The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki Book Review
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Hi everyone. Welcome back to Coffee Books and Rain. I'm Rachel. I don't have any coffee at the moment because I’ve had a whole pot today, so I’m hydrating with some water. We have books, we have reviews, and we’ve had some pretty good clouds that have been speculating on rain, so we can cross our fingers and hope. The weather has been wild here in Huntsville. It was around 75 degrees today, and only four days ago it was 27 degrees. I was struggling with a sore throat for a little while, but I think I’ve managed to get rid of it.
We’re going to dive into the first book of the moment, Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop. It is book two in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series. I believe there will be a third one called Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop, or something similar. From the bestselling author of the Japanese sensation The Full Moon Coffee Shop, this novel showcases the magic of Christmas as lost souls find themselves with help from an enchanted cafĂ© run by cats.
In Japan, cats symbolize good luck. As myth goes, if you’re kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor, and if you are kind to the right cat, you might find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a Christmastime Kyoto moon. Sati is devoted to her job in Tokyo, but when her boyfriend hints he’s going to propose on Christmas Day, she becomes torn between her career in the city and a quieter life with her boyfriend in the country. What will the magical cats see for her future?
Koyuki works at Sati’s company. Since her father passed away in an accident on Christmas Day, she has been playing the role of the good, cheerful girl. Now that her mother has remarried, she pretends she’s part of a happy new family. But this Christmas, what will the cats reveal as her true wish?
Junko, Sati’s sister-in-law, lives in a small town with her husband and their daughter Aou. When her estranged father becomes ill, Junko returns home with Aou. With the help of the magical cats, she learns something surprising that will change her life forever. This holiday season, each woman stands at a crossroads, confronting past and present struggles. With feline guidance, each finally finds the courage to seek happiness and contentment.
The book was first published February 9, 2021. The copy I received from NetGalley was likely the English translation. It is Japanese literature and originally published in Japanese. It is about 224 pages, fairly short, and considered magical realism. However, with the magical cats and the coffee shop appearing in unassuming locations, it feels more magical than what I personally define as magical realism.
I’ve always thought of magical realism as something that could be magic or could simply be the universe smiling on you—a subtle magic. In some books it is gentle, like a town with small magical properties. This book felt far more magical, perhaps even touched with holiday magic. I waited to review it closer to the holiday season for that reason.
The Full Moon Coffee Shop tends to show up only on or around a full moon, but in this story it appears around Christmas time. The book is set at the end of 2020. It was fun diving back into this world. Much of the Japanese literature I’ve read recently feels soft around the edges—not low stakes, but not epic either. The characters make life-changing decisions, but in personal, intimate ways.
Sati is trying to decide whether she wants to spend Christmas with her boyfriend or choose her career. For her, it feels life-changing. Koyuki works at Sati’s company, which appears to deal with event planning. She tells her mother she’s not coming home for Christmas because she feels too overwhelmed.
She seems sunny and friendly on the outside but is hurting on the inside. She blames herself for her father’s death because he crashed while going out to get her a present. She also has complicated feelings around Christmas due to her mother’s remarriage and various family events tied to that season.
Junko, Sati’s sister-in-law, has a daughter named Aou. Aou has never met her grandfather but is a bright, happy child. Junko learns her estranged father is ill and must decide whether she should take Aou to meet him. Junko has been no-contact with her father because of past incidents involving her brother and childhood memories. She holds resentment and frustration but now must consider whether to let Aou meet him.
One downside of this book is the heavy focus on astrology and divination. I find it whimsical and interesting, but it can bog the story down because it becomes very meticulous with moon charts, sun charts, natal charts, and so on. I had to Google some of it. I don’t know much about those systems, and some conversations went very deep, which made them confusing. For a 224-page book, those moments felt dense.
There was one quote that caught my attention: “Money is essentially a ticket to exchange for experiences.” It was discussed in relation to someone’s true wish. I paused because, recently, the United States went through a shutdown, and I was one of the individuals who did not receive a paycheck. For many people, money is not simply a ticket to experiences—it is survival and security. It felt a little dismissive in that context, even if the book couldn't cover every nuance.
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