↳ general

• why'd i pick up this book? - despite the cliche, i've always been drawn to time loop stories. in fact, when i first saw this on the shelves when i was a 1st year high school student, i wanted it before even knowing it was about time travel! i'm not sure what compelled me, but graduating 4th year, i finally asked my mom to buy me a copy.
• quick summary - a story about four cafe visitors, each wishing to return back in time to face the person they love, whether lover, sister, or daughter.. despite all overflowing emotions, they must return before the coffee gets cold.
• key themes - love, regret, second chances, & growth

↳ thoughts

• ↳ interest
  • what i liked - life, no matter how mundane it is, ends up being so, so special. i'm not sure what it was, or why, but this book jerked out real tears from me (embarrassingly, i cried while reading chapter three "the sisters" in public.)
  • what i disliked - the writing was annoying and repetitive especially while trudging through the first chapter. i just did not have the patience but the climaxes did make me cry at least. also i hate how women are described? i hate how women are in this book in general? two of the m/f couples, while endearing (i guess), follow dynamics i'm not too appeased with. fumiko/goro = it girl(i did not like how she was described in the first chapter)/stereotypical nerd guy (by appearance).. kei/nagare = small girl/big guy also they were 17/20 when they first met bro please god forbid ? ? ? what! it was kind of. weird.
• ↳ favourites
  • character(s) - none.
  • chapter - chapter three, the sisters.

↳ rating

• 2.5/5 - initially, i gave this a 3.5, but after thinking about it more.. especially the women part.. i had to bump the rating down. sorry dude, the stories are sad yeah but the impatience i had while reading was unmatched and this might be an unpopular opinion, but chapter four "mother and child" was not that compelling to me (i expected it to be the most heart wrenching one.) it was an easy enough read though, good for when you're sitting bored in your living room.