The Calico Cat by Amanda James is a 2018 publication

The synopsis didn’t really capture the gravity of the story, so I got something a little different from the usual contemporary fiction novel I’d been expecting.

After her grandmother died, Lottie has no one she can trust, other than herself. She takes this to the extreme though, but mostly it’s a coping mechanism designed to protect herself. Still, it is quite sad that she refuses to allow herself to get close to anyone. She has no deep connection to anyone- but...

When she decides to pursue her dream, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will eventually lead her to a better understanding of her life- as it will for others who had no idea the trauma she endured growing up.

The road is still occasionally fraught, as well-meaning people make a few colossal blunders-but Lottie also meets up with mature, stable people who prove that though people can be flawed they can also be counted on to come through, to be steadfast in their support and to love unconditionally.

I read through a few reviews, briefly, after I finished this book, to see if anyone else had been taken by surprise by the story, considering the lovely cover and title.

Some felt it was a gentle story, but I feel I’d be remiss if I did not point out the dark undertones that address some trigger-y topics like self-harm, for example.

There is self-destructive behavior, dark thoughts, violent actions all centered around some intense emotional abuse- which left Lottie emotionally stunted, as a result. So, while the story is unique, a bit quirky, and ends on a heart-warming, inspirational- though realistic-note- it’s not exactly the light-hearted romance one might be led to believe it is.

Despite all that, I ended up liking the story a lot and do recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about personal growth and self-discovery- about friendship and family- and with a just a dash of romance.

I appreciated the author’s approach and felt the story was well-executed- with fantastic character development. It was unconventional, but that’s what made it stand out and kept me invested in the characters and caring about what happened to them.

Overall, a bit offbeat- but in a good way. I loved the allegory with the calico cat, and felt the author paralleled it quite nicely- and despite some dark passages and depressing periods, the story still qualifies as a ‘feel-good’ story in the end.

4 stars

First of all I want to say how gorgeous the cover is, I'm an animal lover and it drew me straight in. The Calico Cat is a beautiful coming of age story, a story of new beginnings and self discovery and learning to accept. My heart went out to Lottie after discovering the secret her whole world was flipped upside down.

Honestly, I could not finish this novel, which is what took me so long to finally review. I appreciate the opportunity, of course, but simply could not immerse myself in it.

A compelling and enjoyable read.
The characters are believable and easy to relate to.
Some sensitive subjects are in the book but the author has written about these so well.
A heartwarming book

This book was not at all what I expected. It's a wonderful story of Lottie growing up and living life on her own terms. She highlights her life with turning points. The first being the day she asks her mother for a calico cat. Lottie and her mother have a fractious relationship due to a big secret. When she quits her teaching job and decides to explore her talent for painting she meets Caleb and discovers what friendship means. This journey of self discovery is narrated entirely by Lottie and she is funny and self deprecating in spots but honest in her description of her life. Amanda James is a prolific author who is usually spot on with her writing and wonderful characters. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a different read where the main character Lottie, decides to take control of her life. She leaves her class in the middle and takes steps to achieve her dream of becoming an artist.
She goes on a holiday with a friend and meets a lot of characters in this journey of life. There is an added mystery too in this story.
It is the characters and Lottie herself which make this book a good read. I skim read the book to read the parts which had an emotional impact on me.
Overall an okay read

Princess Fuzzypants here: Some reviews fairly write themselves while others, like this one, are arduous. I cannot put my paw on what made it so hard for me to like Lottie or care about her for the first half of the book. True her mother is the definition of a horrible “cow”, to coin the British expression. Lottie has good reason not to trust and to be damaged by her mother but until she starts to interact with the people who will change her perspective and allow her to learn the value of love and friendship, she is an unsympathetic character.
As I say, that changes when she and her boyfriend Caleb go on their walking holiday. Her reclamation into the human race is anything but instant. She is going to stumble and crumble and rise again, like a phoenix...or perhaps a calico cat. The cat is a construct, not a living breathing feline. It is representative of her journey. I kept waiting for her to go to a shelter and find a cat to adopt. I would hope the character would do so after the end of the book. I realize, being a cat, I might be a tad biased.
She is lucky to meet some wonderful characters in the second half of the story, including her brother James, his wife Beth and Louisa who becomes the mum Lottie never had. The reader is lucky too because they breathe life and passion and kindness into the story. it made the rest of the book light up for me. Because the first half was difficult but the second half delightful, I must give it a middling rating. It is worth the effort but will not be frothy beach reading.
I give it three and a half purrs and one paw up.

A refreshingly, easy read, Lottie takes us on her journey of self-discovery as she struggles with the concept of love; both the giving and receiving, acceptance, and following her heart. It is difficult to not love this plucky young woman, to empathise with her pain at the hand of her indifferent mother, and to rejoice at her successes, supported by the family that she chooses for herself.

Loved this book. A tale of growing up and grown ups. A good romance and a book with a different slant on life with interesting characters.

Every stressed out teacher at some point of their career has wondered, "What would I do if I threw in the towel and decided to try something else?" In this book, "The Calico Cat," the author shows us a teacher who does exactly that. Right from the start, I was amazed at the main character's bravery and independence. Lottie gets up during the middle of the history class she is teaching, leaves the building, and heads straight towards her dream of becoming an artist like her grandmother. Luckily, Lottie has some inherited money so she can get by for awhile as she figures out her next steps in life. She befriends a former co-worker and they set off on a walking holiday together where Lottie meets other characters who help her in her road to self-discovery.
One of the things I liked about this book was Lottie's "voice." I felt like I was in the same room as Lottie and she was telling me her story. She even had me chuckling aloud at times. The author's use of metaphors and imagery really helped to paint a picture in my mind of the setting and characters of the book. One of my favorite examples of this imagery is the following line: "It's one of those humid August afternoons that have skies heavy with pregnant clouds. They are full-term and desperate to give birth."
Additionally, the author did an excellent job of keeping me in suspense. What was the secret revealed to her at age 13 by her parents? What happened to her after this reveal that dramatically influenced the rest of her life? I really felt hooked from the start and wanted to keep reading to find out if Lottie would get her "happily ever after."
Thanks to Bombshell Books and Net Galley for an advanced reader's copy of this book. I feel like I have presented an honest opinion of this book in my review.

A really good novel really felt I was travelling the Cornish coast line with Lottie and seeing in my mind's eye the beautiful places and views good story telling and some interesting characters a delightful novel and well worth a read

Not my usual type of read but lm pleased l did Louise had a troubled childhood and this is the story of her coming to terms with the hurt and discovering herself

This is my first ARC received from NetGalley and my first ebook I have read. I didn’t expect anything from this book when I picked it and received it. I just gave it a shot and see if I’ll like it or not. Well… I was surprised that I LOVED this book!

Author created such life like characters and the way Charlotte was expressing her thoughts in the book- it seemed like she was communicating with the reader… speaking with YOU and telling her story just for YOU.
Another thing why I loved this book so much was… POSITIVITY. This book is soaked in it. No matter what painful events the main character had in the book, she manages to live on, fall in love, and find positive and inspiring people that help her to find her true happiness. This book is so warm that you can literally feel and see what she experiences.

Also, I found so many quotes in this book that I can’t agree more. And if I find many quotes that I like in the book- it means this book “had something in it”.

Summing-up: warm, positive, inspiring, happy end.

This is the first book I have read by Amanda James. She immediately caught my interest with her beautiful cover and the title! Can you tell I love cats?
This is a wonderful and intriguing story of a young woman discovering herself and what she is meant to do in life. It details her ups and downs on her journey to self discovery. There are many very interesting characters in her life during this quest.
I loved every minute of reading this and I was sorry to reach the end. I would highly recommend this book! I will be looking for more books by this author.
I would like to thank Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

A very well written and heart warming story about growing up and self discovery.
One those book that leads on a trip through memory and discovery, one of those book you're sad when it's over.
Strongly recommended!
Many thanks to Bloodhound Books and Netgalley for this ARC

I just love Amanda's style of writing. Every book I have come across is just so easy flowing and a dream to read.
The Calico Cat is such an inspiring book I feel and in some ways reminds me of mine and my siblings upbringing. No matter what your experience growing up, it's you yourself that defines your future.
Lottie is such a lovable character. She is one of those characters that when you finish reading the book you feel you will miss her somehow and you want to know how things turn out.
I'm sorry if this review does not make sense, I was up most of the night reading, as I couldn't put it down.

5☆ A Compelling and Beautiful Read!

First of all I want to say how gorgeous the cover is. I'm an animal lover and it drew me straight in.

The Calico Cat is a beautiful coming of age story, a story of new beginnings and self discovery and learning to accept.

When Lottie was 13 she discovers a devastating secret that will change her life and the way she fits in growing up.
My heart went out to Lottie after discovering the secret her whole world was flipped upside down it's no wonder her personality changes. What with dealing with teenage hormones too.

What makes matters much worse is how her Mum deals with the fall out. Instead of talking to Lottie and helping her come to terms with her emotions she makes matters much worse. She behaves disgracefully.
It's no wonder Lottie rebels. Causing a rift between them. Mum's are meant to be your rock it's so sad.

Fast forward and Lottie is now a teacher. Unsure whether it's really what she wants to do, she walks out on her teaching job and decides to follow her true passion to become an artist like her grandmother.

What follows next is a heart warming journey of self discovery and new beginnings as Lottie discovers who she really is, putting her past to rest.

The Calico Cat is a compelling and heart warming read it's an engrossing, irresistible story that will leave am impression.
There are some sensitive subjects and Amanda has written them realistically and with sensitivity.
The Characters are somewhat flawed, unique but believable.

I highly recommend this Poignant read, it truly is a beautiful book written by a very talented Author.

As I am not really a cat person (I find them cute to look at, but the fact that I sneeze like a banshee when around one for a bit, kinda puts me off!), I had absolutely no idea what a 'calico cat' was. Well, I thought it was either a cat breed, or a cat made of cotton, but then I thought I sounded daft and rebuked any ideas I had. So, with that in mind, this book intrigued me because of the cat and the tagline at the top; 'Can you ever break free from the past?'.


What a good question, can you? Unfortunately for Lottie, she had to find out the answer to that question the hard way thanks to her parents. Due to the lightening bolt which severed hers and her parents relationship, Lottie had to stand on her own two feet and become, what some people might say, 'hard nosed'. I found myself relating to Lottie in terms of her hard exterior and the way she displays herself to other people. Whilst I am sure that a lot of people may find her far too blunt, I couldn't help but nod along as I am very similar to the character in that sense. Yes, I say the things that people think, and yes, my brain doesn't connect to my mouth before my mouth opens - just like Lottie.

I did feel that the way Lottie projected herself was due to her past as it was probably a way of protecting her emotions from any further breakages. You can't really blame her though, can you?

I really didn't know what to expect from 'The Calico Cat', yet it ended up giving me something I still can't put my finger on. I know that doesn't really make sense but, due to the fact that the entire storyline is relatable and magnetic, I felt as though the author was telling my soul a story rather than my brain.

Amanda James seems to have become a voice for those without the confidence to use their own voices, by showing that it's okay to go through difficult times, and that it's okay to not be okay - if you're being true to yourself, what does it matter in the grand scheme of things?

'The Calico Cat' hit home and for those who know me personally, I am sure that they can understand why it did. I never expected a cat to be at the forefront of a novel where self discovery is concerned, but I am certainly not complaining.

A beautifully written, enchanting, and captivating novel which will highlight the importance of looking after number one (and no, I don't mean the cat).

This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be looking to read more from this author in the future.

Lottie learns of a family secret when she’s thirteen years old. The secret changes her life.
Now as an adult Lottie is a teacher. One day she just walks out of her job to follow her dreams of being an artist.

I found this to be a great read of self discovery. The Calico Cat is a refreshing well written story. I loved the secondary characters and felt they added so much to the story.
A perfect beach read or as I did a perfect read sitting out in the garden enjoying the sun.

Charlotte has had enough of her job and just walked out. She decides to follow in her grandmothers footsteps and become an artist. Her very vocal and disapproving mother doesn’t approve and believes Charlotte is making a big mistake.

Oh this is a book that I adored and so very different to the couple of other books I have previously read by this author. Set in beautiful Cornwall I got to meet Charlotte, or Lottie as she prefers to be called, and learn of her story. She tells of her family life from a teenager to present day. There have been changes, teen rebellion but also of a dramatic change in her family that still has a hold over her and her feelings. Lottie is not quiet or timid, she is quite vocal in her beliefs and extremely principled with a very matter of fact way in her conversation and thoughts, with an interesting way of voicing her opinion. I would say she is the sort of person that would be very easy to misunderstand, but that is the way she is and it is quite refreshing.

A chance of a holiday with a friend gives Lottie a chance to meet various people from different walks of life. Their experiences help Lottie to realise that there are different perspectives in all things. That sometimes in life a broader outlook is needed rather than a narrower tunnel version. She has to deal with

This is a gentle amble around the Cornish coastline and also Lotties life, it mixes elements of the dramatic landscape and personal heartache with hope and moving forward, with new starts and beginnings. The plot and story of how Lottie and those in her life has been done in a wonderful way that gradually drew me in. I wanted to know more about her and why she reacts the way she does, it held my attention and I loved being immersed in her world for the few hours it took me to read it. This also has a romantic theme, it is not your lovey-dovey, gushy sort as that wouldn’t fit with Lottie.

A book that was the perfect read for a sunny May day and that I think is perfect for readers of women’s fiction, contemporary fiction and romance. It is a book I would highly recommend.