Before the Coffee Gets Cold meets Studio Ghibli in this captivating Sunday Times bestselling romantic fantasy novel that will sweep you away on an unforgettable, magical adventure.

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it.

Most will see only a cosy ramen restaurant. And just the chosen ones - those who are lost - will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop's new owner to find it ransacked, the shop's most precious acquisition stolen and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike other customers. For he offers help, instead of seeking it.

Together, they journey through a mystical world to find Hana's father and the stolen choice - through rain puddles, hitching rides on paper cranes, across the bridge between midnight and morning and through a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own - and risk making a choice she will never be able to take back.

Would you rewrite your destiny if it meant losing a part of your past?

Praise for Water Moon!

'Full of adventure and marvellous creativity, Water Moon surprises and delights with every turn of the page' -- Megan Bannen, bestselling author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

'A spell-binding journey into a magical Ghibli-esque world. Endlessly inventive, this haunting and enchanting tale is not to be missed.' --A.Y. Chao, author of Shanghai Immortal

**'**A unique and beautiful fantasy novel'

'Water Moon is unlike anything I've ever read, full of wonders and terrors...a haunting, half-remembered dream of a book.' --Gareth Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors

'A whimsical and immersive [Studio] Ghibli-esque adventure'

'Water Moon is a dreamy, ethereal fantasy, set in a fascinating faerie tale world with appropriately dark corners. Fans of Hayao Miyazaki will love this one.' --Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul

'Every leg of the journey unfolded with its own distinct charm'

'Whimsical, poignant, thought-provoking, and wildly adventurous, Water Moon will bend your imagination in the very best of ways.' --Mikki Brammer, author of The Collected Regrets of Clover

'The world building [is] so exquisite'

This edition contains an early preview of Samantha's next novel, The Elsewhere Express - coming soon and available to pre-order now!

WATERSTONES Science Fiction & Fantasy Book of the Month - NOVEMBER 2025

Autorentext

Samantha Sotto Yambao is a professional daydreamer, aspiring time traveller, and speculative fiction writer based in Manila. She is the author of Before Ever After, Love and Gravity, A Dream of Trees, and The Beginning of Always. Water Moon, her latest novel and UK debut, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.