentially a self-contained story means that it is ideal for taking small breaks if the reader finds themselves overwhelmed at any time, or if they simply wish to put the book down and reflect on the chapter they just read and the experience within it.

This has truly been one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it for a quiet, pensive, evening read. The translation is outstanding and I will definitely be reading the next book.