This is a beautiful book about a woman and her cats, but it is more than that. It is about a woman carrying a secret grief that no one else knows about. It is a story of loss, but it is also one of hope. I enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

The title and cover pulled me in. This was a case where I picked the book before reading the synopsis. What a great surprise!
This is a story of love, loss, friendship and the ups and downs of life. Thank you NetGalley!

Surrounded by her cats, named after those that she loved best, Nancy’s story is painstakingly revealed and with each devastation, her life comes into sharper focus for the reader.

Being the sort of person that she is, Nancy has always put people and animals before herself. It’s not that she collects the broken, but more along the lines that she wants to be the person that helps other to put their lives back together in a way that she has not been able to do for herself. After the end of her marriage and the death of her daughter, she was broken. She did not have a path or a vision for the future so she shut down her life in a ramshackle home with her cats and a part-time position at the local school.

Not needing anyone to know her business, she kept to herself but when she takes a young boy who is the subject of a bully under her wing and starts a cat-sitting business, which brings her face to face with her daughter’s best friend, Nancy’s life begins to open in an unimaginable way.

As I said, this is a sad book, but hopeful in that you can see the characters growing, accepting, and optimistic for a future that was not obvious from the start. You can feel Nancy’s pain and trepidation as each new situation arises, but at the same time, you can feel her burden lighten and with her, you have hope for her future.

This is such a beautiful book, that is well written and completely absorbing.

Everyone thinks they know Nancy, the odd lady that lives with cats. No-one cares to look a bit deeper, but aren’t we all guilty of that? Nancy’s character slowly unfolds as the story develops. The people she works with every day are unaware of the depth of her history, how life has left her avoiding people preferring her cats for company.

I love how the author shows that people can be completely different to how you imagine. We call carry around our stories, some people’s masks are better than others.

A great read, that will definitely stay with you.

They Call Me The Cat Lady is a different kind of read for me but one that I enjoyed, it had an easily read writing style that enabled me to read it in a day.
Nancy Jones is the cat woman she lives alone with various cats, she avoids getting involved with people and you get the sense that if she didn’t have to go to work she wouldn’t go out at all. The reasons why Nancy is like this is revealed in stages throughout the book. I’m not going to spoil it but it does deal with some sensitive issues but done well with thought.
I enjoyed this book, the main characters were likeable and felt invested in their lives, I did particularly love George though.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

As per my “norm” this review will be spoiler free!

This author is new to me as many lately have been but what grabbed my attention was the title, because I am not definitely a cat lady, for all intents and purposes. This book has many quotes and a much needed insight for today's social norms and some we may not even think about often enough. Nancy's characterization is bright and lighthearted with a touch of loneliness. Something I can totally relate to. Nancy's journey was engaging and thoughtful and witty. She's not exactly what society deems “normal”, but normal is all relative. Isn't it?

You can NOT read this synopsis and wonder what will happen to her character.

The book is well-written and enlightening on so many things. Things we NEED to be talking and thinking and doing. Like family, family is very important, not just now but at any time. It keeps you enthralled and curious about where the story-line is leading you to. It is not just Nancy along for the ride but the reader as well!

I do highly recommend this tangible read.

They Call Me the Cat Lady is beyond what I expected and more than I could hope for in a read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amy Miller for the chance to read in exchange for a honest review.

#TheyCallMeTheCatLady #NetGalley

I'm quite an emotional person at the best of time, and this novel really touched me. I've shed both sad and happy years whilst reading this book, a true testimony to the author at how emotive the book is. It's so wonderfully written and tells such a heartfelt story that I will highly recommend to many others.

Nancy's journey has really helped me to see that you will always find people who will be there for you; and they too are going through their own things that they may need support with. I genuinely felt grateful to be able to be a part of Nancy's journey because not only do we get to see where she is in the present, we get to see what has happened throughout her past, that has shaped her in to the person she is today.

I especially loved Nancy's devotion to her cats and the stories/reasons behind each of their names. It was lovely to see each individual cats personalities too and how in sync they were with their owners feelings, always knowing how best to react and interact with her.

Such a heart warming story, well told, slow to start but once it does it grabs you by the heart strings and doesn’t let go. It deals with themes all of us face such as loneliness and loss, but also deals with domestic violence and mental health. A story that stays with you long after you put it down. Thank you to the author for such a thought provoking book

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A heart-warming, poignant storyline.The well drawn characters and easy style of writing made this a very easy book to read and enjoy.

DNF @ 26%

Unfortunately, not only I didn't manage to complete the first ARC I ever received before its publication date, but I didn't manage to complete it at all. There weren't many problems I had with this book, but at the end I just couldn't force myself through this.

The book starts of solid, introducing readers to the main character's life. Nancy lives quietly, surrounded by her beloved cats and avoiding company of other people. As the book progresses, events that lead her to this lifestyle slowly unfold.

After the first chapter, which consists mostly of desriptions of Nancy's cats (quality content here), everything went downhill. Writing was really off and made me completely uninterested about plot, which was very predictable. I couldn't care less about Nancy's encouter with Larry, and afterwards her failing marriage. Maybe I would've continued reading if the writing was better. However, it was all telling, no showing which definetely made it's negative impact on the storyline.

I'm so sorry I couldn't complete this, but what's done is done. Maybe I'll try something from this author in the future, but to be honest, I'll need convincing.

Thanks to the Netgalley and publisher Bookouture for providing me with eARC of this book

Everyone has a story, everyone has a past. We all have the pain which we hide deep in our hearts, not having the courage to unlock that. Such was the curious case of Nancy Jones, and this book was her journey through life, facing the biggest heartache that no mother should ever have to undergo.

This was quite an unexpected read. I took me two tries to get into this book. The beginning was slow, but once I got to know Nancy Jones, then believe me, this story touched all the chords of my emotions.

Nancy Jones was the cat lady with 30 cats... Nah... The kids exaggerated, she had only 5 with different personalities. To earn money, she took up looking after cats while the owner was away. One day, in one such home, she saw the photo of her past sitting right there in the desk. That opened the chest of her sorrows she had been hiding away.

My first book by Amy Miller, saw me holding my kindle close to me as if I could wipe Nancy's tears and decrease her pain. An accident and a loss marked her heart, scarred it to the point she could love her cats. She was not afraid, but she felt better amongst cats who understood her. Soon Nancy met Alfie a tiny tot who was bullied in school, and both of them captured my heart with their innocence.

Author Amy Miller has done a brilliant job of ensnaring me. It was not done all at once but slowly one thread at a time till I could just do nothing about read about Nancy Jones and her strength. Every page showed me how she was willing to let go of the past and take those tentative steps toward a future. A house which had only cats soon overflowed with people, their emotions bringing the joy which the walls had not seen for many years. A coat of paint can uplift a house, a hug from a friend can uplift that pain, laughter of a child can uplift life.

With its quiet footsteps, the book stole my heart one beat at a time till Nancy Jones the cat lady became mine to cherish.

I love stories like this where people are dealing with secret griefs, thinking they are the only ones with burdens to bear... and then watching them discover that they’re not alone after all. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, though the title was a bit misleading. Yes, she had 5+ cats but the story was about so much more than that!

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of Amy Miller’s ‘They Call Me the Cat Lady’ in exchange for an honest review.

Nancy Jones lives in a shabby house near the sea in Christchurch, Dorset. She shares her home with five cats and works as an administrator at a local school. Everyone calls her ‘the cat lady’.

On occasion she also takes on cat sitting jobs and it’s one of these that opens the door to her painful past when she comes across a photograph.

While I am not a huge reader of ‘Women’s Fiction’, I was drawn to this novel mainly due to its title (being a lifelong cat person myself). I thought that it would be pure fluff but actually dealt with themes of loneliness, loss and bereavement, domestic violence, bullying, mental illness, and suicide.

Nancy is a kind hearted person whose journey captivated me. I certainly would recommend.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

How could I not read this book?! I was actually worried I’d be disappointed - since the huge international success of Eleanor Oliphant and A Man Called Ove, it was inevitable that we would see a lot more books about lonely oddballs rediscovering life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d be any good.
As a Non-Crazy Cat Lady, (I only have 3 cats and a husband) I was drawn to this, and am happy to report that this is a wholesome feel-good read with a likeable heroine, and that you don’t even have to love cats to enjoy it.

Nancy Jones lives alone with five cats in a ramshackle house in Christchurch, on England’s South coast. In her late fifties, she works at the local school, where she’s known for rescuing children in need, but she avoids making friends, feeling safer in the company of her cats. When a cat-feeding job takes her to the house of a troubled young woman, she is taken back to the tragedy that shaped her life, but confronting her past helps open the door to new relationships as she realises that everybody hurts, but friends can help you heal.

This was an well-written enjoyable easy read with an engaging cast of characters. There were no great surprises in the plot, and some characters’ actions felt a bit unrealistic, but in a heartwarming Lovely Book, this didn’t bother me, and the different cat behaviours were spot on. I love the cover which is both relevant, original and looks great, at a time where so many book covers look the same. I was also delighted to see a character use the phrase “Who’s she? The cat’s mother?” that I haven’t heard since childhood, but is where my screen name originated!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc, which allowed me to give an honest review. They Call Me The Catlady is published today.

People who seem to prefer animals to humans are often seen as eccentric. Nancy looks after cats and names them after people she has loved. She volunteers and is always there to help out in the community, but still many see only what she chooses to show and so she’s ‘the cat lady’.

This is not the first time a story has been told about a woman with secrets, whose past has made her introverted, and trusts animals more than people who judge and are intrusive. This story is notable because of its sensitive treatment of Nancy and her broken life. It sees her grow and learn to trust and have the courage to face heartbreak again.

This journey of self-development is hopeful and Nancy realises that she deserves to feel happiness and love again. She is courageous and easy to empathise and this gentle story is worth reading to escape for a little while.

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming treat of a book! Loved this from start to finish! Did not want it to end! A brilliant story, one that will stay with me. Very highly recommended to everyone!

This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it made me smile and it moved me to tears.
I loved Nancy, her personality and how she relates to her cats (I'm a cat lover).
The book is engaging, entertaining and well written.
I think I will remember Nancy for a long time.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

How much do you know about your neighbors? The people you see every day in the stores or at school? Well, no one really knows much about Nancy, who has closed her past off and chosen to live with and for her cats. She does work at the local school and she is protective of kids who are bullied. Nancy's past comes tumbling into her face when she takes a particular cat sitting job and forces her into the light. The back story is, to be fair, a bit cliched but it's also well done. I felt for Nancy, enjoyed the other characters, and on the whole found this a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Nancy Jones loves cats! She also works in a school and loves helping the children who she thinks needs the most help. Nancy is a very private person and likes to keep herself to herself. After setting up a cat-sitting service, one of the requests takes her to the home of a local woman and whilst inside her home feeding the cat, Nancy sees a photograph that opens the door to the past that she was trying to forget.

I’ve read the last few books by this author and have loved them, but this book had a completely different feel to this author’s previous books. I couldn’t have not read a book about cats when I have two of my own (one is even called Nancy, so it was definitely fate!). The blurb also made it sound so interesting and the cover was beautiful.

The story began well and gave a good insight into Nancy’s life as it is now. I loved this part of the book as you immediately connect with her and feel compelled to read more. It is a very emotional read and my heart went out to Nancy. I loved her character and from the offset I wanted to protect her from whatever has obviously happened to her in the past. The other characters in the book are ones that you can feel such compassion and warmth towards.

As the book continues you get to find out the real reasons why Nancy is like she is. It is quite a sad book in parts and there are some difficult themes running through it, such as divorce, loss and bullying to name but a few. It is all written very sensitively though and rather than it being a sad, weepy story all the way through, there are parts that are truly life changing for Nancy and uplifting for those reading it.

This was a lovely book and nothing like what I expected! It has took me through a multitude of emotions and has made me laugh, cry, smile and feel sad. You may think it’s all about cats, but it’s so much more and you don’t need to like cats to read it! A wonderful read with a beautiful ending! Would definitely recommend!

This was a really sweet story. Nancy Jones, the cat lady, tried her best to be invisible, avoided close relationships, tried hard to not think about her past and went on all alone with her cats for company. Until she accepted a cat-sitting request and then she had to face that past she was hiding from.
It was a beautiful story, about mistakes, regrets and the possibility of moving on. It was not exactly a complex or unheard-of story, but what made interesting is that it can happen to anyone (in different variations that is).
I loved reading it, and my heart broke for Nancy and all she had to face, all she chose to miss and the path that opened for her at the end. The various characters were interesting, i don't think there was one i couldn't sympathize with one way or another.