What a fun holiday read!

I loved the chapter headings with the illustrations of the cats and their "bios". Once your find out they are the adoptable cats, it ties it in even more when you encounter those cats in the book.

I enjoyed the character development and growth of both Kara and Ben with their past traumas/heartbreaks as well as the development of the setting of the novel. I'm a sucker for holiday romance movies on a certain network and this novel reminds me of those, but far exceeded my expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever, and author Codi Gary for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was so cute! I felt like the setting was so unique and gave such happy vibes. If you are a cat lover— THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! Also, any book centered around the holidays is 👌🏼

The chapter starts are the cutest I have ever seen. The sketches of different cats with their description definitely puts a smile on your face!

Following the character development in both Ben and Kara was so fun. They overcame heartbreak and healed together in a way they never expected. This seriously has Hallmark Movie written all over it!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Codi Gary for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This opposites attract book by Codi Gary features the most adorable characters ever! Cats! At the beginning of each chapter, you see an adorable picture of a cat, plus an Instagram worthy description of one of the cats at the cafe in the book in need of adoption. What a creative way to start each chapter!

I was expecting a cheesey rom com when I requested this book, but I can't turn down cats. This book surpassed my expectations. Both Kara and Ben are trying to move on from past hurts and don't want anything too serious, but it is clear that they care a lot right from the beginning. Ben does so much to help Kara and the cafe that you can't help but want to push her towards Ben. This book pulls in some scandal as well, as Kara's past haunts her.

The plot was solid, all of the characters were endearing and fun, and the cats were worth every bit of what the characters had to go through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC! All thought and opinions are my own.

A Marketing guru Ben Reese finds himself in a whole lot of trouble when he stumbles across Cat Cafe Owner/Vetrinarian Kara Ingalls. Kara owns a cute cat cafe called “ Meow and Furrever Cat Cafe” however it’s going into the red and if she wants to save it she’ll have to turn to the PR wizard Ben for help. Ben, who prefers dogs to cats and isn’t much of an animal person finds himself with a new chaotic kitten as well as falling for the sweet and cute cafe owner... except both Ben and Kara have been hurt by past relationships and what they’re feeling for each other isn’t something the other thought they would ever feel again. Kara, someone who has completely avoided social media after the horrendous events that occurred with her ex finds that she’ll have to finally be open to it if she wants to save her cafe. While trying to not mix professional with pleasure both Ben and Kara can’t help but fall for each other during this holiday time, but when exes come back into the picture, can this new relationship last or will it crumble? This was a pretty cute Christmas Rom com complete with so many adorable cats! Kara and Ben both had trust issues from previous relationships but both of them wanted to work it out and heal and throw in some very cute pets and you get a pretty cute read perfect for the holiday season.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a speedy read for me because I just couldn't put this sweet book down! I loved the enemies-turned-lovers plot with the villainous exes thrown into the mix. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and although this couple had some bumps along the way, my book heart was thrilled with the ending. I also l0ved the adoptable cat profiles at the start of each chapter. Just a great, feel-good read with a holiday & feline tie-in!

FLEW through this excellent, incredible book. Tightly written, earnest, laugh-out-loud funny at several parts—one of the best YA books I've read in ages

I received this book from NetGalley.

I have never been a fan of the romance genre at all, but lately I've been letting my guard down here and there. I saw the title of this book, and I was sold and I'm so glad I dove into it.. I desperately want to visit a cat cafe, I am a life long cat lover and this book just hit the spot. The love story was adorable and believable. This was such a fast read, mainly because I could not put the book down. I loved how every chapter started with a cute cat bio, this book was just so fun to read.

If you like cats, grumpy characters with a hidden soft side, and hallmark movies, this is the book for you. Ben and Kara are the two main characters who have a bit of a rough first meeting. Kara is a veterinarian who has invested all her money in a struggling cat cafe, Ben is a marketing guy who doesn’t like animals. They both have been through some awful experiences in life, that have left them afraid to put themselves out there. Can they put aside their pasts and differences and let the magic of the holidays work on them? Each chapter starts with a cat picture and description of a cat, which was a really cute feature of the book. This was a really sweet uplifting story. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

A Cat Cafe Christmas was just the Christmas in July I book I needed this month!
Adorable story that played out as a Hallmark Christmas movie! Loved it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
no spice - only kissing

A Cat Cafe Christmas is a must read for any holiday obsessed animal lover! This book gave me the holiday feels, moments of sadness and moments of laughter so basically everything that a perfect rom-com must have. I especially loved the pacing of Ben and Kara's relationship and the conflicts that arose. Ben and Kara have a great support system behind them with Charity and Schwartz and I low-key want another holiday romance book between those two next year.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book on exchange for an honest review.

This was cute and fun! Perfect for Christmas! It was a little hard for me to connect at first but once I did the pages just kept turning!

What an absolutely charming romance! Special shout-out to the extraordinarily accurate cat descriptions. Instead of a sunshine/grump romance this follows two grumps who have suffered quite significant heartbreaks, but still manage to find their way to each other. Dollop on top of that the charming friendships, café fun, and all the kitties you could dream of and it a sure fire hit for a feel good holiday romance. I loved every second of this book.

This is a sweet holiday romcom where two people with deep hurts from previous relationships are brought together by a kitten and the feelings they can’t deny.

Perfect Hallmark holiday movie and cat lovers, this is fast-paced and a quick read. There’s sweet kissing and fade-to-black intimate moments coupled with lots of talking about feelings. You get to see both leads in their element with professional successes. And you see them vulnerable and hurting.

Each chapter starts off with a description of a cafe cat and it’s so sweet!

What you get:
Opposites attract
Meet disaster
Dual POV
SO MANY CUTE CATS
Cat puns!
Curvy/hefty MCs
Neurodivergent rep
Diversity - Black, Jewish
Great friends
Small town/small biz
Friendsgiving/Christmas
Competence porn

A Cat Cafe Christmas is a sweet, closed door romance set around a cat cafe/rescue at Christmas time. I really enjoyed Kara and Ben’s relationship, as well as all the people around her, including her best friend and the people who visited the cafe. Though the story takes place at Christmas time, it’s not an “in your face” type of Christmas setting like you see in other books with the word “Christmas” in the title. Kara is a great protagonist, and I enjoyed watching her relationship with Ben unfold. She had some setbacks, and I wish the conflict with Worthy had been a little more fleshed out/climactic than it was. This book makes me want to find and visit a real cat cafe. Overall an enjoyable holiday read!

3 Stars This was a very cute Christmas romcom and you will especially love it as a cat lover. I adored seeing Ben--who swore that he didn't like any animals, especially cats--become smitten with his adopted kitten, Chaos. I love seeing those stories online of guys falling in love with the cat that they originally didn't want and Ben fit that story to a t. I still kind of wish we got more scenes of him and Chaos, because they were adorable.

Overall, this was a story about learning to love and trust again after betrayal and heartbreak. Both Kara, a veterinarian who runs the titular cat café, and Ben, a marketing guru, have been hurt by their exes. Kara's ex-fiancé, Worthy, is a con-man and about to get out of prison after two years for a crime that severely damaged Kara's reputation online. Worried how his release will affect her budding cat café business, she decides to try Ben's 25 Day of Catmas promotion to bring in more money to open a clinic in addition to the café. Ben is still nursing a broken heart after his fiancée left him for his brother, but he can't deny his attraction to Kara.

This was a really cute story and as a cat lover, the setting was adorable! Definitely would recommend.

I loved the concept of this centering around a cat cafe, and the intro to each chapter being a profile of a cat was adorable.
For some reason I wasn’t drawn into the dialogue enough to get really excited to keep reading.

"A Cat Cafe Christmas" is a really sweet romance novel with cats, 3-dimensional side characters, and again — cats! I loved the unique challenges that each character had a compelling story all on its own. Usually in romance novels, the plot can feel like a secondary element to the romance, but in this novel it could have honestly stood on its own — both leads, Ben and Kara, each had backstories that they overcame with each other's support.

The only things that prevented this from being a five-star review for me were:

I *really* did not like Ben's family and his relationship with them — his mother was over-involved in family conflicts, and seemed to only care about Ben's feelings in the context of her desire to have a "happy family." It made Ben's forgiveness and rekindling harmony with his family feel hollow. His mother's ambivalence (and seemingly everyone else in his life) towards his brother marrying his ex-fiance was honestly disgusting, so I wish it would have been acknowledged by them that they were unfair to Ben. This would have made the "happy reunion" feel genuine.

The other issue is admittedly nitpicky, but I am a professional marketer who works in an agency and the way that marketing is portrayed in this book is all over the place. The first bad sign was "Ben and Schwartz created an entire marketing plan in 2 hours," which included a new logo design. What? And it seems like Ben is an expert in...events marketing, public relations, social media, website UX, AND he is pitching clients on commercials? The "bonus" from that pitch also doesn't really make sense — it sounds like he got commission for closing a sale (which is again, strange, because he is not described as a salesperson). Again, this is minor and if I didn't work in his industry I don't think the ridiculousness would have broken my immersion...but it did. I almost wish that his boss signed on the cafe as a pro-bono client and that they brought in a "team" to help rescue the cafe. Would have connected the work scenes a lot better, built on the "community comes together to save the cafe" theme, and ultimately would have been a lot more realistic.

Overall, this was a cute and cozy read that I really enjoyed! Despite my minor issues, I would still recommend it to someone who is looking to cozy up for the holidays with ample descriptions of many (very many) cute cats!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary
4.25 ⭐

I want a peppermint mocha and to finally adopt that dog we’ve been talking about for years.

Quick Summary: Kara (certified cat lover) and Ben (self-proclaimed pet pessimist) have nothing in common…except a lack of trust in romantic relationships due to past heartbreak. Oh and that attraction they feel when they’re in the same room. And maybe their first impressions were wrong. Can they overcome their personal baggage to make this work or were they always meant to be temporary?

Thoughts: This is a delightful, contemporary, romcom with conservative intimate scenes and almost no swearing. I like that the two main characters each have a story arc where they learn and grow through the story. I laughed out loud at multiple points while reading. If you like sweet, fun, character stories you will like this book. But be warned, you might end up with a new pet by the end!

This year, I took Christmas in July to a whole new level! I was lucky enough to be given the chance to read an ARC for A Cat Cafè Christmas, and as I cat lover, I was absolutely ecstatic to dive into this book!

A Cat Cafè Christmas was such a heartwarming story. We follow our two main characters, Kara and Ben, as they both navigate life after experiencing heartbreak and betrayal. There were so many relatable moments and certain chapters that had me feeling all warm and fuzzy (I’m looking at you, chapter 3!)

This is the perfect Holiday read! If you are a cat lover who is looking for a feel good rom com, this book is definitely for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

"They continued dancing...This reminded her of those moments in romantic movies when the couple does something she couldn't imagine ever happening in real life, but being in his arms, surrounded by the scent of Ben's spicy cologne and his body, Kara thought she could stay in this moment, blocking out the world, the worry, the stress."

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ME. This was too cute. It was a hallmark movie wrapped in a book and I was 100% here for it. AND IT HAD CUTE CATS!! I was highly invested in the success of this cat cafe that was on the brink of closure. A super quick holiday read that I had a great time reading!

Not only were all the cats adorable, but Ben and Kara were also giving the cats a run for their money. They were a cute, flirty, banter-filled pair and I loved reading them go from their awkward first encounter to becoming a comfortable staple in each other's lives as their relationship became stronger.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Codi Gary for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! ♥️🎄

RATING: 4.5 out of 5