Thank you to Pan Macmillan, Toshikazu Kawaguchi and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In "Before We Say Goodbye" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, the cafe Funiculi Funicula continues to be a mystical bridge between time and heartache. This fourth installment in the series provides readers with four distinct yet profoundly emotional stories. It delves into the human experience of grief and the longing for second chances, exploring the poignant theme of returning to the past to find closure, even when it's impossible to change the future. Kawaguchi's storytelling is as heartwarming and poignant as ever, delivering a collection of narratives that tug at the heartstrings. Each story is a masterpiece in itself, offering profound insights into human nature and the complexity of emotions. As readers journey through the lives of characters seeking solace and closure in the cafe's time-travel offering, they are reminded of the power of love, loss, and the inevitability of time's passage. "Before We Say Goodbye" is a compelling and bittersweet exploration of the eternal human longing for resolution and the acceptance of life's inherent imperfections.

Kawaguchi continues to captivate with his skillful exploration of time's limits, weaving tales of redemption and heartache in a world where time travel comes with rules that defy the desire to change the past. The stories in this collection are a testament to the author's ability to infuse the ordinary with the extraordinary, leaving readers with a profound sense of nostalgia and introspection. "Before We Say Goodbye" is a beautifully bittersweet continuation of Kawaguchi's beloved series, a reminder of the eternal allure of second chances and the enduring power of love and forgiveness. Each story, like a carefully brewed cup of coffee, warms the soul, offering solace and insight into the intricate and often painful tapestry of human existence.

Well he got me again!
Four unique heartwarming stories absolutely devoured this in one sitting I highly rec for all my translation readers this had me laugh cry and heartache all at once!

i loved continuing the series with this book. this series is an emotional rollercoaster with a wonderful set of characters who you root for and feel for them as you get to know their stories

I have previously read the first book in the series, so I did not generally what I was getting into with this book and I’ve got to say I thought this was going to be less than the first book, but its prized mean it was as good as the first book, I absolutely adore. Do I love the new characters with the Familia setting I like the way different characters reacted to the same scenario how they went about the choices and I also really like to getting to know how people would react in a situation. It gives you an insight into peoples heads and motives.

Once again, thought provoking, heart warming, heart breaking and beautiful. It will put you through an emotional spin cycle!

This is the fourth book in the series about a cafe in Tokyo where the clients can choose to go back or forward in time. Until this book there has been a logical chronology to what are short stories, four to each book. This book itself is about a time prior to the third book. I found this confusing. That said I still enjoyed the stories about life in Tokyo. Having read the previous books the reiterating of the rules regarding going back in time is a little monotonous but the author seems to find so many ways that the time traveller reacts to them that it is interesting. What is also interesting is the reasons for travelling in time, the solutions the couples come to when they discuss the matters effecting them and the consequences when the traveller arrives back in their own time. In this volume the theme for each traveller could be helping to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.

It is thought provoking, I have mulled over how I and how we westerners would react to the circumstances that are described. The characters who are in each story develop over time and are well described. Everyone I have recommended the series to has enjoyed the books they have read. The books could be read standalone rather than in sequence and still be enjoyable.

Thank You for the review copy.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s 'Before We Say Goodbye' is a befitting follow-up to the last instalment of this series. Translated from Japanese it makes us ponder on what would we do if we could travel back in time. While the question itself is heavy, imagine if you could do it without being able to affect the outcome. Would you do it? Who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes you back to the cafe and the endearing tales of strangers and the known characters. This is another cosy read which makes you think about some of the most difficult questions in the most unassuming of ways.

So, do read it.

As expected, Before We Say Goodbye is as brilliant as it's predecessors; highly emotive, insightful, and filled with beauty of life and grief, this book offers an intimate look at the human condition, and empathising with each of the characters as their stories unfold is an inevitability. A tearjerker from start to finish.

Before We Say Goodbye contains four separate tales from the special coffee shop in which patrons can go back in time. It occurs a year after the first series of tales in Before The Coffee Gets Cold and of the two I prefer this book. The book itself is divided up into four chapters per tale: The Husband, The Farewell, The Proposal and The Daughter. I found each one to be thought provoking and melancholy but hopeful. The Farewell was a particular favourite but was so so bittersweet. I won't go into much detail because it'll spoil the stories but if you're interested in the human condition and getting second chances then this might be a good read for you. Its a quick read and full of great characters and lessons for life. I'm docking a star just based on the repetitive nature of the "rules" for going back in time which I felt could have been edited out after the first tale but its not hugely annoying. I am already planning to read the next book. I am really enjoying the series. Thank you for the ARC and as always these are my own opinions.

A beautiful end to Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series. Lovely, beautiful and moving.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the previous three books in this series I can fully admit that THIS tore at my heart the most. When I got to the end of each story, I was either silently crying with a little smile or frown on my face. It was an emotional book to read but I also found comfort and peace whilst reading it. My only issue is that having read the previous books, the reiterating of rules had me a little nodding off at times, but if i were to have just picked this up standalone I would appreciate the rules being explained as they were. Put the book down and the profound thoughts of the world I live in and humanity were buzzing around my silly little mind.
Get the hankies ready.

I fell in love with this series when I picked up Book 1 by chance and my heart has fallen more and more in love with every new edition. In what I believe is the final book in this series, the magic and mystery is brought back to life one more time.

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is the latest book set in the magical time-travelling Funiculi Funicula café. Translated from its original Japanese, it follows its highly successful predecessors, Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Café. There’s also Before Your Memory Fades but I haven’t read that one!

Before We Say Goodbye is set a year after the first book in the series, Before the Coffee Gets Cold and is constructed as four short stories. The overarching theme is people who want to go back to the past in order to change something in their present. But that is very much not in the rules of time travel here. Nothing you do in the past can affect the future. They have to asses and deal with their grief and regrets in other ways.

The first story is about a husband who regrets his selfish ways, the second focuses on the love of a couple for their dog, the third is about an engaged couple who have crossed-wires and the last tale was about people caught up in the 2011 earthquake.

While I will say it felt a little repetitive when it came to explaining the cafe’s time-travel rules in each story (due to them originally being published as separate stories) each made up for that by packing such a unique emotional punch and delivering a beautiful little moral message.

As is Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s signature of this series, in Before We Say Goodbye, the scene is set quickly but in such a way that you are drawn immediately in and know the tears will be pricking the corners of your eyes before too long. A heart-warming way to spend a few hours.

I don’t know where to begin with this.

The 4th book in this series wonderfully written but very emotional.

A beautiful book but also so sad.

The story of the woman who had lost her dog made me cry all the way through.

The author deals with grief so well.

Highly recommend

The author has done it again, sucker-punched me right in the soul.
I do absolutely recommend starting with the first book as it introduces the cafe and recurring characters and provides context for events that happen here.
After the third book didn’t quite do it for me I was beginning to worry that I’d had enough of the series but I shouldn’t have feared. This is beautiful, poignant and I will be thinking about these stories for some time.

This series is one I will cherish forever. Especially this book which follows closely 4 stories of those who are grieving after the death of a loved one.

The second story in particular (The Farewell) really hurt me, as it’s about a couple who lose their dog, but all of these stories closely follow the passage of time and the idea of even though we can’t change the past, we can change our outlook on life and overall see the brighter side of things.

This book is such a beautiful addition to the series, and hats off to Geoffrey Trousselot for the translation, I am constantly blown away by the language and descriptions of physical and metaphorical concepts throughout the series.

4.5⭐ rounded to 5⭐

In the fourth instalment of the Before The Coffee Gets Cold series, there is a husband with something important left to say, the woman who couldn’t bid her dog farewell, the woman who couldn’t answer a proposal and the daughter who drove her father away.

I absolutely flew through this one in a few hours! I really loved all of the stories. In the first story, I really enjoyed learning more about the cafe's rules and how the time travel aspect happens. I had tears when I got to the end. In the second story, I didn't think this one would hit me as hard as it did, especially as I have an animal called Apollo and I consistently worry about him dying. From start to finish, I was crying my eyes out. It was by far the most saddest and relatable out of all of the stories of this series. In the third story, I really liked this story, although it was sad but it didn't feel as memorable as the other stories in this book. In this fourth story, I feel like it had an important reflection on regret of how family members are treated and looking at things through a different lens.

⚠️ CWs: grief, death, death of parent, animal death, infertility; mentions pregnancy, injury/injury detail, natural disaster ⚠️

Thank you to Pan Macmillan, Picador and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Very emotional book that will 10000% make you feel something. Really beautiful story that I will remember for a long time.

The fourth book in the 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' series and once again I couldn't resist it. As always the stories are heart-wrenching and the messages of them all are beautiful. Since the first book I have struggled with the writing style (note that this book is translated so I'm not sure if this is based on Kawaguchi's writing style, or is due to the work of the translator Geoffrey Trousselot). The language is very simple so I do find the dialogue unrealistic and awkward at times. I see past this to enjoy the stories but there is starting to be some repetition, so I think this may have to be the last in the series I read - assuming there'll be more.

It is a lovely series of books though and I'm sure its fanbase will be delighted to get more stories in the future! The staff and guests of Café Funiculi Funicula are a delight and the magical time travel elements are unique.

In this series of four intertwined short stories, Kawaguchi returns to the cafe where time travel is possible. These are beautiful stories of love, loss and moving on and I'm not afraid to admit to a little weep every so often, while reading.
By following a series of very strict rules people can return to a past experience in the cafe and during the time it takes for a cup of coffee to go cold they can revisit a person or incident that haunts them. A husband, a mother, a lover and a daughter revisit moments in their pasts that they are not proud of and through moments of self-reflection and reliving the conversation they find peace.

It's a beautiful idea and it's beautifully portrayed. Sometimes a little stilted in the translation, Before We Say Goodbye deals with small moments that have big consequences with the requisite sparseness of Japanese writers that I've loved in the past.

It's both magic realism and realist magic and it works beautifully for a quiet reflective read.