Everyone already complained about it in the reviews but I need to say it too, the writing was really bad. This type of writing that shows everything that an eye can see without ever delving into emotions makes stories about grief, love or happiness feel very empty. You have to describe these feelings appropriately using the right words so that they can tug at the reader's heartstrings. I don't know what the quality of the original text is, but given the book's popularity, I assume or hope it's a bit better than the English version. I also know it was originally a play which could have caused the overly descriptive paragraphs.

Second thing that I didn't like were the characters. None of them were memorable at all, nor loveable enough that it makes you root for them. They felt so flat, the only thing I could tell you about them after closing the book is their jobs and maybe their clothes too, but if you asked me what kind of people they are, I wouldn't answer because I don't know it myself. And that's a shame because for a slice of lifey story like this one, characters are the entire plot. Why else would you read them?

One in particular was also irritating, and it's Kazu. I usually like characters with a deadpan expression and "I don't give a fly about people" attitude, but she really got on my nerves for some reason. Her deadpan expression was uncalled-for in a lot of moments and for a waitress in a café that claims to send people to time travel, the least she could do is answer questions properly. None of the customers were even remotely rude for her to keep that up.

As for the men, oh boy, do the author really think that all men are emotionally inept or awkward? That displaying any type of kind gesture to show care or concern is unmanly? It was embarrassing to see how these men behaved towards their loved ones and the narrator trying to convince that they actually cared and that's how they acted made the whole thing even more ridiculous. The women were all pretty one dimensional. So it's actually funny that a male author failed to write not only women but men as well.

And finally, the tear-jerking moments flew over my head.
I didn't care about the first part but I could let it slide since it was the introduction to the whole time travel concept.

The second part would have been my favourite if I enjoyed the book but even then, if it wasn't for Alzheimer's disease, I would have felt pretty indifferent.

The third part about the sisters had the right ingredients to make me cry but the execution was quite bad and frankly too much sobbing for me to take it seriously. The ending also kind of ruined it for me.

The final part? If the main characters were fleshed out and felt like real people, it would have been enjoyable but unfortunately for reasons I cited above it didn't. I just skimmed through fast to get over it.

I was hoping to like Before the Coffee gets Cold when I picked it up given its popularity, and unfortunately it didn't deliver. I'm not even sure why this book got so popular that it even was made into a series and got adopted into a movie. Frankly, even 2.5 stars feel a bit too generous.