An affecting, emotional and beguiling tale that will pluck at the heartstrings, touch your soul and make you ponder, The Calico Cat is a wonderful tale of secrets, self-discovery and courage from Amanda James, a fantastic writer with a terrific talent from plumbing the depths of the human heart.

When thirteen year old Lottie discovers a shocking secret, her entire life changes in a heartbeat. Shocked that her parents had kept something of this magnitude from her, Lottie’s attitude changes overnight and she becomes rude, hard-headed, troublesome and defies authority at every turn. With her mother handling the consequent fall-out from this time-bomb in an appalling and atrocious manner, their relationship becomes strained and distant and their bond is severed forever. Changed by this sudden turn of events, Lottie soon begins to have problems fitting in and does her absolute utmost to be different from her peers and to shock and scandalise those around her.

Now an adult, Lottie has become a teacher with a desperate yearning to become an artist. When one day, she walks out of her classroom and keeps on walking, Lottie realises that the time has come for her to follow her dream, so she quits her job and decides to try her hardest to make her childhood dream a reality. But on her journey to achieve her objective, she realises that in order to succeed she must first put the past behind her and vanquish those old ghosts that have held her back for so long.

Is happiness within reach for Lottie? Will the past continue to exert its malevolent hold upon her? Or will she find the courage to strive for the fulfillment which she has been craving for so long?

The Calico Cat is a book that is guaranteed to stay with you for a very long time. Although it is far from an easy read, The Calico Cat is a thought-provoking, uplifting and captivating novel that kept me riveted to the page as I was swept up in Lottie’s journey of self-discovery and her struggle to lay old ghosts to rest.

I thought Lottie was a wonderful heroine. Believable, flawed, independent and resilient, she is a character you can relate to and cheer on as she has fears and experiences that we can empathize with.

Amanda James has written a visceral, lyrical and scintillating work that I highly recommend. The Calico Cat is a book to treasure and one which will strike a chord with readers everywhere.

After a crime thriller, this is the perfect read for me. Warm, honest, touching on dysfunctional families (I know quite a bit about them!) and friendship.

We meet Lottie as an adult and it soon becomes obvious that what relationship she has with her mother is not a happy one. Slowly, throughout the story we are let into what Lottie refers to as 'the big fat secret' of what went wrong fifteen years ago when she was a new teenager. Labelled as a 'journey of self-discovery', this truly is exactly that.

A warm, comforting read and a thoughtful one where my admiration for Lottie increased throughout this story as she herself grew. The characters are fabulous; varied, different, from all walks of life but all down-to-earth in their own way. There are ups and downs - as indeed there are everyday for all of us. Lottie herself has a very direct way of looking at life and I found myself both agreeing with her and giggling at her observations. She is very likeable! Amanda James is definitely an author to look out for.

This is the kind of novel which makes you look at those around you and think about what kind of relationship you have with them. The writing flows beautifully and makes for compelling reading. I was sad to reach the final page, but then all good things come to an end, don't they? I certainly couldn't improve on this book in any way whatsoever, and am delighted to give it five well deserved stars.

My thanks to publishers Bombshell Books for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

I wasn't expecting much from this one and was pleasantly surprised at how well written it was. Lottie's journey of self-discovery was written in the first person, so I felt more invested in the character.

I have to admit I wasn't quite sure what a Calico Cat looked like even though we are told in the book, but as the title had me so intrigued I couldn't wait and had to go in search of some images myself. After numerous gorgeous cat and kitten images, I would certainly be able to spot one a mile off!

The actual cover ties in with the wonderful setting in the book. The author writes best about the surrounding areas where she herself is from and this really shines through in her writing. I felt like I could easily see everything as it was described to me and it makes for quite an atmospheric read.

Lottie is quite an odd ball. She seems quite rigid in her ways and yet a bit of a free spirit. She likes to speak her mind, which at times did make me cringe, though she only really says what a lot of us are thinking. Some parts I would be cheering her on for speaking exactly what I wouldn't have the nerve to say and at other times I was willing her to keep quiet as I was dreading how the other person would take it.

The story is told in the first person by Lottie herself. I enjoyed finding out about her past and seeing her develop as a character. There are numerous lovely characters that we get to meet along the way of which Caleb and Louisa had to be my favourites.

The Calico Cat for me is a journey of self discovery and going with your heart. It's about overcoming past issues and finding peace within yourself. A tender and engaging read of which I was reluctant for it to end.

The Calico Cat- Amanda James- 5*
(Possible trigger warning: childhood psychological abuse.) Charlotte is a geography teacher- or at least she was. One day she decides to walk out and keep walking. Her mother thinks she has lost the plot, her colleague thinks she is brave and wonderful to be able to take a different path. Lotties grandmother was an artist and she has decided this is the route she would like to take, also having received some inheritance from her grandmother- much to her mother’s disdain. There is a family secret which eventually she tell Caleb who is fast becoming a close friend. When he tries to help Lottie pushes him away. A walking holiday and meeting people along the way starts to put life into perspective for Lottie. This is written in the first person - in parts almost like a diary where the narrator is speaking to the reader. This book took me on a journey as it did with Lottie. Not everyone has had a wonderful childhood and for some this may trigger memories that are not of a good nature. That said, it was good to read how someone can be themselves despite everything and be true to themselves which is different and is not always easy. “Bruises heal but words remain raw many years afterwards”. A brilliant read, an unusual plot. One to make you think about yourself for a while hopefully in a good way.
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