Before the Coffee Gets Cold

A Gentle Time Travel Story That Lingers

Affiliate Disclaimer - There are affiliate links on this page, which means I may receive payment at no charge to you for purchases made through any links on this page.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is one of those novels that quietly sneaks up on you. Set in a slightly magical Tokyo café, it gives its visitors one chance to revisit a moment from their past—but only if they follow a set of rules, and only if they finish their coffee before it cools.

It sounds like time travel, but really, it's about people. Their grief, their longing, their need to say what was never said.

What Stayed With Me:

  • The café itself, Funiculi Funicula, felt like a soft, strange character.

  • The moments revisited weren’t grand—they were small, human, painful in their simplicity.

  • It made me think about the things I might wish to go back and hear again. Or say.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes—especially if you love slow, character-driven books with just a touch of surreal.
It's not fast-paced or dramatic, but if you’ve ever wished for one more moment with someone… this book understands that.

It’s the kind of story that lingers—not because of what it says, but because of what it makes you feel.

Where to Read It:

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is available on Amazon.

More in the Series

If you love this book, you’re in luck—Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first in a five-part series that continues the same quiet, time-traveling storytelling through new lives and quiet reckonings.

The full series (in order):

  1. Before the Coffee Gets Cold

  2. Tales from the Café

  3. Before Your Memory Fades

  4. Before We Say Goodbye

  5. Before We Forget Kindness

✨ The first four books are currently available free with a Kindle Unlimited membership.

These aren’t sequels in the traditional sense—they’re more like additional stories in the same still, magical world. I’ve read them all, and if you connect with one, the rest will feel like sitting back down at the same small café for another quiet visit.

Previous
Previous

She and Her Cat

Next
Next

I Went to See My Father