Member Reviews
The cat in the story was my favorite character. I like how the cat brought them together. Anyone looking for a quick good book to read, I recommend this one.
Tilly Tennant is a new author for me, but I’ve heard lots of great things about her.
The story is centred around Lara who has been dumped by her boyfriend Lucien and to add insult to injury, he runs off with her best friend.
On her way home from this monumental heartache, she stumbles across a kitten which is sopping wet. Taking pity on the kitten, she decides to give it a home for the night...only the cat becomes a ‘fur-m’ friend and one that Lara enjoys having around (besides her new wedding planning business).
Lara soon discovers from her neighbour that her kitty is being unfaithful and is in fact being fed elsewhere to. Lara has a run in with this significant other - Theo, who isn’t impressed either that he is sharing the cat with someone else. The cat, however, is unfazed by the tension and conflict that he is causing between his two owners and things get worse when Lara realises that Theo is someone she is going to have to meet a lot through work.
The relationship between Lara and Theo is one that goes from zero to 100 quite quickly. In some ways, I wish that the author would have gradually built this up, but I can appreciate why she didn’t - sometimes things or people can just quickly sneak up on you.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This was a charming escape for an afternoon. I loved the cat and thought he was a wonderful addition to the story. The plot was very engaging and I really enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Originally titled A Cat Called Cupid, this is the story of Lara and Theo who both think that a grey tabby – known as both Fluffy and Satchmo – is their cat. As cats will do exactly as they please, they must share him, but therein lies the problem.
Fluffy appeared at Lara’s door when she really needed a friend, and has helped her cope with the betrayal of her boyfriend getting together with her best friend. After this double whammy it is no wonder that Lara is not in the mood for romance, but concentrates instead on setting up her new business, Songbird Wedding Services.
Theo plays saxophone in a jazz band, and the rancour between him and Lara gets much worse when the band turn up to play at a wedding, but no one has told Lara. It’s a well-known trope in romantic fiction to have the two main characters at each other’s throats to begin with, but here I felt there was so much bad feeling they might never get past it.
I chose to read and review this book because of the cat; and I preferred the original title. I enjoyed the descriptions of Chester (a city I used to know quite well as I lived just over the border in North Wales). Being a wedding planner is also a common theme, but having the office in a summer house in her garden gave it a modern feel and she had such an easy commute.
The characters (some more likeable than others) are believable, and there is a lot of humour in the descriptions of the weddings and her conversations with her mother. I’ve not read anything by Tilly Tennant before, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Break Up and would definitely recommend it. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a cute light read. The characters were likeable and the cat was super cute. The setting was nice and described very well, I could imagine it all in my head. I was really glad to have read this book.
I love Tilly Tennant's books! This one is no exception, but I really do think they should have kept the original title. This one doesn't really fit the book. Two people meet in the street, each claiming ownership of the same cat. This is a story of how the cat ties them together, yet their personalities just can't seem to mesh very well. I loved the characters and the plot, but wish they'd have kept the original title.
The cat was my favorite character. I loved Theo and Lara too. A feel-good, heartwarming read! Highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
The slowest of burns! I loved the chemistry in this book and how well their relationship developed into something that felt both natural but not where you expected it to go. It was the perfect, light romance to decompress from the stressful situations happening in the world right now.
This has been such a lovely story, very entertaining and a fair bit of drama throughout.
The story centers around a pet cat for the most part, a cat with quite a character. I do love it when animals play a large part in stories, it just gives the story that something a little extra.
I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters especially Lara and Theo, getting to see how they came together. There were a couple of heartfelt and emotional scenes in the story too which added nicely to the story.
So another well done to author Tilly, she does write such lovely stories that are easy to read.
This book was entertaining. Lara and Theo were both really enjoyable characters to get to know, but I think the real star of the show was the cat, Fluffy or Satchmo (depending on if he was currently with Lara or Theo respectively).
Loved this story. The plot, the job Lara does as a wedding planner despite her own heartbreak, the amusing moments, the jazz. I could imagine I was there as a wedding guest or as a fly on the wall in the garden office or as a passing pedestrian as Lara and Theo argue over the cat on the street.
A really enjoyable read throughout. Plenty of likeable (and not so likeable characters), funny moments and emotion. Lara is easy to identity with and I found myself rooting for her throughout the story. This book was quite difficult to put down. Cupid however is the star of the show!
Thank you Netgalley.
*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Lara’s story doesn’t have a great start. She gets dumped by her boyfriend Lucien, who runs off with her best friend. Luckily, she has Fluffy, her cat. Fluffy leaves a lot and she always has to go and find him.
That’s when Lara meets Theo. Apparently, it’s his cat Satchmo. So you can imagine these two are not off to a great start. Theo is a musician and very different to Lara. They constantly fight. They might again at a wedding, because Lara is a wedding planner.
Lara realised that Theo is very interesting and she keeps on thinking about him. At one point they both finally admit their feelings, but things get complicated after that. With lots of misunderstandings, trust issues and more.
It’s a light and bubbly story and in the second half it got really interesting. The first part really dragged on with nothing really happening, which is a shame. I liked the previous title better “A cat called cupid”, this one is just the start of the story.
I loved both Lara and Theo as characters, they were full of warmth and charisma and the style of the author is really funny and fresh. The depth was missing for me a little bit, I still enjoyed the story very much though.
A heartwarming novel, true escapism. Following a horrific break up and losing a best friend, Lara thinks she destined for lonely nights with only her cat for company. When her car goes missing, she finds Theo looking for his cat - what they don’t realise is they’re both looking for the same cat. Can a cat play Cupid, or will the past try to shake Lara away?
The Break Up is completely charming, the perfect book to lose yourself in for a few hours. I felt for Lara instantly and loved that she built a new life for herself rather than being ‘saved’ by a new man.
I received The Break Up by Tilly Tennant for free in exchange for an honest review. Honestly-- it was great. It was funny, and heartfelt. I loved it! I especially loved the cat. LOL. Just read it! I am looking for more of Tilly Tennant's books to read now myself!
Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.
Hmmm, I struggled with this book a bit. I am a mad cat lady, so the original title, A Cat Called Cupid, plus the cute cover, really appealed to me. Personally, I think the original title fitted the story better, but that is probably just me.
Lara's boyfriend dumps her for her best friend. He is one self-absorbed, nasty piece of work anyway, so I am not quite seeing why she was with him in the first place. Anyway...a cat called Fluffy comes into her life. He is skinny and in need of a home and she is happy to give him one. Then she discovers that a guy, Theo, claims the cat as his. There is a bit of to-and-fro with this, which was interesting and funny. I also liked the character of Betsy.
I have to say that I found Theo thoroughly unlikeable for most of the book; even when he reveals a bit of the nicer side of his character, I found myself not forgiving him for the way he treated Lara before. I wish I could put that aside and just go with the story, but I just couldn't.
I loved reading about Lara's business as a wedding planner and I enjoyed her interactions with the various bridal couples. It would be a hard job to have, I think!
All in all, this book was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.
The Break Up by Tilly Tennant was a great book. Both Lara and Theo were great characters. I felt I could relate to them and their lives and I just loved how the cat ‘Fluffy’ or ‘Satchmo’ had chosen them both to be his owner. Another great book by Tilly and looking forward to the next book.
I had a lot of fun reading this book and I was when it ended.
It's a lovely story, with a great plot that will make you smile and root for the characters.
I loved how well developed are the plot and the characters (human and feline).
It was an engrossing and entertaining story and I would be happy to read other stories featuring this characters.
The right read for this bleak times, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This book wasn't for me. The beginning took far to long to get interesting. I also really disliked how as soon as we start reading her boyfriend breaks up with her. I would have thought that would have previous happened. The summary says a year later and the story starts but there's no time stamp anywhere saying that. I wasn't a fan of the writing style either.