Best Wishes from The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki - Book Review

Series: The Full Moon Coffee Shop #2 

Publication Date: 08th October 2025

Genre: Magic Realism, Cozy Japanese Fiction 

3.3 Stars 

One Liner: Hopeful and mellow 

Satomi has to choose between her career in Tokyo and her country-loving boyfriend, who plans to propose on Christmas. 

Satomi's sister-in-law, Junko, lives with her husband and toddler in a small town. When her estranged and abusive father is ill, Junko and her brother (who left after a big fight and stayed in no contact) return home to discover something about their parent. 

The story comes in the first-person POVs of Satomi, Junko, and Koyuki, with interludes by the cats. 

My Thoughts: 

The book should work as a standalone, though I’d recommend reading the first one as well if you are into astrology and a bit of philosophy. 

This book has the same mellow tone and vibe. The people are selected by the cats of the Full Moon Coffee Shop as the people they would help during Christmastime. 

Then, we get the stories of each of them in their first person. The characters are somewhat related, and one of them has a connection to someone from book one. 

Astrology is the major theme in this one, too, though the focus is on sun, moon, and rising signs (which should be easier to follow). Also, the author uses (and follows) Western astrology. There are a couple of horoscopes to visualize the details (very helpful). 

The names of the food and drinks served by the cats are delightful as ever. I am tempted to leave a couple of lemons in the moonlight and see if the juice will taste different, lol. 

However, I enjoyed the previous book more. The stories were more layered and deeper in that one. Here, we get a few glimpses of the internal conflicts, but the emotional depth is missing. The pacing also feels slower, which shouldn’t be the case since they are simpler! 

That said, the book should be a good read if you want something light and hopeful. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end. It is informative and heartfelt! 

To summarize, Best Wishes from The Full Moon Coffee Shop is a cozy little book about forgiving oneself, second chances, and learning to be happy. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #BestWishesFromTheFullMoonCoffeeShop