3.8 Stars 

In a remote seaside town in Uchibo (near Tokyo), there’s a tiny restaurant that serves remembrance meals. The specialty of this place is that a person who lost their loved ones can meet them one last time during the meal. 

How does this place help people, including the owner? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of multiple characters. 

This is another feel-good Japanese fiction with a touch of magic realism. The book has three inter-connecting stories. The recipe for the special dish in each story is provided at the end of the section. 

After enjoying Full Moon Coffee Shop, I was eager to read something along the same lines. This is a bit heavier as it deals with death and mourning. However, the vibe is the same – mellow, soothing, reflective, and hopeful. 

Though there’s a cat (a kitten), I felt it was more of a prop. Yeah, the kitten was a cutie but doesn’t have an active role as such. It just walks around and meows. Maybe there will be more of the cute kitten in the subsequent books. 

All three stories are distinct and deal with characters of different ages (which gives us a wide spectrum of backstories and emotions).  While I didn't particularly like kids have a love story of sorts, it was still sad. 

I like how we also get the backstory about the restaurant and sweet Kai. I particularly like how the book ends. It works as a standalone, though I am delighted there will be more books in the series. It would be lovely to see Kai and Kotoko’s characters grow. 

The setting is atmospheric and adds to the impact. We also get some information about the region, the past and the present, so there's something to learn as well. 

To summarize, The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen is a bittersweet and heartwarming book about finding solace and moving on after losing a loved one. It shows there’s hope and more to life than grief. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

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