2.5 stars rounded up

I don't even know with this one. On the plus side, there are cats in it. And some Christmas! On the unplus side, there is the most emotionally volatile female main character I have seen in a book in a while. Like seriously she is a drug pusher those D.A.R.E. videos warned you about but instead of drugs she pushes stray cats onto people who don't want them. And she wants to open a low cost vet clinic but refuses to do any of the work to make this happen like i don't know encouraging people to come to her cat cafe and spend money? And she has very intense trust issues which don't seem to really get resolved. But don't worry! There is a dude to come in and help her out and fix her business and adopt one of the cats she forced him to care for and heal her broken untrusting heart and fix everything else in her life just in time for Christmas while also dealing with his own crap and what does she offer him??? Yeah that's right a bunch of guilt trips and mood swings. Maybe it's a me thing but this doesn't seem very romantic.

On the plus side again, the cats all get adopted and I assume live happily ever after with their new families despite many of them being forced into the hands of people not fully committed to having a pet by a guilt tripping barista. Christmas is saved!

Thanks so much to Forever Publishing for my copy of A Cat Cafe Christmas!

If you love cats, an underdog business, teddy bear MMCs, supportive best friends, and creative cat names- this is the book for you. This is a perfect Hallmark type story with a cute HEA.

After being scammed by her ex-fiance, veterinarian Kara has worked hard to open a cat cafe and rescue with her BFF, Charity. Ben is a rising star in a marketing firm with a tragic story of his own-his brother and former fiance ran away together. When Ben tries to help the struggling cat cafe, Kara bristles and decides she doesn't need the pushy Ben's help. But Ben finds a kitten in the house he is remodeling and needs Kara's expertise. They soon strike up a friendship and catch feelings. But Kara's ex fiance is being released from jail and is threatening Kara. Can she keep the cafe and rescue running while trusting Ben really has her best interests at heart?

I thought Kara and Ben's back stories were really awful and tragic and felt terrible for them. Without giving too much away, Ben's reasons for cutting off his family felt legitimate and I'm not sure I could forgive so easily. Kara's past was equally sad and I don't blame her for being afraid of everyone. I did enjoy Ben's directness when communicating his feelings for Kara- that's always attractive in a romance!

This book did have a few instances of the miscommunication trope, which I don't enjoy. But the miscommunication is reasonable and luckily didn't ruin the last few chapters.

It's not a show stopping holiday read, but it's definitely purr-fect for animal lovers who crave a happy ending!

This was a cute romantic comedy. There were a few things that annoyed me, but overall I enjoyed it. I mostly liked Kara and Ben, but she made a few odd hand comments that bothered me. The cat profiles at the beginning of each chapter were really cute! Both characters had a lot of baggage from previous relationships. I liked watching their acquaintances to friends to lovers relationship develop. I really liked Charity and Schwartz. Overall this was a cute read. I’ve read and loved a previous book by Codi Gary and I will definitely check out future books too!

This did not start well for me. Veterinarian Kara Ingalls runs a coffee shop that is also a cat rescue clinic and adoption center. Ben Reese works in marketing and the two meet on a day when his firm spotlights her shop as part of campaign for the city. Unprofessionally, no one tells her or her partner about it and the two clash. Then Ben finds a kitten while working on his home renovation. He brings it to her rescue only to be shamed and ridiculed for not wanting to keep the cat. I found that very unprofessional and off putting as he is bringing it to be helped. He’s never had a pet before.

Things don’t improve for a while. He is has no boundaries and actually creates a marketing plan, re-works a website for her without consulting her or her partner. My daughter stopped reading her ARC at that point. I almost stopped after his jealous behavior at a party and snooping into her private life. I found it odd that he is complains about his family not accepting his boundaries when he has no self realization he is over stepping himself.

I pressed forward and the story got a little bit cuter as attraction and sparks begin. Two grumps they can be sweet together. Especially when working to get funding for the cat rescue. Her whole backstory looks like it is going to be a big deal but isn’t more than a whimper compared to the continual missteps and miscues between the two.

I think I written more negatives than positives but I did like the story by the end. My favorite thing is the cat drawings at the beginning of every chapter with a description. Those were adorable. This is very much a sweet Hallmark type story. It includes one intimate scene with very few details. The cover is cute but I wish it matched Kara more. She is described as curvy and rounded. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying, I volunteer at a cat cafe, so this topic is close to home and may have influenced my enjoyment of this novel, but in a good way! I loved the main characters, I (obviously) loved all the cats, I loved the trope (second chance FTW!) I would absolutely love to see this hit the Hallmark channel at some point because I think the characters could come to life in such a great way (and again, to see the cats, obviously *wink*). Cat lovers and Christmas lovers alike, do not hesitate to grab this book this holiday season!

Veterinarian Kara needs a Christmas miracle to keep her cat cafe open. Marketing guru Ben offers to help as a pro bono project. Despite a rocky start to their relationship, they fall for each other. But will a scandal from her past come between them?

This is a fun enemies-to-lovers rom com. Kara’s past keeps the plot interesting, and Ben’s relationship with the kitten he’s fostering is adorable.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a charming, dual POV, opposites attract holiday romance full of adorable rescue cats, tons of kitty puns and a lot of heart. Kara and Ben get off to a rocky start but eventually these two start working together to try and help Veterinarian Kara save her Cat Cafe and 25 rescue cats right before the holidays. I enjoyed the banter between these characters and thought the audiobook was really well done narrated by Felicity Munroe (who did an impressive Boston accent). Highly recommended for fans of Julia London or Kate McMurray's Whitman Street Cat Cafe series. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF 23%. I gave it a solid try but the only thing that was working for me with this book was the cute cat illustrations and descriptions of said cat at the beginning of each chapter. I knew this one would be rough for me when it started with an info dump of both characters. Info dumps are not an okay form of exposition unless its a short story. Neither Kara nor ben was likable. Kara's character just didn't make any sense to me. She got mad at Ben at the beginning of the book because he helped bring in business to her dying cafe and then when Ben brought the stray cat he found to her vet clinic she essentially called him a bad person because he wanted to surrender the cat he found instead of keep it when he had no desire for or a safe place to have a cat. Ben was misogynistic and constantly of the belief that his was was the best and the only way things should be done. My final straw was Ben taking it upon himself to create a full website for Kara's cafe without her or her business partner's consent or input. On no planet is that okay and I honestly don't care enough about either character to see how that endeavor goes for them.

I love Cats, Christmas and a great romance novel. This book had all three. I really enjoyed it. This book was sweet and a light, fun read. I like Ben and Kara’s connection and enjoyed reading their journey. This book was well written with good conflict to keep me reading to the end. Solid holiday romance! Huge thanks to Forever and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is a Christmas Romance. This book is so cute with wonderful characters with a ton of cats. I loved all the cats. I loved the back story of the two main characters, and their backstories kept enough drama in the book. I love the cat cafe setting in this book. The romance was so cute. I loved all the Christmas stuff in this book. This is a great cute read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Forever) or author (Codi Gary) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This is a Christmas romance with second chances and lots of cats. Kara lost a lot when her fiancé turned out to be a con artist. Kara is trying to get her life back on track with her cat cafe but she’s got more cats than customers. She ends up meeting a marketing genius Ben who is willing to help her and the cats. Will they be able to pull it off?

Much as I wanted to like this, I just didn’t… The background info was very frontloaded, and idk maybe I’m just reading different books, but this isn’t really a thing in romance. You sort of gradually discover what’s happened with a character, not info dump in chapter two. I think that’s why I could never really connect with either main character. Like, yeah, they’ve been through shitty things, but I don’t know enough about them outside of their trauma to care. Harsh? Maybe. But the writing style didn’t mesh with me and for all the drama and build up in the beginning, it all kind of fizzled to nothing in the end. I did, however, LOVE the cat doodles/features at the start of each chapter.

yep, the cats got me. i am a cat person. i am not a christmas person. but i thought... cats! yay!
unfortunately, not a huge fan of this one. i am annoyed by people who hate cats for no reason, but i am equally annoyed at people like the female main character who thinks people are horrible if they are unable to look after a pet or do not want one. the male main character found a kitten and brought it to her shelter, she acted like he bought the cat, decided he didn't want it, left it on the side of the road. i just don't have a lot of patience for that personally. unfortunately because that left a bad taste in my mouth, i simply didn't enjoy the book after that because i did not like the main characters. i hope other people love it, but it wasn't for me.

I got this one off of NetGalley because how could I not with cats on the cover? Plus Forever is one of my favorite publishers so win win. Overall, I thought the premise was cute. Each chapter started with a drawing of a cat and a tiny bio about them. I could have read an entire book just with that. Kara and Ben were really cute together and I loved watching them fall in love. But I didn't care for the b plots for both of them. I get that these story lines were to give us insight into the background/feelings/emotions of both characters but I just thought the backstories felt forced and it took away from my enjoyment of the story. The romance was great, the grand gestures amazing but I didn't need such detailed back stories for both of them. It's unusual for me to think that but something about them didn't work for me. They both also need therapy and lots of it.

It's not a bad book by any means. It was super cute, definitely would be a great Christmas movie and a light read. A Cat Cafe Christmas comes out on October 4 and is available for pre-order now wherever you buy books.

As a token “crazy cat lady” this title sucked me in. My husband and I have a running joke that we basically run The Home For Wayward Kitties because I seem to collect cats that are in danger of landing in a high kill shelter. This really had me feeling connections with our MC Kara, a veterinarian and co-owner of the Cat Cafe in question in this book.

The concept of a cat cafe is everything. I absolutely love it and to throw in an adorable romance along with a bunch of cats?! Yes. Please. My absolute favorite part though is the start of every chapter. It starts with a “bio” for cats in the cafe. Obviously they’re fictional but they are adorable and perfect. It really made this feel more real - like maybe these babies are there and looking for their furever homes. It makes my heart happy.

While I was much more excited about the abundance of cats over the romantic story, I gotta say that story was great too. I feel like several tropes came into play here but the plot was solid and flowed so well that even the lack of communication that normally ticks me off didn’t bother me! That says something about the story since even when the communication was struggling I didn’t roll my eyes. Not once. It’s a miracle!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this adorable romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

If you’re looking for a cute romance to get you in the Christmas spirit this is the book for you! Whether you’re a cat lover or not, this adorable romance will make you want to curl up under a blanket and consider adopting an animal. I would definitely consider myself a dog person, but this book made me want to go to my local animal shelter and adopt a cat. Each chapter starts with a blurb describing one of the cats at the cafe which is such a cute touch!

Now moving on to the romance, I thought they were super cute together. Both Kara and Ben had issues they needed to work through from their past relationships but it just added more depth to their characters. They’re also a great team and have some fun, flirty banter. I always love reading books about small business and this one featured the vet and animal loving side from Kara and the marketing side of Ben which I adored. There was some miscommunication which I didn’t enjoy but overall this book is so cozy and sweet and the perfect book for cat lovers or anyone who adores Christmas.

Both Kara and Ben have been through the ringer, but can a tense encounter and love of cats open them up to new love and experiences?

This was a cute and light hearted romance just in time for the holiday season! This story was filled with fun holiday shenanigans and plenty of cats. Watching these characters grow from their personal trials was so enjoyable. This qualifies as a clean romance in my book with fade to black scenes and lots of sweet moments.

This is a quick read and everything takes place over a matter of weeks. This isn't really insta-love, but everything is on an accelerated time line which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea.

What an UNEXPECTED, DELIGHTFUL, WHOLESOME, JOY this book was! If you would've told me a few months ago that I would read a rom-com about a cat cafe, and would absolutely LOVE it, I probably would have laughed in your face. But here I am saying everyone needs to have this fluffy and adorable book on their radar for the holiday season this year!

- Brief Synopsis -
Kara is a bubbly veterinarian who owns a Cat Cafe called Meow and Furrever just outside of Sacremento with her best friend, Charity. She adores animals, and it is her dream to open a low-cost animal hospital attached to her cat cafe. Due to not creating enough funds, her dream was cut short and so she settles for finding forever homes for lovable cats. However, with more cats than customers, Kara will need a Christmas miracle to keep the doors open on Meow and Furrever.

Ben is a marketing guru who moves to the west coast from the east coast after an unfortunate falling out with his brother. During renovations of his new house, Ben discovers a stowaway kitten in need of some care and a home. Not being a pet guy himself, Ben crosses paths with Kara at her Cat Cafe. She helps him with his kitten situation and he hatches a plan to get the cafe back in the "green" by Christmas,

- My Thoughts -

I know the synopsis might not sound like much, but let me tell you...this book was funny. It was adorable. It had characters with depth. It had great friendships and dynamics between characters. It had a swoon-worthy romance. Like, Ben Reese is literally my dream guy. He is purrrfect. And this book also has the cutest chapter openers.

I loved Kara so much. She was incredibly relatable and I loved spending this book rooting for her. I loved the dynamic between her and Ben. They are polar opposites and, at first, that created a fun and snarky banter between them, but as the ice began to thaw, they really complemented each other so well.

Both Kara and Ben's backstories were so tough and heartbreaking. They both dealt with betrayal from people they loved and trusted. Even though they both struggled with shame from what happened in their past, I loved that neither person judged or pitied the other, but they helped each other find a way forward towards healing and closure.

This also book reminded me of my love for cats. Cats are the best. Suck it, dog people! And I loved that Ben's little kitten clawed its way into Ben's anti-pets heart.

My one issue with the book is that I did not always love or agree with the way conflict was handled, particularly the situation with Ben's brother and family. Even though I think it was dealt with in a commonly human way, it often felt manipulative and it was not pointed out that it was manipulative. I felt like Ben's family was forcing him to heal and move on and forgive his brother, but with the situation at hand, I think that is purely Ben's choice, on his timeline, and cannot be coerced or forced. It's hard when there is a falling out in a family and, ultimately, you want to see reconciliation happen. But you can't manipulate that because the tension makes you uncomfortable.

Aside from that, there is so much goodness in this book. Part of this book is about restoring your hope in humanity when people have hurt you or taken advantage of you, and I love that. I think that is the perfect sort of story to read at Christmastime and I might even reread this book when the holidays roll around this year.

Highly recommend!

This was cute - a quick read for the holiday season that was lively and sweet. The cat descriptions at the top of each chapter was a nice touch. Overall, it didn't rock my world, but it was entertaining enough.

A Cat Cafe Christmas is a sweet and charming holiday read for cat lovers - and if you’re not a cat lover you may be by the end of this book!

This book is a sweet delight. It’s funny, charming and has the perfect villain you’ll love to hate. It also features cats. Lots of cats. We here at Romance by the Book love cats, so we’re happy to see them have a starring role. One note: there is a lot of info dumping of characters' backgrounds in the beginning of the book. It jarred me a bit from the story, but I persevered and I’m so glad I did! This is a perfect book to curl up with during the first snowfall of the season with, make yourself a cup of tea, find your own fur friend to snuggle with, and just enjoy the story. A Cat Cafe Christmas features a feline-motivated meet-cute, two main characters whose hearts have been broken in past relationships, and a cast of friends and family who will keep you smiling.

Ben and Kara are our two main characters. Both are little grumps who have lost the joy of Christmas and don’t trust easily thanks to past relationships. Ben also doesn’t like cats at the beginning of the story. What!?! Kara’s ex is a true villain who I just loved to hate. While this is a sweet and charming love story about two people not looking for love or friendship, it’s also a great story about personal development and the work we also have to do to heal from past traumas.

The crazy cats and their antics really keep the story moving. At the beginning of each chapter there’s a little summary about the cats looking for adoptions which I found utterly charming. I got excited everytime I read one and then saw that cat get adopted and go to its furr-ever home later in the story. Even though I am firmly a one and done cat mama, I was really tempted to contact my local cat cafe to enquire about new furballs after this book.

A cat cafe christmas will put you in a festive mood and may have you swinging by an animal shelter to add a new friend to your family.