Quick Synopsis – In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon.

This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and it seemingly appears at random.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes and coffees and teas, the cats also consult their star charts, offering cryptic wisdom, and letting them know where their lives veered off course.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Ride by Honey Revenge

Publication Date – Aug. 20, 2024

Content Notes – There is some mention of infidelity and an off page death.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐out of 5

Review – I haven’t had many 5 star reads this year, but this novella was really good. It was like a cozy little fantasy, not super high stakes and with happy resolutions. The Full Moon Coffee Shop reminded me a lot of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but more interconnected. And with more cats. There was also a fun intertwining of Japanese culture with Roman mythology. Overall, this was just a cute read.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a story of regaining confidence, finding yourself, and reconnecting with old friends…. or maybe new lovers. Each character has their own reason for needing the coffee shop and each character has their star charts done by the enigmatic cats at the cafe. This is not a cat cafe; this is a cafe run by cats.

The cats are mostly named after the planets, though they also seem to have characteristics of Roman Gods/Goddesses. The patrons of the cafe seem to be a mixture of humans and supernatural beings. Each person is connected to each other in a really cute way. Since it’s such a quick read, I don’t want to give too much away. If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy, astrology, and of course cats, you’ll definitely like this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.