The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
Rating:
3.5
In a nutshell:
Five individuals find their lives change when they encounter a mysterious cafe run by cats.
Best for:
Those looking for something a bit dreamy and whimsical. Lovers of astrology (though that isn’t necessary – I wouldn’t put myself in that category but I still enjoyed those parts).
Quote that made me think:
“But the challenges it sets us aren’t barriers to confront – they’re doors waiting to be opened.”
“Not everything has to move forwards all the time you know…”
Why I chose it:
Cats. Come on.
Review:
This book was even more whimsical than I expected (I should have paid more attention to the cover art). But it was a great read on what is a very stormy weekend where I live. I felt cozy reading it, and also a bit inspired.
We first meet Mizuki, a screenwriter who is in a bit of a down slope of her career. She finds herself invited to the cafe, where cats give her some ideas about how she could perhaps bring her work to more relevance. The next person we meet is someone Mizuki has worked with before – someone in the entertainment industry, Akari. Akari is struggling a bit with her work and romantic lives. And an actress she has worked with, Satsuki, is in the middle of a scandal, having slept with a married actor. Akari and Satsuki both find themselves invited to the cafe, where the cats provide some very detailed information about their astrological charts.
Finally, we have Takashi, a software developer, and Megumi, a hairdresser. They both have dreams related to the cafe.
We find all five are connected in some way, and we also eventually learn about the origin of the cat cafe – in fact the whole book ties itself up quite neatly. Sometimes that’s a bit annoying, but in this case, I think it’s a sign of a well thought out and well crafted story.
I read this across just a couple of days, and I enjoyed it. I’m not sure it’s for everyone, but honestly it got me a bit more interested in astrology because why not? Life should have a bit more whimsy and mystery.
Would I recommend it to its target audience:
Yes
